Kovács Tibor - Stanczik Ilona (szerk.): Bronze Age tell settlements of the Great Hungarian Plain I. (Inventaria Praehistorica Hungariae 1; Budapest, 1988)

Preface

PREFACE The last three decades of Hungarian prehistoric settlement studies, that can look back on one and a half centuries, saw a dramatic rise in the number of excavations. The investigation of Neolithic and Bronze Age settlements has proved especially fruitful, both as regards the size of the excavated areas and the quality of fieldwork. With the application of up-to-date excavation techniques —that obviously incorporate previous experiences—, it has proved possible to conduct ecological investigations and also to formulate interdisciplinary research strategies. Hungarian prehistoric research has been enriched by a wealth of data on settlement patterns and settlement organisation; however, their interpretation and publication has lagged far behind the pace of the investigations themselves. There are constant attempts—some successful, some less successful—to regain the delicate balance of research. One such attempt was the programme to be described below. The project designed for "The investigation and publication of our cultural heritage" was initiated for promoting studies in the various fields of the social sciences. Beginning with 1982 it became possible to evaluate and publish the results of excavations conducted on 4th to 2nd millennium sites. The preliminaries to this work—that have been supported by various funds-, have by now reached a stage whereby they offer a scientific guarantee for the publication of a series on settlement archaeology. The possibility for the publication of several studies is thus guaranteed; however, the realization of subsequent volumes depends on further financial support. Nonetheless, as a sign of our optimism, we have decided to publish the first few volumes with a series title. Depending on the scope of individual excavations, the various volumes will contain the results of one or more Neolithic and Bronze Age settlements. The latter is exemplified by the present volume which is the first part of a two-volume book edited simultaneously. The results of small-scale excavations on Bronze Age tells in various parts of the Great Hungarian Plain are published here. Apart from adhering to a few editorial and technical principles, individual authors were free to use the terminologies and chronologies preferred by them—even if in some cases this led to minor contradictions. Consequently, these volumes will be a collection of loosely connected studies, rather than the product of some uniform concept. But then, our objective was primarily the creation of possibilities for objective publication. We would here like to thank the directors and their assistants working in the museums housing the finds, and all those who with their unselfish help have contributed to the publication of this volume. The Editors