Tales from the store: where in the world... (part 6)

Many of the mysteries had now been solved (the documentation assistant was considering a career change to private detective or crime writer...), from starting with a box of objects with an unknown provenance I had managed to identify multiple sites in eastern Europe and pinpoint where the objects were from.

Ferrule from Százhalombatta, Hungary:
Hull and East Riding Museum

There were two objects remaining which had clues on them - a shell which had 'Batta' written on it and ferrule stored with a label, handwritten in pencil, "Százhalombatta".

This was a little easier to research as the site is still active, with current archaeological field work happening on the site.  Százhalombatta is in Hungary, in Pest county.  It also has an museum and an archaeological park - the latter includes reconstructed Bronze Age and Iron Age villages!

So this was a lot more straightforward, as the site was and is well known (to archaeologists, at least).  However, I wanted to see if I could find out who excavated it and when.  I felt like our friend Tivadar Kormos might have had something to do with this too...

Sure enough, I found the publication (published in 1904) and again, by a stroke of luck, the two objects were both illustrated so could be positively and definitely associated with Kormos.

Shell amulet from Százhalombatta, Hungary:
Hull and East Riding Museum

There is just one thing still puzzling me about these objects - how did they come to Hull?  

The museum's previous curator, Thomas Sheppard, wrote in a publication that they "were said to have been taken from a Museum in Hungary during the War of 1914 - 1918.  They were offered for sale in Denmark, and thus came to Hull".  I think this last chapter in the objects' history will be fascinating, if we can discover more about it, however with more objects to document, this will have to wait.

It's amazing to think these objects have managed to survive, not only thousands of years in caves but also the First World War, the journey to Hull via Denmark and managed to survive the severe bombing of Hull in the Second World War.  To also be in such good condition that a present day researcher can positively identify them against photographs and illustrations made over 100 years ago is a testament to the importance of not only object care but also the preservation of site records and publications!