Protection of the State of Prehistoric Mounds in Hungary: Law as a Conservation Measure

ABSTRACT

According to the Act of 1996 on nature protection, mounds (kurgans) are natural monuments protected nationally in Hungary. According to the law, all kurgans in Hungary were to be surveyed by 2002, and 1692 were included in the cadastre. Fewer than half of the kurgans remained intact due to numerous anthropogenic impacts. A high number of disturbing artificial buildings together with soil erosion, soil removal, and afforestation have significantly reduced the landscape value of kurgans. In 2002, 51.5% of the surveyed kurgans still represented some kind of a value and thus their protection became one of the most urgent tasks of nature conservation and archaeology. According to a Hungarian ministerial decree, established on the basis of an EU Council decree, the area of kurgans under cultivation must be removed from cultivation. By 2015, in the area of 90% of the kurgans under cultivation this land use, which caused significant erosion, was terminated.

KEYWORDS:

• Kurgans
• tell settlements
• mound cadastre
• cross-compliance
• aerial archaeology
• magnetometer investigations

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The publication is supported by the EFOP-3.6.1-16-2016-00022 project. The project is co-financed by the European Union and the European Social Fund.

Notes on contributors

Csaba Albert Tóth

Csaba Albert Tóth (Ph.D. 2004, University of Debrecen) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Geography and Geoinformatics, University of Debrecen, Hungary, while writing this paper.

Attila Rákóczi

Attila Rákóczi (Ph.D. 2016, Szent István University in Gödöllő, Hungary) is Head of Department at the Agricultural and Rural Development Agency, Békés County Office, Békéscsaba, Hungary.

Sándor Tóth

Csaba Albert Tóth (Ph.D. 2004, University of Debrecen) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Geography and Geoinformatics, University of Debrecen, Hungary, while writing this paper.

Sándor Tóth (Geographer MA 2002, University of Debrecen) is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Mineralogy and Geology, University of Debrecen, Hungary.