Gödény-halom

Gödény-halom (transl. Pelican mound) is a prehistoric mound situated near the village of Békésszentandrás in Békés County, in the Southern Great Plain region of south-east Hungary.

Gödény-halom

Panoramic view of Gödény-halom
Shown within Hungary
Location	Békésszentandrás
Region	Hungary
Coordinates	46.813306°N 20.444658°E / 46.813306; 20.444658
Type	Tumulus
History
Periods	Neolithic / Bronze Age

Description

Gödény-halom is situated 7 kilometres away from the inner area of Békésszentandrás, close to the old road to Szentes.^[1] It is in the one-time flood area of the River Hármas-Körös.^[1] The name gödény (English: pelican) refers to the fact that it was once a roosting spot for pelicans in the swampy area.^[1] Today, it marks the county boundaries of Békés, Csongrád and Szolnok.^[2] Part of the northern side has been destroyed for the building of roads and a nearby dam.^[1]

Gödény-halom is the largest of the so-called Cumanian mounds of central Europe, and the highest prehistoric mound in Hungary with a height 12.2 metres.^[3] The Cumanian mounds are structures of uncertain age and origin and made by humans.^[2] It is generally thought that they were used as burial places in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages.^[3]