Hungarian Archeology at the Turn of the Millennium [antikvár]

COMMENDATION Archaeology The word itself makes the heart beat faster. Many people sigh when hearing this word and say that they too wanted to be archaeologists. And no wonder, for the desire for knowledge burns in all of us, as does the eternal question: who are we and for what purpose have we been brought into the world, whither are we going, and is there some genuine goal we have to attain? The other elementary question is also self-evident: whence do we come from? It is only natural that we seek the answers to these questions in the past. We have all studied history at school, we all have a perception of the brilliant periods of the national past, we remember the names of exceptional men and women and their outstanding deeds, yet at the same time we long for something more personal, something more tangible. On Sunday afternoons we ask our grandparents to speak about their ovm grandparents - and within a few seconds we find ourselves moving back a hundred and fifty years in time. Looking at old, faded photos - and, on occasion, discovering perhaps our own features on one of the portraits - we try to recall the names of our forebears and their fi-iends, we attempt to evoke a characteristic episode of their lives, but our memory often fails us, and we are left with nothing, but uncertainties. The photos gradually become nameless and though these family relics are important for us, who knows whether our children will preserve them, together with our great-grandfather's favourite armchair, grandmother's mirror and the other, time-worn, useless bric-a-brac. If they are wise enough, they will not throw them out and if they interesting enough for a collection, they will find a final resting place in a museum. After receiving an inventory number, they are placed into a storeroom and they will perhaps be exhibited at some point. Objects can perhaps be saved, but what happens to the associated memories, the personal history, the intimacy of family tradition? Many thousands of families lost their personal histories during the turmoils of the last century, before they could even realize the importance of tradition. Our innate curiosity cannot be stifled. It erupts from our innermost self, and the more aimoying the feeling of deprivation, the stronger it grows, enticing some to watch educational television programmes and others to search for their family tree in provincial parish registers or to set out and search for long-lost, fabulous treasures, lavish royal burials, long-forgotten tunnels leading to faraway regions. Many long for even more and concoct a colourful past for themselves or blindly believe the stories freely re-arranging the facts or downright neglecting them, presenting the past as infinitely more attractive or more idyllic than it really was. Obviously, there is nothing reprehensible about believing these stories. It is part of human nature to attempt to flee the problems of the present and seek solace and reassurance in the face of any misgivings we may have about the distant future or in a mythical golden age of the past. The myth of a Golden Age is nothing new: two thousand years ago, Albius Tibullus, a Roman poet from an age since long studied by modern man, too believed the distant past to have been better than his own age. Divitis hoc vitiimi est aiiri, nec bella fummt, Faginus adstabat mm scyphus ante dapes. Non arces, nmi valliis erat, smmmmque petebat Seainis sparsas drix gregis inter oves. Tunc mihi vita foret, volgi nec tiistia nossevi Anita nec audissein corde micante tiibam. The individual is free to interpret the findings of the disciplines studying the past - archaeology, history and their sub-dis-ciplines: heraldry, sigillography, numismatics, epigraphy - to his own liking, but on a social level, the evidence must be handled according to the standards of academic scholarship. One of the most characteristic features of archaeology is the adoption of methods developed in the natural and social sciences, and that in the formulation of any conclusions, it strivers for strict objectivity. Because of this and because archaeology is holistic in its approach - meaning that it is interested in everything related to humankind's past activity - the discipline is suitable for complementing and, on occasion, for verifying the historical evidence with the findings of archaeology. History is based on the study and analysis of written records, but in the case of periods from which written sources are meagre or entirely lacking, it is the artefactual material that must be addressed using archaeological methods. We may therefore confidently state that in spite of the fact tiiat millions of archaeological finds are housed in our museums, research must be continued since there is need for new data in order to gain a better knowledge and understanding of human history and, also, because the new advances in science means that we can collect more precise data than before. EDITORS' FOREWORD The present volume is the fruit of two and a half years' work. Originally given the title Hungarian archaeology in 2000 and now published as Hungarian archaeology at the turn of the millennium, the volume reflects the concerted efforts of renowned specialists in this field of research to present a comprehensive overview of the emergence and development of this discipline, of the country's archaeological heritage and of the institutional background of archaeological work. The Department of Monuments of the Ministry of National Cultural Heritage that co-ordinated the publication of the present volume was organized no more than a few years ago. The main goal in creating this department, active since 1999, was to monitor and supervise the national monuments and to work out the much-needed new legislation for the protection of archaeological sites that had until then been part of the museum structure, a task that called for a broad overview of the theoretical and practical problems of Hungarian archaeology. The idea of this "handbook" arose almost simultaneously with die creation of the department, a proposal received with sympathy and enthusiasm by all of our archaeologist colleagues. The managing editor presented a detailed proposal, an outline of the contents that was adopted in its more or less original form, although with slight alterations. Our objective was to present an overview of Hungarian archaeological research, high-Kghting also the modern practices and advances made in the protection of the archaeological heritage, with an emphasis on all major contributions to this discipline made by Hungarian archaeology. In addition to the three editors working on the manuscripts, this book is also the "baby" of the ten editors who edited individual chapters and of the almost eighty authors who wrote various sections between the "gestation period" írom the first meeting of the editorial board in April, 2000 and the submission of the manuscript to the printers in November, 2002. This book is a unique achievement in the history of Hungarian archaeology since only two volumes of the planned series on the archaeology of Hungary have appeared so far (one describing field methods, the other covering the Palaeolithic in Hungary, written by László Vértes). The volumes of the highly popular Hereditas series, used also as university textbooks, did not discuss all aspects of Hungarian archaeology in such detail. Although the publication of the volume was often endangered owing to technical problems, the patience of our colleagues and of the ministry's senior officials, their abiding faith and patience tided us over the difficulties. The Teleki László Foundation undertook the editing and pre-publishing work after Agnes Tóth, who had played a key role in the preparation of the manuscripts for publication, gave birth to a lovely baby and could no longer participate in this work. Owing to the delay in the publication compared to the original schedule, some chapters had to be revised: the new Heritage Act and the restructured institutional framework of heritage protection meant that some sections had to be re-written. We also had to update the illustrations and the bibliography, meaning that the manuscript was finally closed in November, 2 002. It must be emphasized that the volume was intended for the general public, rather than the academic community - but it must also be noted that the authors and the editors strove to achieve a high professional standard in the submitted manuscripts. There are no footnotes since the book was written for the public; this also set certain limits to the scope of each chapter: each of our colleagues struggled with the limitations in their chapters' scope since instead of a detailed overview of each period and each subject, there was only the possibility of offering a review of the problems and for summarizing new advances in their particular field of research. The illustrations were compiled according to this consideration. The chronological chart, based on the chronological data provided by the editors, was designed to aid a better overview of the various periods by providing a framework of the chronological and spatial dimensions of the archaeological periods in Hungary. The book held by the reader was primarily written for the educated public. At the same time, it was also our intention to appeal to decision-makers who determine the fate of, and are thus responsible for, heritage protection and, in particular, for the fate and future of the archaeological heritage. It is our belief that with this volume we can demonstrate the importance of this discipline, our lives' vocation, in the hope that decision-makers and senior officials will understand that there is more to archaeology than just the collection of antiquities as objects of curiosity - archaeology is, at the same time, one of the country's cultural treasuries, a powerful driving force behind culture, economy and tourism, as well as a means of enriching the lives of the communities living here. We would like to see this book as the first volume in a series presenting new and exciting advances in Hungarian archaeology. There is much to be gained from this overview of Hungarian archaeology, a landmark accomplishment in the history of this disciphne, reflecting the happy collaboration of specialist from different fields of research. It is our hope that this volume will be of interest not only to the wider public, fascinated by the relics and history of bygone ages, but also to our fellow archaeologists and colleagues working in related disciplines.