Zsuzsanna M. Virág * - Katalin T. Biró **

New find assemblage of the Late Lengyel culture from SW Transdanubia (Vörs-Máriaasszonysziget)

A késő lengyeli időszak újabb leletegyüttese a Délnyugat-Dunántúlon (Vörs-Máriaasszonysziget)

(poster)

* Nemzeti Kulturális Örökség Minisztériuma / Ministry of Cultural Heritage

** Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum / Hungarian National Museum

Abstract

The area of the Kis-Balaton (Little Balaton natural protection area) has been subject to several archaeological projects, including intensive micro-regional project of the Archaeological Institute of the HAS and extended rescue excavation. Vörs, a little village in this area is one of the settlements with specially rich and varied archaeological heritage.

The site area Vörs-Máriaasszonysziget has also been the subject of several, mainly rescue -excavations. Former excavations were performed here by József Csalog, Csilla Mógáné Aradi, Szilvia Honti és László Költő

This summer (July-August 1999) the authors started new excavations at Vörs-Máriaasszonysziget, with support of the Somogy County Museum and the invaluable professional help by Prof. Nándor Kalicz. The original aim of the excavations was to study on large continuous surface the Starcevo settlement found here by Ms. Aradi. Apart from archaeological units of the Early Neolithic Starcevo culture (including a burial), units belonging to other cultures not known from the site before were also found, among them a large pit of the Lengyel culture, representing the latest phase of development (Lengyel IIIb).

As the presence of this lattest phase of Lengyel culture, preceding immediately the Balaton-Lasinja culture is known so far from a few localities as yet we considered it important to present the material of this very recent find assemblage here.

Pit nr. 43.

Large, irregular-oval shape and tubby bottom with rich waste material. Most of the finds are pottery fragments with relatively few stone tools and animal bones.

Characteristics of the finds:

The colour pottery finds is typically reddish brown. Rarely we could find red paint applied on the surface after the firing of the pottery. A nice example of this is a pedastal fragment covered by the paint matter.

Fine pottery is an important and characteristic though not very frequent constituent.

The surface is smooth, polished, the wall of the vessels is very thin, the material is tempered by fine sand. Biconical sharp profile and semi-globular small knots on the egde is typical.

About 90 % of the material is composed of thicker walled fragments belonging to large vessels. As tempering, ceramic grit or small pebble and sand was used. Traces of polishing of the surface can often be observed.

Characteristic form of vessels include:

Conical bowl with inward thickened horizontal rim

Conical bowl with horizontally cut rim (probably belonging to pedastal bowls),

Fragments of pedastals (including slightly bell-shaped forms as well)

Fragments of short-neck amphorae with bulky, short handle on the neck

Bowls with slightly inward bent rim

Pots with short bulky handles in their neck, rim turning outwards

Large clay spoons

Fragment of filter vessel

Handles, knots and ornamentation

Horizontal handles with characteristic upward turned peak in pointed and rounded versions. Frequently, the broken handles were polished along the wall and re-used for some purpose.

Knot-handles, pierced are mainly present on smaller cups. Typically, the wall of the vessels are ornated with rounded knots. Finger-impressed knots from two sides are more rare.

Evaluation

The finds of Pit 43 of Máriaaszony-sziget represent the so-called Lengyel IIIb period. Similar sites are concentrated on the South-Western parts of Transdanubia. (See also Virág in the same volume).