Books by Tibor-Tamás Daróczi
The recent excavation of four sites on the lower Feneş valley (Stolna – Podurile Domneşti, Băştio... more The recent excavation of four sites on the lower Feneş valley (Stolna – Podurile Domneşti, Băştioara, Şesurile Rele and Luna de Sus – Râpa Dracului) presents a unique opportunity for the research of the Bronze Age in northeastern Transylvania. The post-excavation processing and comparative analysis of the ceramic materials allowed the grouping and chronological sequencing of their technological and cultural traits. The finds, and implicitly features, from the sites are dated to various phases of the Bronze Age (EBA I-MBA Ia, LBA I-IIIa), La Tène (B2-C1) period and in addition a handful of 6th-7th cent. A.D. discoveries are recorded as well. The aspects of chronology and cultural transfer of wares, shapes and decorations, as documented on the pottery of the sites from the lower Feneş valley, provide contributions to the research of chronology and methodology of pottery studies of the Bronze Age. Moreover, they serve a purpose of furthering and enriching the knowledge of the material culture of such elusive and problematic phases of the Bronze Age in the Eastern Carpathian Basin as the EBA I, MBA Ia and LBA.
VORWORT DER HERAUSGEBER Die Reihe "Universitätsforschungen zur prähistorischen Archäologie" soll ... more VORWORT DER HERAUSGEBER Die Reihe "Universitätsforschungen zur prähistorischen Archäologie" soll einem in der jüngeren Vergangenheit entstandenen Bedürfnis Rechnung tragen, nämlich Examensarbeiten und andere Forschungsleistungen vornehmlich jüngerer Wissenschaftler in die Öffentlichkeit zu tragen. Die etablierten Reihen und Zeitschriften des Faches reichen längst nicht mehr aus, die vorhandenen Manuskripte aufzunehmen. Die Universitäten sind deshalb aufgerufen, Abhilfe zu schaffen. Einige von ihnen haben mit den ihnen zur Verfügung stehenden Mitteln unter zumeist tatkräftigem Handanlegen der Autoren die vorliegende Reihe begründet. Thematisch soll darin die ganze Breite des Faches vom Paläolithikum bis zur Archäologie der Neuzeit ihren Platz finden. Ursprünglich hatten sich fünf Universitätsinstitute in Deutschland zur Herausgabe der Reihe zusammengefunden, der Kreis ist inzwischen größer geworden. Er lädt alle interessierten Professoren und Dozenten ein, als Mitherausgeber tätig zu werden und Arbeiten aus ihrem Bereich der Reihe zukommen zu lassen. Für die einzelnen Bände zeichnen jeweils die Autoren und Institute ihrer Herkunft, die im Titel deutlich gekennzeichnet sind, verantwortlich. Sie erstellen Satz, Umbruch und einen Ausdruck. Bei gleicher Anordnung des Umschlages haben die verschiedenen beteiligten Universitäten jeweils eine spezifische Farbe. Finanzierung und Druck erfolgen entweder durch sie selbst oder durch den Verlag Dr. Rudolf Habelt GmbH, der in jedem Fall den Vertrieb der Bände sichert. Herausgeber sind derzeit: Kurt Alt (Mainz) François Bertemes (Halle) Nikolaus Boroffka (Berlin) Peter Breunig (Frankfurt am Main)
Papers by Tibor-Tamás Daróczi
Banatian DeathMetals: radiocarbon dating of cremation curials of the setting Bronze Age and dawning Iron Age
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, 2023
The lack of radiocarbon measurements of funerary contexts is a major shortcoming of the Late Bron... more The lack of radiocarbon measurements of funerary contexts is a major shortcoming of the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age of the Eastern Carpathian Basin, especially in the Banat region. The present batch of samples tries to address these drawbacks, by detailing sampling strategies, employed pre-treatment and by providing a robust and coherent dataset of radiocarbon measurements. Implications of the new radiocarbon dates is discussed from a supra-regional perspective, while keeping aspects of typo-chronology, circulation of goods, and social nuances of employment of Bronze Age bronzes in the forefront. Ten burials were selected from four Banatian burial grounds according to the occurrence of metal finds in the funerary inventories. Beyond establishing a broad frame of absolute chronology for these sites of interment, the radiocarbon data provide reliable arguments for the precise attribution of metal discoveries. In addition, the data allow us to challenge some previously stated chronological assignments.
In Sanna Lipkin, Taryn Bell and Tiina Väre eds., Archaeologies of attachment. Emotional attachments in the archaeological record [Themes in Contemporary Archaeology], Heidelberg/London, 2024
One of the most meaningful, but at the same time also neglected aspects of past manifestations ar... more One of the most meaningful, but at the same time also neglected aspects of past manifestations are human bonds, which are at the crux of all activities and relations, both in terms of human to human but also human to nature connections. Phenomenology provides possible explanations that take interpretations a step further from traditional material typologies of human bones and of anthropogenic material culture, while also providing us with a method of thinking that would allow the exploration of these faded, emic nuances. Graves are expressions of intense attachments of individuals of past societies, but also serve as beacons in times of emotionally and socially charged events. A way to approach the intensity and importance of these social connections is to look at a category of burials, which normally would be regarded as liminal or in essence, purely gastronomic, but due to the special care given to the disposal of the lifeless corpse, such an interpretation becomes naïve. These are the complete, animal burials, which are either encountered in graves of their possible human companions, in a burial ground but in separate graves or in a single standing burial ground. A phenomenological approach to the research of the funerary landscapes of the prehistoric Eastern Carpathian Basin revealed precisely such a group of burials, which, albeit non-human, indicate intense attachments between what we would call owners and their pets, attachments that were honoured and respected by the living.
Prähistorische Zeitschrift, 2023
The multi-stratified site of Túrkeve – Terehalom presents an exceptional opportunity to establish... more The multi-stratified site of Túrkeve – Terehalom presents an exceptional opportunity to establish the start and the end of the Middle Bronze Age in the Eastern Carpathian Basin and to refine its inner chronology. The chronological potential of the site rests on the meticulous excavation campaigns over a decade. This potential has been harvested by linking stratified finds, particularly pottery, to narrow, calibrated age-ranges. The result has implications for local chronology while also prompting questions about how to synchronise long-range connectivity with central and northern Europe and the Aegean, as well. The resulting chronological model for Túrkeve – Terehalom firstly challenges prevailing chronological views regarding the life-spans of Bronze Age structures with beaten clay floors, secondly the direction of the wave of destruction and/or abandonment of multi-stratified sites in the Carpathian Basin, and thirdly the continental networking during the Middle Bronze Age.
Radiocarbon, 2023
During the last two decades the radiocarbon dating of hydroxyapatite archaeological cremated bone... more During the last two decades the radiocarbon dating of hydroxyapatite archaeological cremated bones has become standard practice. Various pretreatment procedures exist amoung different laboratories of which some include fixation of SO2 using “sulfix” prior to CO2 reduction. Recently it was reported that the use of “sulfix” may cause the resulting radiocarbon age to be too old. Here we report on the use “sulfix” as well
as testing methods for avoiding the use of “sulfix” as purification agent.
Silvia Mustaţă, Vlad-Andrei Lăzărescu, Vitalie Bârcă, Viorica Rusu-Bolindeţ and Dan Matei eds., FABER. Studies in honour of Sorin Cosiş at his 65th anniversary, Mega, Cluj-Napoca., 2022
Radiocarbon dating of Bronze Age graves, especially if they contain cremated bones, has been a lo... more Radiocarbon dating of Bronze Age graves, especially if they contain cremated bones, has been a long desired and needed research goal in the archaeology of the Eastern Carpathian Basin. Cherry-picked single dating of graves with lavish inventories did take place, but a systematic selection of these eluded us. The two burial grounds from which graves are dated by means of radiocarbon measurements have at least regional chronological value, as they both represent short periods of transition from the LCA to the EBA and from the MBA III to the LBA I. The further importance of dating several interments from Dumbrăviţa – Stricata rests on the fact that all of them are incineration burials and there is a dire lack of such dated samples. Many specialists of the period in the region shy away from dating cremated bones, due to their uncertainty of navigating the available methods of pretreatment. The consistency of the resulted data is meant to levitate if not all than at least most concerns and provide some well-grounded literature on the reason for the chosen laboratory methods.
Marisia - Archaeologia, Historia, Patrimonium, 2021
In the research of social archaeology and engendered studies of funerary inventories a group of B... more In the research of social archaeology and engendered studies of funerary inventories a group of Bronze Age finds from the Eastern Carpathian Basin was somewhat overlooked in the past decades, albeit they bare important agencies in respect of social stratification and identity negotiation. Crescent-shaped pendants, which are also referred to as lunulae in the study region, are an important means by which standing within a group, and sometimes in wider region, is expressed. The different types have quite a long-lived life, starting to appear in graves from the late Early Bronze Age, present throughout the Middle Bronze Age and having their dusk in the earlier part of the Late Bronze Age. Due to the single contexts of graves, their relative chronological attribution allows for a typological sequencing, which doubled by existing and new radiocarbon dates enables a refined description of their typological change throughout the Bronze Age of the region. Furthermore, the pendants occupy a central position in the contexts in which they are identified in and precisely this contextual information underscores their social importance. Moreover, engendered kits through which individuals negotiate their status are also identifiable. Lastly, the change in time of agencies that these pendants bare is clearly recognisable, hinting at changes in regional social structures and ways in which identities are negotiated. The study employs almost a hundred such finds or fragments thereof from funerary contexts of the Bronze Age Eastern Carpathian Basin and aspires to present an exhaustive, descriptive catalogue of these discoveries, as well.
Sabin Adrian Luca, Emil-Constantin Ursu, Raluca-Maria Teodorescu and Anamaria Tudorie eds., The Neolithic and the Aeneolithic in Central Europe. The history and perspective of the idea of the Danube Civilisation. Sign and Symbol. Volume and colour, 2021
Funerary metal bracelets from the Copper Age Eastern Carpathian Basin represent a special categor... more Funerary metal bracelets from the Copper Age Eastern Carpathian Basin represent a special category of finds, which usually are brushed off as yet another type of jewellery and considered in bulk with others. The aim of the present paper is to survey existing finds and interpret their contexts both spatially and quantitatively, to evaluate their possible roles as social markers of prominence and agency in negotiating status. It is further attempted to refine generalising views on bracelet-use in the age discussed and attribute more importance to the contextual wearing and display of these items. Lastly, the paper will show age and gender differentiated employment in funerary milieu of these goods, in order to negotiated identity of the living and display status of the dead, as well.
Globalization and Transculturality from Antiquity to the Pre-Modern World, Routledge, 2021
The second millennium BCE is a time in human history when the archaeological record, both in term... more The second millennium BCE is a time in human history when the archaeological record, both in terms of travelled finds and ideas, reflects a networking of unprecedented intensity and velocity. This phenomenon of heightened networking and interconnectivity is recognised as one of the earliest manifestations of globalization, occurring in Afro-Eurasia during the Bronze Age, and is tentatively termed bronzization. The engine of any globalization is a transculture, which emerges from a broad network and permeates regional groups, thus creating at these entry points the contact zone, a social space that merges the global with the local, but also gives birth to autoethnography and transculturation. Furthermore, the transculture has a democratising effect, in the sense that previously valued goods and ideas, to which access was restrictive and controlled, become available to a large group of people. The result is a cascade effect on networking and interconnections with a myriad of directionalities, choke points and dead ends as well. From a methodological point of view, a mind-set that allows for the recognition and research of such a complex web of contacts is histoire croisée, which from its conceptions considers more than just single, directional dependencies and bi-directional flows.
The transculture of this age is bronze. The desire to acquire this good as raw material (copper and tin), semi-finished product (ingot) or finished goods, echoes through all corners of Afro-Eurasia. These in turn prompt the circulation of goods, symbols, styles and technologies, but also of people and views of their world and lives. Several find categories and lifestyles are already highlighted as clear indicators of such an interconnectivity; amber, vitreous materials, ceremonial hearths, horses, wagon/chariots and afferent harnesses, warriorhood and warfare, Bronze Age specific womanhood are just a few of the clear beacons that convey the occurrence of bronzization.
Objects, ideas and travelers. Contacts between the Balkans, the Aegean and western Anatolia during the Bronze and Early Iron Age. Volume to the memory of Alexandru Vulpe. Proceedings of the Conference in Tulcea, 10-13 November, 2017 [Universitätsforschungen zur prähistorischen Archäologie 350], 2020
Present archaeological research acknowledges the possibility to view globalisation as a phenomeno... more Present archaeological research acknowledges the possibility to view globalisation as a phenomenon that occurred in the Bronze Age as well, stretching from the eastern Atlantic to the western Pacific, an unravelling that is coined bronzization. In essence, it expresses the idea of peoples of the age are interconnected and the directional and non-directional flow of ideas and goods, all facilitated by a transculture, what is bronze. The tangible and intangible transported through these flows are adapted and entangled into the local, a phenomenon which is termed glocalisation, that gave birth to slightly varied, but nevertheless genetically related products.
The present paper explores glocalisations of human-nature relations in Bronze Age ritual social milieus of the Aegean and Eastern Carpathian Basin (ECB). Ritual is outlined as performative utterance and enacted social memory which if interpreted through a phenomenological prism elucidates the locally entangled agencies of nature. Moreover, landscape archaeology is employed to explore phenomenological extents of glocalised rituals. The impact of a cascading nature over human senses and perceptions is underscored through definitions of meadow- and sylvanscapes, both viewed as essential background against which rituals are performed and that trigger enactments of social memory.
Ritual meadowscapes of the Aegean are recognised in sacred ‘gardens’ of the elites, information about which is conveyed to us mostly through visual (frescoes, glyptic, pottery) and written (Linear B) media that is exemplified through well-known finds. Evidence in the archaeological record for these is sought in archaeobotany, especially for flowers and trees, while palaeobotany is employed to understand how and when the human-nature relation represented by ‘gardens’ is born, that is to say is glocalised in the Aegean. Furthermore, a glocalisation of the same relation in the ECB is recognised through funerary sylvanscapes. The materialisation of ritual in this latter region is seen in the funerary aspects of daily life, since these do not end with the interment of the deceased, but continue on with the periodical visit of the burial ground by a distinct group of individuals to enact social memory tied to the location and past individuals. The recognition of Bronze Age woodlands is owed to the landscape approach to funerary aspects of the ECB. Through the successful combination of palaeobotany, paleozoology, geomorphology, hydrology and lithology in a GIS system archeco-zones are defined, which in the case of a specific sub archeco-zone allowed for the clear association of woodlands with a distinct set of burials. Intimacy of woodlands opposed to the wild woods must have been an imperative for the Bronze Age people, since revisiting hostile environments for enactment of rituals or even disposal of the loved ones is unimaginable.
The paper argues for two Bronze Age glocalisations of human-nature relations, which are recognisable through landscape archaeology approaches and a phenomenological mind set. It proposes two distinct methodologies, one rooted in classical archaeology and only partially in natural sciences, while the other relies heavily on data and tools from the latter scientific fields. Ultimately, both illustrate how Bronze Age people relate through all of their senses and perceptions to their environment and nature, but also how these are major factors in the choice of place, time and people for performative utterances and enactments of social memory. Lastly, the study demonstrates that similar ideas are in circulation in the same time over larger areas and their local adaptations give birth to the nuanced facets of what we call the Bronze Age world.
Arheovest VII1. In honorem Sabin Adrian Luca. Interdisciplinaritate în arheologie. Timişoara, 23 noiembrie 2019, 2019
The Copper Age of the Eastern Carpathian Basin shows a strong social cohesion as reflected by the... more The Copper Age of the Eastern Carpathian Basin shows a strong social cohesion as reflected by the funerary practices and graves inventories. Studies focusing on social stratification, on ranking of individuals at site level, have been quite conclusive, though an over-regional study analysing distinctive funerary goods and sets could prompt new results. Daggers and axes, both of the flat and Jászladány-type, are interpreted as markers of focal points of power. Associations with other funerary finds allow for the recognition of a fine-detailed and structured world-view of agents of social memory and serve the needs of the living for the purpose of negotiating individual identities and those of their close social group. Moreover, to a certain extent inter-group relations of these groups might be argued for and to some extent placed into a hierarchy. The study will show, how contact between areas and groups of the Eastern Carpathian Basin existed, common ideas prevailed and a set of standardised views in terms of society and afterlife were nurtured through social memory in order to negotiate legitimacy and identity. Lastly, the changing and altering of these social relations and structures looms at the dusk of the fourth millennium BCE, which are further underscored by some of the funerary discoveries of the later part of the Copper Age of the region.
Ziridava 33, 2019
The present paper aims to reinterpret the functionality of a bronze, curved blade discovered in a... more The present paper aims to reinterpret the functionality of a bronze, curved blade discovered in a grave near Polgár, Hungary. The find was described as a sickle, but the dating and context of the analogies seem to be inadequate. Another similar and important find from Gánovce, Slovakia is suggested as a local analogy, in terms of typology, functionality and context, further highlighting the specialised and rare use of these type of objects. Further analogies from the Aegean Bronze Age are presented in order to argue for the functionality of the blade from Polgár as a razor.
Sabin Adrian Luca and Anamaria Tudorie (eds.): Volume of the International Symposium "The Image of Divinity in the Neolithic and Eneolithic. Ways of Communication". Sibiu, Romania, 26th-28th October 2017, Karl A. Romstofer, Suceava, 2018
Ancient men’s daily lives are unquestionably imbued with the presence of the divine and their rel... more Ancient men’s daily lives are unquestionably imbued with the presence of the divine and their relation to godhood permeates every aspect of their existence. Although, their perceptions undoubtedly change and vary from region to region and from one period to the other, nevertheless the same perceptions are the very birth places of gods, which influence the creation of ancient men’s material culture. This is especially true for human and animal depositions on the doorstep between the living and the netherworld, which arguably are expressions of a non-verbal communication between humanity and the perceived divinity. In such a dialogue, buried individuals bear agencies of social actors who manipulate and dispose of the remains, while less common practices, as skull or complete animal burials, hint to specific and quite characteristic individualised, emic perceptions of the divine.
Skull burials have always spiked interests among scholars, since they clearly indicate violence, quite possibly sacrifice as well. Their disposal within burial grounds underscores the funerary nature, but also expresses the need of the living to nuance through specific agencies their relations to divinity. The same can be said about complete animal burials, as a case can be made for the fact that some animals are more equal to humans than other humans. Their presence within burial grounds of humans, in individual grave-pits and sometimes with grave goods, which based on their quality and contextual positioning reminds us of human burials, support a strong argument in this sense. Moreover, further hint at the possibility of sacrifice and the above expressed need of nuanced expressions of emic relations to the divine.
During the Neolithic and Copper Age a gradual stabilisation and normalisation of funerary landscapes and habits is recognised in the Eastern Carpathian Basin, culminating with an unparalleled homogeneity during the Middle Copper Age with an almost instantaneous destabilisation of these aspects during the following period. The analysis against this stable, funerary, baseline data of more than three dozen burial grounds with either human skull or complete animal skeleton burials, by highlighting regional and temporal aspects of body treatment practices and drawing upon anthropologic and ethnographic parallels, allows for a phenomenology of godhood.
Acta Musei Napocensis, 2017
This paper presents a preliminary examination of the settlement landscape in the Early Minoan per... more This paper presents a preliminary examination of the settlement landscape in the Early Minoan period, analysing individual changes within each phase of the Early Bronze Age on Crete, as well as changes occurring from one phase to another. Furthermore, it seeks to tackle the chronological limitations and possibilities, in an attempt to contribute to our understanding of Early Minoan social and demographic dynamics and relations at an island-wide level. The main goal is to provide a useful tool for the further research of Minoan habitation patterns and a better understanding of the background from which the later palatial systems emerged and developed.
Ephemeris Napocensis, 2017
The present paper challenges the previously held view, that warfare is the domain of men. Looking... more The present paper challenges the previously held view, that warfare is the domain of men. Looking at funerary inventories of the earlier Bronze Age of the Eastern Carpathian Basin of anthropologically identified women interments, the regional embodiments of a female personhood are sought. Jewellery, pottery sets or their lack, weapons/tools of the deceased and the variety of their materials all play a role in negotiating identities of the living. Moreover, the funerary context engages the individuals in a constant re-remembering, hence actively re-negotiating social standing, meaning of embodiments and ultimately identities. Social-ranking based on funerary inventories and the recognition of embodiments of a female engendered warriorhood allows for the reinterpretation of warfare in practice. As bellicose women are recognised the constitution of society from the misty southeastern Europe is further elucidated.
Arcaheological small finds and their significance. Proceedings of the International Symposium from Deva - Geoagiu Băi, 23rd-25th of March 2017, 2018
Bronze Age glass is documented being produced only in the Near East, Nile and Po valleys, India a... more Bronze Age glass is documented being produced only in the Near East, Nile and Po valleys, India and China, but vitreous materials, like glass-paste and faïence, are seen in significant amounts in other parts of Afro-Eurasia. These suggest local production of non-glass, vitreous materials, which presently are elusive, or at least different appropriations of either the material or technology. Nevertheless, the appearance of glass in the later Bronze Age in the region does suggest a far reaching connectivity, while documented agencies in the production areas, highlights their importance in the local social milieu as well. Since the social engagement of vitreous beads shifts, two diachronic trends are noted, which are in tone with the wider intercontinental linkages.
Bronze Age amber originates in most cases in the Baltic region, though succinate is not the only known source in Europe, as others are exploited at this time. Their associations with gold and other bronze objects suggesting a relation to the Sun does compel a more meaningful interpretation. Their different appropriations during the earlier and later Bronze Age in the study region, indicates a change in consumption preferences of this commodity, which can only be viewed in a wider context. Moreover, the beads seen in the study area do differentiate in terms of shapes, which also bare chronological information, but also indicate a web, where finished goods and ideas are exchanged and adapted to local needs.
Angustia, 2016
Scholars of archaeology who dove into the depths of prehistoric finds confronted themselves with ... more Scholars of archaeology who dove into the depths of prehistoric finds confronted themselves with the notion of archaeological cultures. Unease was awakened in most when interpreting their materials in a regional or over-regional context. Often the expressed views leave the reader with a sort of “cliff-hanger” interpretation, as they seem final and conclusive, but one wonders how the leap to archaeological cultures is made from e.g. a mound of systematised pottery or large amounts of typologically arranged metals. This paper tries to address this shortcoming after presenting a brief overview of the concept. In an attempt to deconstruct, two major generalisations and an essential paradox is emphasised to underscore the unsteady nature of the construct. Lastly, alternative pathways are suggested to solve this fallacy of rhetoric and sometimes thinking as well. Although the mind-set is post-structuralist, the benefits of some positivistic and structuralist approaches are highlighted and incorporated in the suggested solutions.
Bronze Age connectivity in the Carpathian Basin. Proceedings of the International Colloquim from Târgu Mureş, 13-15 October 2016, 2018
The scale and intensity of cultural networking during the period between 2000 and 1200 BCE is unp... more The scale and intensity of cultural networking during the period between 2000 and 1200 BCE is unprecedented, the beginnings of which are deeply rooted in the previous millennium, but also with far echoing effects that lasted several centuries. A recent thesis proposes the viewing of these phenomena as a case of pre-modern globalisation of the Afro-Eurasian region, coined bronzization. This questions the directional flow between the core, semi-periphery and periphery of the Wallersteinian ‘world systems theory’ applied to the Bronze Age and suggests a more practical approach. The emergence of tin-bronzes and heightened desire for acquisition of these goods can be traced from northern Africa through Europe and Eurasian steppes to China, most likely with several foci.
Bronzization is a mixture of directional and non-directional flows, which results in a web-like pattern, rather than just a directional mobility of goods, ideas and discourses. It further argues that bronze is the transculture of the age, a medium that broke down economic boundaries of regional social groups. The democratisation of the transculture enabled not only the penetration of societies in a horizontal sense, but also in a vertical one, as bronze and other goods became increasingly desired by elites, other ‘less novel’ prestige items became increasingly accessible to lower social groups. By the phenomena of the transculture a heightened consumption of bronze is seen throughout Eurasia, which facilitated the directional trade and non-directional flows of archaeologically graspable goods (e.g. amber, Near Eastern glass, horse, chariot) and ideas as well (e.g. warriorhood, self-image of elites, mobility). The intense circulation resulted in what is termed as ‘intersecting spheres of interaction’.
The present paper seeks to analyse and evaluate the relevance of the Eastern Carpathian Basin, positioned at the crossroads of ‘intersecting spheres of interaction’. The mentioned region is placed in the context of bronzization and through the relocated vantage point an anamorphosis takes place. The results of the re-assessment emphasise the networking of the repository of knowledge, but also the space occupied by societies within the cultural crucible of southeastern Europe.
Acta Musei Napocensis, 2016
The present paper will summarise the evidence for Early Minoan domestic architecture and provide ... more The present paper will summarise the evidence for Early Minoan domestic architecture and provide a preliminary analysis from the perspective of building materials and techniques, underlining island-wide similarities and special features. Building on an extensive, descriptive catalogue of Early Minoan domestic, architectural finds at an island-wide level and preserved building materials of the period are documented, while perishable materials are inferred from archaeological layers, architectural and environmental possibilities. Furthermore, a unified terminology is suggested for common and some specific architectural features as well, in order to facilitate scholarly discussions. A synoptic presentation of building manner is also put forth, to underscore ways by which ancient builders employ their tools, materials and the very landscape that they erect their structures on. Finally, general conclusions are drawn in terms of domestic architectural preferences on Crete during the little over a millennium analysed, while special features of construction and finishing are highlighted as well.
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Books by Tibor-Tamás Daróczi
Papers by Tibor-Tamás Daróczi
as testing methods for avoiding the use of “sulfix” as purification agent.
The transculture of this age is bronze. The desire to acquire this good as raw material (copper and tin), semi-finished product (ingot) or finished goods, echoes through all corners of Afro-Eurasia. These in turn prompt the circulation of goods, symbols, styles and technologies, but also of people and views of their world and lives. Several find categories and lifestyles are already highlighted as clear indicators of such an interconnectivity; amber, vitreous materials, ceremonial hearths, horses, wagon/chariots and afferent harnesses, warriorhood and warfare, Bronze Age specific womanhood are just a few of the clear beacons that convey the occurrence of bronzization.
The present paper explores glocalisations of human-nature relations in Bronze Age ritual social milieus of the Aegean and Eastern Carpathian Basin (ECB). Ritual is outlined as performative utterance and enacted social memory which if interpreted through a phenomenological prism elucidates the locally entangled agencies of nature. Moreover, landscape archaeology is employed to explore phenomenological extents of glocalised rituals. The impact of a cascading nature over human senses and perceptions is underscored through definitions of meadow- and sylvanscapes, both viewed as essential background against which rituals are performed and that trigger enactments of social memory.
Ritual meadowscapes of the Aegean are recognised in sacred ‘gardens’ of the elites, information about which is conveyed to us mostly through visual (frescoes, glyptic, pottery) and written (Linear B) media that is exemplified through well-known finds. Evidence in the archaeological record for these is sought in archaeobotany, especially for flowers and trees, while palaeobotany is employed to understand how and when the human-nature relation represented by ‘gardens’ is born, that is to say is glocalised in the Aegean. Furthermore, a glocalisation of the same relation in the ECB is recognised through funerary sylvanscapes. The materialisation of ritual in this latter region is seen in the funerary aspects of daily life, since these do not end with the interment of the deceased, but continue on with the periodical visit of the burial ground by a distinct group of individuals to enact social memory tied to the location and past individuals. The recognition of Bronze Age woodlands is owed to the landscape approach to funerary aspects of the ECB. Through the successful combination of palaeobotany, paleozoology, geomorphology, hydrology and lithology in a GIS system archeco-zones are defined, which in the case of a specific sub archeco-zone allowed for the clear association of woodlands with a distinct set of burials. Intimacy of woodlands opposed to the wild woods must have been an imperative for the Bronze Age people, since revisiting hostile environments for enactment of rituals or even disposal of the loved ones is unimaginable.
The paper argues for two Bronze Age glocalisations of human-nature relations, which are recognisable through landscape archaeology approaches and a phenomenological mind set. It proposes two distinct methodologies, one rooted in classical archaeology and only partially in natural sciences, while the other relies heavily on data and tools from the latter scientific fields. Ultimately, both illustrate how Bronze Age people relate through all of their senses and perceptions to their environment and nature, but also how these are major factors in the choice of place, time and people for performative utterances and enactments of social memory. Lastly, the study demonstrates that similar ideas are in circulation in the same time over larger areas and their local adaptations give birth to the nuanced facets of what we call the Bronze Age world.
Skull burials have always spiked interests among scholars, since they clearly indicate violence, quite possibly sacrifice as well. Their disposal within burial grounds underscores the funerary nature, but also expresses the need of the living to nuance through specific agencies their relations to divinity. The same can be said about complete animal burials, as a case can be made for the fact that some animals are more equal to humans than other humans. Their presence within burial grounds of humans, in individual grave-pits and sometimes with grave goods, which based on their quality and contextual positioning reminds us of human burials, support a strong argument in this sense. Moreover, further hint at the possibility of sacrifice and the above expressed need of nuanced expressions of emic relations to the divine.
During the Neolithic and Copper Age a gradual stabilisation and normalisation of funerary landscapes and habits is recognised in the Eastern Carpathian Basin, culminating with an unparalleled homogeneity during the Middle Copper Age with an almost instantaneous destabilisation of these aspects during the following period. The analysis against this stable, funerary, baseline data of more than three dozen burial grounds with either human skull or complete animal skeleton burials, by highlighting regional and temporal aspects of body treatment practices and drawing upon anthropologic and ethnographic parallels, allows for a phenomenology of godhood.
Bronze Age amber originates in most cases in the Baltic region, though succinate is not the only known source in Europe, as others are exploited at this time. Their associations with gold and other bronze objects suggesting a relation to the Sun does compel a more meaningful interpretation. Their different appropriations during the earlier and later Bronze Age in the study region, indicates a change in consumption preferences of this commodity, which can only be viewed in a wider context. Moreover, the beads seen in the study area do differentiate in terms of shapes, which also bare chronological information, but also indicate a web, where finished goods and ideas are exchanged and adapted to local needs.
Bronzization is a mixture of directional and non-directional flows, which results in a web-like pattern, rather than just a directional mobility of goods, ideas and discourses. It further argues that bronze is the transculture of the age, a medium that broke down economic boundaries of regional social groups. The democratisation of the transculture enabled not only the penetration of societies in a horizontal sense, but also in a vertical one, as bronze and other goods became increasingly desired by elites, other ‘less novel’ prestige items became increasingly accessible to lower social groups. By the phenomena of the transculture a heightened consumption of bronze is seen throughout Eurasia, which facilitated the directional trade and non-directional flows of archaeologically graspable goods (e.g. amber, Near Eastern glass, horse, chariot) and ideas as well (e.g. warriorhood, self-image of elites, mobility). The intense circulation resulted in what is termed as ‘intersecting spheres of interaction’.
The present paper seeks to analyse and evaluate the relevance of the Eastern Carpathian Basin, positioned at the crossroads of ‘intersecting spheres of interaction’. The mentioned region is placed in the context of bronzization and through the relocated vantage point an anamorphosis takes place. The results of the re-assessment emphasise the networking of the repository of knowledge, but also the space occupied by societies within the cultural crucible of southeastern Europe.