nterpretierte Eisenzeiten. Fallstudien, Methoden, Theorie Tagungsbeiträge der 10. Linzer Gespräche zur interpretativen Eisenzeitarchäologie, 2024
Although the research of the Early Iron Age (EIA) in Transdanubia, i.e. western Hungary, still he... more Although the research of the Early Iron Age (EIA) in Transdanubia, i.e. western Hungary, still heavily focuses on funerary evidence, discoveries of recent years at so-called flatland settlements began to provide hints of the multi-faceted ritual practices of EIA communities in the domestic sphere, that had been largely unknown to previous research in the region under consideration.
In 2018, preventive excavations at Mernye-Rézdomb (Somogy County) unearthed large parts of a similar settlement. In one of the features a large number of fragments of fine pottery came to light. After restoration, it became clear that the settlement feature, in fact, contained a set of various vessels. Although EIA metal deposits are not a frequent occurrence in the eastern Hallstatt zone, they have had their fair share of academic attention. In contrast, ceramic vessel deposits from settlements have hitherto been absent in archaeological record. The assemblage discovered at Mernye-Rézdomb provides a so far unique opportunity to analyse the relationship between intentionally deposited vessel sets used in the context of funerary practices, on the one hand, and within the everyday forum of the communities, on the other.
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Papers by Bence Soós
In 2018, preventive excavations at Mernye-Rézdomb (Somogy County) unearthed large parts of a similar settlement. In one of the features a large number of fragments of fine pottery came to light. After restoration, it became clear that the settlement feature, in fact, contained a set of various vessels. Although EIA metal deposits are not a frequent occurrence in the eastern Hallstatt zone, they have had their fair share of academic attention. In contrast, ceramic vessel deposits from settlements have hitherto been absent in archaeological record. The assemblage discovered at Mernye-Rézdomb provides a so far unique opportunity to analyse the relationship between intentionally deposited vessel sets used in the context of funerary practices, on the one hand, and within the everyday forum of the communities, on the other.
research programme, the aim of which is to explore Somló Hill (Veszprém County), which has been neglected
by systematic field research focusing on the Late Bronze Age (LBA) and Early Iron Age (EIA) inhabitation of
the site. In the current phase of the research programme, new, preliminary results have been provided on the
settlement history of the site, primarily through a systematic metal detector survey. Based on the discovered
metal objects, the south-eastern plateau of Somló Hill was inhabited primarily between the Rei Br C and Ha B2
phases, and life on the settlement was probably continuous during the Hallstatt Culture in EIA. In addition to
briefly introducing our preliminary results, one of the four hoards, Hoard II from Somló Hill, is introduced. This
assemblage was found by Győző Csaba Budai, a volunteer, on the once-inhabited part of the south-eastern plateau.
Owing to his discovery, the in situ hoard was documented in excavation. The hoard consists of a handful
of objects belonging to a few people, such as a gouge, six Lovasberény-type bracelets, three bracelets with rolled
ends, two lumps, and a pseudo-winged axe. The arrangement and grouping of the objects within the assemblage
reflect deliberate selection and deposition. The typo-chronological analysis of the objects from the second hoard
of Somló Hill suggests that the assemblage was deposited around the younger LBA phase of the settlement in
the Ha B1–Ha B2 phases.
these burials are associated with a prominent elite in the Ha C Period that maintained long-ranging contacts with communities in the (north)west and south. By contrast, virtually nothing is known about either the extent of the EIA settlement both in geographical and chronological terms, its inner structure, or the activity of the community associated with it. In this paper, we aim to show some of the first results of the field research conducted in the last months on the hill and to introduce the first documented EIA hoard of Somló Hill. The typo-chronological evaluation of the hoard suggests that it was deposited in the Late Hallstatt Period, i.e. the Ha D2–D3 phases.
Hallstatt Age, hence in this sense it is comparable with the most widely known sites of the Early Iron Age in Western Hungary, such as the Somló and the Ság Hill, Szalacska, Zalaszántó, Süttő and Sopron. Contrary to them, however, no burials from Tihany have been entirely published so far. This paper aims to change this situation. The features found under Tumulus I strongly suggest that the comparison between Tihany and the aforementioned sites is well-founded based chiefly on the ceramic vessels and the remarkable structure of the barrow. On the other hand the mound seems to fit into a broader picture of the eastern Hallstatt zone with regard to the burial customs and rituals identified based on tumuli dated to the Ha C2-D1 phases from Styria to the northeastern part of Transdanubia. Secondly, a stone-lined grave is presented. Considering the grave form and the vessels comprising the grave goods it shows an utterly different picture than Tumulus I. Consequently, a certain chronological distance between the two burials seems to be conceivable, i.e. the urn grave seems to date to the Ha C1-C2 phases. In addition, the example of the stone-lined grave raises the question whether other graves besides the tumuli might be reckoned with.
Books by Bence Soós
The studies have a broad span in their interpretative approaches; however, they all bring important new results on the Early Iron Age landscapes of the Danube region and present a fundament for further research of archaeological landscapes in the region and beyond.
The Iron-Age-Danube project — its full title is “Monumental Landscapes of the Early Iron Age in the Danube Basin” — was initiated in 2017 by 20 partners and associated partners from five countries in the Danube region. The project was co-financed within the framework of the Interreg Danube Transnational Programme with EFRE funds in the amount of € 2,169,200. One of the major focuses of the project was the exploration of the rich archaeological heritage of the Early Iron Age (i.e. Hallstatt Period) in the Danube region using modern archaeological methods. For that purpose, a new format, the Archaeological Camps, was introduced to the region. This format for the first time combined various types of activities and comprised, in addition to research campaigns, a wide variety of heritage protection activities as well as actions to promote the inclusion of Iron-Age landscapes into the touristic offers of these regions. The camps were organized in four countries at selected locations within the nine preselected micro-regions and lasted one or two months. In this period, the institutions involved had the opportunity to combine their technologies, methodologies and expertise as well as to exchange their experiences and views. These chosen sites and their surrounding landscapes are embedded in a variety of environments of the Danube region, which in fact had a strong impact on the populations settling in these areas in the Early Iron Age, as well as on the archaeological research approaches. Combining their knowledge and specific skills, the experts have in this intensive cooperation established new strategies, which are tailored to each of the micro-regions. One of the results of this cooperation is also the monograph Researching Archaeological Landscapes across Borders (Budapest: Archaeolingua, 2019), which should help other researchers and heritage experts with planning their projects on archaeological landscapes.
Co-author by Bence Soós
Metallurgy by Bence Soós
In 2018, preventive excavations at Mernye-Rézdomb (Somogy County) unearthed large parts of a similar settlement. In one of the features a large number of fragments of fine pottery came to light. After restoration, it became clear that the settlement feature, in fact, contained a set of various vessels. Although EIA metal deposits are not a frequent occurrence in the eastern Hallstatt zone, they have had their fair share of academic attention. In contrast, ceramic vessel deposits from settlements have hitherto been absent in archaeological record. The assemblage discovered at Mernye-Rézdomb provides a so far unique opportunity to analyse the relationship between intentionally deposited vessel sets used in the context of funerary practices, on the one hand, and within the everyday forum of the communities, on the other.
research programme, the aim of which is to explore Somló Hill (Veszprém County), which has been neglected
by systematic field research focusing on the Late Bronze Age (LBA) and Early Iron Age (EIA) inhabitation of
the site. In the current phase of the research programme, new, preliminary results have been provided on the
settlement history of the site, primarily through a systematic metal detector survey. Based on the discovered
metal objects, the south-eastern plateau of Somló Hill was inhabited primarily between the Rei Br C and Ha B2
phases, and life on the settlement was probably continuous during the Hallstatt Culture in EIA. In addition to
briefly introducing our preliminary results, one of the four hoards, Hoard II from Somló Hill, is introduced. This
assemblage was found by Győző Csaba Budai, a volunteer, on the once-inhabited part of the south-eastern plateau.
Owing to his discovery, the in situ hoard was documented in excavation. The hoard consists of a handful
of objects belonging to a few people, such as a gouge, six Lovasberény-type bracelets, three bracelets with rolled
ends, two lumps, and a pseudo-winged axe. The arrangement and grouping of the objects within the assemblage
reflect deliberate selection and deposition. The typo-chronological analysis of the objects from the second hoard
of Somló Hill suggests that the assemblage was deposited around the younger LBA phase of the settlement in
the Ha B1–Ha B2 phases.
these burials are associated with a prominent elite in the Ha C Period that maintained long-ranging contacts with communities in the (north)west and south. By contrast, virtually nothing is known about either the extent of the EIA settlement both in geographical and chronological terms, its inner structure, or the activity of the community associated with it. In this paper, we aim to show some of the first results of the field research conducted in the last months on the hill and to introduce the first documented EIA hoard of Somló Hill. The typo-chronological evaluation of the hoard suggests that it was deposited in the Late Hallstatt Period, i.e. the Ha D2–D3 phases.
Hallstatt Age, hence in this sense it is comparable with the most widely known sites of the Early Iron Age in Western Hungary, such as the Somló and the Ság Hill, Szalacska, Zalaszántó, Süttő and Sopron. Contrary to them, however, no burials from Tihany have been entirely published so far. This paper aims to change this situation. The features found under Tumulus I strongly suggest that the comparison between Tihany and the aforementioned sites is well-founded based chiefly on the ceramic vessels and the remarkable structure of the barrow. On the other hand the mound seems to fit into a broader picture of the eastern Hallstatt zone with regard to the burial customs and rituals identified based on tumuli dated to the Ha C2-D1 phases from Styria to the northeastern part of Transdanubia. Secondly, a stone-lined grave is presented. Considering the grave form and the vessels comprising the grave goods it shows an utterly different picture than Tumulus I. Consequently, a certain chronological distance between the two burials seems to be conceivable, i.e. the urn grave seems to date to the Ha C1-C2 phases. In addition, the example of the stone-lined grave raises the question whether other graves besides the tumuli might be reckoned with.
The studies have a broad span in their interpretative approaches; however, they all bring important new results on the Early Iron Age landscapes of the Danube region and present a fundament for further research of archaeological landscapes in the region and beyond.
The Iron-Age-Danube project — its full title is “Monumental Landscapes of the Early Iron Age in the Danube Basin” — was initiated in 2017 by 20 partners and associated partners from five countries in the Danube region. The project was co-financed within the framework of the Interreg Danube Transnational Programme with EFRE funds in the amount of € 2,169,200. One of the major focuses of the project was the exploration of the rich archaeological heritage of the Early Iron Age (i.e. Hallstatt Period) in the Danube region using modern archaeological methods. For that purpose, a new format, the Archaeological Camps, was introduced to the region. This format for the first time combined various types of activities and comprised, in addition to research campaigns, a wide variety of heritage protection activities as well as actions to promote the inclusion of Iron-Age landscapes into the touristic offers of these regions. The camps were organized in four countries at selected locations within the nine preselected micro-regions and lasted one or two months. In this period, the institutions involved had the opportunity to combine their technologies, methodologies and expertise as well as to exchange their experiences and views. These chosen sites and their surrounding landscapes are embedded in a variety of environments of the Danube region, which in fact had a strong impact on the populations settling in these areas in the Early Iron Age, as well as on the archaeological research approaches. Combining their knowledge and specific skills, the experts have in this intensive cooperation established new strategies, which are tailored to each of the micro-regions. One of the results of this cooperation is also the monograph Researching Archaeological Landscapes across Borders (Budapest: Archaeolingua, 2019), which should help other researchers and heritage experts with planning their projects on archaeological landscapes.