Ciubotă, Viorel (szerk.): Mala Kopanya. Micromonografie (Satu Mare, 2009)
3. Pidszumki vivcsennja pamjatki
periphery (the place called Chellenyţa). They would defense the crossings from the side of the volcanic mountain Husti-Rokosovo, namely the entrance way in the settlement (fig. 3). We can see that the main system of fortification of the fortress was the wall of earth mixed with stones, strengthened by the palisade with pile holes reaching 1.1 m in depth. The defense system increased significantly when the slopes were blocked and the steep slopes were made on the outer sides of the earthen embankment (the western and the eastern sides). The system of building the walls has not yet been studied in detail. Given the analogies, it is very likely that the walls had wooden gates and were divided with towers like the fortresses of Transylvania. The location of the fortress on the main route of the region and the type of the defence constructions concluded that reinforcements were made in accordance with a well established plan, depending on the strategic need of the land. Several buildings with different functions were found during the research of the fortress, since 1977. 38 research areas were revealed, covering a total area of 2.3 ha. 41 houses, 107 other buildings, 37 hearths located outside the dwellings, stoves, hundreds of post holes and holes for domestic use were found. Archaeological discoveries prove that the fortress had many inhabitants. In this sense strongly argues the layer culture that covers its entire surface (up to a thickness of 3.8 m) and the large number of buildings. The layout of buildings was realized in accordance with the relief of the land, as artificial embankment was made (especially on the eastern slope). The dwellings had annexes (basements, waste or storage pits), and processing device. There were two types of dwellings: surface dwellings, with the walls standing on pillars, with the floors deepened in the ground, and the walls made of beams coming out from the ground. The first type of dwelling has rectangular shape, with a surface of 15 - 44.2 square meters. The houses had 8-13 post holes, some of them being reinforced with stones. The central part of the dwellings was usually deepened into the ground (0.1 - 0.2 m). Dwellings were fit with a fireplace, oval or circular in ground plan and lens-like in its profile. Often the fireplace was surrounded with small stones and slabs. The walls of the dwellings were probably consolidated with boards. This 44
