Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 32/2. (2012)
Book reviews
222 Book Reviews author presents the Late Copper Age zoomorphic representations which can be associated with the wagon models, an approach which was neglected for a long time (p. 48-56). The zoomorphic representations include animal protomes attached to the wagon box, and small clay figurines which are free standing, some of which can also be draught animals (p. 49). The forth chapter discusses the topic of the Early and Late Bronze Age wagon models in four subsections (p. 57-90). In the first section the author draws the attention upon the uncertainty of naming exactly the wheel models (p. 57-58). The exact dating of these objects from the Cooper Age is very important for the appearance of the wheeled vehicles, while those from the Bronze Age do not have the same chronological value, which is underlined by the high number of the wheel finds. The second subsection presents the research history of the Early and Middle Bronze Age wagon models from the Carpathian Basin (p. 58-75). The different archaeological finds are not just simply listed, but the author gives a detailed description as well, being completed by many drawings and images. The analysis of the presented Bronze Age wagon models occurs in the third section (p. 75-84). A total of 89 different pieces of wagon models are cataloged, out of which 63 were discovered in Romania, mainly from the settlements of the Otomani and Wietenberg cultures. Based on the studied wagon models the author claims that clearly distinguishable characteristics can be separated, which based on their typology, form, decoration and production methods can be easily associated with different cultures. The appearance of these archaeological findings are affected by many factors such as the level of research and even the fabrication material of the wagon model, if we accept that they could have been made from organic material as well. The Bronze Age zoomorphic representations are discussed in the last subsection of the fourth chapter (p. 84-90). Due to the change which occurred in the animal cult during the Early Bronze Age in the Carpathian Basin, this period is marked by the dominance of bird representations. Furthermore there are cases when the vehicles are drawn or flown by water-birds as of the reflection of mythological beliefs (p. 84-85). The author summarizes the presented information in the fifth chapter (p. 91-98). Regarding the areas of origin of the wheeled vehicle the attention is drawn upon the noticeable differences between the European and near-east wagon finds, moreover the lack of the archaeological discoveries between the territory of Anatolia, Syria, Mesopotamia and the Carpathian Basin. A serious question can be asked: could we talk about a possible common genesis of the wheeled vehicles? There is evidence for the existence of the wagon in the northern and central parts of Europe, but they are present in the North-Pontic region and Mesopotamia as well from the second half of the fourth millennium. In the sixth chapter a catalogue of the 11 late Cooper Age and 19 Bronze Age wagon models discovered on the territory of Hungary is given (p. 99-106), followed by the bibliography (p. 106-129) and the appendix with the discovery sites (p. 131^ 132). Finally, one can say that the question of the genesis and diffusion of the wheeled vehicles is still unresolved. It is certain that the invention of the wheel was a revolutionary moment. Is not negligible, that even though the innovation of wheels created a basic condition to the creation of the car, the wheels = wagon association is not always accurate (p. 57). The presented volume describes the current state of research of the wheeled vehicles, preceded by many years of work; not least the author presents in detail the many various, sometimes contradictory theories of the different researchers. The demanding character of the work is obvious. The value of the volume is enhanced by the many drawings and photos of the wagon models. One has access also to a reach bibliography which
