Zalai Múzeum 14. Müller Róbert 60 éves (Zalaegerszeg, 2005)

Nagy Margit: Kor népvándorlás kori gyermeksír amulettekkel Mártélyról (Csongrád megye)

112 Nagy Margit 5

th century child grave with amulets and iron bell from Mártély (Csongrád County) Katalin В. Nagy, archaeologist of the Tornyai János Museum, carried out a rescue excavation at the borderland of Mártély close to the former „szegfűi csárda", in 1975. Mártély lies at the northern part of a backwater of the river Tisza (Fig. 1, 3). The rescue excavation took place at the southern part of the Hódmezővásárhely-Szentes railway line. The excavation revealed Bronze Age burials and sherds belonging to prehistoric, Sarmatian and Árpádian periods. Next to a Sarmatian pit (pit 2) on the surface, washed out by rain, several glass beads and a pierced animal tooth were found by the leader of the excavation and the restorer. After widening the exploratory trench, a few centimeters below the surface a burial of a child with grave goods was revealed. In the following section a description of the burial and grave goods is provided (Fig. 2). The grave was N-S oriented. The length of the body is approximately 70 cm and the child was approximately 1—1,5 years old. The skeleton was badly preserved and the right radial, feet and hand bones were missing. The fragmented skull was lifted en bloc and taken to the museum. The child had two different types of strings of beads. 1: One of the strings was composed of small yellow and black beads. The light yellow polished beads were millet shape and were probably made from shell. These beads were threaded in two lines next to each other (Fig. 2, la;3, 1; 7,4). 2: The second string was made of bigger green, dark blue, white, yellow and red glass beads and one bone bead (Fig. 2,1 a; 3, 2; 7, 5). 3: Amongst the bigger beads on the left hand side of the mandible, a fragmented bronze disk was observed. The front of the disk is slightly convex. On the back of the disk a small soldered lug for suspension can be observed. The middle of the lug was thinned due to use (Fig. 2, la; 3,4; 7,1). 4: At the middle of the mandible a silver plate lunula was uncovered. The widest part of the lunula was pierced. Two crescents were incised on the reverse side.(Fig. 2, la; 3, 5; 7, 2). 5: A pendant made of a deer canine was found above the lunula. Both surface of the pendant and the hole in it are very worn (Fig. 3, 3; 7, 3). 6: Next to the right pelvis a bone belt buckle or suspensory ring was observed. The object was made of a horse or cow vertebra (Fig. 2, lb; 4, 1; 7, 6). 7: Next to the buckle large transparent dark blue, dark green and black coloured dotted glass beads were found. The dots were made in blue, green, white and red colours (Fig. 2, lb; 5, 1-7; 7, 11). Next to the left forearm an amber and a green glass bead were observed (Fig. 3, 6-7; 7, 8-9). 8: Next to the right pelvis a pendant made of a horse's lower leg bone was found. There was a hole in it, its surface was polished and decorated with an incised dotted circle. The surface and the hole are heavily worn (Fig. 4, 2; 7, 9). 9: Also next to the right pelvis there was a pendant made from a dog or wolf long bone. On the middle of its surface, discolouration was observed that resulted from a metal object (Fig. 2, lb; 4, 4; 7, 12). 10: Next to the right side of the upper part of the femur was a sheep or goat bone object. The surface of the object is polished and the side exhibits a triangularshaped cut. One end of the object is closed that exhibits a 0,2 mm diameter hole. The edges of the hole are irregular and it is probably not a drilled hole. The other end of the object was cut open along a straight line. Use wear could not be recognised on the tool (Fig. 2, lb; 4, 3; 7, 7). 11 : Under the right pelvis a pendant was observed, made from a wild boar tusk. The root end of the tusk was cut with a squared slot and it was pierced. The surface of the tusk is polished and heavily worn. Around the hole and on the inner side rust discolouration can be observed. The pointed end of the tusk was cut into an edge by a sharp tool (Fig. 2, lb; 6, 3; 8, 1). 12-13: Where the right hand should have been two wild boar tusk pendants were placed. The pendants were made of the right tusks of two wild boars. The pendants are polished and their pointed ends were thinned and slightly polished. The holes in both