Tálas László szerk.: The late neolithic of the Tisza region (1987)

Vésztő-Mágor (K. Hegedűs and J. Makkay)

VÉSZTŐ-MÁGOR One possible reconstruction of the fragments (a) as an enthroned figurine of the cult assemblage. Tisza culture. H: about 80 cm 18] and various clay vessels. It would appear that the entire settlement had been destroyed by a large conflagration, after which the inhabitants abandoned their village, never to return, since a 20-25 cm thick humus level (buried soil B) overlay the Neolithic house remains in all excavated trenches. The exact duration of the period during which the site was unoccupied, however, cannot be defined without a thorough analysis of the material from the first Tiszapolgár level (lying directly above buried soil B) that would reveal to which internal Tiszapolgár phase this level should be assigned. Level 6 represents at least two Tiszapolgár phases since the graves of the Kisrétpart group, dated to the later phase of the Tiszapolgár culture, had been dug into an earlier level containing houses. Remains of Tiszapolgár houses were only uncovered near the central part of the mound. Parts of three houses were uncovered in trench III between a depth of 240 and 250 cm. Incised circles with a diameter of about 6.6 cm ornamented the inner side of the burnt wattle and daub fragments. In trenches IV and V level 6 was found to lie directly above buried soil B, at a depth of 315 cm. There is evidence that the higher-lying section of level 6 contained also the settlement features of the Bodrogkeresztur culture (southern extension of trench IV, —225 cm; trench IV, —233 cm); and Hunyadi-halom type vessel fragments, diagnostic of the late Bodrogkeresztur period, were also recovered (trench IV, —140 cm). A total of 44 burials were excavated by K. Hegedűs: graves 1-16, 30-34, 36, 38-39 and 42-44 date to the Neolithic, whilst graves 17-29, 35, 37 and 40-41 can be assigned to the Early Copper Age Tiszapolgár culture. The skeletal remains of 30 Neolithic and 17 Early Copper Age individuals were recovered from these graves (FARKAS 1974, 55-64). Only one of the Neolithic burials can be definitely assigned to the Szakáihát group. A further two Tiszapolgár graves and three Tisza period burials were excavated in 1986. The Tisza burials were all east—west oriented, with the deceased interred in a contracted position. Most graves contained but a few grave goods: stone chisels or axes, pottery and marble beads. A large lump of red ochre was found in the hand of the deceased buried in grave 6 (a maturus female), a hairpin was deposited by the skull in grave 16 (maturus male), while a bowl and a necklace strung of 73 marble beads were recovered from grave 31 (10 to 12 years old child). These graves can be divided into two groups on the basis of their stratigraphic position and burial rite. Remains of wooden coffins could generally be observed in deeper-lying burials (18 graves), the arms, the legs and the head (but not the face) were generously sprinkled with red ochre, occasionally forming a several millimeters thick layer. The coffins had been assembled from wooden planks; their length ranged between 130 and 140 cm, and their long sides extended by some 10 cm on either end. The analysis of the wood remains from these coffins revealed that the planks had been hewn from some sort of elm {Ulmus sp.) and common or European ash (Fraxinus excelsa) (grave 6), from very old elm (Ulmus levis) (grave 7), and from ash and aspen or poplar (Populus sp.) (grave 14). The coffin in this latter grave measured about 127 by 73 cm and had survived to a height of about 25 cm. The deceased were often wrapped in a mat, sometimes together with the grave goods, before being laid in the coffin. Later Tisza burials did not contain coffin remains; ochre appears to have been used more sparsely, but the deceased were provided with more funerary goods. The Early Copper Age graves were mostly southeast-northwest oriented. The deceased were depositied in a contracted position. 7 child burials (graves 17-22 and 25), equipped with lavish grave goods and forming a small group were uncovered in the burnt debris of an Early Copper Age house uncovered in trench III. This grave group can perhaps be interpreted as a children's cemetery. In neither case was body painting ob91