hungarian archeology- settlements

7/29/2019 Hungarian Archeology- Settlements

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HUNGARIAN ARCHAEOLOGYAT THE TURN OF THE MILLENNIUM

Ministry of National Cultural HeritageTeleki Laszlo Foundation

Budapest 2003


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Fig. 5. Coppe1 discfrom Z n l a ~ r f r - R a s n s - : : . i g e.Hiddle Copper /lge ,Balaton-T.nsinja mlturedecrease. These two cultures, both new arrivals to the Carpathian Basin, formed the basis of a process of uniformization that led to the emergence of the Baden culture inthe Late Copper Age. T he transition between the two isrepresented by the Protoboleniz horizon, a brief, butmarked period in the Hw1garian Coppe rAge.Major southern and eastern impacts can be noted in the Carpathian Ba sin during this period, spanning no more than a few generations. The blend of external influences and local traditions,some going back for many mi llennia, eventually led to theemergence of an unusually large cultural complex. Theunit\' ofmaterial and spiritual culture is especially conspicuous .in the Boledz group, representing the early phase ofthe Baden culture. The na tu re of the cultural force thatforged a uniform cultu re throughout the en tire CarpathianBa sin from the strongly different regional groups remainsunknown. ;'\either is it clear to what extent the climaticchange, bringing a wetter and, presumably, cooler climateat the very beginning of the Baden period, played a role inthese changes.The classica l Baden phase was marked by thedisintegration of the initial uni ty and the appearance of acolourful patchwork of regional Baden groups. T his periodsaw the appearance of four wheeled vehicles of eastern origin that brought a revolutionary change in transportation(Fig. 4).The resurgence ofme tallurgy, disrupted at the endof theMiddle CopperAge, can also be noted. Although theinternal developmen t of the Baden culture is fairly wellknown, its close and its relation to the Early Bronze Age isstil l unclear. T here is no evidence that this unprecedentedde,elopment came to a sudden and drastic end.

Steppean Kurgan groups began infiltrating the easternhalfof the Carpathian Basin during the Baden period, in thelater 4th m illennium B.C. At present, only the burials of theKurgan culture are known : the smaller and larger bur ialmounds - called kurgans - dotting the Great HungarianPlain usually contain the burials of one or several membersof a community. The archaeological record indicates thepeaceful coexistence of the Baden and Kurgan communities. I t seems likely that these Kurgan groups played a ro lein the emergence of the Early Bronze Age.

A similar peaceful coexistence can be assumed in the case

Settlements I 127of the Kosrolac groups on late Baden si tes at the close of the4th mi llennium B.C. T he period named after this southernpopulation, arriving from the south along major waterways,such as the Danube, was a brief episode in the Late CopperAge.The emergence of the Vucedol culture at the beginnin gof the 3rd millennium B.C. , inunediately preceding and

surviving into the Early Bronze Age, can be located toCroatia. This culture was also distributed in southeasternT ransclanub ia. The stratified settlements, rich metallurgyand unique pottery of thi s cultme set i t apart from the othe rCopper Age cultures of the region.The absolu te chronology of the Copper Age of the Carpathian Basin is based on calibrated radiocarbon dates. T he

Early Copper Age can be dated benveen 4500/4400--WOO B.C., the Middle Copper Age benveen 4000-3600/3500 B.C., while the Late Copper Age between 3600/ 35 00-2600/2500 B.C. Th is ch ronology is also supported by theevidence from cross-dating and traditional archaeologicalcomparisons. One case in point is the copper disc found atthe Za lava r site of the Balaton-Lasinja culture - sinlilardiscs were still popular during the Stroke Orname nted Pottery period (Fig. 4) . A sim ilar disc was brought to light nearLake Boden on a settlement tl1at was dated to the early 4thmillennium using dendrochronology. Th is date supportsthe calibrated radiocarbon dates fo r tlleMiddle CopperAgecultu res of tl1e Carpathian Basin.

SETTLEMENTSZsuzsannaM. Virag & Maria BondarOur knowledge ofCopper Age settlements has been greatlyenriched by tlle large-scale excavations conducted over thepast few years. This is especially true of Transdanubia,where there is now evidence fo r above-ground houses (Fig.6) . These new finds have modified earlier views on the useof pit-houses and suggest that the pits provided withFig. 6. Aerial photo showing the ow liues ofEaTiy aud ;Vliddle CopperAge houses. C)'or-Sznbnd1ltdomb


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Tbe Copper Age

Fig. 7. n'flted houses from the Jliddle Copper Age settlement ntZnlnnir-Bnsns-:.iget. Bnlnton-L nsinjn culture

hea rths or ovens were no t necessari ly residential structures,bu t served other purposes.

Compared to the Early Copper Age, a dense settlementnetwork covered T ransdanu bia in the M.iddle Copper Age.In contrast, on ly a few Bodrogkereszrur settlements areknown from the Tisza region. The reason for this divergence can most likely be sought in the nature of the subsistence strategies adopted by these nvo populations. T hestockbreeding communities in the Tisza region had an essentially mobi le lifestyle and the small, temporary camp-Fig. 9 . .Hap of be ex cavated section of be J.fiddle Copper Agesettlement nt Znlnrd1-Bnsns-:.iget. Bnlnton- Lnsinjn culture

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'~Fig. 8. Reconstruction ofn Jliddle Copper Age bouse. Znlm:dr- Bnsns-:.iget, Bnlnton- Lnsinjn mltme

sites left few traces in the archaeological record. InTransdanubia , however, settlements were established in locations wi th a favourable emironment near water ; thesesettlements often lay quite close to each other and some hadapparently been occupied over a longer period of time asshown by the abundance of finds. The remains of houseserected around a framework of massive timbers also suggestthe longer occupation of these sites.

Most settlements were established on low islands or peninsulas that were especially suited to occupation in dryweather. .Vl uch more is known about the settlements of theEarly and .\Iiddle Copper Age in T ransdanubia O\\ing torecent investigations.

The almost completely excavated Copper Agesettlement at Zalavar- Basasziget, sited on a small peninsulaextending into the marshland of the Littl e Balaton, coveredan estimated 5000 m? and can be assigned to the BalatonLasinja culture. The house remains, the refuse pits and theclay extraction pits ind icate a continuous occupation. Thesettlement had two to four contemporaneous houses duringthe va rious occupation phases (Figs 7-9).T he sites investigated around Gyor in the Hansagmarsh land offer a similar picture. The Middle Copper Agecomm unities in this area lived in small hamlets with a fewhouses; these si tes covered no more than 1-2 hectares.Scattered around the houses were storage bins and clay extraction pits that \\ere eventually filled with refuse.T he one or nvo-roomed houses were 7 m wide on the aY-erage, their length of ten reached 20 m, although shorterhouses about 10m long were also quite frequent. The uprigh t timbers reinforcing the walls and supporting the roofstructure were set into a foundation trench or , more rare ly,into a posthole. The use-li fe of these settlements \\as determined by a subsistence strategy based on animal husbandry.Tn contrast to the more briefly occupied settlements, thesites with massive timber structures can be regarded asmore permanent settlements, al though judging from the


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finds uncovered on these sites, they were no t particularlylong-]i,-ed either_ One unusual phenomenon is that theLudanice communities of the early phase of the :\IiddleCopper Age also settled in ca\'es in the Budapest region andnortheastern Transdanubia_

In the later phase of the Middle Copper Age, the number of settlements decreased in Transdanubia_The temporary settlements of th is loose settlement network aremarked by scattered pits_In contrast to the Tisza region,where village- like settl ements with severa l houses havebeen uncovered, no houses have yet been found in Transdanubia from this period. Th e most thoroughly inves tigated si te is the T iszaluc settlement of the Hunyadihalomculture in the Great Hungarian Plain. The core of tl1e settlement, a roughly 150m by I00 m large area, was enclosedby a palisade fence of closely spaced posts set into a foundation trench. The houses in this protected area had been renewed several times; the pits yielded a varied assemblage ofpottery fragments and anima l bones, mainly from ca ttle.T he timber framed, two-roomed houses measured I 0- 12m by 6-7 m. T he archaeo logical record indica tes that me rewere twenty to twenty-two houses during one occupationphase (Fig. 10).

Th e unification process affecting the entire Carpathi anBasin during the Late Copper Age is also reflected in mesettlements. The over 1600 sites of the Baden cu lturefrom Hun gary reflect a relatively dense settlemen t network. Th e Baden communities settled in a variety of envi-Fig . I0 . lap of he excnmted section of be .Hiddle Copper Agesett lement at Ti!CIIIiic-Smkndpus-::.tn . Huuyndibnlom wlture

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0 10m-=-=-

E a r ~ ) meta!lmgy in tbe Cmpathian Basin I 129

Fig. I I. O cen plastered

hungarian archeology- settlements

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