Report of the complex geoarcheological survey at the Ecse-halom kurgan in Hortobágy, Hungary

Bede, Ádám and Salisbury, Roderick B. and Csathó, András István and Czukor, Péter and Páll, Dávid Gergely and Szilágyi, Gábor and Sümegi, Pál (2015) Report of the complex geoarcheological survey at the Ecse-halom kurgan in Hortobágy, Hungary. Central European Geology, 58 (3). pp. 268-289. ISSN 1788-2281

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Abstract

The Ecse-halom is a burial mound (kurgan) in the Hortobágy region of Hungary. Built in the Late Copper Age/Early Bronze Age by nomadic people from the east, it now stands on the border between two modern settlements. A road of medieval origin runs along this border and cuts deeply into the body of the mound. The southern half of the mound was plowed and used as a rice field, and later a military observation tower was built on top of it. Despite this disturbance, the surface of the mound is in decent condition and provides a home for regionally significant, species-rich loess steppe vegetation. The mound comprises two construction layers as indicated by magnetic susceptibility and thin-section micro-morphological analysis. Examination of organic compounds and carbonate content at various levels showed different values, which suggest a variety of natural and anthropogenic stratigraphic layers. Mid-sized siltstone fraction is dominant in the section. The layers originate from the immediate vicinity of the mound, but have different characteristics than present-day soils. These mounds contain a valuable record of cultural and environmental conditions occurring at the time of their construction, and also serve as a refuge for ancient loess vegetation; therefore their conservation is highly recommended.

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