Selmeczi László szerk.: Szolnok Megyei Múzeumi Évkönyv (1982-83)

M. R. Csányi: Finds of the Nagyrév Culture in the Middle Tisza Region

Nagyrév group on Great Hungarian Plain is very small. We do not know the exact position of the three graves at SzolnokSzanda, and there are no documents recording the relationship between the burials unearthed at Tószeg-Ökörhalom and Szolnok-Szőlősihalom

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. We can only make an educated guess at the relationship between the four cremation burials at the Szőreg cemetery from the excavation records of Ferenc Móra. Three graves (179, 184, 176) were unearthed on the plot of the same owner, the fourth was excavated a bit further away on another plot

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. If-in the lack of other evidence-the number of vessels in any indication, only a few graves in each cemetery were unearthed ; this can perhaps be ascribed to a funerary rite similar to the one observed at Rákóczifalva. The probable number of graves at a given site could not be more than 10-15. 36 The Nagyrév graves excavated at Rákóczifalva are particularly significant burials in that the deceased were buried in contracted position in three graves; of these two were laid on their right side (grave 115, 138 - P1.7, 7/a) and on its left side (grave 4 - PI.

2.) (Graves 87-88 cannot be evaluated since the excavation records do not definitely associate the pottery fragments with the skeletons.) The orientation of the burials is not uniform, as the orientation of grave 4 and 115 is E-W, whereas that 138 is S-N. There was one simple cremation burial (grave 13); the ashes were deposited in a cinerary urn after cremation in another case (grave 61 - PI.

4), and there appears to be one pithos burial (grave 114 PI. 6). The funerary rite of three graves cannot be definitely ascertained since these were disturbed, but judging from their shallow depth it would appear thet these were cremation burials. This enumeration shows that all variants of burial rites practised in the course of the Bronze Age of the Carpatian Basin were observed in these nine graves. Since cremation of the deceased was a general practice during the age of the Nagyrév culture-a phenomenon first pointed out by István Bóna

37-the occurence of inhumation burials was a considerable surprise. Although the Tököl and Békásmegyer cemeteries also revealed inhumation graves in which the deceased were deposited in a contracted position,

38 the double rite can probably be ascribed to ethnic intermingling, so there was no in supposing this was typical of the entire culture. The Rákóczifalva graves showed that although cremation of the dead was the prevailing custom, it cannot be regarded as the only burial practice in the Tisza region. Reports which described inhumation graves of the Nagyrév culture can now be "rehabilitated". Since Ferenc Tompa arrived at basically incorrect conclusion regarding the burials of Nagyrév culture,

39 prehistoric research did not take his report of inhumation graves of the Nagyrév culture seriously. The few sentences describing the excavation of inhumation graves lying at distance of about 1 km from the tell settlement at Nagyrév-Zsidóhalmoshould have been given credit.

40 Their authencity was confirmed by the rescue excavations conducted in the autumn of 1980. The wellknown perforated pedestalled bowl with an incised geometric pattern filled with incrustation was unearthed from an inhumation grave.

41 Gyula Gazdapusztai also mentioned inhumation graves of the Nagyrév culture from the sites at Hódmezővásárhely-Kökénydomb and Szentes-Berek in the fifties.

42 The pottery types unearthed in these burials will be discussed later. As a consequence of the low number of graves unearthed at Rákóczifalva, the ratio of cremation burials to inhumation graves cannot be regarded as typical for the entire culture. In the following we shall try to give an answer to the question of whether the differences in the burial practices are also reflected by the distribution of pottery types or whether they can be regarded as indicating chronological differences. We shall take grave 138 with its peculiar grave goods as a starting point for our analysis of the inhumation burials. The form of one of the wide mouthed biconical vessels (P1.8:1) is paralleled by the most characteristic vessel type of the Ökörhalom phase. However, the applique bandproportioned by decorative knobs encircling the vessel is not a characteristic feature of the "Leitform" of this period. Its analogues are known from Tószeg-Ökörhalom, Szolnok-Szanda, Szigetszentmiklós and Szentes-Berek,

43 but similar finds are known from various points of the country.

44 A similar, but somewhat smaller and round-bottomed variant (PI. 8:2) is matched by specimens from Szolnok-Szanda and Nagykőrös.

45 Even though the jug unearthed in this grave is the from (PI. 8:3) which could be regarded as the precursor of the most frequent pottery type of the culture in a later period, its exact parallels are few among the material published so far, and can only be found among finds assigned to the early phase of the culture

: Békásmegyer, Budapest-Tabán,

46 Hódmezővásárhely and the above-mentioned inhumation grave unearthed at Szentes.

47 Analogues of the bowl, which sadly perished as it was lifted out of the grave (but can seen well on the excavation photograph - PI. 7/a) are known from several grave assemblages

48 and the puzzling material excavated Mezőkomárom settlement.

49 Though the shape form of the pot and jug shown in PI.

8:1 and 3, are not special, the incised network pattern under the carination line is nevertheless unique. The ornamental motifs of the Nagyrév culture include a "broom-brushed" ornament, horizontally applied knobs, tumb-indented applique bands, deliberate roughening of the surface and various forms of applique ornament. Jugs are usually undecorated, although applique ribs occur occasionally.

50 The incised network pattern on the lower third of the vessel has only one parallel in this culture complex: a biconical vessel similar to the specimen found at Rákóczifalva was unearthed in the inhumation grave at Szentes.

51 The similarity of the two vessels is so marked that there can be no doubt as to their contemporaneity. It is thus even more unfortunate that the Szentes grave was discovered and subsequently destroyed in the course of fieldwork, since the orientation of the skeletons and the exact position of the grave goods cannot be used as comparative evidence. The incised network pattern an alien element in the Nagyrév culture, although not typical of the preceding phase of the Early Bronze Age, nevertheless occurs somwhat more frequently. It can be found on vessels of the Makó group

52 and in the Somogyvár group, at Somogyvár and the Fenékpuszta.

53 A similar pattern can be seen on a few vesself of the Vucedol culture.

54 This motif, which has certain affinities with the preceding phase, corroborates the dating of the grave assemblage indicated by the types of vessel

: together with the Szentes grave, it can be assigned to the earliest graves of the Nagyrév culture. The different orientation of the two other graves unearthed at Rákóczifalva perhaps indicates a chronological difference. The chronology of grave 4 is somewhat more puzzling. The jug unearthed there is one of the leading forms of the culture (P1.3:7). This type changed in both and space during the development of the culture, but it would nevertheless be somewhat rash to set up a chronological sequence based on the scarce material published so far.

55 The best parallels are to be found among the material of the early phase of the culture, preceding the appearance of tell settlements: Tószeg-Ökörhalom, Szolnok-Szanda, Kisapostag, Szigetszentmiklós, Dunaújváros, Szőreg, etc.

56 In Kulcs-type assemblages this type of vessel has a handle from the rim (Kulcs).

57 Vessels similar to the small cup lying beside it (PI. 3:6) are very rare (PI. 13:3). The published material, however, includes specimens with a handle from the rim.

58 From the frequent occurence of the vessel types, it is possible to date the grave to the older phase of the Nagyrév culture. The vessel unearthed in grave 13 (P1.3:la-b) was probably deposited at the same time. This widemouthed jug tpye is unknown in the late phase of the Nagyrév culture; its proportions are similar to that of the biconical vessel unearthed in grave 138 62