Cristian, Virag (szerk.): Neolithic cultural phenomena in the Upper Tisa Basin (Satu Mare, 2015)
János Németi - Attila Nándor Hágó: Cultic and Miscellaneous Clay Find from Pişcolt-Lutărie
Mezőkeresztes-Repcsényes (A4OL-20. lh.) in the ALPC58 and in the Bükk 59, Szatmár60 or LBK61 cultures. Potsherd with painted human representation In 1970, through the clay process extraction, a certain number of archaeological features were disturbed, that were dated in the Neolithic (Pişcolt Group) and Celtic era, but also in the 2 th to 4th centuries A.D. The archaeological materials gathered by the locals were given to J. Németi. Among these materials there was a vessel belly picturing a human silhouette, fragment which comes from a storage vessel (pot or amphora), of a light brown color, covered with a brown slip. On the right side, there are painted eight parallel lines, while on the left side, a human silhouette was painted in brown62. In most of the cases the black colour decorations were fallenoff, leaving only their marks, now red or brown in colour. The black colour decoration was painted with birch bark tar (obtained from birch bark by heating) and resin (the substance obtained by drying the liquid obtained by tapping birch trunks)63. The circle represents the head, the straight line the neck, and the square with the lines represents the body, the legs and the arms (Plate II/3). The ceramic fragment is dated from the second phase of the Pişcolt culture. Their interpretation is rather difficult and opinions may vary. These figurines and reliefs might represent local important aspects of earthly persons as well as supernatural beings, among others goddesses of fertility or gods whose duty was to protect the home64 or, in the opinion of Y. Garfinkel, painted, relief, carved or incised representations always appear to represent dancing.65 That dance probably represents the adorations of gods or goddesses, a praying attitude, associated with the economic activity or with propaganda or with mythological details, a comradeship between members of the society at times of leisure in a relaxed atmosphere or a communal banquet, in which people are eating and drinking together66. These painted, reliefed, carved or incised representations occur in assemblages locatable in the Near East, Anatolia67, the Levant and Egypt, and also Southeastern Europe, between the earliest Neolithic around 9000 (Pre-Pottery Neolithic B) and 3000 B.C. and in different Neolithic cultures of the Danubian territory (in the material of the Körös-Starcevo, Karanovo, Vinca, Linear Pottery, Cucuteni, Gumelniţa, and related cultures)68, Central Europe69 and in the Neolithic of Southeast Europe (including cultures of Greece, Bulgaria, the former Yugoslavia, Romania and the Dniester Basin), Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republik70, or in the Near-East71. János Németi, Attila Nándor Hágó 58 Selján/Veres 2008,16-17, 9/1 kép. 59 Csengeri 2001,4/1-2 kép. 60 Kalicz/Koós 2014,7/l;-2; 15/4 kép, 33/2. 61 Becker 2007a,Abb.8; Bánffy 2003, Abb. 5; Bánffy 2005, Fig. 5. 62 Lazarovici/Németi 1983, Pl. XXI/3. 63 Jakucs/Sándor 2012, 317-316. 64 Makkay, 2006, 80. 65 Garfinkel, 2003. 66 Makkay, 2006, 81. 67 Mellart 1967, Pl. VII. 68 Makkay, 2006, 80. 69 Becker 2007, Fig. 1/3,5; Garfinkel 2010, Fig. 1/1-6, Fig. 3, Fig. 4/1-3, Fig 5. 1/1-2, Fig. 6/1-3. 70 Garfinkel, 2003, 205-231; Makkay, 2006, Fig. 1-2; Siklósi, 2004, fig. 13; Makkay/Starnini 2008, Fig 34-47, Fig. 364/1; Brezinova/Pazinova 2011, Tab. 2/1-2; Németi 2014 in press; Maxim et al. 2009, Fig. 92; Potushniak 1999, PI. VI/12; Tiirkcan 2007, Fig. 3; Lazarovici 1987, Fig3/9. 71 Garfinkel, 2003, fig. 7.8/a-e; 7.9/a-c; 8.28/a-d; 8.29/a-b; 8.30/a-f. 190
