Vadas Ferenc (szerk.): A Szekszárdi Béri Balogh Ádám Múzeum Évkönyve 13. (Szekszárd, 1986)

Ferenc Horváth: Aspects of Late Neolithic changes in the Tisza-Maros Region

called „late Tisza" settlement in the Southern Plain other than Gorzsa, Lebő B and probably the upper level of Szegvár-Tüzköves. In fact grave no. 8 at Ószentiván III together with the mentioned latest part of Lebő are synchronous with the Gorzsa B-A phases. It can hardly be imagined that the area of the SouthernAlföld remained uninhabitated between the classical Tisza and Gorzsa B-period, except for those three sites. J. MAKKAY suggests a decay-like cessation of the settlement structure of the Tisza culture. He presumed that inhabitants left the concentrated tells because of necessary inner economia forces. It is important, anyway, that not even he has listed more „late Tisza" sites except for certain levels of the two mentioned before (MAKKAY 1982,154-164). I. ECSEDY correctly supposed, that besides the area of the central tells of the Herpály, Csőszhalom and Gorzsa groups some other groups lived, whose economies were significantly different from those of the tell-settlers carrying out intensive agriculture (ECSEDY 1981, 76, 89). In consequence the pottery of such groups would be different to a certain degree from that of large centres. Thus, the lack of Tisza-patterned ware does not necesserily mean discontemporaneity in everey case. In Deszk-Ordos only some sherds and one collared vessel indicate the Tisza culture on the Gorzsa C-B age of settlement (PI. V. 4.), while the other finds are closer to the pottery of Gorzsa B (PI. V. 1-2,3, 5-7.). Unevitably these are scattered data and that is why not easily datable sites show only partly the period following the decay of the settlement structure of the Tisza culture. To get to know this transitional period in more detail we made a test-excavation at Deszk-Vénó on the suspected settlement of the Deszk-A cemetery. The material of this site has two main features: on the one hand the pottery shows a connection with Gorzsa B-A (PL VI. 3,5,8,10) on the other hand it has expressed characteristics as bell-shaped pedestals (PI. VI. 2.), round and square-shaped perforations (PL VI. 1, 4.), very few pointed bosses of Tiszapolgár character (PL VI. 6, 9.). Because of the strong Late Neolithic reminders, however, this type of artefacts can be placed between the period of the Tisza and Tiszapolgár cultures together with Deszk A and the sites which can be dated after the end of Gorzsa C. On the basis of pottery typology these finds and sites together with the second part of the Gorzsa group (Deszk-Phase) form a transitional period with the Tiszapolgár Altype find-complexes according to I. KUTZIÁN (Darvas, Derecske-Bikásdülő, Hódmezővásárhely-Krétasziget, Szentpéterszeg and Bélmegyer) (KUTZIÁN 1972,15,21,22-27,84, GOLDMAN 1977,221.). Since the incised ware is very rare and features of the Tiszapolgár-pottery are still not predominant in its developed form in these complexes we separate them as a Proto-Tiszapolgár period between the Tisza and the Tiszapolgár cultures. On account of the close relationship between the Gorzsa and Lengyel pottery (PL III. 6-8), the change reflected in the artefacts at the turn of the LN/ECA on the Gorzsa group was less striking than elswhere on the Alföld, because with the ECA integration those very Lengyel traditions became overwhelming in contrast with the Tisza-traditions (ECSEDY 1981,75). In the Middle-Tisza Region the signs of these changes will probably be seen more sharply because of the weaker effect of the Gorzsa group. That is why we suppose island-like survivals of certain LNgroups of post-Tisza character in that area which kept some LN tarditions longer. The newest excavations at Tiszaug-Kisrétpart support this suspicion (SIKLÓDI 1982-83, 28-31). In Transdanubia the white paint period of the Lengyel culture