Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 1. (2019)

Sándor Berecki, Attila Nándor Hágó: A neolithic Settlement from Tărgu Mureş. I. The Courtyard of the Fortress

A Neolithic Settlement from Tärgu Mure?. I. The Courtyard of the Fortress

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surface of a rectangular hearth in CIO was flattened, it was 0.60 m long and placed on the top of a clay bed (PL II/5-6). One of the clay floors was found in surface C13 (Pl. II/3), while the second was researched in sector В (Pl. II/4). Both surfaces appeared as broad clay platforms and consisted of a relatively thin, approximately 0.08 m thick, yellowish-white clay stratum. The available archaeological data does not allow for an exact interpretation of the clay floors, which could either be open air platforms or the floor of buildings.

The Neolithic materials consist of a large quantity of ceramic, especially pottery fragments, but also few clay objects, animal bones, and a flint chip. Most pottery fragments are coarse (especially that of the pots and storage vessels) and semi-fine (middle sized pots, deep and shallow bowls, cups etc.); fine pottery is poorly represented only by a few fragments of deep bowls and small sized wares. The colour of the pottery is diverse, most of the fragments present different shades ofbrown (brownish-red, light and dark brown, yellowish-brown), while others are brickred, grey, greyish-black or yellowish. They were tempered with organic and inorganic materials, sometimes mixed together: chaff, plants, shells, sand, silt, pebbles, and crushed shards. Their surface treatment was influenced by the use of the wares. The coarse wares (storage vessels, large pots, and those used for cooking) usually had a less smoothened, rough surface, sometimes with sprinkled and organized or applied barbotine. The surface of the semi-fine pottery was relatively well smoothened, polished, sometimes covered with good quality slip. Generally, the pottery was fired in oxidation atmosphere, only rarely were these fired in a reducing environment or insufficiently fired, which demonstrates the use of open air firing in pits and less probably the use of kilns, which otherwise are documented for other sites from the early period of the Cri§ culture.10

Because of its fragmentation only general observations could be made regarding the typology of the pottery.11

Made from a good quality clay and evenly fired coarse and semi-fine pots are the most frequent vessels from this site. Their size varies, the mouth of the small ones has 80 to 100 mm, the medium sized pots’ are 120-200 mm, while the mouth of the large ones is between 200 and 350 mm. Their surface is smoothened, coarse or rough, the mouth of the vessels is everted or straight, their neck is cylindrical and their body is globular. The diameter of their base is between 80-100 and 120-140 mm. Some of them show traces of secondary burning caused by their use on the fire. Pots are ornamented with incisions, finger pinches, finger impressions, simple and network incisions, spattered, and organized barbotine (Pl. III/1-2, 6-12, 17-18; IV/3, 11, 12-18; V/2-3, 8-13, 15-17, 19-23, 25-26; VI/2, 8-9; VII/1, 3-12, 16; VIII/1-6, 8-11, 13, 17, 19, 23-30; IX/2, 6-10, 14-17, 19-21, 24-28; X/4-10,12-19, 22-23,26, 32-35, 39-41; XI/1-2, 6-7; 10-12, 18-20, 22-23, 30-31; XII/13-17,21; XIII/13-17, 21-23, 26-27).

Equally numerous are the preponderantly coarse storage vessels, with homogeneous clay matrix, tempered with chaff, crushed sherds or sand with pebbles (Pl. III/3; V/l, 14, 18; VII/27; VII/11, 18; VIII/22; IX/13; X/27-30, 36, 38; XI/5, 8-9, 15; XII/18—20; XIII/20). The shape of these vessels is cylindrical or sack-shaped with truncated neck, the rim of the vessels is straight or slightly everted. In most cases storage vessels are not ornamented, yet, sometimes finger pinches, finger and nail impressions, spattered and organized barbotine, knobs, cordons, and horseshoe-shaped plastic ornaments appear. These recipients usually have two large circular handles on the body or on the shoulder of the vessel. Analogies for pots and storage vessels are known from sites in Transylvania, Banat or eastern Hungary.12

10 Nica 1978,18-29; Lichiardopol 1984, 80-84, fig. 2/1-2; Ciutä et al. 2007, 121-122, fig. 23-26.

11 Pottery categories were described according to the corroborated typologies of Gh. Lazarovici, Z. Maxim and FI. Dra?ovean (Lazarovici 1979,48-49, fig. 2; Lazarovici 1984, 66-67, fig. 6-7; Lazarovici-Maxim 1995, fig. 38; Maxim 1999, fig. 28; Dra?ovean 1981, fig. 2).

12 Lazarovici 1979, 65-66; Dra?ovean 1981, 39; Lazarovici 1993,47, pl. V/2; Lazarovici-Maxim 1995,96-99,102, 113; Makkay-Starnini 2008, fig. 2, Type IB 1, IBla, IB3 (pots), fig. 7, Type VIIA, VIIB, VIIC (storage vessels).