Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 29/3. (2009)
Berecki Sándor: A Late Bronze Age Pit Discovered at Sângeorgiu de Mureş (Mureş County)
A LATE BRONZE AGE PIT DISCOVERED AT SÁNGEORGIU DE MURE§ (MURE§ COUNTY) berecki Sándor Mure§ County Museum, Tärgu Mure§ In 2004, the archaeologists from the Mure§ County Museum researched by surface surveys the south-eastern edge of Sängeorgiu de Mure§ (Marosszentgyörgy in Hungarian, situated north from Tärgu Mure§, on the left side of the Mure§ River, plate 1/1), on the northern edge of the place known as “Sub Ghera - Gyéra alja” („Borsóföld”, not the same site investigated by Székely Zoltán), where an early medieval settlement from the 10th—11th centuries was identified1. Thanks to the financial support given by the local authorities, the site was investigated by several trenches in the summer of 2007. The archaeological excavations were organized by László Keve. The territory was researched by magnetometric measurements (plate 1/5), method which detected, between others, a prehistoric pit. Identified in the archaeological field work in the section S2, the pit had a regular shape2, it was circular in horizontal section, with a diameter of 82 centimetres (plate 2). It appeared as a spot with traces of burn at the depth of 35 cm from the actual surface, 10 cm above the yellow, sterile soil, in which it was dug with 20 cm, having a final depth of 30 cm. The compact fill of the pit contained burned earth, wattle-and-daub fragments, carbon and a few ceramic fragments from two vessels, from which only the form of a cup could be entirely restored. Some of the potsherds belonged to a big storage vessel (M. C. M. 8388/380.3.153.784). The form is also mentioned in the Romanian literature as “sack-shaped vessel”. It has an almost straight profile, a rounded rim; it was coloured brown, with glazed and mildly polished surface, damaged because of the soil, with traces of secondary burning on the upper part, caused after its deterioration. The vessel was tempered with coarse sand; it had oxidizing firing and on the inner side horizontal channels, the traces of the modelling could be observed. It was decorated with a double, parallel impressed cordon, which starts at the upper and lower side of the large handle. The present height of the fragment is of 23 cm (plate 3/2, 4). This type of pottery, as well as the ornament from its superior part is common for the ceramic wares from the end of the Bronze Age3. 1 On the southern edge of the place features from prehistoric settlements with some from the Bronze Age were earlier revealed (Horedt 1960, 113, no. 140; Boroffka 1994, 78, no. 407). 2 Gogältan 1993, 373, fig. 3. 3 Horedt 1960, Abb. 12, A5; Florescu 1964, 155, fig. 7/8, 9, 11; Morintz 1978, 116, 152, 156; Chidio^an 1980, 28, fig. 2/Id; Andritoiu 1992, 35, 43, pi. 43/1-6; Ciugudean 1997, fig. 9/10. MARIS I A XXIX, p.49-55
