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$. I. THE COURTYARD OF THE FORTRESS Sándor BERECKX Attila Nándor HÁGÓ** During the excavations in the courtyard of the Tárgu-Mure$ Fortress, traces of several prehistoric settlements were documented. The earliest of these dates from the early Neolithic. The majority of the ceramic material dated to the 1IIB phase of the Сщ Culture comes from the layer, only a few archaeological features from this period were researched. Keywords: settlement, pottery, Early Neolithic, Cri§ Culture, small finds Cuvinte cheie: a^ezare, ceramicä, neolitic timpuriu, cultura Cri§ The archaeological site from the fortress in Tärgu Mure§ is situated on a first, dominant terrace of the left bank of the Mure§ River, on a wide plateau starting from the central area of the city, margined eastward by several high hills. The first archaeological investigations of the site were led by István Kovács in 1907, and later, in 1963, further research was undertaken by Alexandru Bogdan; both surveys focused on the medieval and modern fortification or on the church.1 Research started by Adrian A. Rusu in 1999 and continued almost uninterruptedly2 until 2017 by Zoltán Soós in collaboration with several researchers. The latest excavations took place at the site of the Franciscan friary near the church and resulted first, indirectly then systematically in the archaeological research of the prehistoric settlements from the plateau (Pl. I). Beside the research of the Franciscan friary and fortress, in 2009, rescue excavations had been undertaken in the courtyard of the Petru Maior University situated to the north from the fortress, where further Neolithic features were identified. The first archaeological investigations from the fortress did not focus directly on the prehistoric settlements. Unfortunately, the archaeological material and documentation from the excavations from 1907 cannot be found, while the ones from the middle of the 20th century were deposited mixed up and only briefly presented in an excavation report.3 A few decades later a somewhat more detailed version was published.4 The surveys of the last years’ excavations resulted in substantial Neolithic archaeological material * Sándor Berecki. Mures County Museum, Tärgu Mures, RO, sberecki@yahoo.com ** Attila Nándor Hágó. Carei Town Museum, Carei, RO, hagonandor@gmail.com 1 Bogdan 1967, 79-91. 2 There were no archaeological excavations in 2000 and 2002. 3 Bogdan 1967, 79-91. 4 Peticá-Molnár 2000a; 2000b; Molnár-Peticá 2001; Peticä-Apai 2003. MARISIA 1, 2019, p. 7-30.
