The study involved archaeological, physical anthropological, and archaeogenomic analysis of prehistoric communities in present-day Hungary.Continue reading
Archaeologists from the Hungarian National Museum and the Móra Ferenc Museum carried out a huge preventive excavation on the 300-hectare site of the BYD factory under construction near Szeged (southern Hungary), before the construction of the halls. They found many valuable artifacts, including a complete cemetery from the Avar period, Szeged.hu reported.
Kornél Sóskuti, group archaeologist at the Hungarian National Museum, told the newspaper that they had to carry out a preventive excavation on the site of the factory. “We have done and are doing everything in accordance with the law, and BYD is an absolute partner in this,” he emphasized. The law requires that prior archaeological documentation be prepared for this type of project. This also meant that trial excavations were first carried out, which lasted until the end of February 2024. Then the contract was signed for the next phase of work.
The task of the preliminary archaeological documentation was to assess what archaeological heritage features were located in the area and what threats they might be exposed to by the expected excavations.
In this study, it was identified which parts of the site were likely to be damaged by the excavation works and would need to be excavated as part of a preventive measure.
Mr Sóskuti pointed out that they managed to unearth an early medieval settlement, with a multitude of storage pits. “They were probably vegetable or grain storage pits. It could have been a small village or a large farm. We found pottery fragments as well as a cemetery. We worked with instrumental tests. Compared to Szeged, and indeed the whole of Csongrád County, which is topographically well surveyed and we know almost all the sites, the area was full of surprises,” he said.
He added that the area was a relatively good choice for the project from a heritage point of view, because if you look at the geomorphology, south of the site are the Öthalmi hills, a natural geological formation, a high plateau. A long way to the north of the motorway is Lake Fehér, which is also a natural depression with a high bank. During the preparatory archaeological documentation for the heritage conservation work connected with the project, specifically the preparatory work for the drainage of the inland water, it became clear that the already known Avar cemetery at Lake Fehér, which was also excavated by renowned Hungarian author Ferenc Móra, is not just a solitary cemetery. Virtually the entire shore of Lake Fehér was occupied by our ancestors from prehistoric times until the Árpád and Middle Ages, the expert pointed out.
This project is located between two natural highlands with concentrations of intensive archaeological sites. The area is relatively low-lying, and the Tisza river has often flooded it, the newspaper recalled. Yet the archaeologists did find finds:
they thought there would be no burial at all, but archaeological research proved them wrong, because a complete Avar cemetery was found on the project site, and perhaps burial remains from the Árpád period were also unearthed.
Kornél Sóskuti also said that archaeologists are working on the site until the last minute, with further monitoring work in addition to the pre-excavation. “Archaeological monitoring means that in all areas where there are no known sites, we are keeping an eye out, because despite thorough preparatory work, previously unknown archaeological remains may be found. This means that we will be here for months to come, following the progress of the factory construction,” he noted.
Archaeologists have also found gold earrings and a bell from the Byzantine Empire in one of 152 tombs from the Avar period. Such a large coherent excavation is rare today. Mr Sóskuti also said that the excavated cemetery probably dates from the end of the 6th century to the beginning of the 7th century.
Furthermore, after the excavations around the BYD plant and the Dóm Square, new projects are starting in Szeged, in the area of the Belvárosi bridge, Index reported. The Móra Ferenc Museum’s excavations will begin in the summer, with the aim of uncovering the remains of the medieval castle and preparing the reconstruction of the quay. The Rondella, the area around the former water bastion next to the Belvárosi bridge, and the stretch of the coast in front of the Belvedere Palace will also be investigated. The work will involve excavating a nine-meter wide and two-meter deep section.
Via Szeged.hu, Index; Featured photo via Pixabay