Archaeology Collection

The existence of the of the collection relating to Debrecen and the region of Hajdú-Bihar county is directly linked to the history of the City Museum and later the Déri Museum. Between 1906 and 1911, museum attendant Lajos Zoltai registered the museological items into the so-called “Increment Log” according to the order of their acquirement. After 1911, archaeological objects were registered under unit no. IV, which contained the excavated or purchased museological pieces.

The Archaeological Collection became a separate unit in 1953, the collecting area of which extended to the whole territory of Hajdú-Bihar county. Through the work of the three archaeologists and the one collection manager the assemblage expanded continuously and by 1987 it had counted 58 000 pieces. 

The data- and item collection of the Archaeological Collection is growing ever since. Storage, maintenance and processing takes place in separate buildings, the so-called base-workshops. Currently we have three buildings of this type in Hajdú-Bihar county: two in Debrecen and one in Polgár.

There are also internationally renowned and world-famous artefacts in the Archaeological Collection of the Déri Museum. In 1907, a 13-piece bronze treasure trove was discovered at the periphery of Hajdúsámson, which, regarding both its form, construction, and ornamentation, is considered a unique item group from this period. Since then it had been presented as the “Bronze treasure trove of Hajdúsámson” in every atlas dealing with European Bronze Age, and a “metalworking horizon” was named after it justifying its world-fame. The gold treasure trove which consists of 12 gold plates from the Middle Copper Age, used for ritualistic purposes, found in Hencida in 1963 acquired a similar reputation.

Preliminary archaeological excavations conducted over the last decades prior to projects involving major earthworks have also revealed finds and phenomena which deserve international attention. Recently, the burial of a horse-mounted warrior from the early Avar Period was excavated near Derecske, which contained a complete lamellar armour.

Researchers of the Archaeological Collection participate in various national and international projects, which include inquiries at international and European level, national/domestic projects (e.g. Momentum Mobility Research Project, late Bronze Age hillfort research), and local/regional topics (bioarchaeological research around Polgár, the registry of burial grounds from the age of the Hungarian conquest, the medieval and early modern archaeology of Debrecen). Some emphasized topics: 

Contribution to the research entitled Migration and Cultural Changes in Bronze Age Carpathian Basin. – The findings from the Middle Bronze Age burial grounds in the vicinity of Polgár, as well as a Middle Bronze Age settlement near Érd, including the genetic and geochemical examination of the organic residues found in the settlement, which are currently being processed within the frameworks of the research project.

For detailed information please visit the website of the Archaeological Collection.