A Nyíregyházi Jósa András Múzeum évkönyve 41. - 1999 (Nyíregyháza, 1999)

Régészet - Ivan Popovich: Study of the Early Iron Age sites in the Transcarpathian region

Ivan Popovich Pottery is represented by table and kitchen vessels. The most widely spread forms of the rough pottery are tulip shaped, S-profiled pots. As a rule they have a slightly prolonged rim, short neck and small handleknobs at the shoulders. Sometimes the rim is decorated by small imprints (PI. III. 1,6, IV.2,3,8). Such pottery can be frequently met on the territory of the GávaHolihrady group of sites. It has a rather wide chronological scale of existence which is evidenced by a vessel from Drisino/Dercen (PI. II.

4) where it was found together with the pottery of the Stanovo/ Sztánfalva Culture. Here it represents the earliest assemblages of the Gáva Culture in the Transcarpathian region (Report 1975) and in Hungary. A relatively large group is composed by twohandled pots (PI. 111.9,11). According to some researchers this pottery form is of Luzice origin (POTUSHNIAK 1958.130; KRUSHEL'NICKAIA 1979.306; KOBAL' 1992.177; BUDINSKY-KRICKA 1976. Tab. 5.11). Table vessels consist of bowls, pots and dippers. Bowls have a prolonged and inverted rim. The most archaic bowls have a straight, petal shaped rim (PI. IV. 12). Bowls with inverted rim are frequently decorated with a braid ornament at the edge (PI. III.

8). There are bowls with a slightly prolonged, thickening edge of the rim (PI. IV. 14). Bowls with inverted rim and large handle-knobs situated at the shoulder are represented by one piece (PI. III.

7). They have to be classified as the latest forms of bowls existing up to the Kushtanovica period (POPOVICH 1974.75). In the ceramic assemblage of the settlement Uzhhorod-Radvanka Hora there are no early forms of the Gáva amphoras. Only rarely black polished vessels decorated with horizontal and vertical flutes can be met (PI. 111.2,4,9,11). The collection of dippers was significantly enriched. Earlier this type of vessels was considered to be a hardly known form of the preKushtanovica finds of the Transcarpathian region (SMIRNOVA-BERNIAKOVICH 1965.97). Dippers belong to two types. One of them has a hardly prolonged rim transiting into a slightly ovoid cup and a handle merging above the rim (PI. IV. 1). A direct analogy was found in the cemetery of V. Bereznyi/Nagyberezne (POTUSHNIAK 1958.128). This form of dippers has a wide scale of existence at vast territories of the Carpathian basin (CHOCHOROWSKI 1989/A.507). Such dippers are well known in the Kushtanovica barrows of the Transcarpathian region and correspond to the second type separated by us for this group of sites (POPOVICH 1993.272, ris. 136.11). The second dipper has a straight rim, a deep, spherical cup and a handle slightly merging above the edge (Pl. III.5). The form of the cup corresponds to the first type of the Kushtanovica dippers (POPOVICH 1993.273), but unsimilarly to our dipper the Kushtanovica ones have a high, ribbon like handle. Analogous dippers can be met in the Luzice Culture (MOSKWA 1976.269, rye. 63). The same form was met in the Mezőcsát burials (OZDÁNI-NEVIZÁNSKY 1996.258, Obr. 8.1). Ceramic material from the settlement UzhhorodRadvanka Hora belongs to period HB

3-HC

r Despite of the fact that at the present moment the archaeological map of the Gáva Culture shows more than 50 sites, simple settlements of this culture are known only by stray materials and small scale rescue excavations. The existence of the pre-Kushtanovica period was registered only at some sites, and according to the data cited above it can be characterized only by an insignificant cultural layer. We have to assume that the basic economic-political life was concentrated in the strongly fortified settlements formed in the regions close to the mountains, by the roads leading to the Carpathian passes in the period HB

V The question of the formation of the fortified settlements in our region is not solved by the present moment. Some researchers think that their appearance is connected with the grow of political activity and tribal conflicts between certain groups inside the Thracian tribes inhabiting the Carpathian basin at the turn of the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age (BALAHURI 1972.72.). Others explain their appearance with the grow of the exterior threat from the Iranian nomads (CHOCHOROWSKI 1989/B.

85-99). By the present moment the best studied Transcarpathian sites are the fortified settlements of Shelestovo/Szélestó (SMIRNOVA 1966., BALAHURI 1972.) Ardanovo/Árdánháza (SMIRNOVA 1966.), Bilki/Bilke (DZEMBAS 1991.105-106), Uzhhorod (BERNIAKOVICH 1955.17). Our data on the character of the late Gáva fortified settlements was considerably widened by the materials found during the excavations of 1981-1982 on the Stremtura Hill in the town of Irshava/Ilosva (POPOVICH 1991.104-105). The settlement is situated north-west from the town and occupies a plateau of a hill from which we see a wonderful view of the whole Borshava valley. The whole region can be well observed from here: on the north we see village of Brid/Boród, in north-western direction village of Il'nica/Ilonca, from the west - village Bilki. Ancient inhabitants of the place had chosen this hill for fortified settlement because of the strategic position of the Stremtura mountain. The steep slopes of the hill were surrounded by river Irshava from the north and east, and from the south a mountain range made it hardly approachable. 140