ABSTRACT
In 2016, a Stollhof-type copper hoard was found during an excavation in Magyaregres, Hungary. It was placed in a cooking pot, and deposited upside down within the boundaries of an Early Copper Age settlement. Similar hoards dating to the end of the 5th millennium BCE are well-known from Central Europe, however, this hoard represents the only one so far with thoroughly documented finding circumstances. The hoard contained 681 pieces of copper, 264 pieces of stone and a single Spondylus bead, along with 19 pieces of small tubular spiral copper coils, three spiral copper bracelets, and two large, spectacle spiral copper pendants. Until now, information on the provenance of raw materials and how such copper artefacts were manufactured has not been available. The artefacts were studied under optical microscopes to reveal the manufacturing process. Trace elemental composition (HR-ICP-MS) and lead isotope ratios (MC-ICP-MS) were measured to explore the provenance of raw materials. The ornaments were rolled or folded and coiled from thin sheets of copper using fahlore copper probably originating from the Northwestern Carpathians. A complex archaeological approach was employed to reveal the provenance, distribution and the social roles the ornaments could have played in the life of a Copper Age community. Evidence for local metallurgy was lacking in contemporaneous Transdanubian sites, therefore it is likely that the items of the hoard were manufactured closer to the raw material source, prior to being transported to Transdanubia as finished products. The method of deposition implies that such items were associated with special social contexts, represented exceptional values, and the context of deposition was also highly prescribed. The Magyaregres hoard serves as the first firm piece of evidence for the existence of a typologically independent Central European metallurgical circle which exploited the raw material sources located within its distribution.
Subject(s)
Archaeology , Technology , Hungary , Artifacts , MetallurgyABSTRACT
Calcrete nodules and concretions in unusually large amounts are embedded in the Quaternary clay-rich (Vertisol-type) 'red clay' soil-sedimentary complex at the pediment of the Mátra Mountains (Hungary). Stable isotope signatures were studied in nodules and septarian concretions, uncommon due to their several millimeter sized calcite crystals filling voids and fractures, to reveal their origin. The isotope composition of calcrete covers a wide range: delta18O=-5.9 to-10.4 per thousand and delta13C=-8.9 to-12.3 per thousand (vs. V-PDB). Isotope compositions support pedogenic (sensu stricto) and/or shallow groundwater origin for the calcrete nodules and concretions, the role of 'evolved' (isotopically modified) groundwaters in the formation of secondary carbonate was possibly subordinate. Late-stage, large, Mn-rich euhedral calcite crystals in concretions have the lowest delta13C values, which are interpreted as a result of larger contribution of isotopically light organic carbon due to decomposition of organic matter under reducing conditions. Precipitation of late calcite crystals in concretions occurred in early diagenetic environment after shallow burial of the 'red clay' paleovertisol.
