Budapest Régiségei 36. (2002) – In memoriam Rózsa Kalicz-Schreiber (1929-2001)

Vörös István: Sacrificial cattle remains from the early bronze age settlement at Soroksár = Korabronzkori szarvasmarha áldozatok maradványai Soroksáron 247-255

BUDAPEST RÉGISÉGEI XXXVI. 2002. ISTVÁN VÖRÖS SACRIFICIAL CATTLE REMAINS FROM THE EARLY BRONZE AGE SETTLEMENT AT SOROKSÁR In the botanical garden of the University of Horticulture at Soroksár (Budapest XX

th district), remains of Early Bronze Age (Late Nagyrév Culture) settlement and associated finds were found

1 in course of earthmoving works. The trench transsecting the sand crest cut across five pits. In the pits, apart from a moderate amount of pottery, a large number of animal bones (primarily cattle, 248 pieces) and other animal bones (66 pieces) were found (Table 1; material in the Budapest History Museum Inv nr: 1

st pit 71.1.9., 2

nd pit 71.1.10, 3

rd pit 71.1.50-52, 4a pit 71.1.68, 4b pit 71.1.67). The dimensions of the pits and the drawing on the cattle remains in pit No. 2. were taken from the study of Rózsa Schreiber.

2 A part of the animal remains were formerly published by Sándor Bökönyi.

3 1. ANIMAL REMAINS Pit No. 1. (western half of the pit, the rest as destroyed) cattle - remains of an approx. 2 years old bull calf, altogether 13 pieces head: scull (crashed), pair of mandibles, limbs: right side lower arm (d. rad.), lower leg on both sides (d. fem-tib-astg-mt, s. fern., mt.) Pit No. 2. (diameter: 215 x 155 cm, depth: 245 cm) 2/1 cattle: an adult bull, 63 pieces head: skull (partly crashed, deficient,

4 s. mandibula, trunk: cervical vertebrae (7 pieces), dorsal vertebrae (13 pieces), lumbar vertebrae (6 pieces), sacrum I., limbs: right side fore leg (d. hum-rad/ulna-c-mc-ph.I.II.) both hind legs (s. pelvis-fem-tib-astg/calc-mt., d. patella-tib-malleo-astg/calc/t-mt-ph. I.-II). The diameter of the pelvis acetabulum was 70 mm. The remains of the cattle 2/1 were lying in the eastern half of the pit along the edge.

5 The skull was lying in southern direction on its row of teeth, the left side mandible was found under this turning to opposite direction. Behind the skull the complete vertebral column connected to the skull, bent in an arch comprising 7 cervical and 9 dorsal vertebrae. Beside this, on 1 KALICZ-SCHREIBER 1981; SCHREIBER 1984. 2 SCHREIBER 1984. 3 BÖKÖNYI 1984. 4 BÖKÖNYI 1984. Fig. 1. 5 SCHREIBER 1984. 3., 4.1-2. The drawing depicted a certain phase of the work when part of the remains were already collected. the western side the rest of the dorsal vertebrae turned back (10-13 dorsal vertebrae); below this, the row of lumbar vertebrae (1-6), the lumbar bone and the left side pelvis. The right side hind leg (fern, under the cervical vertebrae) was in the southern third of the pit, the right side fore leg was lying in the northern third of the pit, oriented in W-E direction (Fig.T). The skull and the horn core are of the primigenius type. The frontal region is wide and domed; the frontal ridge is slightly flatly pointed. The basis of the horn core has thin wall, large with oval cross-section. The frontal length (Ac-N) is 265 mm, its greatest width (Ect-Ect): 230 mm, the Sp-Sp distance: 130 mm. The distance between the lower margin of the horn core basis and the Ect. point is 110 mm. The half-distance of the upper part of the horn core is 90 mm, that of the lower part is 115 mm, the half of the fs-fs distance is 104 mm. Pathology: In the left side dentition the chewing surface of the upper Pl-3 lying beside each other slopes in a step-wise manner, located at different height. Due to the excess growth of the P3 (exsuperantia dentis), the crown of the lower Ml is abraded till the alveolus. This anomaly was caused by the different hardness of the teeth: the dental matter of the lower Ml-2 teeth was soft. The rim of the alveolus at the teeth P^-M

1 was wavy, the crown of the P

3 was not abraded, its rear-side external root was wedged between the two frontal roots of the Ml. The rear-side spurs of the V

th and the front spurs of the VI

th cervical vertebrae (proc. articulares) are pathologically wide, their articular surface is loosened with cavities. The exterior side of the left malleolar bone and the bone surface on the margin of the related tib.dist.lat. is deformed. 2/2 cattle: an adultus ox, 8 pieces of bone head: skull split in two, pair of mandibles; limbs: left side fore leg (s. scapula-hum-rad.) The left side of the skull was at the right side of cattle 2/1 skull, to the west of it, above the fore leg (Fig. I), its right half together with the mandibles were in the SW third of the pit (Fig.T). 2/3 cattle: a not yet fully grown (subadult.) cow, 11 pieces of bone head: right side brain skull with the horn core; limbs: right side fore leg (d.-hum.-rad./ulna-c-mc), left side 247