NAGYBERKI-SZALACSKA – A HALLSTATT PERIOD CENTRE OF POWER IN TRANSDANUBIA

The hilltop settlement at Nagyberki-Szalacska (Somogy County, Hungary) is usually regarded as one of the most important Early Iron Age (EIA) centres of power in Transdanubia. This perception is largely based on the evidence provided by the adjacent tumulus cemetery comprising more than a hundred burial mounds. Due to the outstanding grave assemblages, Nagyberki-Szalacska is a relatively well-known Early Iron Age site in Western Hungary. However, an assessment of the results of these excavations at the site is still missing. In addition, in the 1980s excavations were carried out at the hilltop settlement. These unearthed a large number of Early Iron Age features and finds that hold valuable, yet unpublished information about the Early Iron Age community at Szalacska. In this paper, my aim is to provide sort of an overview of the Early Iron Age site at Nagyberki-Szalacska.