Bronze Age of the Carpathian Basin

"Ashmounds" of the Noua culture, as places for work and feast

by Laura Dietrich

This artikel offers a new view on the so called ashmounds oft he late bronze age Noua-culture (Romania, Moldawia and... more This artikel offers a new view on the so called ashmounds oft he late bronze age Noua-culture (Romania, Moldawia and west Russia). Ashmounds are round heaps with a diameter of 25-30 m formed of grayish sediments. They were believed to be burnt houses or waste dumps.
These remarks are based on excavation, which took place between 2005-2009 in a bronze age settlement at Rotbav, south-eastern Transsylvania (Romania). Here, an ashmound dating in the 14th century calBC was excavated.
The ashmound is a special, colectively used place at the boundary of the settlement. Chemical analysis proofs that the sediment it is constituted of is no ash, but a mixture of earth and burnt lime (CaO). A mixture of burnt lime and water ist historically and ethnographically known to have been used used for the tanning of leather. Further, numerous crenated scapulas, objects known from ethnographic contexts as tools for the scraping of leather, have been found numerously in the ashmound, while they lack in the settlement. A multitude of animals bones indicates that the ashmound was also the place for killing animals. In the ashmound, only bones of old animals were found, the younger individuals being present in the settlement near the houses. Obviously older, full grown animals with a maximum size of hides, were selected for killing. In proximity of the ashmound many needles of bone were discovered, indicating it as the place, where leather was manufactured to clothes.
The ashmound of Rotbav seems to have been also a place for feasting. Utilitarian pottery found here in high numbers was probably used for the preparation of meals for feasting. Special vessels like the kantharoi (lacking from the settlement, but being a common grave good) hint at the aspect of festive drinking. The special role oft he ashmounds is further enhanced by the appearance of depositions of animal skulls or metal objects occurring on some sites.

Archaeometallurgiai adatok a technológiai ismeretek és a nyersanyagok áramlásához a Kárpát-medence késő bronzkorában

by Géza Szabó

A kárpát-medencei késö bronzkori sisakok készítésének problémái egy újabb lelet alapján

by Géza Szabó

Késő bronzkori bronzdepó Nyékládháza-Gólem-tó lelőhelyről (Spätbronzezeitliches Bronzedepot aus Nyékládháza-Gólem-tó) 2009

by Farkas Márton Tóth

The role of the Danube in the Early and Middle Bronze Age of the Carpathian Basin

by Viktória Kiss

Published in Kovács, Gy. – Kulcsár, G. (eds): Ten Thousand years along the Danube. Varia Archaeologica Hungarica 26. Budapest 2011, 211-239.

Armorikanische Fremdlinge in Ost- und Südosteuropa? Quellenkritische Bemerkungen zur Verbreitung von Tüllenbeilen des armorikanischen Typs -- Armorican imports in Eastern and Southeastern Europe? Critical remarks on the spreading of Armorican type axes.

by Oliver Dietrich

in: Despina Măgureanu, Dragoş Măndescu, Sebastian Matei (Hrsg.), Archaeology: making of and practice. Studies in honor of Mircea Babeş at his 70th anniversary (Piteşti 2011), 123-138.

Starting from two socketed axes of the Armorican type, which were so far mistakenly attributed as chisels of local... more Starting from two socketed axes of the Armorican type, which were so far mistakenly attributed as chisels of local production to the hoard from Şpălnaca, Romania, the author discusses finds of Armorican axes from eastern and southeastern Europe. A number of pieces published as authentic finds can be suspected to be modern imports. Armorican axes circulated widely as gifts between researchers or through the art market especially in the late 19th and early 20th century following the big discoveries in France. Until now, this fact has not been taken into consideration in several important publications of finds. Only for Poland and Bohemia there are finds which could be the result of Early Iron Age contacts. But even their authenticity remains doubtful to some degree, as there are no finds which were discovered after 1950.

Zentralisierte Produktionsstrukturen? Überlegungen zur räumlichen Beziehung von bronzezeitlichen Gussformen und Fertigprodukten in Südosteuropa am Beispiel der rumänischen Tüllenbeile.

by Oliver Dietrich

Marisia 31, 2011, 77-91.

Bei der Bewertung des räumlichen Verhältnisses von Gussformen zu Fertigprodukten im Karpatenbecken müssen... more Bei der Bewertung des räumlichen Verhältnisses von Gussformen zu Fertigprodukten im Karpatenbecken müssen Überlieferungsfilter stärker als bisher in Betracht gezogen werden. Zunächst stammen Tüllenbeilgussformen, anders als die Fertigprodukte, ganz überwiegend aus Siedlungen und wurden bei Ausgrabungen entdeckt. Der Stand der Siedlungsarchäologie bestimmt damit die Verbreitung von Gussformen in hohem Maße mit.
Der zweite Überlieferungsfilter betrifft die bronzezeitliche Gusstechnik. Es ist kaum anzunehmen, dass allein steinerne Gussformen verwendet worden sind. Neben einigen Funden fragiler und daher selten überlieferter zweischaliger Tongussformen liegen Belege verschiedener Arten von Modeln zur Herstellung von Ton- oder Formsandgussformen vor. Dies deutet darauf hin, dass vermutlich auch archäologisch schwer sichtbare Gussverfahren einen Anteil am Gesamteindruck der Verbreitung von Tüllenbeilgussformen in Rumänien haben. Die Steingussformen können gut zur Herstellung dieser Model gedient haben, ohne dass hier ihre einzige Funktion gelegen haben muss.

Adatok Velence és Velencefürdő középső bronzkori történetéhez

by Gábor Váczi

A bronzkori kerámia-készlet változásairól (A mészbetétes kerámia kultúrája tipológiai vázlata) – Über die Veränderung der bronzezeitlichen Keramik-Inventare (Typologischer Abriss der Inkrustierten Keramik).

by Viktória Kiss

published in Tisicum 19 (2009) 155-174. (this is a draft version of the final paper without page numbers)

Kinderspielzeug oder Kultobjekte? Überlegungen zu anthropomorphen Figurinen der Wietenberg- und Tei-Kultur.

by Oliver Dietrich

In: S. Berecki, R. E. Németh, B. Rezi (Hrsg.), Bronze Age Rites and Rituals in the Carpathian Basin. Proceedings of the International Colloquium from Târgu Mureş 8.-10.10.2010 (Târgu Mureş 2010), 87-106.

Characterization and textural analysis of Middle Bronze Age Transdanubian inlaid wares of the Encrusted Pottery Culture, Hungary: a preliminary study

by Viktória Kiss

Co-authored with Steve Roberts and Joanna Sofaer, published in Journal of Archaeological Science, 35 (2), 2008, 322-330. (doi:10.1016/j.jas.2007.03.013)

Inlaid ceramics belonging to the Encrusted Pottery Culture and dated to the Middle Bronze Age (2000-1500 BC) are... more Inlaid ceramics belonging to the Encrusted Pottery Culture and dated to the Middle Bronze Age (2000-1500 BC) are highly distinctive vessels with complex decorative motifs found in large numbers in the Transdanubia region of Hungary. Despite this considerable corpus of material there has been little systematic investigation of the composition of the inlays. Micro-analysis of Transdanubian inlaid wares by X-ray diffraction (XRD), micro-Fourier transform infrared microscopy (FT-IR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) provides new compositional, structural and textural information on the inlays. In contrast to common statements in the literature regarding the materials used to make inlays, these new data show that the majority of inlays are composed of hydroxyapatite (bone) that was previously ashed, although some of the inlays are composed
of calcium carbonate. Additional compositional and textural variation in the bone inlays suggests that bone material from different skeletal elements and/or of different age may have been used, and that contrasting recipes for inlay preparation were employed during fabrication. These results suggest that the production of inlaid vessels of the Encrusted Pottery Culture was more complex than has hitherto been thought.

Origin and Beginning of the Bronze Age in Eastern Central Europe - Online Bibliography

by Dieter Vollmann

This compilation covers above all literature data to the cultures at the beginning of the bronze age in the central... more This compilation covers above all literature data to the cultures at the beginning of the bronze age in the central part of the carpathian basin and the neighboring territories (Makó-Kosihy-Čaka, Nagyrév, Somogyvár). Accordingly I considered the literature from Hungary, Slovakia, Austria (Lower Austria, Burgenland), Tchechia (Moravia) and Romania. From that far surrounding areas such literature was taken over, which refer chronologically and culture-historically to these cultures.

A fém nyersanyag-felhasználás kérdései a Dunántúl kora és középső bronzkorában – Questions of the use of metal as raw material in the Early and Middle Bronze Age of Transdanubia

by Viktória Kiss

published in G. Ilon G. (eds.): MΩMOΣ VI. Őskoros Kutatók VI. Összejövetele. Nyersanyagok és kereskedelem - Proceedings of the 6th Meeting for the Researchers of Prehistory. Raw materials and trade. Szombathely 2009, 197-212.

The Life Cycle of Middle Bronze Age Bronze Artefacts from the Western Part of the Carpathian Basin.

by Viktória Kiss

Published in Kienlin, T.–Roberts, B. (eds): Metals and Societies. Studies in honour of Barbara S. Ottaway. Universitätsforschungen zur Prähistorischen Archäologie 169. Bonn 2009, 328-335.

The interpretation of Bronze Age metal hoards is one of
the main subjects of Central European archaeology. In... more The interpretation of Bronze Age metal hoards is one of
the main subjects of Central European archaeology. In this
study the finds of the so–called Tolnanémedi horizon, which
belong to the material remains of the Transdanubian Encrusted
Pottery culture, offer an opportunity to study the
various phases of the life cycle of an object. The analysis of
how the objects were manufactured, what they were used
for and under what circumstances they were buried, may
enable us to establish who these objects can be linked to,
and why they were deposited in that particular way.

Anknüpfungspunkte zwischen Mitteleuropa und Transdanubien in der mittleren Bronzezeit.

by Viktória Kiss

Published in: Prehistoric Studies in memoriam Ida Bognár-Kutzián (ed. Bánffy E.). 'Antaeus' 25 (2002) 477-511.

Neuere Angaben zur Bewertung der Hortfunde vom Typ Tolnanémedi

by Viktória Kiss

Co-authored with Szilvia Honti, published in 'Acta Archaeologica Scientiarum Hungaricae' 51, 2000.

In this paper on the Tolnanémedi depot horizon, we discuss the developing and early phases of the Transdanubian... more In this paper on the Tolnanémedi depot horizon, we discuss the developing and early phases of the Transdanubian Encrusted Pottery Culture (western Hungary), specificly focusing upon the jewellery finds.

Beiträge zum Gebrauch der tragbaren Feuerherde (Pyraunoi) im Karpatenbecken II. (Spätbronzezeit-Früheisenzeit)

by Viktória Kiss

Co-authored with Klára P. Fischl and Gabriella Kulcsár
published in: Kacsó, C. (Hrsg.): Bibliotheca Marmatia I. Der nordkarpatische Raum in der Bronzezeit. Symposium Baia Mare, 7.-10. Oktober 1998. Baia Mare 2001, 125–156

We collected the data on the distribution, chronologie, and the function of the portable firehearth (Pyraunoi) from... more We collected the data on the distribution, chronologie, and the function of the portable firehearth (Pyraunoi) from the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age Carpathian Basin and adjacent territories

Középső bronzkori leletek Somogy megyéből (Funde aus der Mittelbronzezeit im Komitat Somogy)

by Viktória Kiss

Co-authored with Szilvia Honti, published in Somogyi Múzeumok Közleményei 12 (1996) 17-38.

A mészbetétes kerámia kultúrája korai időszakának leletei Somogy megyében (Finds of the early phase of the Transdanubian Incrusted Pottery culture in County Somogy)

by Viktória Kiss

Co-authored with Szilvia Honti, Somogyi Múzeumok Közleményei 13 (1998) 41-66.

Settlement of the Tumulus culture at Ordacsehi

by Viktória Kiss

Published in C. Gutjahr, G. Tiefengraber (Hrsg.): Beiträge zur Mittel- und Spätbronzezeit sowie zur Urnenfelderzeit am Rande der Südostalpen. Akten des 1. Wildoner Fachgespräches vom 25. bis 26. Juni 2009 in Wildon / Steiermark (Österreich). Internationale Archäologie - Arbeitsgemeinschaft, Symposium, Tagung, Kongress Band 15. Rahden/Westfalen 2011, 101-108.