A one-month archaeological field season recently concluded at the Neolithic site of Szeghalom–Kovácshalom in southeastern Hungary. The excavations were directed by Dr. Attila Gyucha, Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Georgia. The research is part of an NSF-funded project, for which another department member, Assistant Professor Dr. Danielle Riebe serves as field director. The project investigates the development of two periods of large, nucleated villages on the Great Hungarian Plain during the Neolithic (ca. 5000–4500 BC) and the Bronze Age (ca. 2100–1700 BC). By comparing these two episodes of settlement aggregation, the project seeks to better understand the social and ecological processes that contributed to the first nucleated farming villages in southeastern Europe, as well as why these trajectories ultimately failed to develop into enduring urban societies. This year's excavations uncovered the exceptionally well-preserved remains of a nearly 7,000-year-old house at Szeghalom–Kovácshalom. The excavation revealed spatially discrete activity areas dedicated to storage, textile production, lithic manufacturing, and food processing, as well as evidence that Neolithic agricultural communities intentionally raised habitation surfaces to protect against recurring floods. Together, these discoveries provide new insights into the organization, daily life, and resilience of some of Europe's earliest large settlements. The international project brought together researchers, specialists, and students from the United States, Hungary, Austria, and Slovakia. UGA participants included undergraduate students Carrie Adkins, Carter Epperson, Dylan Mojock, and Andre Williams, as well as graduate students Cassie Hausdorf and Ethan Watson and UGA Alumna Summer Gomez. Fieldwork will continue next summer as the team expands its investigation of the site to better understand the emergence, development, and eventual decline of large prehistoric villages on the Great Hungarian Plain. Follow the project on Instagram! Körös Consortium Type of News/Audience: Alumni Departmental
