The Evolution of a Neolithic Tell on the Great Hungarian Plain: Site Formation and Use at Szeghalom-Kovácshalom

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article explores the development and evolution of a Neolithic tell on the Great Hungarian Plain, with a particular focus on the depositional and functional changes over time. Recent, multi-disciplinary research in conjunction with the reassessment of old excavation records allows us to identify three major phases in the morphological and functional development of the Szeghalom-Kovácshalom tell. The original primary use of the tell was residential in nature. After several generations, as the settlement expanded into the surrounding landscape, the tell was used for more communal behaviors until, during the latest phase, it was used primarily for burials. This evolution of the tell—from a residential space to a cemetery—underscores the complexity of social processes that unfolded at prehistoric tell sites in southeastern Europe. The method we employ demonstrates how information from old and new research projects can be integrated successfully to model the development of complex, multi-period settlements.