From the HUN-REN Institute of Archaeology, Tibor Marton, Head of the Prehistoric Department, welcomed the audience. In her introductory presentation, Viktória Kiss described the background and objectives of the project awarded in the Advanced category of the Momentum Grant, as well as the structure of the thematic working groups focusing on social organisation, economic resources and settlement networks. Gabriella Kulcsár presented the structure of the four cloud-based databases planned in the project and their place in the Digital Archaeological Atlas of Hungary organised by the Institute of Archaeology, RCH, as well as their international links.
Report on the MTA–BTK Lendület “Momentum” Bases Research Group’s Public Project-opening Day
The project-opening lecture day of the MTA-BTK Lendület BASES Research Group entitled “Bronze Age socio-economic strategies in the Central Danube region: a digital DATABASE (2500–1500 BC)” was held on 28 May 2024 at the Research Centre for Human Sciences of Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The lectures presented the results of the MTA–BTK Lendület “Momentum” Mobility project (2015–2022) and the goals and plans of the Lendület “Momentum” Bases. The last mentioned project started on 1 December 2023 in the Institute of Arcaheology, Research Centre for the Humanities (RCH). The audience were also introduced to the structured digital repository created for the publication of multidisciplinary (bioarchaeological/archaeometric/chronological/settlement network) research datasets of the previous research project.
Detailed programme of the lecture day (graphics: Nóra Szabó)
Viktória Kiss, principal investigator (photo: Péter Hámori)
The next session focused on bioarcheological research related to the theme of social organisations. Eszter Melis and István Major (HUN-REN ATOMKI) presented the preliminary results of the archaeological analysis, absolute dating and stable isotope analysis of the burials, yielding very rich copper and bronze artifacts from Nagycenk, as well as the further research possibilities planned in the Lendület Bázis project. Anna Szécsényi-Nagy (HUN-REN BTK, Institute of Archaeogenomics) presented a comprehensive overview of the archaeogenetic relationships of Central Europe during the 3rd to the 2nd millennium BC, with several case studies from the Carpathian Basin, which were investigated in the Lendület “Momentum” Mobility research project.
Tamás Hajdu (ELTE TTK) and his co-authors presented the multidisciplinary results of the NKFIH project (FK128013) analysing the Middle and Late Bronze Age cemetery of Tiszafüred with a large number of graves. The lecture also highlighted the work related to the Füzesabony-period mass grave discovered during the excavation of a Middle Bronze Age settlement part, also excavated in Tiszafüred, in collaboration with the Lendület “Momentum” Mobility Research Group. The presentation of Kristóf Fülöp, a young member of the “Momentum” BASES Research Group, focused on the investigation of the sites of cremation pyres, using the tools of experimental archaeology, with a focus on the possibilities of investigating their afterlife.
The audience of the project-opening lecture day (photo: Péter Hámori)
The afternoon presentations focused on economic resources and networks of settlements. On behalf of her colleagues, Zsófia Kertész presented the results and research methods of the metal analysis carried out at the HUN-REN ATOMKI in Debrecen. Beatrix F. Romhányi outlined the diachronic aspects of the interpretation and modelling of economic resources, based on the similarities in the supply of metal raw materials during the Bronze Age and the Middle Ages.
The presentations of Klára P. Fischl and Nóra Szabó focused on the more narrowly defined settlement network research based on Middle Bronze Age case studies from Eastern and Central Hungary. Vajk Szeverényi’s (Déri Museum) lecture dealt with human remains recovered within settlements. The interpretation of these settlement burials is related to the themes of social organisation and settlement evaluation at several points.
We were delighted to see such great interest in the introduction of the MTA–BTK Lendület BASES Research Group. We sincerely thank all participants for their attention.
Viktória Kiss – Eszter Melis
Gallery (photo: Péter Hámori )
Tibor Marton
Gabriella Kulcsár
Eszter Melis
István Major
Anna Szécsényi-Nagy
Tamás Hajdu
Kristóf Fülöp
Zsófia Kertész
Beatrix F. Romhányi
Klára P. Fischl
Nóra Szabó
Vajk Szeverényi