Book chapters by P. Barna Judit
Mobilitás és határvonal. MOMOSZ XIII. ŐSKOROS KUTATÓK ÖSSZEJÖVETELE , 2025
Rondels are sacred structures placed at specific points within a symbolic space; their circular s... more Rondels are sacred structures placed at specific points within a symbolic space; their circular shape, orientation, and architectural details allow them to be interpreted as cosmic symbols. The deep ditches connected them to the underworld, the high banks to tke sky, and the gates oriented towards sunrise linked them to the horizon. In this way, the entire site appears as the axis mundi — tke world’s axis.
The inner areas, separated from tfe surrounding world by designated boundaries, served as spaces for rituals that took place not in the earthly realm, but in a timeless, transcendent cosmos. To enter, participants had to undergo liminal rites, marckhng in an orderly procession through boundaries marking an intermediate, liminal state.
Recalling Paul Garwood’s observation, liminal rites linked to communal ceremonies form a highly complex phenomenon. They involue vaious aspects, including dramatic performance, physical space (the landscape), communal experience, built environment, participants, and the religious-social meanings associated witk them. Figure 7—where almost every element would require a separate explanation—aims to present this intricate system in relation to Neolithic circular enclosures. The chart higklights in red the locations of the gates and passages that serve as our starting points in this research.
MQMOSZ XIII. ŐSKOROS KUTATÓK ÖSSZEJÖVETELE Mobilitás és határvonal, 2025
In a previous work, we analysed the identifiable elements of the symbolic landscape unthin a 10 k... more In a previous work, we analysed the identifiable elements of the symbolic landscape unthin a 10 km radius of the Gétye rondel These include 1, the Ligetfalva rondel, 2, a mass grave of the Lengyel culture in Esztergályhorváti (P. BARNA 1996; 2015; 2017a, 18-19, 118-131) and 3, a high lalll called Pogányvár, tvhich landscape element could be considered as apossible target of the orientation of the Gétye rondel (Fig. 1. 2). It can be assumed that the elements of the symbolic landscape that we have identifed so far existed at least partly simultaneously, togetherforming pár ts of a System so we can State that there must have been interactions betioeen them. In this paper, we examine the boundaries and interactions between the elements and leuels of this symbolic landscape in the following relations:
1. The relationship between the Gétye rondel and the landscape (the relationship urith the terrestrial and the celestial landscape). Geographical enuironment and enuironmental reconst- ruction. The relationship betioeen Gétye-Gyomgyáló-lejtős site and Pogányuár hűl Relationship uhth the sky: orientation
2. Relationship betioeen the rondel and a pit lying in the centre of the rondel (Feature 2) Chronologicalpositions andfnds of Features 2 and 4.
3. Relationship betioeen Gétye-Gyomgyáló lejtős site and Lengyel culture settlements in its uicinity idith special regard to Esztergályhorváti, a site ofa mass grave of the formatiue phase of the Lengyel culture.
4. Relationship betioeen the Gétye and Ligetfalva rondels.
The inflling of the rondel at Gétye may have begun betioeen 5030 (68.3%) and 4945 cal BC (Figs. 4.3-4; 5.1; Table 1). This very early dating confrms the signifcance of the rondel in the region, both in the context of the ritual landscape and the Lengyel settlement netiwork.
Slovenská archeológia, 2025
This short essay concerns a very curious type of artefact of the Lengyel culture which is a pedes... more This short essay concerns a very curious type of artefact of the Lengyel culture which is a pedestalled bowl with a perforation drilled centrally in the bottom of the vessel. Such a ceramic form occurs in a quite narrow chronological horizon at the very beginning of the Eneolithic in the western Pannonian region and neighbouring regions, hence appearing as a phenomenon limited both in time and space. We made an effort to set this intriguing ceramic utensil in a broader prehistoric socio-economic
context. In our pursuit to an answer to the question on the genesis of these phenomena, we came to a bold hypothesis that connects the presence of such vessels in the early Eneolithic of Transdanubia
and culturally related areas with a stimulus diffusion of a ritualistic idea of ‘bottomless’ pedestalled bowls from the western Black Sea coastal area. It is argued that the expedient form of the ritual bowl is an expression of thrifty pottery production habitus of women encultured within the milieu of the late Lengyel culture.
Limiting Spaces. New ApproAches iN ArchAeology, 2024
Late Neolithic circular enclosures (rondels)
are usually located away from settlements, embedde... more Late Neolithic circular enclosures (rondels)
are usually located away from settlements, embedded in the
surrounding landscape but separated from it by visibly constructed
boundaries. Deep ditches cut into the ground, and high banks and
palisade walls, divide a circular inner zone from the surroundings,
which could only be accessed through entrances placed in carefully
chosen places. These entrances must have played a special role,
providing an architectural framework for the contrast between the
inside and the outside. A particular significance of the transition is
that the enclosed interior of the rondel could be used for essentially
communal rituals. Archaeological evidence suggests that the areas
of the entrances oſten emphasized by gates may have been crucial
liminal zones.
The concept of liminality in the archaeology of prehistoric
south-eastern Europe has not received the attention it deserves.
Rondels offer an excellent opportunity to explore this theme,
both in religious history and archaeology. This article provides a
brief overview of the relevant architectural elements of rondels,
archaeological discoveries, and features that support our approach.
The Gates of the Cosmos. Liminality in the Architecture and Functions of Central European Neolithic Circular Enclosures (Rondels)
Limiting Spaces: The Attribution of Spatial Meaning through the Creation of Boundaries, 2024
Late Neolithic circular enclosures (rondels)
are usually located away from settlements, embedded ... more Late Neolithic circular enclosures (rondels)
are usually located away from settlements, embedded in the
surrounding landscape but separated from it by visibly constructed
boundaries. Deep ditches cut into the ground, and high banks and
palisade walls, divide a circular inner zone from the surroundings,
which could only be accessed through entrances placed in carefully
chosen places. These entrances must have played a special role,
providing an architectural framework for the contrast between the
inside and the outside. A particular significance of the transition is
that the enclosed interior of the rondel could be used for essentially
communal rituals. Archaeological evidence suggests that the areas
of the entrances often emphasized by gates may have been crucial
liminal zones.
The concept of liminality in the archaeology of prehistoric
south-eastern Europe has not received the attention it deserves.
Rondels offer an excellent opportunity to explore this theme,
both in religious history and archaeology. This article provides a
brief overview of the relevant architectural elements of rondels,
archaeological discoveries, and features that support our approach.
Sites and Stones: Lengyel Culture in Western Hungary and Beyond : a Reiview of the Current Research, 2001
Környezettörténet : Sümegi Pál professzor 60 éves születésnapi köszöntésére, 2021
Eszter Bánffy, Judit P. Barna (Hrsg), „Trans Lacum Pelsonem”. Prähistorische Forschungen in Südwestungarn (5500–500 v. Chr.) – Prehistoric Research in South-Western Hungary (5500–500 BC). Castellum Pannonicum Pelsonense, Bd. 7. Budapest-Leipzig, 237-251., 2019
Art historical and archaeological research generally links the emergence of prehistoric art to ri... more Art historical and archaeological research generally links the emergence of prehistoric art to rituals. The interpretative possibilities of anthropomorphic representations can now be broadened following the realisation of anthropologists that the human body has served, and still serves, as an important source of metaphors.
"TRANS LACUM PELSONEM" PRÄHISTORISCHE FORSCHUNGEN IN SÜDWESTUNGARN (5500-500 v. Chr.) PREHISTORIC RESEARCH IN SOUTH-WESTERN HUNGARY (5500-500 BC, 2019
The paper presents the finds and findings from a site of the Copper Age Balaton-Lasinja culture i... more The paper presents the finds and findings from a site of the Copper Age Balaton-Lasinja culture investigated at Keszthely-Fenékpuszta, Pusztaszentegyháza in 2000. The archaeological and anthropological analyses of two pits (Features 45 and 46) and the human remains from at least twenty individuals discovered in them shed light on the post-mortem mortuary practices of the Balaton-Lasinja culture in Hungary, which have until now been only documented at contemporaneous sites in neighboring countries. The manipulation of the skulls and parts of the postcranial skeleton is a practice attested from the Early Neolithic onward, and the observations discussed here share numerous similarities with the remains of ritual activities documented in deep shaft-like pits and wells of the Copper Age. Most of the fourteen sampled individuals of the Balaton-Lasinja culture have different mitochondrial DNA haplotypes, which contradicts an explanation of the execution or sacrifice of a single family. Taken together with the incompleteness of the skeletons, the evidence rather points towards the secondary inhumation of certain individuals from a larger community. Carbon, nitrogen and strontium isotope data support this interpretation and point to individuals of heterogeneous and, in some cases, potentially non-local origins. The number of the affected individuals, the few potential kinship ties between them and the peripheral location of the pits within the settlement suggest a communal ritual enacted by the entire community (probably the inhabitants of the village).
"TRANS LACUM PELSONEM" PRÄHISTORISCHE FORSCHUNGEN IN SÜDWESTUNGARN (5500-500 v. Chr.) PREHISTORIC RESEARCH IN SOUTH-WESTERN HUNGARY (5500-500 BC
A salvage excavation was conducted at the Balatonmagyaród-Hídvégpuszta, Déli rév site between 198... more A salvage excavation was conducted at the Balatonmagyaród-Hídvégpuszta, Déli rév site between 1981 and 1987, in the course of which the major portion of a settlement occupied during various periods was brought to light. The repeated occupation of the site can be explained by the site’s excellent geomorphological and strategic location as well as by the proximity of a natural fording place for crossing Lake Balaton. The present study hopes to redeem an old debt by presenting the settlement and the enclosure of the Lengyel occupation based on the one-time field documentation, no matter how incomplete. The site’s full assessment is still lacking despite the forty years that have passed since the excavation and despite the contribution the site has made to a better understanding of the decline of the Lengyel culture. In view of its late date, the enclosure uncovered at this site was for a long time unparalleled. It can be reconstructed as a medium-sized oval earthwork whose entrances conform to the strictly regulated orientation of the Transdanubian Lengyel enclosures. As part of the present assessment of the site, we have raised several new points regarding the interpretation of the enclosure’s structure. Two timber-framed above-ground buildings were uncovered near the southern entrance. Although the enclosure at Balatonmagyaród-Hídvégpuszta probably had a social and ritual function, a possible role as a central place can perhaps also be posited in view of the site’s geopolitical location.
Described and published here is a selection of the finds from certain settlement features, which are compared with the finds recovered from the fill of the enclosure. The settlement finds represent the classical and the late Lengyel (Lengyel IIIa) period, while the finds from the enclosure are later, dating from the end of the Lengyel sequence (Lengyel IIIb). The occurrence of Balaton-Lasinja finds in the material recovered from the enclosure raises a spate of other questions too. In the lack of precise find contexts, it remains uncertain whether the finds from the enclosure should be assigned to the period when the enclosure was constructed, to the period of its use or to the period of its infilling after its abandonment.
„Trans Lacum Pelsonem” Prähistorische Forschungen in Südwestungarn (5500-500 V.U.Z.) Prehistoric Research in South-Western Hungary (5500–500 BCE)”, 2019
This paper offers a preliminary report on the non-invasive investigation of an archaeological sit... more This paper offers a preliminary report on the non-invasive investigation of an archaeological site at Gétye in Western Hungary. The geophysical survey and several field surveys confirmed our previous assumption on the presence of a Late Neolithic circular enclosure, known as rondels. The ground plan of the enclosure is outlined clearly. The rondel has a simple oval ground plan with four accesses (or gates). It is made up of a single ditch with a V-shaped cross-section. The axes of the four openings are oriented 66°, 141°, 255°, and 333° of north, respectively. The pottery and stone artefacts, red painted sherds among them, collected on the site date the rondel to the Late Neolithic, to the classical phase of the Lengyel culture. Soil samples from soil profiles and augerings were collected and analysed. Soil forming processes and possible human impact were studied based on field descriptions and laboratory analyses. The top depth of Horizon C, the soil texture and the calcium carbonate content indicated that erosion, which is characteristic in this region, had a major impact on soil development. The extremely high phosphorus content of the deeper soil horizons confirms the anthropogenic impact inside the rondel. The distribution of soil texture and calcium carbonate content along soil depth varies with soil depth in the case of the soil profile and augered samples from outside the ditch. In contrast, the calcium carbonate content and texture of the soil profile within the ditch do not change markedly between 60 and 190 cm, confirming the previous presence of the rondel and its later infilling from a pedological view, in line with the archaeological findings.
A fény információtörténetéhez, Jan 2017
Pásztor, E. – P. Barna: Concepts of Space, Place and Time in Late Neolithic Carpathian Basin: the Geometry of rondels of the Lengyel complex
in: D. Gheorghiu and G. Nash (eds), Place As Material Culture, Objects, Geographies and the Construction of Time. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013
: Clive L.N. Ruggles (editor-in-Chief) Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy. Springer-Verlag GmbH, Heidelberg, 1317-1326, 2014
The most discussed structures of the Middle and Late Neolithic period in Central Europe are the r... more The most discussed structures of the Middle and Late Neolithic period in Central Europe are the rondels or Kreisgrabenanlagen (in German). In the Lengyel culture of the Carpathian Basin these earthworks seem to follow a common set of architectural rules. The often empty space inside the enclosures is generally surrounded by one or more circular ditches, which are interrupted by two, three or most often four causeways. The near symmetrically arranged causeways more or less face the main cardinal points. Through the investigation of more than 50 rondels belonging to the Central European Late Neolithic Lengyel culture, it is argued that the sun could be a good candidate to interpret the lay-out of most structures
The Archaeology of Light, 2017
Tanulmánykötet A fény régészete című kiállításhoz Angol nyelvi lektor: Molnár Claudia Tervezés: K... more Tanulmánykötet A fény régészete című kiállításhoz Angol nyelvi lektor: Molnár Claudia Tervezés: Kelemen Áron Studies to the exhibition of The Archaology of Light English reader: Claudia Molnár Design: Áron Kelemen A kiadvány megjelenését támogatta a Nemzeti Kulturális Alap The publication was supported by National Cultural Fund of Hungary
Clive L.N. Ruggles (editor-in-Chief) Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy. Springer-Verlag GmbH, Heidelberg. p.1307-1316, Aug 2014
The investigation of the cause and guiding principles of the orientation of houses has been a neg... more The investigation of the cause and guiding principles of the orientation of houses has been a neglected field in archaeological studies. If clear regularity can be observed in the location of houses and constructions, it is assumed to follow the prevailing winds in most cases.
The position of a house is influenced by environmental and non-environmental factors. Besides the winds, sunlight, heat, etc. it is argued in anthropology that there is no phase in building traditional houses in which the position is not connected to a rite. Careful investigation of the orientation can reveal some attitude of prehistoric peoples to their natural surroundings that involve not only the terrestrial but also the celestial ‘landscape’ as an inseparable unity.
Papers by P. Barna Judit
Concepts of Space, Place and Time in Late Neolithic Carpathian Basin: the Geometry of rondels of the Lengyel complex
The most discussed structures of the late Neolithic period in Central Europe are the circular enc... more The most discussed structures of the late Neolithic period in Central Europe are the circular enclosures or rondels. In Lengyel culture of the Carpathian Basin these earthworks seem to follow a common set of architectural rules. The often empty space inside the enclosure is generally surrounded by one or more circular ditches which are interrupted by two, three or most often four causeways. The near symmetrically arranged causeways often face the main cardinal points which has made the study of their orientations important. In this chapter the authors offer a novel perspective to study how these places became the most important in the surrounding landscape. The investigation of possible common set of rules in geometry and in orientation of the earthwork might reveal some time and space concepts of late Neolithic people.
Pásztor, E. and P.Barna, J. 2014. Neolithic longhouses and Bronze Age houses in Central Europe. In: C.L.N. Ruggles (ed.), Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy, 1307-1316
The investigation of the cause and guiding principles of the orientation of houses has been a neg... more The investigation of the cause and guiding principles of the orientation of houses has been a neglected field in archaeological studies. If clear regularity can be observed in the location of houses and constructions, it is assumed to follow the prevailing winds in most cases. The position of a house is influenced by environmental and non-environmental factors. Besides the winds, sunlight, heat, etc. it is argued in anthropology that there is no phase in building traditional houses in which the position is not connected to a rite. Careful investigation of the orientation can reveal some attitude of prehistoric peoples to their natural surroundings that involve not only the terrestrial but also the celestial ‘landscape’ as an inseparable unity.
Glaeba, 2021
This study presents the non-invasive investigation of a Late Neolithic circular enclosure discove... more This study presents the non-invasive investigation of a Late Neolithic circular enclosure discovered not long ago. We were able to document traces of a settlement and the nearly complete layout of a treble circular enclosure system (roundel) from the Lengyel culture at Ligetfalva, Gesztenyés-dűlő in Zala County. We provide a review of the possibilities and limitations of non-invasive research methods regarding Neolithic circular enclosures by presenting the investigations of the roundel at Ligetfalva conducted by land survey, aerial photography and geophysical survey.
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Book chapters by P. Barna Judit
The inner areas, separated from tfe surrounding world by designated boundaries, served as spaces for rituals that took place not in the earthly realm, but in a timeless, transcendent cosmos. To enter, participants had to undergo liminal rites, marckhng in an orderly procession through boundaries marking an intermediate, liminal state.
Recalling Paul Garwood’s observation, liminal rites linked to communal ceremonies form a highly complex phenomenon. They involue vaious aspects, including dramatic performance, physical space (the landscape), communal experience, built environment, participants, and the religious-social meanings associated witk them. Figure 7—where almost every element would require a separate explanation—aims to present this intricate system in relation to Neolithic circular enclosures. The chart higklights in red the locations of the gates and passages that serve as our starting points in this research.
1. The relationship between the Gétye rondel and the landscape (the relationship urith the terrestrial and the celestial landscape). Geographical enuironment and enuironmental reconst- ruction. The relationship betioeen Gétye-Gyomgyáló-lejtős site and Pogányuár hűl Relationship uhth the sky: orientation
2. Relationship betioeen the rondel and a pit lying in the centre of the rondel (Feature 2) Chronologicalpositions andfnds of Features 2 and 4.
3. Relationship betioeen Gétye-Gyomgyáló lejtős site and Lengyel culture settlements in its uicinity idith special regard to Esztergályhorváti, a site ofa mass grave of the formatiue phase of the Lengyel culture.
4. Relationship betioeen the Gétye and Ligetfalva rondels.
The inflling of the rondel at Gétye may have begun betioeen 5030 (68.3%) and 4945 cal BC (Figs. 4.3-4; 5.1; Table 1). This very early dating confrms the signifcance of the rondel in the region, both in the context of the ritual landscape and the Lengyel settlement netiwork.
context. In our pursuit to an answer to the question on the genesis of these phenomena, we came to a bold hypothesis that connects the presence of such vessels in the early Eneolithic of Transdanubia
and culturally related areas with a stimulus diffusion of a ritualistic idea of ‘bottomless’ pedestalled bowls from the western Black Sea coastal area. It is argued that the expedient form of the ritual bowl is an expression of thrifty pottery production habitus of women encultured within the milieu of the late Lengyel culture.
are usually located away from settlements, embedded in the
surrounding landscape but separated from it by visibly constructed
boundaries. Deep ditches cut into the ground, and high banks and
palisade walls, divide a circular inner zone from the surroundings,
which could only be accessed through entrances placed in carefully
chosen places. These entrances must have played a special role,
providing an architectural framework for the contrast between the
inside and the outside. A particular significance of the transition is
that the enclosed interior of the rondel could be used for essentially
communal rituals. Archaeological evidence suggests that the areas
of the entrances oſten emphasized by gates may have been crucial
liminal zones.
The concept of liminality in the archaeology of prehistoric
south-eastern Europe has not received the attention it deserves.
Rondels offer an excellent opportunity to explore this theme,
both in religious history and archaeology. This article provides a
brief overview of the relevant architectural elements of rondels,
archaeological discoveries, and features that support our approach.
are usually located away from settlements, embedded in the
surrounding landscape but separated from it by visibly constructed
boundaries. Deep ditches cut into the ground, and high banks and
palisade walls, divide a circular inner zone from the surroundings,
which could only be accessed through entrances placed in carefully
chosen places. These entrances must have played a special role,
providing an architectural framework for the contrast between the
inside and the outside. A particular significance of the transition is
that the enclosed interior of the rondel could be used for essentially
communal rituals. Archaeological evidence suggests that the areas
of the entrances often emphasized by gates may have been crucial
liminal zones.
The concept of liminality in the archaeology of prehistoric
south-eastern Europe has not received the attention it deserves.
Rondels offer an excellent opportunity to explore this theme,
both in religious history and archaeology. This article provides a
brief overview of the relevant architectural elements of rondels,
archaeological discoveries, and features that support our approach.
Described and published here is a selection of the finds from certain settlement features, which are compared with the finds recovered from the fill of the enclosure. The settlement finds represent the classical and the late Lengyel (Lengyel IIIa) period, while the finds from the enclosure are later, dating from the end of the Lengyel sequence (Lengyel IIIb). The occurrence of Balaton-Lasinja finds in the material recovered from the enclosure raises a spate of other questions too. In the lack of precise find contexts, it remains uncertain whether the finds from the enclosure should be assigned to the period when the enclosure was constructed, to the period of its use or to the period of its infilling after its abandonment.
The position of a house is influenced by environmental and non-environmental factors. Besides the winds, sunlight, heat, etc. it is argued in anthropology that there is no phase in building traditional houses in which the position is not connected to a rite. Careful investigation of the orientation can reveal some attitude of prehistoric peoples to their natural surroundings that involve not only the terrestrial but also the celestial ‘landscape’ as an inseparable unity.
Papers by P. Barna Judit