A Nyíregyházi Jósa András Múzeum évkönyve 49. (Nyíregyháza, 2007)

Régészet - Dan Pop: The Copper Axe from Corni

Dan Pop in this way. Regarding the cuts on the Corni axe, we can only state that these were made long ago and they rarely appeared on copper axes, as, for example, a piece with unknown discovery place (PI. XII: 11) ( PATAY 1984. 56: no. 251, pi. 20: 251).

27 Chronological position Taking into account the axe/axes of the Apagy settlement, as well as the association of axes and tools from the "deposits" mentioned above, they show that the Székely-Nádudvar axes can be mainly attributed to the Bodrogkeresztúr Culture, and to a less extent to the Tiszapolgár Culture. According to P. Patay, the Apagy version would belong to Tiszapolgár Culture and the other two versions, Dorog and Monostorpályi, to the Bodrogkeresztúr Culture. We can observe that the area of Székely-Nádudvar type overlaps that of the cultures mentioned above (NOVOTNÁ 1970. 24, VULPE 1975. 47, MAYER 1977. 15, TODOROVA 1981. 43, PATAY 1984. 54-55, NOVOTNÁ 1995. 69-76, RÍHOVSKY 1992. 27, 29, ZERAVICA 1993. 8, LUCA 1999. 33, OANTÄ 2000., MARES 2002. 104). Many of my colleagues, who have studied the problems of the Aeneolithic in Romania, attribute this axe type to the Tiszapolgár Culture, arguing with the higher number of finds belonging to this culture comparing to those belonging to the Bodrogkeresztúr Culture (LAZAROVICI 1983. 13, annex 1, IERCOSAN 2002. 156-157,

28 NÉMETI 1999. 97-98, annex VI.) The Agnita type axes are considered (with the exception ofthat from Agnita!) to be originally axes with cross-arms of Jászladány type, torn and reused as hammer-axes, resembling in shape the type presented above, especially the Apagy type, but also the Jászladány one, if we take into account the missing superior arm (Fig. 7, appendix 2, PI. XVII: 1-10) (VULPE 1975. 28, PATAY 1984. 60-61). They have a pentagonal form, with both arms curved to the vertical axis; the edge arm is wide at the end, the shaft-hole - with sleeves on both sides - is either in the middle or in the superior part.

29 The hammer arm has an oval, half-moon-like, rectangular section or rectangular section with rounded edged corners. The edge arm may have rectangular section, rectangular section with rounded corners, oval or square section. We find these types of hammer-axes only in Transylvania, and in East Hungary (Fig. 7). Regarding the context in which the Agnita type axes occur, we have the following situation: two axes come from isolated finds (Agnita and Hódmezővásárhely), two or three from hoards (Cetatea de Baltä,

30 probably Gheorgheni,

31 probably "Érd"

32

) two or three from funeral context, out of which only the one from Mezősas (Bodrogkeresztúr Culture) is sure.

33 The other one from 2

' Similar cuts are also on cross-armed axes of Jászladány type at: Bogdane§ti - VULPE 1975. 45: no. 202, pi. 28: 202; Plakuder - TODOROVA 1981. 47: no. 170, pi. 13: 170; on undefined type axes: Szószberek - PATAY 1984. no. 557. 2

° For which the quantity ratio between the discoveries of Tiszapolgár and those of Bodrogkeresztúr would be decisive in the attributing of the axes in the western part of Romania to the first mentioned culture. 29 In relation to the place where the hammer arm broke, closer or not to the shaft-hole. 30 It occurs in case of two axes with cross-arms - the Sincai and Petre§ti versions. 3

1 Out of 10 mentioned pieces only one has been preserved. 32 Possibly found together the following pieces: an Agnita axe, a flat axe of Szakáihát type, Sälacea variant, a knife and an axe with cross-arms of Siria type. 33 Associated with a chisel, a flat axe of Szakáihát type, the Sälacea version, a bracelet and a small clay pot. 60