Folia archeologica 47.

Hargita Oravecz: Középső újkőkori temetkezések Tiszaföldváron

FOLIA ARCHAEOLOGICA XLVII. 1998-1999. BUDAPEST MIDDLE NEOLITHIC BURIALS AT TISZAFÖLDVÁR DATA TO THE BURIAL CUSTOMS AND SOCIAL RELATIONS OF THE ALFÖLD LINEARBAND POTTERY CULTURE Hargita ORAVECZ Hungarian National Museum The site Tiszaföldvár-Brickyards lies in the northern vicinity of the modern brick factory, along the former bank of the river Tisza (prior to water regulation works)

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. A series of rescue excavations were performed here by Andrea Vaday, research fellow of the Hungarian Archaeological Institute of the HAS

2. Her excavations unearthed, apart from the relics of several historical (prehistorical) periods, settlement features and burials of the Middle Neolithic Alföld Linearband Pottery Culture (ALBC). Altogether 60 smaller-bigger refuse pits, remains of 8-10 houses marked by remains of floor and daub debris and 6 burials were found as well as an unparalleled richness of pottery. The number of completed vessels is 56, the number of pottery fragments exceeded 21.000 pieces

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. The age of the settlement can be put, on the basis of the mixture of LBC and Szakáihát style finds to the IIIIV phase of the ALBC

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. The 6 Middle Neolithic burials can be dated to the same period. Their dating is based on the settlement material as the character of the grave finds and the rite are not suitable to give a finer dating (phases) within this period. The graves originate from, approximately, the same period, and no sequence of burials can be established among them. By publishing the 6 graves excavated on the settlement the author intends to increase existing knowledge on burial habits and social relations of the Middle Neolithic Period. Analysis is started by the detailed description of the graves containing the most important archaeological and anthropological data: form of grave pit, orientation and position of the deceased, special treatment, age and gender. Fig. 1. gives an overview of rite, distribution of grave goods according to age and gender

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. In the following, questions like the potential value of the objects or garment parts placed into the graves were studied. Can we establish if these riches were 1 Tiszaföldvár-Téglagyár is marked on the distribution map as Nr. 42. 2 Vaday 1977, 31; 1978, 66; 1980, 56; 1981, 50; 1982, 63; 1983, 58; 1984, 65; 1985, 59; 1986, 29. 3 The author would like to express her thanks to Andrea Vaday for the possibility to publish the material and for her friendly advices. The finds are deposited in the Damjanich János Múzeum, Szolnok under inv. Nr. 1986.4.1-1103. 4 Raczky 1989, 233-237. 5169 Middle Neolithic graves published from the Tisza region were analysed according to the categories summarised on Fig. 1.