Environmental Archaeology in North-Eastern Hungary [antikvár]

foreword Even though analytical and environmental studies linked to archaeological research and archaeological sites have been conducted for over one hundred years in Hungary, these were rarely intertwined until recently. Only in the case of the monographic publication of a particular site were the findings of archaeological research and various analytical results published together. It is quite obvious that any area, which has been settled by ancient communities, bears an imprint of the one-time presence of these communities. The natural géomorphologie, climatic and ecologic dynamics of a particular region determined the environment with which ancient communities interacted. They adapted to the environment and, depending on their options and capabilities, they tried to manipulate natural processes and transform the environment to suit their needs. Holocene sedimentary sequences, river regulations, forest management and the finds reflecting various aspects of hunter-gatherer lifeways or crop cultivation and stockbreeding reveal at least as much about the subsistence strategies of ancient populations as about their environment. Many communities were forced to migrate from their ancestral homeland in prehistoric and historic times; however, these groups took with them their culture and deep-rooted customs, which they preserved in their new homeland and passed on to their descendants. Neighbouring peoples first became acquainted with each others' raw materials and artefacts through the exchange of various commodities; later, they intermixed and learnt about each others' culture, blending the centuries or perhaps millennium long traditions. A number of volumes presenting the newest findings of Hungarian and European archaeologists, palaeoenvironmentalists and geoarchaeologists have already been published as part of the research project aimed at reconstructing Hungary's Holocene environment. This volume presents the resuhs of the palaeoenvironmental and archaeological studies conducted in north-eastern Hungary. The geoarchaeological borings conducted over the past few years have resulted in continuous sequences, which yielded invaluable data for reconstructing past environments and climates through the sedimentological, palaeobotanical and malacological analyses of these sequences. The series of radiocarbon dates obtained for these sequences provide a reliable chronological framework for the finds. The overview of the sites and archaeological finds from the study areas has been written by archaeologists, who have included new finds from the areas and have offered new interpretations of old ones. The discussion of the animal bone samples from the archaeological sites provides an insight into the species of a particular age and area, and also an idea of hunting and aniinal breeding strategies. The increasing corpus of data, the results of new research projects and the analyses of their findings often result in controversial and, sometimes, conflicting conclusions, which reflect the kaleidoscopic nature of our knowledge in this field and the plurality of possible approaches. We have respected the diversity of opinions of the scholars contributing to this volume and have also included studies, which will hopefiilly provoke further debates. It is our hope that this volume will prove to be a useful and valuable companion to present and future generations of scholars studying ancient man and his environment. Erika Gál