Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 31/1. (2011)
Articles
10 Z. CzAjLiK-S. Berecki-L. Rupnik-S. J. Sztáncsuj Age (Cotofeni culture) core of the settlement is surrounded by a circular palisade. There is also a mound on the top of this mount, which makes this site more special. The totally unique fortification at Racosul de Sus (Hu. Felsőrákos, Covasna County) was documented in 2010. Its protected area has an elongated form and one or two smaller circular zones. This strange fortification system has to be studies more profoundly, not just for its chronology but also because of its function. The elongated area could have served as a pen for animals (PI. 1/2). The aerial research of the burial mounds proved to be very effective. In this part of Transylvania, these structures were not systematically researched; therefore their mapping is still in an initial stage. The geography of the region however makes difficult their identification, since there are a number of geological phenomena similar to the burial mounds. While documenting the already know burial mounds, a number of destroyed such structures around the preserved ones could be also recorded. In some cases unknown or unregistered mound groups could be observed as well. The tumuli from Gherla (Hu. Szamosújvár, Cluj County) were documented, along with the ones from Culpiu (Hu. Mezőkölpény, Mures County) where the still standing and flattened structures were not investigated till now. In the vicinity of Bandul de Cámpie (Hu. Mezőbánd, Mures County), a region rich in archaeological sites, a larger number of more or less decayed mounds were observed (Pi. 2/1). At Bezid (Hu. Bözöd, Mures County) close to the Tárnává River, a similar group of tumuli were found (Pi. 2/2) east of the know group of ten mounds in the area called Asztagos (Lazar 1995, 215). Nearby, south to Criseni (Hu. Kőrispatak, Harghita County) an extended area with numerous large tumuli was also observed, not investigated till now. Some soil marks found at Ludus (Hu. Marosludas), Dileu Vechi (Hu. Oláhdellő), §äulia (Hu. Mezősályi, Mures County) and Vermes (Hu. Vermes, Bistrita-Näsäud County) might refer to unknown and perished mounds as well. At Bald-Akasztóhát (Hu. Báld, Mures County) some tumuli were photographed, mentioned earlier but never researched by field surveys. Mounds that are independently standing on mountain ridges were observed in areas which lay far away from each other: at Archiud (Hu. Mezőerked, Bistrita-Näsäud County), east to Ariusd-Őrhegy (Hu. Erősd, Covasna County), near the Olt River. In this latter case, there are 15 mounds dated presumably to the Early Bronze Age. Their average diameter is 15-18 m with a height of approximately 2 m, and they are scattered along a track of 5 km on one of the Baraolt mounts’ ridges. The lesser tumuli with a diameter of 5-8 m and a height of approximately 1 m appear in small groups of 2 or 3 (PI. 4/1). The aerial photography took place between 26-28 June 2009 and 8-10 June 2010, in the early summer period. When choosing the dates, we tried to adjust the research to the crop marks of the cereals, but the results were quite diverse due to the different landscape types and the agricultural facilities. On the Transylvanian Plain, the small mounds and river valleys are cultivated in small lots and only a smaller part of the cultivated areas are planted with cereals. Accordingly, we could hardly observe any crop marks while the results of the research were also negatively influenced by the spots resulting from the traditional fertilizing. Despite these, some topographical records delivered outstanding results. It is the case of the Early and Late Iron Age cemetery from Fäntänele-Dea/u/ Iusului (Hu. Szászújős, Bistrita-Näsäud County) where in the pasture a number of new graves were identified (Vaida 2004). Until 2011, 31 Late Iron Age and 6 Early Iron Age graves were excavated, but the aerial topography - completed with geophysical survey
