Marta, Liviu: The Late Bronze Age Settlements of Petea-Csengersima (Satu Mare, 2009)
III. Habitation of te Suciu de Sus Archaeological Culture
the archaeological sites. They were widespread, in various cultural areas since prehistory and undl the Middle Ages. Archaeological finds, the historical and ethnographic data as well as the experimental archaeology attest their role of storage pits. Fit with a lid of clay, they were very efficient in preserving cereals44. The smallest of the pits at Petea-Csengersima (S25 complex 2) revealed a pot (PI. 28/13). It had the character of a granary, but it could be interpreted as a storage vessel for other types of goods45. We assume that the existence of waste in the pits was the result of some depositions that were made here after their initial purpose had been abandoned. c) Cylindrical pits6. They were relatively numerous within the settlements from Petea— Csengersima. Given the various dimensions and composition of the inventory, their purpose seemed to be different. Some of the cylindrical pits were used for depositing waste, even if their initial purpose was another, as illustrated by the materials found in them. It is possible that some of the cylindrical pits were initially beehive shaped, but their rim broke down in time. This aspect could be applied for the large-sized pits in the areas with beehive shaped pits. Two of the cylindrical pits were located in the vicinity of a dwelling47. Between them, pit S27 complex 3 was noteworthy as it contained a complete pot and two vessels that were probably broken at the moment of their burial48 (Fig. 8, 9; PI. 31, 32). S37 contained 10 cylindrical pits (9 of them were assigned to the Suciu de Sus culture and one was not assigned to any culture) grouped on a very small area. Two groups of 5-7 cylindrical pits occurred in the southern area of the Suciu setdement, in the Hungarian territory (zone V, Fig. 16). Some of the cylindrical pits had small pits in their margins49, and their shape suggested they were post holes. The post might originate from a system of pit covering. Large or small cylindrical pits were found in several setdements of the Suciu de Sus culture50. They were generally used as storage pits or as pits used for household purposes51. The first purpose was denied in the case of some small pits at Lăpuşel (no dimensions provided) because they had small volume and were not fit for storage52. The use of small pits within households was confirmed by the cylindrical pits at Solotvino53. Pit S10 complex 4 was made to deposit an amphora. The vessel was laid on the base of the pit, standing (Fig. 8, PI. 13). Depositions of single amphorae represented a type of archaeological complex, prevailing in the Late Bronze Age54 and which was also present in the Suciu de Sus culture55. In several cases, the pits that contained amphorae were cylindrical 44 Reynolds 1979, p. 73-76; Wood 2000. 45 Food preserved in large sized vessels from small pits was a suitable situation in the Suciu de Sus setdement at Solotvino (Vasiliev et al. 2002, p. 32). The archaeological demonstration for using the pits for brining meat within other cultural environments was made by Reynolds 1979, p. 78-79. 46 S3 complex 1 (Fig. 7), S7 complex 2 (Fig. 4), S10 complex 4 (Fig 6), S14 complex 6 (Fig. 12), S17 complex 2 (Fig. 7), S27 complex 1, S27 complex 3 (Fig. 9), S 37 complex 4, S37 complex 5, S37 complex 6, S 37 complex 7, S37 complex 9, S37 complex 10, S37 complex 11, S37 complex 12, S37 complex 13, S37 complex 14, S37 complex 16, (Fig. 10), complex 280 (Fig. 21), complex 356, complex 373, complex 376, complex 386 (Fig. 22), complex 490, complex 494 (Fig. 23), complex 500, complex 501, complex 507 (Fig. 23), complex 519b (Fig 24), complex 768, complex 897 (Fig 26); pits with archaeological material not assigned to an archaeological culture, but which occurred in areas only with Suciu de Sus complexes: S3 complex 2 (Fig.7), S33 complex 6 (Fig. 9), S37 complex 8, S37 complex 25 (Fig. 10). 47 Pits 27 complex 1 and 27 complex 3 nearby dwelling S 26 complex 2 (Fig. 8). 48 Preserved ceramic fragments which made up 2/3 of a cup, and over 100 ceramic fragments that restored an amphora. There were 7 hearth fragments and the vessels. 49 S27 complex 2, S33 complex 3, S37 complex 15, S37 complex 23 (Fig. 8), complex 389 (fig. 22), 768 (Fig. 26) 50 Bader 1978, p. 67; Vasiliev et al. 2002, p. 32, PI. VIII, XIX; Balahuri 2001, ris. 61, 62, 63, 64. 51 Bader 1978, p. 67, Vasiliev et al. 2002, p. 32. 52 Kacsó 1995, p. 84. 53 Vasiliev et al. 2002, p. 32. (Arguments were provided for their use in preserving brined meat or the small quantity of cereals, the result of practising a raw agriculture). 54 Stapel 1999, p. 104-106, V. Szabó 2004, p. 86. 55 Marta 2007, p.4-17. 18
