Life and death: mortuary rituals of the Baden culture at Lake Balaton (Transdanubia)

Abstract

The paper provides new insights in the lifestyle of the Late Copper Age, including information on the physical as well as mental traits of the Boleráz/Baden man based on excavation results of two neighbouring sites in Hungary, namely Balatonőszöd-Temetői dűlő and Balatonlelle-Felső-Gamász (Kom. Somogy). Pathological alterations show aggression inside the community, violent feature appearing more and more intensely in the later phases of the culture. Dead people were often manipulated post mortem, especially on head, legs and arms. This phenomenon is clearly reflected in the design of another key accessory of the ceremonies, the anthropomorphic figures (idols). The Late Copper Age men used their bodies and body parts intensively as tools and weapons, resulting in their physical deformation. The documentation of such alterations provides abundant information on working processes, crafts or trades and allows a more precise description and reconstruction of the Boleráz/Baden Age lifestyle.