Cristian, Virag (szerk.): Neolithic cultural phenomena in the Upper Tisa Basin (Satu Mare, 2015)
Katalin Kovács: The Role of Bodrogzsadány int he Late Neolithic Evolution of the Bodrog Valley
Katalin Kovács As we have seen, the cultures appearing in the region played a significant role in the Late Neolithic development of the Bodrog Valley. Both Slovakian and Hungarian scholars agree on the course of processes; yet, the appearance of unprecedented ceramic types connecting to varying Late Neolithic cultures was ascribed to migration from the regions of these cultures.63 The presence of the different cultures and the observed settlement concentration in the area can be explained by several reasons, out of which obsidian can be one. 33% of stone tools from Bodrogzsadány are made from obsidian, and the other settlements in the Bodrog Valley also yield a similarly high, 40-50% proportion of obsidian (PI. 4). When examining the distribution of the stone raw material of the wider region, one can see that apart from one or two exceptions, the sites around the Zemplén and in South-east Slovakia show the highest proportion of obsidian. This indicates that the sites around the Zemplén Mountain and in Eastern Slovakia controlled the exploitation and exchange of obsidian, which was transported from there to Little Poland, to the Berettyó Region and to the sites around Polgár. The system of connections reconstructed from the distribution of obsidian may explain the strong Lengyel cultural influences in the ceramic material of Bodrogzsadány and the close analogies with the Herpály culture and the sites around Polgár. Conclusion Research has identified three Late Neolithic sites at the Bodrogzsadány settlement up until now, out of which two belong to the same settlement. Out of the two settlements Sárazsadány-Akasztószer was first occupied when the influences of other cultures had already appeared in the Bodrog Valley besides the Tisza culture. On the basis of the enormous size of the site, extending over an area of 23 ha, the settlement must have played a leading role during this time-span. Bodrogzsadány-Templomdomb was settled somewhat later, at the second half of the Late Neolithic, but still during the lifetime of the Sárazsadány settlement. The Tisza component is completely missing from the ceramic assemblage of this site, which demonstrates that the Tisza culture had disappeared from the Bodrog Valley by that time. On the basis of the high ratio of obsidian at Bodrogzsadány, the settlement must have played an important role in the mining and exchange of obsidian. The system of connections reconstructed from the distribution of obsidian may explain the strong Lengyel cultural influences in the ceramic material of Bodrogzsadány and the close analogies with the Herpály culture and the sites around Polgár. Based on the close parallels with the Lengyel culture, it can be assumed that it migrated to the Bodrog Valley. From the influences of the different cultures a local pottery style developed in the Bodrog Valley, the closest analogies of which can be found in South-east Slovakia and at the sites around Polgár; however, similarities can be demonstrated with the Herpály culture as well. Bibliography: Andel 1955: K. Andel, Vysledok archeologického prieskuma na Zemplinsko-uzskej nizine v rokoch 1953-1954. Vlastivedny sborník. 1. Kosice, 1955, 144-171. Attresová 2010: M. Attresová, Comments on the Late Neolithic development in East Slovakia. In: J. Suteková/P. Pavúk/P. Kalábková/B. Kővár (eds.), Panta Rhei. Studies on the Chronology and Cultural Development of South-Eastern and Central Europe in Earlier Prehistory Presented to Juraj Pavúk on the Occasion of his 75th Birthday. (Bratislav 2010) 343-355. Bánffy 2008: E. Bánffy, The deer tooth necklacefrom grave 12 at Bodrogzsadány. Acta Archaeologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 59, 2008, 163-169. Bánffy/Bognár-Kutzián 2007: E. Bánffy/I. Bognár-Kutzián, The Late Neolithic Tell Settlenemt at Polgár-Csőszhalom, Hungary. The 1957 Excavation. BAR International Series 1730 (Oxford 2007) 63 Siska 1986; Kalicz 1994; Vizdal 1993; Pavúk 2007, 274-275 236
