Cristian, Virag (szerk.): Neolithic cultural phenomena in the Upper Tisa Basin (Satu Mare, 2015)

Piroska Csengeri: Middle Neolithic Painted Pottery from Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, North-Eastern Hungary

Piroska Csengeri

materials can be connected to it with no doubt. It refers either that 1.) this pottery style could have been used for a brief time period or 2.) it was not applied in the whole studied region. However, based on the sites of “Polgár island” Pál Raczky and Alexandra Anders supposed recently that ALP II (2) and ALP III (3) types were contemporary pottery styles.67

On the grounds of new finds came to light in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, painted decoration (black painting) also was used with ALP 2 pottery style, but in far lower quantities than in the ALP 1 phase.68

Tiszadob group/ or communities using Tiszadob pottery style

In the territory of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County can be found the settlements of “incised block” of ALP culture: in the 3rd phase Tiszadob group and maybe Szakálhát culture. Although the incised decoration was the hallmark of the Tiszadob group, “own painted decoration” (maybe ALP heritage) also was in common use even if in lower number, in this period. There are known 72 sites and find materials of Tiszadob group in the County nowadays. Two settlements are set out of them in order to represent its painted pottery, namely Hejőkürt- Lidl and Encs-Kelecsény.

Hejőkürt-Lidl is thought to be one of the most important newly discovered archaeological sites in this region. There was revealed a five hectare part of a large, multiperiod site by J. Koós and her colleagues in 2005 (unpublished). On the basis of preliminary data, the Neolithic part of it can be classified to the earliest and the early Tiszadob style. 239 Middle Neolithic settlement features and 45 burials were excavated there. Among painted ceramics of the site have been found pieces resembled to above mentioned painted pottery of the 1st phase of ALP culture. On vessels with lower or high, truncated conical or cylindrical neck and with globular, squashed globular or quadrangular bodies have occurred mainly 1) type, painting without incised decoration. Motives usually consist of bunches of narrow or wider black painted stripes and concentric circles (PI. 7,1-4). New elements also need to be mentioned: painted wolfteeth motif and deep, short, vertical notches (PL 7, 4). On some vessels and on other ceramic types like hollow-pedestalled bowls and deep cups have been found 2) type, combination of painted and incised decorations. Among them are needed to allude to the painting between the incised lines and painting on the incised lines (PI. 8, 2-3; PI. 9, 2). The mentioned ceramic types also have occurred with “normal”, incised decorations of Tiszadob style at this site (Pi. 8, 1). Examples of ALP 1 type painting ought to be mentioned from an old material of Uppony- Mogyorós from western part of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County that may be classified to the earliest sites of Tiszadob pottery style like Hejőkürt-Lic/I.69

Beside this “own painted pottery of Tiszadob group” there have been other ceramics with painted decoration at Hejőkürt-L/d/. Latter ones might have referred to the interactions between Hejőkürt Neolithic community of the “incised block” of the ALP culture and the contemporary groups of the “painted block”. In this respect should be mentioned fragments of an Esztár style deep vessel with red slip and narrow, black-painted wavy lines (Pi. 9, 1) and two pieces with non-Esztár type painting that may be associated to Raskovce style (Pi. 9, 3-4).70

67 Raczky/Anders 2009, 39-40.

68 For example, finds of Sajószentpéter-FIarmadik vető, site No. 3 excavated by Krisztián Tóth and Ágnes Király in 2012 can be mentioned. Thanks for kind permission of referencing to the excavators.

69 Korek 1971, Taf. 4, 3-5. Uppony-Mogyorós was published as a younger ALP site by Korek 1971.

70 Labelling of painted groups of Middle Neolithic of the Upper Tisza region has not been uniform in the archaeological literature. The author uses the „Esztár type” term and the „non-Esztár type” term here. Latter one means „Painted pottery of Szamos region” (Kalicz/Makkay 1977, 106; Korek 1977; 1983, 26) or “Painted Pottery of Szatmár” (Makkay 2003, 42) or „Middle Neolithic Painted Pottery of the Upper Tisza Region” (Jakucs 2010) of the Hungarian scholars, furthermore the Kopcany and Raskovce painted groups of ELP culture and eastern painted group of Bükk culture of Slovakian researchers (Pavúk-Siska 1980, 145-146, 157-158; Siska 1979; 1982, 261-266;

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