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
8.000 ceramic sherds of Moravany was mentioned by Janusz K. Kozlowski and Marek Nowak.23 At Novajidrány-T/kerü/ő út site of the Hernád valley were revealed almost 38.000 ceramic sherds and only on 74 pieces could be recorded remains of painted decoration. That is less than 0.2%! It could be the consequence either of the unfavourable soil conditions or the non-representative quantity of the 25 excavated archaeological features for the whole Neolithic settlement. It should be noted that the huge ceramic material of Novajidrány came to light from a small excavated area, 675 m2.24 From Szentistvánbaksa-Anyagnyerő site of Szerencsköz (near to the eastern bank of river Hernád) numerous sherds of painted vessels have been known with plentiful repository of decorations from an excavated area of 3.000 m2. 75% of ceramic material of the whole 15 archaeological features of the site was revealed from a clay-extraction pit (S14).25 Out of the circa 3.700 ceramic pieces of this feature painting can be detected on 565 sherds. It is 15,3% of the whole ceramic material of this Neolithic pit! Forms and decorations of painted pottery of Novajidrány and Szentistvánbaksa will be analysed below, in detail. The black paint that had been of vegetal origin26 was remained very rare in original form on the surface of painted ceramics of these sites. Usually pale trace of it can only be detected. Two kinds of painting with some subtypes can be observed on vessels and sherds: 1) painting without incised decoration (independent painting) la) narrow, parallel stripes 1 a 1) bunches of straight, slanting lines which have been counter-slanting (Pl. 1, 4)27 la2) painted quadrangular areas surrounded by bunches of straight, slanting lines which have been counter-slanting (Pl. 1, 5; Pi. 2, 6) la3) combination of slanting, horizontal and vertical straight lines (PI. 1,1) la3) arched lines la4) concentric circles with a knob in the middle of them (PI. 2, 7-9) la5) wavy lines la6) zigzag lines lb) wider parallel stripes lb 1) bunches of straight, slanting lines which have been counter-slanting lb2) painted quadrangular areas surrounded by bunches of straight, slanting lines which have been counter-slanting lb3) arched lines lb4) concentric circles and between them hanging triangles (Fig. 5) lb5) wavy lines (Pi. 2, 1 and 3) lb6) zigzag lines (Pl. 1, 2-3) lc) narrow, horizontal line under the rim and sometimes around the neck (may be emphasized by an incised line; PL 2, 12) ld) narrow, horizontal line around the neck (PL 2, 5) 2) combination of painted and incised decorations 2a) painting between the incised lines Middle Neolithic Painted Pottery from Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County... 23 Kozlowski/Nowak 2010, 76. 24 Material has been uninventorized in Herman Ottó Museum. 25 From this feature came to light also some small finds: pieces of clay bracelets and arched clay amulets as well as a foot fragment. 26 Birch bark tar on the basis of the analysis by J. Sándorné Kovács and P. Raczky on Late Neolithic ceramics (Raczky/Sándorné Kovács 2009) and by J. Jakucs and J. Sándorné Kovács on Middle Neolithic ones (Jakucs/ Sándorné Kovács 2012). 27 Csengeri 2003, Fig. 9, 1 and 3. 131
