ArcheoBudaPest 2020/06

Keywords: Prehistoric, Late Bronze Age, settlement, Tumulus culture, building, Migration Period, Sarmatian, settlement

Between October 1 and November 25, 2020, the Budapest History Museum conducted archaeological monitoring and full-scale excavation at 123 Fischer István Street, District XIV, during the construction of a condominium. Monitoring lasted until October 27, during which the contractor’s machinery removed the modern fill (~120–150 cm) and the humus layer (40–50 cm) to the point where archaeological features began to appear. Excavation started just below the humus and continued uninterrupted from October 28 to November 25, across 3,246 m². (Fig. 1.)

Since the planned underground garage reached far below previously documented archaeological layers (identified by Anita Korom in 2007, 2016, and 2017), we anticipated encountering prehistoric settlement features. As expected, aside from one Roman Imperial Age Sarmatian pit and three empty presumably graves, only Late Bronze Age features were found, associated with the Late Tumulus Culture (ca. 1350–1200 BCE). Pits, postholes, and ditches lacking direct dating evidence were attributed to this period based on shape, structure, and spatial distribution. The majority of features were pits (105 in total), some grouped into small pit clusters of 4–6 features within seven micro-zones. These generally round, hemispherical (0.5–1 m deep) or shallow pits contained small amounts of ceramic, animal bone, and daub. We also recorded 151 postholes, several of which showed signs of 1–2 repair phases. Two posthole groupings clearly outlined Bronze Age buildings. Some posthole fills contained ceramic and daub fragments. Though the ditches yielded fewer finds, they required the most labor to excavate. In the southern part of the site, a long, wide NW–SE oriented ditch system was identified, connected to two E–W and two NE–SW ditches. (Fig. 2.) A few prehistoric pottery sherds were recovered from the ditch fills, and one section contained numerous small ruminant bones.

When interpreting the ditches, an important factor to consider is that military surveys clearly show the Rákos Stream splitting at today’s Mogyoródi Road and reuniting near Bartl János Street. This created an approximately 750-meter-long “island” that was about 150 meters wide, covering the plots affected by the excavations. Based on 18th–19th century maps and geodetic survey data from the excavations, it appears likely that the large southern ditch system was partly a natural watercourse, which was artificially modified several times during the Bronze Age—and possibly later as well. Rainwater or stagnant water left behind by flooding in the active zones of the settlement was channeled into the living water via smaller or larger ditches, while in drought years, water-drawing pits were dug into the dried-up riverbed. Similar to the deeper pits, the ditches also contained washed-in and collapsed layers, indicating a partly natural infilling process in which the stream likely played a significant role. The ditches appeared at elevations between 111.20 and 111.60 a.B.S.l., which closely corresponds to the levels where the postholes of houses in the northern section were also found (111.10 a.B.S.l.). One structure, identifiable as a house, consisted of two parallel rows of posts (Fig. 3), and another featured a large, curved row of posts, with a defined entrance section and a central row of forked posts for supporting roof beams (Fig. 4). The northern arc of this structure was already destroyed by modern disturbance, while its eastern part extended beyond the excavated area (similarly to another house whose postholes—situated at a higher level—may also have been lost).

The lower-lying central area of the site was filled with isolated pits, with the lowest appearing at around 110.15 a.B.S.l. These pits were dug into a subsoil of alternating gravel and sand layers, and their bottoms were often found 30–40 cm below the groundwater level. The anaerobic environment preserved by the water was crucial in maintaining the relative integrity of some of our most exciting finds. Several wood remains were recovered from these pits, among them a mortised plank and two vertically embedded (?) wooden stakes with shaped ends. Our richest and most beautiful ceramic assemblages came from two pits near the post-structured houses. A finely crafted bronze pendant was recovered from one of the ditches (Fig. 5), and a fragment of a bronze spearhead, likely originating from the spoil heap of one of the larger ditches, was found by metal detecting specialist Lajos Sándor.

In summary, it can be stated that the recently uncovered Late Bronze Age settlement section, together with the results of the two earlier excavations, clearly outlines the Bronze Age activity zones. The elevated, post-structured buildings are aligned with a building unearthed in the neighboring, eastern excavation area (2017). Southwest of these houses lies a zone of pits situated in a lower-lying terrain, which is bounded to the south by a large ditch system encircling the settlement. Further development is expected on the vacant lot at 125 Fischer István Street.

Contributors: Márton Farkas Tóth (lead archaeologist), Dávid Kraus (archaeologist), Zsófia Kelemen (archaeological field technician), Márton Szabó (archaeological field technician), Alfred Falchetto (archaeological field technician), István Fábián (surveyor), Tibor Kovács (surveyor), Tamás Lajtos (drawing specialist), Orsolya Kangyal (drawing specialist), Lajos Sándor (metal detector specialist), LowPoly 360 Ltd. (drone photography)

Dávid Kraus