Settlement, Communication and Exchange around the Western Carpathians edited by T. L. Kienlin et al. pages 341-379 Tard-Tatárdomb: An Update on the Intensive Survey Work on the Multi-Layer Hatvan and Füzesabony Period Settlement Klára P. Fischl – Tobias L. Kienlin – Tamás Pusztai – Helmut Brückner – Simone Klumpp – Beáta Tugya – György Lengyel Abstract: In this paper the results of an intensive survey programme are discussed carried out on the Early to Middle Bronze Age site of Tard-Tatárdomb on the foothills of the Bükk mountains. This work is part of a joint project that seeks to provide more detailed infor- mation on the multi-layer tell or tell-like sites of the Hatvan and Füzesabony periods in northern Hungary than was hitherto available. Starting on the micro-level it is our aim to explore the inner structure of these settlements, to establish the location and the structure of households, to establish if there are settlement parts with specialised function, and to compare the architecture and activity patterns of the various parts of these sites. On a macro-level an attempt is made to define the factors that determined the choice of site location and to understand the spatial organisation of settlement in environmental, economic and social terms. In the long-run, it is asked what role the sites examined had to play in the settlement network of the Hatvan and Füzesabony cultures, and an attempt will be made at com- paring the land use, economy and society of both groups. To this end, our current research is based mainly on intensive archaeological survey, aerial photography, topographical measurements and magnetometer survey that provide important data both on the intra- and off-site level. In this paper we discuss the spatial data obtained by aerial photography and magnetometry as well as the results of our intensive surface survey including aspects of lithic raw material procurement and the evidence fromAccess animal bone finds. Keywords: Early and Middle Bronze Age, Carpathian Basin, Hatvan culture, Füzesabony culture, tell-like settlement, geomagnetic survey, intensive surface survey, aerial photography, site formation processes, settlement structure, economy, lithic finds, bone finds Introduction whole. In addition, there is often an outer settlement of substantialOpen size, that can itself be divided into two parts: Beyond the information provided in a recent paper (Fischl/ a) an intensively used inner zone, probably with houses, Kienlin 2013), in the present contribution we want to and b) an outer part featuring pits and rarely houses, that report in greater detail on the results of an intensive survey could be indicative of some kind of activity such as storage programme that is carried out on the Bronze Age site of or production. The precise chronological and functional Tard-Tatárdomb on the foothills of the Bükk mountains relation of these settlement parts will be the subject of in northern Hungary. This work is part of a joint project future work. It is obvious, however, that at some stage in by the University of Miskolc, Hungary, the University their development both the inner and outer part of such of Cologne, Germany, and the Herman Ottó Museum in sites were used in parallel, following some kind of order Miskolc. The project aims at multi-layer tell sites of the or rule. We see a complex and structured use made of Hatvan and Füzesabony periods, among them Bogács- social space in daily life. This type of settlement cannot be Pazsagpuszta, Tibolddaróc-Bércút, Tart-Tatárdomb, Vatta- properly understood without explicit reference to both its Testhalom, Emőd-Nagyhalom, Emőd-Karola szőlők, parts and a significant increase in the information available Mezőcsát-Laposhalom and Tiszabábolna-Fehérlótanya. on the outer part of the settlement in particular (Figure 2). Most sites of this micro-region, that is located on the northern periphery of the Hatvan culture, were already Unlike the Vatya situation in the west (e.g. Poroszlai/ mentioned in N. Kalicz’ (1968) classic monograph on the Vicze 2000; 2005; Szeverényi/Kulcsár 2012), as well Early Bronze AgeArchaeopress in north-eastern Hungary. However, it as the Otomani communities further east (e.g. Németi/ was only with a recent intensive survey programme that Molnár 2002; 2007; 2012), in the Hatvan and Füzesabony more detailed information on the structure of these sites groups of our study area we have little indications that the and the settlement pattern in general has become available tells or fortified sites were surrounded by a network of (Fischl/Kienlin/Seres 2012). open satellite settlements. Since there is a relatively good coverage of the landscape by the local archaeological The Hatvan and Füzesabony settlement sites under authorities, our current model therefore suggests, that the consideration are situated along the foothills of the above described composite (tell or tell-like) sites are the Hungarian Bükk mountains and on the adjacent flatlands ‘standard’ type of settlement in our microregion. of the Borsod plain (Figure 1). By reference to their central, multi-layer core area they can be classified as tells Such regional variation in settlement patterns is often or tell-like settlements (Kalicz 1968). However, the inner neglected and needs to be addressed on the basis of a better core of these multi-layer sites, that is typically surrounded understanding of the internal organisation of such sites. To by a wide ditch, is just one part of a more complex this end, new data from systematic field survey and the 341 Copyright Archaeopress and the Authors 2014 Settlement, Communication and Exchange around the Western Carpathians edited by T. L. Kienlin et al. pages 341-379 Settlement, Communication and Exchange around the Western Carpathians application of geophysical survey methods is required. of the central tell-like part and extends well beyond the Similarly, the dynamics of such settlement systems and outer part of the settlement known from magnetometry their individual sites through time is often ignored. For to feature houses and into the outmost zone characterised example, not all the Hatvan settlements in the Borsod by general settlement ‘pit’ features only. Typically, as one plain and in the Hernád valley are covered by subsequent moves outwards from the central part to the outer zone the Füzesabony layers. Some Hatvan sites were also occupied number of finds per 5x5m grid significantly diminishes. in Füzesabony times, but there was an overall decline This is in good accordance with the postulated change in in numbers, and only few Füzesabony settlements were the intensity of activities carried out. All finds are collected newly established. As a result the Füzesabony period sites and brought to the archaeological base at Miskolc for tend to be larger, and they are located at greater distances. subsequent processing. The resulting density maps of the The land use and settlement structure of both groups were surface finds are overlain to the magnetometer results, in different. Here the obvious questions are: Precisely what is order to establish if both methods produce a comparable the nature of the differences we observe in the settlement spatial pattern, indicative, for example, of the location pattern of both periods? What were the reasons of the of Bronze Age houses or other activity zones. Additional changes observed? And, did the northern foothills follow maps show the distribution of characteristic Hatvan or the same trajectory as the Borsod plain and the Hernád Füzesabony period material. Questions addressed here, for valley? example, refer to the lifespan of the outer settlement and its chronological relation to the core area. It is discussed Our current research is based mainly on intensive if the surface finds may be used – with all due caution – archaeological survey, aerial photography, topographical to assign an approximate date to specific features evident measurements and magnetometer survey that provide in the magnetometer data such as houses etc. Finally, the important data both on the intra and off-site level. In spatial distribution of more ‘special’ groups of artefacts, addition, a systematic drilling programme has just been such as animal figurines,Access portable hearths or wheel models initiated in order to provide more detailed information may be used as an indicator of functional, economic or on the sites’ structure and their history of formation, as social differences, if any, between the various different well as to detect suitable deposits for pollen analysis to parts of the site. reconstruct the prehistoric landscape, strategies of landuse and human impact on the Bronze Age environment. Summing up, starting on the micro-level it is our aim Besides aerial photography and topographic measurement, to explore the inner structure of these settlements, to each site is surveyed by geomagnetics using a multiple establishOpen the location and the structure of households, to sensor Foerster-type Sensys magnetometer (line spacing: see if there are settlement parts with specialised function, 0.5m; sample interval: 0.05m) that enables us to cover and to compare the architecture and activity patterns of the large settlement areas at reasonable speed and with high various parts of these sites. On a macro-level an attempt precision. The results of the magnetometer survey are is made to define the factors that determined the choice of given here in the well-established +/-10nT greyscale plots, site location and to understand the spatial organisation of whereby positive anomalies appear dark grey to black, and settlement in environmental, economic and social terms. negative ones light grey to white. In separate illustrations In the long-run, it is asked what role the sites examined the greyscale plot of the magnetometer results is overlain had to play in the settlement network of the Hatvan and by contour lines from our topographic measurements and Füzesabony cultures, and an attempt will be made at an interpretation of the geophysical data is attempted.