István Kovacs, B.

* Rimaszombat, July 4, 1953 – / archaeologist, ethnographer, local historian ; ; He graduated from high school in Košice, then earned a degree in ethnography and archaeology at the ELTE BTK in Budapest (1977), and later a doctorate in humanities there (1985). He was an archaeologist-museologist at the Gömör Museum in Rimaszombat (1977–1988), then the head of the Homeland Knowledge House in Rimaszéc (1988–1990). From 1990 to 1994 he was the director of the Gömör Museum in Rimaszombat, then a professor at the Konstantin Philosopher University in Nitra (1995–1999). Later (2000–2002) he was an archaeologist at the Gömör-Kishonti Museum. Since 2002, he has been the director of the Scientific Collections of the Slovak Reformed Christian Church in Rimaszombat. He is the re-initiator and president of the Gömör-Kishonti Museum Association (1990–), the founding editor-in-chief of Gömörország. Among his archaeological excavations, the excavation of the Copper Age cemetery on the border of Méhi stands out. His folk poetry studies have brought results in the field of individuality research. His most important awards and distinctions: the Ferenc Széchényi Award of the Ministry of National Cultural Heritage in Budapest (2001), the Silver Plaque of the Government of the Slovak Republic (2003), the Posonium Literary Award (2004). ; ; His main works: ; Clay Bread. Chapters from the History of Clay Crafts in Gömör and Kishont, 2001, ; The Triad of Gods and its People 2002, ; Gömörology. Writings on the Past and Present of the Historical Gömör and Kishont Counties, 2003, ; Gömörország. The Faces of a Countryside in Facts, Images and Thoughts, 2004.