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
In concept of P. Raczky and A. Anders, ALP culture can be divided not only into an “incised” and a “painted block” by pottery decoration but also may create a new cultural subdivision on the grounds of uniformity of some symbols of face-decorated vessels and figurines and the possible beliefs behind them. These symbols have referred to a “northern block” (Tiszadob-Biikk and Esztár cultures) and a “southern block” (Szakálhát culture) of ALP with two major “ideological spheres” but with common roots.71 It may be considered as an important theory because it may refute the conception of M. Potushniak about the Esztár group as a part of the independent PPC culture72 and to the opinion of E Horváth and F. Draşovean about different origin of this group from ALP culture.73 The other remarkable site, Encs-Kelecsény was a settlement of the late Tiszadob group or style that had been excavated by M. Wolf and K. Simán in 1983.74 There was revealed a large clayextraction pit with a huge material of ceramics and remains of an oven. Among these ceramics also ware found painted ones, but in lower proportion. Wide black painted stripes between the incised lines and black painting on the incised lines have been the most characteristic kinds of painted decoration of this site (Pi. 10, 1-7). Paintings most often occurred on the surface of fine ceramics with thicker wall (PL 10, 2-7) that resembled the decorated pottery of earlier stages of ALP culture. Very few examples have been known from finest ceramics with thin walls (PI. 10, 1). Bükk culture/ or communities using Bükk pottery style In the 4th phase of the Middle Neolithic the “incised block” of the ALP culture still lived in the territory of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County. Heritage of Bükk and Szakálhát cultures or pottery styles can be found there. The whole number of the sites characterized by Bükk pottery style are in number of 184 in the County, nowadays. Painted decoration of ceramics was not characteristic for the Bükk culture but two kinds of painting have been traced in its material, in a very low number. One type may be said the Dornica lb style painting75 of early Bükk, namely an independent black painting with geometric, crisscross, hatched, chessboard and rarely spiral motives that may have been classified as a changed heredity of earlier stages of ALP culture or the contemporary impact of Szakálhát culture.76 The other one has been the Szakálhát type red crusted painting on decorated Bükk house ware that probably was made by the influence of Szakálhát culture. The latter type appeared for instance on a large, face-decorated storage vessel from Garadna.77 In the “Tiszadob-Bükk transitional phase” when Tiszadob pottery style was shifting to Bükk style,78 the “own Tiszadob painting” were also used. It may be seen for instance on ceramics of Garadna-Ef/cerü/ő út, site No. 2.79 An interesting example of rare independent painting of this phase has been known from a cylindrical pit (S55) of Garadna. Beside the incised pottery (PL 12, 1-4) and coarse ware (PL 11, 2; PL 12, 5) of this feature, a unique hemispherical cup came to light (PL 11, la-lb). Its black painted decoration consists of circles in panels divided by vertical lines (PL 11, la-lb). There hasn’t been known parallels of it, so far. 1989, 67-74, 80-83, 91-100, Tabela II, 122-126, 129, 135-138), as well as the PPC culture with three stages of M. Potushniak (Potushniak 1997, 37-41; 2011, 64-74). 71 Raczky/Anders 2003, 166, 170-171. 72 Potushniak 1997, 37, 40; 2011, 54. 73 Horvâth/Draşovean 2013, 121-123. 74 L. Wolf/Simán 1984. 75 Lichardus 1968, 33-42 with Obr. 4 and 6, 115, 118. 76 Painted sherds from the settlement in front of the Aggtelek-Baradla cave (Korek 1970, Fig. 7, 1, Fig. 14) may be in connection with this type of painting. New examples of painted ceramics from Baradla cave were introduced by Orsolya Laczi in her MA thesis (Laczi 2011). 77 Csengeri 2010a, 229 and Fig. 3-4; 2011, 68-69, 75, 82. 78 The term was introduced by the author in Csengeri 2013. 79 Csengeri 2010a, Fig. 10. Middle Neolithic Painted Pottery from Borsod- Abaúj-Zemplén County... 139
