The paper presented here introduces some of the surprising results obtained from the ongoing excavations at the Százhalombatta Bronze Age tell. Százhalombatta, located just south of Budapest, is but one of the 14 or so fortified tell sites situated along the western high bank of the Danube. The excavation yielded new data on the termination period of the Bronze Age tells (2000-1400 BC) in Hungary and on some questions concerning households.

The Middle Bronze Age (ca. 2000/1900–1500/1450 BC; Fig. 1) in Central Hungary is firmly associated with the presence of the so-called Vatya pottery style (Fig. 2). Found mostly in large urn cemeteries and tell-settlements, it is clearly recognised as a development of the preceding Nagyrév style with a combination of Kisapostag elements. As an autonomous style, it exemplifies a persistent set of traits, which until the final development stage – Vatya III – does not undergo significant changes. However, throughout the whole time-span of the Vatya style ‘foreign’ ceramic traits from contemporary stylistic complexes are either identified as parts of grave assemblages or appear as ceramic fragments recovered during settlement excavations. This study focuses specifically on the stylistically-identified imports recovered from Kakucs–Turján mögött, a fortified, tell-like settlement, in order to highlight the intra-regional and intra-cultural relationship of pottery styles in the second millennium BC.

Originally published in paperback Bronze Age Tell Communities in Context – An Exploration Into Culture, Society and the Study of European Prehistory Part 1 – Critique: Europe and the Mediterranean by Tobias L. Kienlin. vi+168 pages; illustrated throughout in colour and black & white. Print ISBN 9781784911478, Archaeopress 2015. Paperback edition available here. This version published in Archaeopress Open Access 2015, available here. For more information regarding Archaeopress Open Access please visit the Archaeopress website. Direct link to Print book: http://archaeopress.com/ArchaeopressShop/Public/displayProductDetail.asp?id={A9CE4A63-76D9-4635-A366-34EA8A3CB165}

In my thesis I offer a new bioarchaeological protocol with a special focus on animal remains for the medieval archaeological site of Pomáz-Nagykovácsi-puszta (Hungary, Pest County). Therefore I compared Hungarian zooarchaeological protocols and related documents through qualitative analysis in order to critically illuminate the following problems: 1. Lack of unified approach 2. Different focal points 3. Missing important issues I analysed and compared the different concepts and approaches towards bioarchaeology in North-America, Europe, and Hungary. This comparison resulted that there is no unified approach in the field neither in Europe, nor across the Atlantic. Unified terminology helps researchers of different field of study to understand and to effectively communicate each other. For this purpose I deliberately employ the original, holistic concept towards bioarchaeology, which this way in my view could contribute more to the field of archaeology. Through three selected case studies I shed light on methods used in practice from the planning period of an excavation until the implementation, and long-term archiving. Each of the case studies is designed to emphasise different set of issues in bioarchaeology such as excavation strategy, sampling, storage, and discarding policies. My research on Hungarian and international protocols, and best practices helped me to develop a new set of principles and a new bioarchaeological protocol for the planned excavation site of Pomáz-Nagykovácsi-puszta.

In Kneisel, J., Kirleis, W., Dal Corso, M. and Taylor, N. (eds.) Forthcoming. Setting the Bronze Age Table: Production, subsistence, diet and their implications for European Landscapes. Proceedings of the International Workshop "Socio-Environmental Dynamics over the Last 12,000 Years: The Creation of Landscapes III (15th - 18th April 2013)" in Kiel. Universitätsforschungen zur Prähistorischen Archäologie. Bonn: Dr. Rudolf Habelt GmbH.