Ottomány culture
The Ottomány culture, also known as Otomani culture in
Romania or Otomani-Füzesabony culture in Hungary, was an Ottomány culture
early Bronze Age culture (c. 2100–1400 BC) in Central Europe Geographical Hungary,
named after the eponymous site near the village of Ottomány range Slovakia,
(Romanian: Otomani), today part of Sălacea, located in modern- Romania,
day Bihor County, Romania. The Middle Bronze Age period of the Ukraine, Poland
Ottomány culture in eastern Hungary and western Romania
(c. 1750 BC to 1400 BC) is also known as the Gyulavarsánd Period Bronze Age
culture.[1] Dates 2100-1400 BC
Preceded by Nyírség culture,
Territorial extent Hatvan culture,
Coțofeni culture
The Ottomány culture was located in eastern Hungary, eastern Followed by Tumulus culture,
Slovakia, Crișana in western Romania, western Ukraine - Urnfield culture
Transcarpatia (Zakarpattia Oblast - within a stretch of the
Carpathian mountains) and southeast Poland (stretch of Carpathian mountains and nearby areas). Thus,
people of the Ottomány culture secured a middle stretch of what will be later known as the Amber Road,
and indeed, amber is often found in Ottomány sites. The expansion of the Ottomány culture is associated
with the end of the Hatvan culture.[2]
Habitat, settlements, housing and material culture
People belonging to this vast culture
settled along river banks and in
valleys but also on strategic places
like mountain passes and hills used
for mighty fortified settlements.
Some places like caves and natural
springs were used like for cult
activities. This culture was
contemporary with Wietenberg
culture in Romania, Unetice-
Madarovce-Veterov-Boheimkirchen
cultural complex in Moravia, Fortified settlement at Góra
Reconstructed bronze Germany, Austria and western Zyndrama, Poland, 1750 BC
dagger, axe and pendant
Slovakia, Mierzanowice culture in
Poland and Makó/Nagyrév culture
in Hungary. The high cultural level is illustrated most by fortified settlements
with highly advanced defensive architecture including ditches, stone walls, ramparts, towers and
complicated gates protected by bastions, as well as by urbanistically organized houses (1, 2 or three rooms),
tell disposition at lowland sites (consequent use of houses made of clay, creating an artificial hill with many
stratigraphic levels), the high level of metal working (bronze, gold, silver), a high level of bone and antler
working (including elements of horse harness made of antler), sophisticated pottery, often considered one of
the most exquisite ceramic cultures of prehistoric Europe, with beautifully adorned amphorae, jugs, broad
bowls, small cups, pottery of milk processing, and piraunoi - transportable ceramic ovens, richly decorated,
often interpreted as being used not only for profane, but also cult activities (burning incense). Some
distinctive features of Ottomány ceramics are decoration with spiral or circular motifs, rich plastic
ornamentation, use of a wave pattern or pattern of "running spirals", polishing of pottery to reach "metallic
effect" and high firing temperatures. Metalworking is illustrated by gold jewelry, mainly earrings, small
bronze objects (pins, personal ornaments, small tools - needles, awls), military items include battle axes,
spear-heads, daggers, knives, and arrowheads. Although stone was still widely used for sickles and working
axes.
According to Anthony (2007), chariotry spread westwards to the Ottomány
culture from the Multi-cordoned ware culture.[5]
Mortuary rite
Burials were typically inhumations with the body in a flexed position in large
flat cemeteries in direct vicinity of settlements, with different sides for men and
women, at the final stages shifting towards bi-ritual rites, with more
cremations, using urns. Graves are equipped with rich grave goods, including
personal adornments like beads (in male graves often made of animal teeth and
boar tusks) and metal jewelry, tools, arms and ceramics. In a child grave at
Nizna Mysla cemetery (Eastern Slovakia), a ceramic model of a four-wheel
wagon was found and has been interpreted either as child's toy or a cult object.
Collapse and legacy
Hajdúsámson-type
The end of the Ottomány culture is connected with turbulent events at the end sword, Hungary, 1700-
of Old Bronze Age in Central Europe, where there was a collapse of the whole 1600 BC.[3][4]
"Old Bronze Age world" with its highly advanced culture of mighty hill-forts,
rich burials, and trade over vast distances. The gradual decline in the number
of fortified settlements, change of burial rites, and the decision of people to desert fortified settlements could
have had several reasons, including the collapse of trade and exchange networks, the attacks of enemies, the
internal collapse of society or environmental causes. The following Middle Bronze Age/Late Bronze Age
cultures are very different in their burial rites (cremation, erecting of barrows) as well as in their handling of
bronze - there is an "explosion" in bronze working, and many bronze hoards found across all of Europe
illustrate this change in quantity and quality of produced bronze objects. We see not only bronze ornaments
and arms (including first examples of swords), but also bronze tools (sickles, axes, adzes), which changed
the everyday life of prehistoric man.
Gallery
Bronze battle-axe, Bronze axe, Poland, Gold discs from Pottery
Hungary, c. 1500 BC c. 1650 BC Sacueni, Romania.[6]
Pottery from Barca, Bronze Age horse Chariot model, Arkaim Otomani fortified
Slovakia[7] bridles museum settlement, Romania
Zyndram's Hill, Wall remains at Reconstructed Reconstructed
Poland, with wall Zyndram's Hill houses, Trzcinica, houses, Trzcinica,
reconstruction Poland Poland
Reconstructed Burial reconstruction
houses, Trzcinica,
Poland
See also
Bronze Age Europe
Bronze Age in Romania
Prehistory of Transylvania
Bronze Age in Poland
History of Slovakia - Bronze Age
Wietenberg culture
Vatya culture
Monteoru culture
Unetice culture
Bronze Age Britain
Argaric culture
Sintashta culture
Catacomb culture
Aegean civilization
History of Hungary - Bronze Age
References
1. Szeverényi, Vajk; Fischl, Klara (January 2013). "Transformations in the Carpathian Basin
around 1600 BC". In Meller, Harald; Bertemes, Francois (eds.). 1600 – Cultural change in
the shadow of the Thera-Eruption? (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265334711).
Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt. pp. 355–371.
2. Kulcsár, Gabriella (2003). "The Early Bronze Age". In Visy, Zsolt (ed.). Hungarian
Archaeology at the Turn of the Millennium (http://www.ace.hu/curric/elte-archeometria/irodalo
m/Hungarian_archeology.pdf) (PDF). Ministry of National Cultural Heritage. pp. 146–147.
ISBN 9638629185.
3. "Hajdúsámson hoard" (https://isaw.nyu.edu/exhibitions/ritual-and-memory/objects/hoard-haj
dusamson-hegedus-hegy). Institute for the Study of the Ancient World. 2022.
4. "Hajdúsámson sword, Hungary, 1700-1600 BC" (https://www.datocms-assets.com/44232/16
67245791-bronze_sword_deri_museum_hungary_bal-086.jpeg?dpr=0.5&fm=webp).
5. Anthony, David (2007). The Horse, the Wheel, and Language (https://books.google.com/boo
ks?id=nLIufwC4szwC). Princeton University Press. p. 411. ISBN 9780691148182.
"Chariotry spread west through the Ukrainian steppe MVK [Mnogovalikovaya] culture into
southeastern Europe's Monteoru (phase Icl-Ib), Vatin, and Otomani cultures"
6. Wolfgang, David (2010). "Die Zeichen auf der Scheibe von Nebra und das altbronze-
zeitliche Symbolgut des Mitteldonau-Karpatenraumes". In Meller, Harald; Bertemes,
Francois (eds.). Der Griff nach den Sternen (https://www.academia.edu/2445171).
Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte Halle. p. 435. ISBN 978-3-939414-28-5. "Etwa in die
gleiche Zeit gehören auch der ur-sprünglich acht gewölbte Goldscheiben umfassende Gold-
fund aus der Siedlung von Sacueni (Zickelhid/Székelyhid) sowie eine gleichartige
Goldscheibe aus der Tellsiedlung von Varsand-Laposhalom, die beide der Gyulavarsánd-
Otomani-Kultur zuzuordnen sind. English translation: "The gold find from the settlement of
Sacueni, originally comprising eight domed gold discs, and a similar gold disc from the tell
settlement of Varsand-Laposhalom, both belong to the Gyulavarsánd-Otomani culture."
7. Gimbutas, M. (1965). Bronze Age cultures in Central and Eastern Europe. pp. Plate 29.
N. Boroffka, Die Wietenberg-Kultur. Ein Beitrag zur Erforschung der Bronzezeit in
Südosteuropa. Universitätsforschungen zur Prähistorischen Archäologie 19. Dr. Rudolf
Habelt GmbH (Bonn 1994).
http://arheologie.ulbsibiu.ro/publicatii/bibliotheca/cauce2/8%20w.htm This link is by pure
laymen giving no scientific sources at all.
Bronze Age culture in Transylvania, Central Romania
Die prähistorische Ansiedlung auf dem "Wietenberg" bei Sighisoara-Schässburg
[Gebundene Ausgabe]
European Societies in the Bronze Age. A. F. Harding. Cambridge 2000. ISBN 0521367298
External links
Bronze Age Hungary - Images and text (https://www.peceliertektar.hu/ertekek_pdf/egyeb_do
ksik/bronzkor.pdf)
The Bronze Age - Hungarian National Museum (https://mnm.hu/en/exhibitions/east-west-fron
tier-history-people-hungarian-lands-400000-bc-804-ad/bronze-age-2)
Hungarian archaeology at the turn of the Millennium (http://www.ace.hu/curric/elte-archeomet
ria/irodalom/Hungarian_archeology.pdf)
Transformations in the Carpathian Basin around 1600 BC (Fischl et al. 2013) (https://core.ac.
uk/download/pdf/18406091.pdf)
The stone fortifications of the settlement at Spišský Štvrtok. A contribution to the discussion
on the long-distance contacts of the Otomani-Füzesabony culture (https://repozytorium.amu.
edu.pl/bitstream/10593/23194/1/pz-2014-0020.pdf)
The Early Bronze Age Stone Fortifications of the Maszkowice Hillfort (Polish Carpathians) (h
ttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/340999755_The_Early_Bronze_Age_Stone_Fortific
ations_of_the_Maszkowice_Hillfort_Polish_Carpathians_Product_of_an_Adaptive_Mind_or
_idee_fixe_in_S_Hansen_R_Krause_eds_Bronze_Age_Fortresses_in_Europe_Proceeding
s_of)
Prehistoric wagon models in the Carpathian Basin (3500-1500 BC) (Bondar 2012) (https://w
ww.researchgate.net/publication/236166787_Bondar_Maria_Prehistoric_wagon_models_in
_the_Carpathian_Basin_3500-1500_BC_Budapest_2012_Archaeolingua_Series_minor_3
2)
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