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Polgár_Csőszhalom (1989 - 2000}:Summary of the Hungarian-German Excavations on a

Neolithic Settlement in Eastern Hungary

Pál Raczky - Walter Meier-Arendt - Alexandra Anders - Zsigmond Hajdú _Emese Nagy - Katalin Kurucz - LászlÓ Domboróczki _ Katalin Sebők -Pál SÜmegi _ Enikő Magyari- Zsuzsanna SzántÓ - Sándor Gulyás -

Krisztina Dobó - Erzsébet Bácskay - Katalin T Biró * Charles Schwartz

Part l: Archaeological evaluationof the tell and the flat settlement

fhe almost 4 m high mound rising from theI northern edge of the Great Hungarian Plain

is one of the noÍhernmost examples of Balka-nic tell settlements.' It has also become clearthat the other contemporary Neolithic tell sett-lements are concentrated in the soutbem andsouth-eastem part of the Great Hungarian Plainand that the northern boundary of their distri-bution more or less coincides with tbe courseof the Körös rivers. The Polgár-Csőszhalomsettlement lies some 80-100 km north of thisrather well circumscribed distribution of tellsettlements (ng. l). Archaeological interest inthis site was to a large extent fuelled by its uni-que location. Moreover, the Tiszapolgrár-Basa-tanya cemetery excavated some 6 km south ofthe Csőszhalom site, represented the early andclassical phase of the Copper Age in easternHungary, whose cultural Íoots were taced tothe find assemblages known from the Csőszha-lom site.2 The similarity in the names of thesetwo sites is one of the reasors why the Neoli-thic tell and the Copper Age cemetery wereusually combiled as "Polgár-Kultuy'' in tbearchaeological literature of neighbouring coun-tries.3 The situation was furtber complicatedby the fact that in the early 2Oscentury Polgrírwas called Tiszapolgár' which is why the EarlyCopper Age in the Great Hungarian Plain waslabelled Tiszapolgár culture. A number of exca-vations were carried out in tbe Polgár area inthe first half of the 20ücentury. The results ofthese excavations became known to Europeanprehistorians through the works of Childe,o

although very few comprehensive studies onthe finds were actually published.

Very little new material has been publishedfrom the Polgár-Csőszhalom site since FerencTompa's study. Although Ida Bognár_Kutziánopened a 12 x 2 m trench in 1957 during herfirst campaign, her publication only included asingle plate, showing the main vessel types.These finds later served as the basis for defi-ning the Late Neolithic Csőszhalom group inthe Upper Tisza region. Together with the Tiszaand Herpály cultures, this regional variant wasdefined as representing the Íinal period oftheNeolithic in the Tisza region.5 At the time, mostprehistorians also agreed that the Csőszhalomsite represented a typical tell settlement.ó

The large-scale investigation and excava-tion of the site was begun in 1989. The resultsof the successive campaigns have placed thesite in an entirely new perspective and havealso allowed a radically new historical inter-pretation of the period. The investigation ofthe Csőszhalom si1e was carried out jointly bylhe Institute ofArchaeological Sciences of theEötvös Loránd Univérsity in Budapes1, theHajdú-Bihar County Museum in Debrecen andthe Museum für Vor_ und Frühgeschichte-Archáologisches Museum ia Frankfurt amMain. From 1995, the investigation receivedgenerous funding &om the National MotorwayCompany (Budapest).

] tompa 1929' 48,5ó, Taf. LIV' 2; Taf. LV; Taf. LVI; Taf. LVII.'Tompa 1937,44. _Bográr-Kutzián 1963' l5-I8.] siska l98ó. _ PavúVsisk8 l98l, 52-54.4 chitde 1929,76-'19.-c\litde 1957, t20,tu.5 Bogrrir_Kutzián |96f. 268-270, Abb' 7. - Bognár-K[tzián 1957.u Kalicz l9ó5, 35-39. - Bognár-lfutzián 1966,269. - Ka|icz!Raczky 1987, 17. - Meier-Arendt 1991, 83.

834 Pál Raczky - Walter

The most important findings of these investi-gations can be summarised as follows:'

(l) The aerial photographs and the magne-tometer surveys have revealed that the Csőszha-lom mound is enclosed by a rondel of concen-tric ditches that are intem:pted by four 'ent-rances' in the north-east to south-west and the

north-west to south-east of the ditches. It hasalso become clear that this rondel is closelyassociated with the tell-like settlement, indica-ting a unique synthesis of two distinct structu-res, each of different origias (frg.2). The ron-dels of the Lengyel complex are believed tohave been social and itual areas separate fromthe actual settlement, the scene of daily activi-ties; very rarely could traces indicating a peÍ-manent settlement be observed in the area en-

closed by these rondels.s In contrast, the re-mains of several burnt houses were identifiedwithin the rondel at Csőszhalom; from theresults ofthe subsurface probes and the exca-vations, these could be associated with variousoccupation levels. The site thus represents atell settlement of the type known Aom the sou-thern part of the Great Hungarian Plain, at leastin the formal sense of the word. The stratifieddeposits and the fact that the houses were re-built over the remains of earlier ones suggestthat tbis expressed a strong attachment to thephysical and symbolic antecedents.e This inturn reflects a conscious awareness of time andalso expresses the group identity ofa specificcommunity. It is believed that the rondels ofthe Lengyel culture enclosed artificial moundsthat have since been eroded.'o Artificial moundserected within the enclosures oíthe Cucuteni-Tripolye complex of eastern Europe are alsofairly numerous; these are also separate fromthe settlement proper and the strong physicalassociation between the two structures againreÍlects the powerful ties between the symbo-lic concepts that they embody.r' The lclod sitein Transylvania represents the association bet-

ween a single-layer settlemenl, a rondel andburials,'' suggesting that the co-existence ofthese two structures primarily characterised theareas east ofthe Tisza.

Meier-Arendt * et al.

(2) The magnetometer surveys indicatedthe remains of some 13-16 burnt houses on themound enclosed by the rondel; more detailedinvestigations suggest that there may havebeen as many as 2l houses (fig. 2).Assuminga figure of6 people per house, a population oft26 can be calculated for the area enclosed bythe rondel.

(3) The rondel of five concenkic ditcheshad an outer diameter of roughly 180 m and in-dividual ditches were 7 m wide and 4 m deepon average. The construction ofthe rondel thusinvolved moving some 30,000 m3 of earth,which would have called for a human labourinput far exceeding that which a community of100 people (estimated from the number ofhouses) could have provided.

(4) From his analysis of the animal bonesample from Ida Bognrár-Kutzián's l957 cam-paigt, István Vörös arrived at a figure of l 196people in a large community, based in part onthe average meat consumption calculated fromthe bone sample.'3 This appears to be an im-probably high figure for any one occupationperiod ofthe area enclosed by the rondel.

(5) The magnetometer surveys and theexcavations bave shown that the houses on theCsőszhalom tell were aligned radially towardsthe centre of the settlement, a continuation ofthe geometry of the rondel, again reflectingconscious settlement planning based on uni-form decision-making within a larger cornmu-nity. Comparable radial and concentric layoutscan be quoted from the Cucuteni-Tripolyecomplex, as well as from the Lengyel culJureof Slovakia (Buöany, Zilkovce, Svodín).'oSvodín can be quoted as the closest parallel to

7 Racz! et at. 1994. - Raczky 1995. - Raczky et al. 1997. -Raczky 1998a. - Raczky 1998b. - Raczky 2000.8 Makkay 1986,2-24.-Petrasch 1990,494-516.-Tmka 1991, I t.- Podbonlc! 1999, 78'1 -29 1. * Hodder 1 992, I 1 1 - I I 4. - Whittle1996, 18'7-192. The interpreta:ions prt forward for tle cause-wayed enclosures in England are also useful for evalualing theCsőszhalom rondel: cf' Whittle/Pollard l999.nChapman 1997a, 153. Chapman 1997b, 153-154.lo Podborsh-i 1999, 284.l'videlko t99s,64.12 Lazarovici 1991, 21-29.l3 vörös 1987, 2'1 -29' * Makkay l99 1, 323.|a Némejcová-Pavúková 1986,

-l42. * Smaglij 1986,257-264.

Polgár-Csőszhalom ( 1 989-2000) 835

Pleistocenercst surface

Loess coverd Pleistocene leveewith ttrc Csőszbalom tell

I Permanent dry land surface around Cslszhalom f Permannt wet land suface aroundtell at Polgárduring tbe Neolithic Csóselralom tell at Polgárduring

Ü tand suface under flooded water snd subsoit the Neolithic

water effect during ítooded ti*es

fg" I ReconstrucÍbn of thepalaeolrdr?logy a/the ?tsza rcgian, uÍt}l the btoader geographic setting ofPotgir-Cső.szlatom.

"Living" Tisza river

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836 Pál Raczky * Walter Meier_Arendt - et al

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Csőszhalom with regard to the rondel and thealignment of the houses.

(6) An assemblage of miniature figurineswas found on t}te floor of one of the houses inthe centre of the Csőszhalom tell arrd a stringofcopper and bone beads was recovered froma sacrificial pit near this house.ls Both finds nodoubt had a symbolic, prestige value and theycan also likely be linked to special ritual acti-vities. It cannot be mere chance that the bestanalogies to the sun disc in the former assem-blage can be quoted fiom Öiöarovce in easternSlovakia, the latter having also been recoveredfrom ritual contexts.'6 An oven was found in ahouse lying next to the building that yieldedthis assemblage. The plastered baking plate ofthis oven was divided by a clay ridge and agreat quantity of charred grain was foundaround it. Comparable ovens have, to date, onlybeen reported from the tell settlements of theHerpály culture; the plesence ofthis oven typeat Csőszhalom again indicates the close tiesbetween the Csőszhalom culture and the tellcultures tlrat flourished in the southem paÍ ofthe Great Hungarian Plain. The finds wouldsuggest that grain was ground here, that loavesofbread bad been baked in the oven and alsothat the bouse was the setting for some ritualactivity.'? The archaeological excavations indi-cate that the earliest forerunner ofthe buildings,located in the central part of the Csőszhalomtell, also had some special function, since iJwas a two-storey skucture and its walls wqedecorated wittr incised and painted patterns.

(7) The investigations have also shown thatthere was a Íiple concentric ring of palisadeswithin the rondel (this sophisticated defencework had a naÍToweÍ antecedent with a diame-ter of 60-70 m, which also included a triplepalisade (fig. 2)). The thick clay layers indica-te an intensive 'tell building' activity betweenthe two phases of the rondel. The traces oflevelling activity íollowing the burning of thetell's houses could be noted in the fill of the

outer ditches. The fil1ing in of the outer dit-ches and the construction ofhouses over themrepresents another building phase. The buil-

Polgár-Csószhalom (1 989-2o00) 837

dings were aligned with the former ditches andthus continued the original, concentric layoutof the settlernent. The earliest occupation re-mains are represented by a few ditches andpitsin the lowermost level of the tell, which havenothing in common with tbe later conceatricstrucfure.

This would suggest that the buildings inthe cenhal area of the Csőszhalom tell' lyingin the focus of the entrances of the rondel,were the setting for Jhe socíal and sacral acti_vities :hat were performed repeatedly over aprolonged period of time.

(8) The pottery finds from the Csőszhalomtell are dominated by fine, thin-walled wares.At first these were omamented with bitumen.Later they were ornamented with black pain-ting and later still, with red and white pastosepainting. The strong concentration of this pot-tery labelled 'prestige ware'by J. Lichardusand M. Lichardus-Iffen,r8 again confirms thespecial stafus of the Cs<íszhalom tell.

The above features suggest that the Csösz-halom tell was a setting not for daily activi-ties, but rather for social and ritual ones. Inthis sense, the area of the tell enclosed by therondel cannot be regarded as a settlement re-sembling the genuine tells in the southern partof the Great Hungarian Plain. It should ratherbe interpreted as part of a settlement or settle-ments separate from the sphere of daily life,representing an entirely different dimension ofthe contemporary Late Neolithic. This specialaÍea _ with the unity of the rondel and the tell- represents the coexistence of the Lengyelculture of Transdanubia arrd the Tisza-Herpályculture in the UpperTisza region. The archaeo-logical evidence also suggested a considerablylarger population, one that far exceeded thecarrying capacity of this settlement structure.The results of the successive campaigns outli-ned above, conducted between 1989-1993,

15 Raczky ct al. 199ó.16 vizdal 1980, 144-151. - LlcharduslLichardusJtten 1997,Abb. 3,34.17 Makkay 1978. - KaliczlRaczky !984. 108. fig. 20,21.| 8 Lichardus/Líchardus-Itten 1997, 20+2lz'

838 Pál Raczky _ Walter Meier-Arendt - et al.

obviously called for an interdisciplinary in-vestigation of tle broader environment of thePolgár-Csőszbalom tell. This objective wasrealised as part ofthe archaeologicai investi-gations preceding the construction of the M3motorway.

The most important result of the micro-regional investigations conducted in the Pol-gár areawas the identiftcation of an extensive,roughly 700 x 400 m large flat settlement&om which few surface traces had survived. Itbecame clear tlat in accordance with the pre-liminary hypothesis, the Csőszhalom tell andthe flat settlement xound it formed an organicunit and that a historical reconstructioa couldonly be based on a joint evaluation (fig. 2).

Pál Raczfol, walter j,leier-Árendt ÁlexandraÁ nders, Zsigmond Eajdú Emese ilagl, KaÍalínKurucz trászló Domboróczki, Katalin Sebőlc'

Part Il: Man and environmentin the Late Neolithic of theCarpathian Basin - a preliminarygeoarchaeological report ofPoIgár-Csőszhalom

The Late Neolithic tell and flat settlement atPolgar-Csőszhalom lies in the north-eastenrcorner of the Great Hungarian Plain, at thenorthern interface of two main regions, theHajdúság and the Hortobágy, aad is borderedby the alluvial plain of the Tisza (fig. 1).

Rivers flowiag from the norttrern paÍts of theCarpathians (the sajó and its tributaries) for-med an alluvial fan in the surroundings of Pol-gár. At the end of the Pleistocener the Tisza cutinto this fan complex following a NE-SWcourse and finally beheaded it. As a result ofcourse changes at the end ofthe Pleistocene,the alluvial fan complex of Csőszhalom wasdissected into islands and peninsulas by thealternating formerly active wind gaps floodedonly during the major floods in the Neolithicand the dry levees. The deep and wideningalluvial plain of the Tisza bordered the area inthe north-west. The Late Neolithic communi-

ties thus chose a morphologically mosaic-likearea - bearing an alluvial loess cover - on amicro-scale for their settlement. Local morpho-logical and hydrological conditions influencedthe natural endowments (soil conditions, ve-getation) of this habitat. According to resultsofa series ofsubsurface probes, the Csőszha-lom tell and flat settlement lay on a large, sandyarea coveÍed with alluvial loess, forming awide Pleistocene levee. From the top down tothe surrounding riverbeds, a hydroseries greal-ly dependent on local morphology and respon-sible for the mosaic patterning of soil condi-tions and vegetation could be observed, toge-ther with a soil and a vegetation series (fig. 3).In addition to the carbonate grains and bands,reddish iron concretions (pea structures) witha diameter of 0.5-0.6 mm could be identifiedbetween levels of 92-92.5 m, up to a height of93 m above sea level. This indicates that duriagthe floods preceding the river regulations, rela-tively high zones ofsaturation developed, upto 92-93 m above sea level with surficialgroundwater arteries. Only regions higher than93 m above sea level were suitable for settle-ment and subsistence activities in the investi-gated area. The process of soil formation variedwith regard to the morphological and hydrolo-gical conditions of the area and the alternatinglevels of saturation in the Csősáalom area. Inareas lying below 92 m, dark water-influenced,polihedric meadow and paludal, hydromorfsoils containing iron humate and reed, sedgeand bulrush remains developed due to thefloods and dead waters. Such was the Kenderbrook surrounding the Csősáalom area fromthe north-east. On the sides of the upfillingchannels around 92 m above sea level, a spe-cial type of water-influenced woodland soilwas formed as these areas w€re thickly coveredwith gallery forests of soft (Sa/ix, Populus)aad hard trees (Quercus, Ulmus, Fraxinus).The autochthonous, carbonised bark and leafprints of oaks and alders &om tbe 9 m level ofCsőszhalom on the banks of Kengyel brookalso indicate the presence of gallery forests inthe area. On the other hand, patchy salt accu-

mulation levels and an alkalic soil horizon withcolumnar B level was noted between 92-93 m.Soil samples representing the original soilcover of the Neolithic were taken fÍom therondels enclosing the Csőszhalom tell andduring the archaeological investigations of theNeolithic settlement. The micromorphologicanalysis of these soils indicated the dominanceof soft-bodied plants in this horizon with thedevelopment of higb quality black soils withadequate carbonate and organic content, as wellas very good porosity and water balance con-ditions. Only near a former bed of the Kengyelbrook did we find remains of patchy forestcover. At the same time, signs of salt accumu-lation could be observed in certain spots of theblack soil horizon, indicating some sort ofalkalisation pÍocess. Thus several subtypes orhansitional forms of black soil appeaÍ to lravedeveloped in the investígated area, althoughthese cannot be precisely determined. Sedi-mentological and micromorphologic analysesindicate the development of a soil series in theCsőszhalom area with paludal soils in theupfilling channels and hydromorf woodlandsoils on the banks. A gradual fonnation ofblacksoils was observed towards the top of the allu-vial loess - covered levees, while alkalic soilsdeveloped in the former backswamp area ofthe levee opposite the riverbed, showing sea-sonal water coverage. These belts and the mo-saic patterning of soils obviously influencedthe subsistence stoategies of Neolithic commu-nities. The areas with black soil coverage weresuitable for crop cultivation. The saline partsand the areas with hydromorphic soils wereused for grazing and harvesting fodder, eventhough the animals were exposed to signifi-cant danger in the marshy areas due to the pre-sence of Iymnaea tancatula, known to spreadliver rot. The palaeobotanical analyses confirmthe interpretations of paedological analyses.The diagrams reveal a gradual increase in theamount of pollen &om crops and weeds spreadby ploughing and treading. This indicates hu-man activity in the area towards the Csőszha-lom rondels on the loess-covered isthmus, from

Polgá r-Csőszhalom ( 1 989-2000) 839

the alluvial plains of the Tisza through the Ken-gyel brook. A similar pattem was recorded forthe pollens of plants composing open vegeta-tion in the area. The rate of pollens for woodyplants is over 60 per cent in the alluvial plainof the Tisza (AP), decreasing to below 40 percent in the surroundings of the Kengyel brookand below 30 per cent in the rondel next to thetell. These trends on the pollen diagrams clear-ly indicate the gradual decrease of woodyplants towards tlre Csőszhalom tell and flatsettlement, while at the same time, an increasein steppe elements, cultivated plants and weedscan be observed. According to this data, humanactivities (gr azing, treadin g and cultivation)were mainly concentrated on the tell and theflat settlement, as well as on the loess-coveredlevee and the isthmus-like remnant surfacelying above the 93 m horizon. Traces of humanactivity during the Late Neolitbic, althoughquite minimal, could also be identified in thealluvial plain ofthe Tisza. A significant amountof crop seeds, maialy emmer, spelt, einkorn,rivet-type wheat, club wheat, bread wheat,barley and even millet have been identiÍied.As well as these crops, the presence of theseeds ofpapilionaceous plants - such as lentil,green pea and vetch - suggest that the LateNeolithic community of Csőszhalom practiseda rather developed technique of crop cultiva-tion. In addition to the seeds and fruits of cul-tivated and gathered plants, a wide array ofweeds (Polygon un, Cltenopodium, Gallium,Ca rex lz i ría, Sc /t o e n op /e c t us / a c us tr is, Ho r-deurn bulbosun, Fallopia, etc.) occupyingvarious habitats (alkalic marshes, loess-steppes,wetland meadows, floodplain forests, ploughlands, pastures, dirty roadsides) have beenidentified through pollen analysis.'e The resultsofcarpological analysis also indicate a large-scale, complex agricultural production duringthe Late Neolithic, consisting mainly of cropcultivation in the neighbourhood of the Csősz-halom tell. Crops were complemented byarid-loving crop weeds (Seca/ietea species)

re Gyulai 2000, 8I.

840 Pál Raczky _Walter Meier_Arendt _ et at.

and seeds of plants thriving in wetlands andswamps. Together witb the results of pollenanalytical and paedological investigations, thisdata implies that the highest areas of Csősz-halom, protected from floods, originally withloess-steppe or forest-steppe coverage, wasused for the cultivation ofcrops as proven bythe presence of Sttpa seeds. At the same time,the results of macrofossil investigations indi-cate that the cultivated area extended to theseasonally flooded areas. The presence ofseedsfrom plants preferring wetlands, swamps, fo-rests and saline marshes reflects the develop-ment of plant assemblages in the lowJyingareas, conforming to the local morphological,hydrological and soil conditions (fig. ). Thiscreated a micro-scale zonality and mosaic pat-terning in the area under investigation, furtherenhanced by human activities. In this mosaicenvironment, where the Late Neolithic peoplessttled, human activities completely altered theoriginal vegetation cover ofthe loessy levees,while the composition of the flora of marshyand forest areas was modified to a considerab-ly lesser extent.

Pá / s)negr' Ea i/rő Magran) Zsuzsanna Szinró&Índor GulyÍs, Kriszltna Dobó.

Part lll

The tell enclosed by the rondel and the largeflat settlement around it, extending over anarea of 28 bectares, can be compared to theextensive Lengyel sites in Transdanubia andthe Aszód site, east of the Danube. In contrast,the Tisza-Herpály sites in the Great HungarianPlain rarely exceed 10-12 hectares.'o It is thismarked topographical feature, together withthe rondel, that indicates the strong Lengyelconnections of the Csőszhalom site. with itsdiameter of 180 m, the rondel can be assignedto the group of large Lengyel-type rondels.2'

The large-scale investigation of tbe LateNeolithic Polgar site between 1995-2000 wasmade possible because the course of the plan-ned M3 motorway cut through the flat settle-

ment in a north - south direction at a distanceof some 500 m from the tell. This was the firstlarge-scale excavation of a Neolithic site inHungary, allowing an insight into the structu-re and internal layout of the settlement (fig. 2).An overall areaof 4 hectares was investigated.As wel! as 62 timber- framed houses, an addi-tional 64 other structures were unearthed, to-gether with 238 pits used initially for clayextraction and later as refuse pits. The settle-ment units of houses and pits also includedcylindrical wells, 68 of wbich have been unco-vered to date. Grave clusters of 1-3 burialswere found near the houses, usually close tothe shorter side. The 116 burials represent onlya small portion of the population of 300-400people, estimated from the number of houses(and reckoning with 5-6 people per house).This would suggest some sort of consciousprinciple concerning the burial ofthe deceasedand the choice of the burial location. This prin-ciple is also reflected in the fact tbat mainlymale and child burials were found on the tellenclosed by the rondel, while child burialswere extremely rare on the flat settlement,despite the known high level of infant morta-lity of the age. Males were laid to rest in a con-tracted position on their right side, while fe-males were laid on their left side. The formerwere usually buried with wild boar tusks ormandibles and a small trapezoidal stone axe,the latter with belts of one or multiple rows ofSpondylus beads and, occasionally, Spondylusbracelets. These burial goods again reflect awider Late Neolithic cultural interaction in theCarpathian Basin and can at the same time beinterpreted as archaeological evidence for thegenetic link with the Copper Age of the Tiszaregion.22Extrapolating the results of the investigated4 hectare area for the entire settlement, we

20 Makkay 1982, 142. * Kalicz 1986, 128-134. - Kalicz 1995,67-70.?r Petrasch 1990,442447 . -Tmka 1991, 312-3 15. - Podborskj1999,284.2 sheÍratt l982.

Polgár-Csőszhalom (1 989_2000)

Settlement and crop-Íield rvith cereals(Ttiticuut, Hordeum vulgare) and weeds

Loess covered, ancienllevee with black earth

High

Sandy alluvÍal fansedíments

Dry gallery forest wíthCornas mas, Quercus,SaIÍx, Corylus, Prunus

841

Marsh zone withGallium, Typha,Alkalic marsh

withÁrwmisía,Átriples

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may assume a total of 434 houses and a maxi-mum population of between 2100 and 2600people. Obviously, the entire area of the flatsettlemeat was not occupied completely at anyone time and these figures are tlrus an oveÍva-luation of the one-time population. Even so,the archaeological record and the topographi-cal data clearly show a rather strong popula-tion concentration at this site.

The prosperity of the Polgrír-Csöszhalomsite was most likely based on its proximityto tbe obsidian resources of the Zemplén-Tokaj Mts.

It was also strategically located on thetrade routes for various other raw materialssuch as flint, bitumen, Spondylus, copper, etc.(cf. Part IV) (fig. ll).The wide-ranging trade contacts are also re-flected in the presence ofpottery imports from

and lakesediments

Low subsoil water level

other contemporary Neolithic cultures. Theincised and painted pottery of the Transdanu-bian Lengyel I culture23 (frg.5,4-6-7) occuralongside the Samborzec-opatów types2o fromLittle Poland (ftg.5,?; ó,3.5-6)- Stichband pot-tery fragments (fig. 5,3) indicate contact witheastern Slovakia and Poland.'s Relations withthe southern areas of the Great HungarianPlain are reflected in the high number of inci-sed Tisza wares (fig. 6,8; fig. 8,1-7) and theforms and painted patterns recalling Herpálypottery (fig. 6,7).'?ó A grey fragment with chan_nelled decoration (fig. 5,5) indicates contact

23 Kalicz 1998, Abb. 44.; Abb. 46.2o Kaczanowska et at. l98ó, Abb. 2.2s záptocká l9s6, Abb. 5; Abb' 6. * Kaczanowska et al. l98ó"Abb^ 7,1-5.2ó Raczky |992, ftg.2_3. _ Kalicz/Raczky 1984, Írg. 31_35'

Jig; 3 Soil condittons and vegetatlbn seies of tbe Polgir-Csőszhalom arca in tlte Neolithic.

Pál Raczky -Walter Meier-Arendt - et al.

fig. 4 ReconsÍruc/ion of the local morphologica/, hydrologica/ and soi/ conditions o/PotgtÍr-Csőszhaloru in theNeolithic.

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with the Vinöa cu1ture, farther south,27 while avessel decorated with incised pattems (fig. 6,4)

can be assigned to the lclod culture ofTransyl-vania, indicating yet anotber area with whichthe Csőszhalom community maintained con-tact.2s Bitumen-coated vessels (flg. 7,2) Íepre-

sent a distinctive pottery ware of the incipientLate Neolithic in the Tisza region; the bitumenitself was probably procured from Transylva-niajs It is now clear that the red and whitepastose painting tbat was ea:lier believed tocharacterise the entire Csősáalom period isonly restricted to its late pbase,ro outlining ageneral horizon in the Tisza region (HerpályilI-Öiöarovce-oborin I)''' Local pottery waÍes

at the beginning of the Late Neolithic in the

Upper Tisza region were decorated with blackpainted patterns applied before firing3' (fig.

7,L.3-4; Íig. 8'8-12) or with a bitumel coatingover a brushed surface (fi5. 6,I-2; ftg. 7 ,2). Thevarious ornamental techniques, such as localblack painting and Lengyel-type incised pat-

teÍns, are sometimes combined (ftg.7,4).The beliefs of the Polgár community are

reflected in the stylised zoomorphic lid knobs(fig. 9,4-6). One of the best analogies to a zoo-morphic lid from Csőszhalom (fig. 9,6) can bequoted &om IZkovce in eastem Slovakia, foundin a Lengyel context.33 The figurines fromCsőszhalom include a statuette depictiag a sit-tiag male figure (ftg.9,2), which represents a

distinctive anthropomorphic depiction type ofthe Tisza culture. Stylised anthropomorphicdepictions are also evident on vessel lids(fig. 9,3). A &agment of an anthropomorphicvessel of the type known from the Kökény-domb site of the Tisza culture was also broughtto light (fig. 9,1). These zoomorphic and an-thropomorphic depictions again show that ttre

great variety of figural representations embodya synthesis of the Central European Lengyelculture and tbe Tisza-Herpály culture of the

Great Hungarian Plain. Tbis is no doubt the

result ofa shared set ofbeliefs, expressed also

in the deepest symbolic codes ofthese cultures.The animal bone samples offered valuable in-formation not only on the subsistence of the

Polgár-Csőszhalom {1 989-2000) 843

Polgár community, but also on the differingfunctions of the tell enclosed by the rondel andthe flat settlement. Wild animals dominated the

bone sample &om the tell, while domestic ani-mals were mainly uncovered from the flat sett-

lement (cf. Part V).The archaeological record allows a new

understanding of the Late Neolithic settlementat Polgár-Csőszhalom' one that moves beyondthe traditional interpretation of archaeologicalculture and a closed cultural disÍribution. Theinvestigation of the Polgar micro-region rovea-led the cultural slmthesis of the Lengyel cultu-re of Transdanubia and Little Poland and ofthe Tisza-Herpály culture of the Great Hunga-rian Plain. This applies far from the distributionterritories of these two cultural complexes andis coloured to a small extent by Stichband andIclod elements. A similarly mlxed assemblagehas been noted at Carei-Cozard ia Romania,suggesting a historical process similar to theone reconstructed for Polgár-Csőszhalom.3oThe peaceful exploitation of the resources inthe Upper Tisza region was ensured throughthe code system of the sacral sphere; this longand peaceful period is reflected in the statified tell settlement and the repeatedly renewedrondel. The calibrated 'aC-data gave a date ofbetween 4820 and 4530 B.C. for the tell, anda date of between 4830 and 4600 B.C. for theÍlat settlement (fig. 10).

Pá/ Raczfol, VaÍÍer Meier-Árend, ÁlexandraÁzders, Zsigmond,F/a1dú, tmese Nag,l, KalalinKusucz I'ászló Domboróczki, KaÍalin Sebők

27 Garalanin 1979, s!. 13,30. - Dragovezn 1994, Abb. 6,'1; 7,5.

,14 m otg the decora/iue n oÍl/ of spl ra lo id pa íterzs ad28 r -u2 86)occuribr lzeifrrsl Ííne i, quanrtil:es worÍh nenÍionixg ...". _

This is phase 7. See Sclrier l99ó' 147; fig. 8'9.28 Lazarovici 1983, fig. ?,ó.2e Racztcy 1987, fig. 8-9.;15.30 Pavrivsiska 1981, 54. - Raczky et al. 1994. T. 8-10.31 Kalicz/Raczky 198?, Hertelendi et al. 1998, 663, fig. 4. -Lichardus/Lichardus-Itten I 997, Taf. 3, I 0. I 1.32 Korek 1989, Taf. 17,9.; Taf. 18,7-8.33 Vizdal 198ó, Abb. 3,l.3a Iercogan 1996.

Pál Raczky -Walter Meier-Arendt - et al.

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JÍg.5 lnportpotteryfiontheiIatseltlemenÍatPolgár-Csőszhalon(l,6:feature44,'2-5:/eaturc/6/,'7.'feature78).

Polgár-Csószhalom ( 1 989-2000)

0 mScm

7 O re 7i5cm}l/*;. *s a7 g:oo Áa"Él_ *

fg. ő Pottery thei//aÍ sealement al Polgdr-Csőszialom (l..feature 698,Ílre 633; S.'.feaÍure 209,' 6.'feature 289; 7.'feaÍure }4t'8.'feature 6}5.).

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846 Pál Raczky - Walter Meier-Arendt - 6t al.

o 'án'24{':fg.7 Poaeryrypes/ronthefatsetÍlemerrtatPolgór-Csószhalom(I-2.'fea/ure698;2:feature302;4:fealure60I)'

Polgár-Csószhalom ( 1 989-2000)

\ffi\,wffi

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Pál Raczky -Walter Meier-Arendt - et al.

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fg. 9 ÁnÍhmponorplic andmonorpltic1tndsfron Í}zqílat seÍtlemerl1at ?olgdr-Csőszhalom (}:/eatare 302,' 2:feaare 271,'3"feanre 2ó7'' r'.'/eature /ő0; 5.'feaare 591; 6"Íeature 131).

848

Pol gár-Csőszha lom {1 989-2000)

yc.ra BC

'Ís. /0 Calculation Ia confrdence level of tie sumned pmbability jlncttons of the Polgir-Csősziatom settlemení.The life spans o/the telt and the/at se/tlemenÍ are based on laC-dates (67/or the tell and ! 7for theflat settlemenÍ).?/zefigure was pruduced by líva ,Svingor on the dala bv Ede Hertelendi (Nuclear Research Institute ofLlungarian ,4ca-demy of,9tiences, H-4025 Debrecen' Bem tér }8/C).

849

itégIE.!t

Part lV: Preliminary results from theinvestigation of the lithlc materialírom the flat settlement

Typology and Íunction

The lithic material from Polgár is of primaryimportance among the known Late Neolithicsites, which are generally rich in stone tools. Atotal of 5000 lithic finds from 438 units wereexamined before the end of 2000.

The chipped stone industry has a uniformLate Neolithic character with the occasionalUpper Palaeolithic type (e.g. from units 302,210 and 401).

The typological examination of the lithicfinds indicates an intensive production and useof stone tools at the site. One part of the rawmaterial fransported here was processed locally.The majority of cores and tools are of medíumdimension. Micro-cores and micro-blades were

primarily manufactured from obsidian. Thelithic assemblage also includes some characte-ristic large cores and blades. Most cores areconical or prismatic. Many fragments weremade into tools. Judging &om their form, finishand use-wear traces, some flakes were appa-rently also used as tools. At the same time, thenumber of typical morphological tools is small.

Two large groups can be distinguished with-in the s.l. tools, namely blades and scrapers.

Some of the blades were probably blanks,intended for further processing, although froma functional aspect they were applicable tools.They include a number of irregular items.Scrapers, occurring in relatively high numbers,form a definite group. Two basic types can bedistinguished: end-scrapers with distal wor-king edge (dominant) mainly made on blades,but also on flakes. The latter are representedby variants with an arched working edge andsteeply retouched items close to truncation.

850

TRANSDANUBIAN RADIOLARrEJUBAsslc cRAcÓW FuNTcHocolÁTE FL|NT

The other large group is made up of side-scrapers, wbich are less abundant and oftenatypical. Flake scrapers dominated the lithicfinds from some units, although the units thatyielded a rich assemblage of stone artefactsusually revealed a higher frequency ofscraperson blade. In contrast, burins, chisels, borersand points occurred in small numbers only.

The units that yielded a rich lithic assem-blage usually contained many flakes, but fewerblades and blade-like flakes, followed by scra-pers. The total quantity of the latter is not tre-mendously high, but still relatively large com-pared to other tool types.

The number of cores varies in the differentunits.

With regard to the probable function of the

artefacts, morphological studies indicate thepresence of two basic groups, namely cutting

Pál Raczky -Walter Meier-Arendt - et al.

x+a

IAo

MEZIZOMBOR TYPE SILEXHYDRO. AND L]MNOQUARTZITEOBSIDIAN

edges and scrapers. Only a small sample, con-sisting mainly of end scrapers, has been exa-mined with a microscope for microwear. Theresults revealed that these were used for wor-king wood and hide. Anotber important groupwas formed by artefacts used in harvestingthat had sickle-gloss. This sickle gloss wastypically observed on blades and blade-likeflakes. According to the position of the gloss,most of these were set into the haft obliquely,although parallel gloss was noted on bladesthat may have been used as harvesting knives.In some cases, probably related to the secon-dary utilisation of the pieces, sickle gloss wasalso observed on scrapers. Detailed microwearstudies would probably be helpful in distin-guishing between re-circulated items anÜorthe appearance of new types of harvestingimplements.

"/is. il Trade contacts a/rhe Potgár-Csőszhatom seÍttement, in the lig/tt o1f lhe stone rawmalerial and Ílre PoÍÍer? imports.

Polgár-Csőszhalom (1 989-2000) 851

Raw material studies35

Of the 5000 stone artefacts investigated froma typological point of view, ó95 were studiedin terms of their raw material (Table 1). Onlya macroscopic analysis was conducted and thecbipped stone industry was preferentiallystudied.A wide range of limnic quartzites made up thedomínant raw material group used for themanufacture of lithics on the Polgár site. Indi-vidual sources can be located in the southernfoothill region of the Tokaj Mts (the Mád andTállya area). A characteristic macroscopictype group, the Mád-Mezózombot type silex,can be distinguished among them. This striped,cream-gÍey' sometimes yellow variety with asilky lustre is today usually associated withkaolin quarries around Mád_Szilvás forrás. Incertain periods, such as the Late Neolithic andthe first half of the Copper Age, this varietywas especially populaÍ, e.g.in the Herpályculture.

The most general limnic quartzite typesare wbite or offiwhite, with traces of macro-scopically observable plant fossils. They canprobably be related to large outcrops betweenMád and Tállya. Transparent, translucent yel-low and yellowish brown varieties are morefrequent in the northern and north-westernareas of the Tokaj Mts (in the Korlát-Arka-Abaújszántó area).

Limnic quartzite made up 86.2 % of theinvestigated material. The basic raw materialused at the site was evidently procured fromthe nearby Tokaj Mts (primarily from sourcesin the southern Tokaj Mts).

In terms of frequency ofpieces, the secondimportant constituent among the raw materialsis obsidian. Typically, the better quality, trans-parent Slovakian (Carpathian I Type) obsidianwas used, but two Hungarian (Carpathian 2E,Carpathian 2T) types were also used.

The total quantity of obsidian in the mate-rial is 9.3 %. This is considerably higher thanthe ratio on the average Tisza site, but lowerthan the ratio noted on certain Lengyel sites ly-ing at a considerably greater distance from the

sources (Aszód, Csabdi, Kolary). The quantityof obsidian is also well below the correspon-ding proportion of obsidian in the rich lithicassemblages from Middle Neolithic sites.The proportion of obsidian recalls the ratiosof this raw material noted on Herpály sites.The raw materials from more distant sourcesinclude sporadic occuffences of Transdanubianradiolarite and rare examples of two characte-ristic northern flint types (Jurassic Kraków flintand chocolate flint). In Hungary, Jurassic Kra-ków flint occurs mainly in the later MiddleNeolithic and the Late Neolithic (predomi-nantly in the Zseliz and Lengyel I cultures).The use of chocolate flint is more frequent inthe Late Neolithic in Hungary.

Among the other raw materials, the occur-rence of Szeletian felsitic po{phyry is mostremarkable. This raw material primarily occursin Palaeolithic assemblages, mainly in the EarlyUpper Palaeolithic Szeleta culture. The lithicassemblage includes a few unidentified &ag-ments and three polishers from fine-grainedsandstone, with traces of stone and bone toolnegatives and red paint.The polished stone tools analysed to date weremade of greenschist and amphibolite; the sour-ce region has been tentatively identified as theSlolakian (Western) Carpathians or the Mora-vian Basin.

Grinders made of local volcanic rocks (an-desite, rhyolite, dacite) and sandstone completethe assemblages. The nearest possible sourceof sandstone lies in the foothill region of theNorthern Mountain Range.

The trade contacts of the Polgár-Csőszha-lom settlement as indicated by the stone rawmaterial are shown in fig. 11.

Erzsébel Bácskay 'Kalalin Z Biró.

35 Biró 1998. - Biró/Dobosi 1991. - Biró et alSzakmáay 2000.

2000. _ Bbó/

852 Pál Raczky -Walter Meier-Arendt - et al.

Raw material group(comorehensive cateoories)

Raw material group (macroscopictvpes)

Pieces Yo

l. Obsidian 1 Carpathian '1. (Slovak) obsidian 52 7,482 Carpathian 2E (Mád-

Erdöbénye) obsidian7 1,01

3 Carpathian 2T (Tolcsva) obsidian 3 0,43

901 Carpathian '1. (Slovak) obsidian ? 2 0,29903 Carpathian 2T (Tolcsva) obsidian ? I 0,14obsidian total 65 9,35

ll. Hydro- and limnic quartzite 29 translucent yellowish brown 81 11,6530 translucent white, yellowish whitelimnic quartzite

91 13,09

41 oeneral limnic ouartzite tuoes 321 46,1964 Mád-Mezözombor type

limnic quarEite77 1 1,09

929 translucent yellowish brown limnicquarEite ?

17 2,45

930 translucent white, yellowish whitelimnic ouartzite

1 a1'4

94'1 oeneral limnic quartzite? 9 1,29

964 Mád_Mezözombor typelimnic quar2ite ?

2 0,29

limnic quartzite total 599 86'í9I I L Transdanubian radiolarite 'l0 Urkút-Eplénv tvpe 1 0,14

91'! Hárskút type? 1 0,14Transdanubian radiolarite tota! 2 0.29

V. Northern flint 23 Jurassic Krakow flint 3 0,43

923 Jurassic Krakow flint? 3 0,43926 Chocolate flint ? 1 0,14northern flint total T 1r0,

Vll. Others 50 fine qrained sandstone 3 0,43

57 volcanic rocks I '1r29

67 Szeletian felsitic porphvry 1 0,14949 oreenschist. amohibolite? 2 0,29

951 medium qrained sandstone? 1 0.14

957 volcanic rocks? 2 0.29999 others and unidentified 4 0,58otherc total 9 1,29

Total 695 ,t00,00

Table I Raw matenbl dbtibution of the lithic assenblagefrom lhe/Iat settlement at Polgár-Csőszhalom

$peclecNISP

Tell HorizontalYo NISP %

domestic cattle (Bos taurus Linné 1758)sheep/goat (Capnhae)sheep (ous aies Linné 1758)goat (Capra hircus Linné 1758)domesticpig (Sus domesticusEaLITTT)domestic dog (Canis famtlarÍs Linné 1758)

5,923 26.8 3,4',10 42.2183 0.8 178 2.222 0.1 42 0.5'15 0.1 63 0.8

3,511 16.2 915 11.3

709 3.3 478 5.9

Domestlc total í0'263 17.2 5'084 62.9aurochsred deerroe deerfallow deerwild swinewild assbrown harehamsterbeaverrodentwild catwolfÍoxmartenbrown bearpond tortise

{Bos pn m ige nus Bo) -'l 827 )

{Ceruus e/aphus Linné 1758)

{Capreo/us capreolus Linné 1758)

{Dama sp.)(Sus scrofa Linné 1758)(Asinus hydrunÍinus Reg. 1907)(Lepus europaeus Pall. 1778)

{Cicetus cnbetus Linné 1758)(CasÍor frberlinné 1 758)(Rodentta)(Felb silvestis Schreb. 1777)(Canis lupus Linné 1758)(Vu/pes vulpes Linné 1758)(Maftes sp.)(Ulsus arctos Linné 1758)(Emys orbiculans Linné 1758)

8.8 53 0.718.5 1,367 16.9

1,9124,0262,395

52,836

1

15356I1

40751

1

16

11.00.0

13.1

0.00.70.30.00.00.20.00.00.00.00.1

634 7.80 0.0

865 10.70 0,0

21 0.3'14 0.20 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.0

39 0.5

Mld total í1'463 52.8 2'993 37.1

ldentlfiable Total 21,726 100.0 8,077 100.0

Polgár-Csószhalom (1 989-2000)

Ibble 2. Ihe distn|bution of animal rcnains1fom Polgir-Csőszltatom (rel/,) and ?olgir ő (horbontal setttement)

853

Part VThe preliminary investigation of the boneassemblage &om the horizontal settlement ofPolgrír 6, located in the immediate proximityof the Polgrár-Csőszhalom tell, was carried outon the basis of 31,268 boae fragments. Ofthese,8,077 specimens could be identified taxono-mically, while 13,386 were only identified tothe leve1 ofskeletal parts. In 9,820 cases noidentification was possible. Fish and bird re-mains were not included in these totals. Twelvemammalian species and pond tortoise wereidentified at the horizontal settlement. Themajority of sheep and/or goat bones could beclassified only on ttre Caprinae subfamilylevel.

on the basis of the number of identiÍiable spe_

cimeas (MSP), the majority of bones origina-te from two large ungulates; domestic cattle(42.2%) and red deer (I6.9Yo). Almost twothirds of the identiÍiable remains belonged todomestic animals. Of these, onlypig exceededl0%. Similarly, the second most representedwild animal species is wild swine (I0.7%).

Comparison of data from the horizontalsettlement with tbe material from the stratiÍiedtell settlernent of Polgár-Csőszhalorrrló suggestsfundamental differences between the two(Table 2).

36 Schwartz 1998, 5Il, Table L

o-2azp.go8.óÉoeo3o

1

854

3

An inverse ratio between wild versus domesticmammals may be observed at the two sites(tell:47.ZoÁdomestic,S2.\o/owild;horizontal:62.9% domestic, 37.1o/o wild). These figuresshow a general difference witb implications forsite use. The identiÍication of fewer than 2,500bones from an earlier excavation at the centraltell37 was dominated by the bones of aurochs,provoking spe0ulations about the vast quanti-ties of beef probably consumed at this centralplace.38 our large sample from the Csőszhalomsite also showed the significance of aurochs(8.8%), albeit less dramaücally. Recent sfudiesof the horizontal settlement, however, revealed

Pál Raczky -Walter Meier_Arendt - et al.

E"EEg#trBtrYH?oáE.#g^H'#H=-.oE'!HE,.,ra2g# E EP t P 3 E=1tg t2 Aninal species ran/ced by lheir raltbs afobserved/apecÍed values (The names o/wild animals are capiatized).

a smaller percentual contribution of this im-portant large game $.7%).

While the statistical significance of per-centage differences could not be tested direct-Ly, a t test of homogeneity3e was carried outusing those marnmalian species representedby more than 5 bones at each of the two sites.These included over 99o/o of the identifiablespecimens at both sites, although rodents andcanrivores of lesser importance were left out

37 Bökönvi 1974.394.36 vörös igal'zb.3e williams 1979.

lTellI HorZontal

I

Illr II I I

I ülllllLL

$keletal part Tell HorlzontalN Yo N a/o

skullmandiblevertebrascapulapelvisriblong bone

493 1.0 1't95 8.9777 1.5 422 3.2

5297 10.5 1196 8.9

1277 2.6 544 4.1

204 0.4 282 2.1

20722 41.2 2437 '.18.2

21510 42.8 7310 54.6

ldentlffed to skeletal part 50280 100.0 í3386 í00.0Non-identifiable 39859 44.2 9820 42.3

Total 90139 í00.0 23206 í00.0

ofthe calculation (most of them actually madeup less than 0.01% even at the tell). Partlyowing to large sample sizeso the resulting verylzighf value (1606.8, df :11) is indicative ofthe non-homogereous distribution of animalremains between the two sites. In other words,it shows that the species composition of thetwo assemblages is significantly different atthe p<0.001 level of probability.

f calailations also yielded additionalinformation. In table 3, animal species ofmajor importance are ranked by the extent 10

which their NISP values exceeded the num-bers expected on the basis of homogeneousdistribution.

When data from tbe two sites are conüa-sted, the greater importance of domesticates atthe horizontal settlement becomes even moreevident. The relative contribution of all Caprinebones (including identifiable sheep and goat)

is relatively larger here. Similarly, dog re-mains were encountered more frequently tbanexpected. The remains of pig and game ani-mals (names of the latter are capitalised intable 3), on the other band, fell short of ex-pectations at the borizontal settlement. Theseo

and most notably aurochs, tend to be betterrepresented a1 the tell site.

The two species lists also differ in as muchas the remains of less coÍlmon wild animalswere also more abundant at the tell site. It is

855

not possible to ascertain whether the evidenceof wild ass, fallow deer and a number of wildcarnivores at the tell results from the greater

importance of wild animals there, or wbetherit is simply a resull of differing sample sizes.In spite ofthe respectable assemblage size, thenumber of identiÍiable bones from the hori-zostal settlement was less than half the size ofthe material available from the tell. Sporadicremains of rare animals logically occur with agreater statistical probability among 21,000than 8,000 bone specimens.{ For this reason,it is not possible to tell whether the greatertaxonomic abundance of wild animals at thetell is related to the importance of hunting, orwhether it is merely a product of sample size.The presence of hamster and other small rodentbones, as well as tortoise remains, in the mate-rial, may be attributed to bioturbation by tbeseburrowing animals.

Of the two sites, a greater proportion ofbones was identiÍiable to taxon at the borizon-tal settlement. Differences in the percentualdistribution of the skeletal elements identifiedsuggest a gÍeater contribution ofribs to foodrefuse at the tell, while the relative frequenciesof head elements and long bones seem to begreater at the horizontal site (Table 4). Re-mains of the shoulder- and pelvic girdles are

Polgár-Csőszhalom ( 1 989-2000)

Table 3. The ana/omical disÍnbation of bones1?om aon-identtfable species at Potgir-Csőszlta/om (te//) and Po/gir 6 (horizontal setttemenf

ao Crayson 1984, l3'1

856 Pál Baczky - Walter Meier-Arendt - et al.

also more coÍtmon in the assemblage of thehodzontal settlement. The percentages of ver-tebrae are comparable.,Overall, it seems thatskeletal elements associatpd with larger quan-tities of meat were more coÍlmon at the tellsettlement.

The results of this fust analysis confirmthat the consumption of meat from wild ani-mals was more important on the tell than in thehorizontal settlement. Even at the tell site, pre-vious research has shswn that wild animalbones were concentrated in the main settle-ment aÍea, while the percentage of domesti_cates was slightly higher in the surroundingtrenches.ll

Wild animal remains exceed 25% of NISPat both sites, which is conventionally regardedas a sign of subsistence hunting,a2 aimed di-

rectly at meat procurement rather than killinganimals fo: hophies or to protect crops. More*over, the heterogeneous disffibution of animalremains between the tell site and the adjacentborizontal settlement supports archaeologicalhypotheses concernilg functional differencesbetween these areas. Given the shared environ-mental setting and chronological posiűon ofthe two sites, these diffetences may be atEibu-ted to cognitive factors maaifested in the socialand economic subdivision of the space underdiscussion here. A more refined interpretationwill be possible on the basis of additional fau-nal data and in-depth, mutual analysis of botharchaeological and zoological finds. Resultsmay be furtber influenced by consideration ofoths subsistence factors recognised in the fish,bird and molluscan assemblages.

Charles Sc/twartz.

orschwa.tr 1998.512. fis. l.a2 Bartosiewicz lwo' zsí'

Polgár-Csőszhalom (1 989-2000) 857

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