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 us suggest that iron melting furnaces can be dated to an early period. This conclusion does not contradict to observations made in the process of the cleaning of the furnace 9 (Fig. 4). In the furnaces we have found a fragment of a black polished bowl with an inverted rim of Hallstatt character. Fig 4. Irshava, view of furnace 9 after cleaning 4. kép Ilosva/Irsava, a 9. kohó a bontás után In order to get further materials from the Upper Settlement we had made one more, a 48 m

2 large square. Here we have discovered two features. Feature 1. (Fig. 5-6) A rectangular, 1.3 x 1.7 m oven oriented west-east with rounded corners. The oven was deepened into the subsoil 0.37 m deep from the level of the cultural layer. The walls of the oven were straight, burnt red. The thickness of the walls was 2.5 cm. The oven was filled with a solid layer of charcoal. A similar oven was investigated by V.l. Bidzilia who Fig 5. Irshava, ground plan of square 4. 1 : charcoal, 2: walls of the furnaces 5. kép IlosvaЯrsava, IV. szelvény. 1 : faszén, 2: a kemence fala Fig 6. Irshava, view of the charcoal burning furnace 6. kép IlosvaArsava, faszénégető kemence considered it to be a charcoal storage pit (BIDZILIA 1971.29, ris. 8). Taking into consideration that it was found at a fortified settlement close to iron melting furnaces we have to classify it as one belonging to the industrial complex. It is known that during processing the iron one of the main components is coal. So, we have to suggest that ancient metallurgists at Stremtura burned charcoal directly at the site of melting. A thorough investigation of the whole surface of the Upper Settlement has shown that in its central part up to our time a crater had been preserved. Its diameter was 12 m. Local inhabitants consider it to be a well. Close to it we excavated a 400 m

2 large square. Two more ovens analogous to the one described above have been found. The crater was filled with a marshy mass, so it was impossible to investigate it. It cannot be excluded that there was a limonite mine at this place. We found sources of bog-iron during the investigation of the eastern part of the site, at the place of support of the high voltage electric line. So, there are conditions for processing iron at Stremtura, as the presence of bog-iron, which could had been got by mine method. Significant forest provided fuel. Charcoal was burned at the spot. Summarizing the results of the investigation of the fortified settlement in Irshava we have to assume the presence of two horizons of different ages. The majority of the finds belong to the Early Iron Age. Late Mediaeval horizon is represented by single finds of pottery and a stone oven. Its traces can be observed only inside the Lower Settlement. They are absent at the Upper Settlement, here the cultural layer was characterized only by Hallstatt ceramics. The study of the fortification construction has shown that different building methods were used. In the cross-section of the mound we have found a timber construction consisting of a palisade and a stone masonry. The mound was cut only at a small surface, 144