Marta, Liviu: The Late Bronze Age Settlements of Petea-Csengersima (Satu Mare, 2009)
III. Habitation of te Suciu de Sus Archaeological Culture
have been discovered. In the stratum of the settlement several examples, which probably belong to the Suciu de Sus habitation, have been discovered. The vessels were made from semi fine and fine clay. Ember protectors are characteristic of a great number of cultures of the Middle Bronze Age. In the north-west of Romania they are present in the Otomani II phase in the Ier Valley186 During this phase they are also encountered in the Plain of Satu Mare in the setdement at Medieşul Aurit—Ciuncaş attributed either to the Otomani II phase or to the Suciu de Sus I phase187. This form, already attested in the Suciu I setdement at Solotvino188 189, has been present in the setdements from the late phase of the Suciu de Sus culture185. The decoration of the Suciu de Sus pottery Suciu de Sus pottery is characterised by excised-incised decoration, however other decoration techniques are also used. Ornaments in relief are well represented and are achieved by adding material or by raising the material from the outside walls of the vessels. By means of these two techniques knobs are obtained (the A group of ornaments) as well as rib decoration (the B group of ornaments). The other decorative motifs are sunken into the soft clay of the vessels. Sunken ornamental motifs were obtained by: jabbing (C group of ornaments), finger-impressing and stamping (D group of ornaments), brushing (E group of ornaments), channelling (F group of ornaments), incision-excision (G, I, J, K, L, M, N groups of ornaments). The later technique was used to make the majority and the most representative decorative elements. In some cases in the hollowed out areas of the vessels there are traces of white paste which probably highlighted the decoration. It is not uncommon for several decoration techniques to be used on one vessel. While describing the pottery forms from the settlement, their decoration was also mentioned. For this reason the presentation of the ornamental motifs will continue their description as well as the structuring and comparison of the way in which they appear on different vessel forms. There will be an attempt to highlight the peculiarities of the decoration specific of the phases and of the different areas of the Suciu de Sus culture, as well as the way in which some ornamental motifs travel in the cultural environments of the region. Knobs (ornamentalgroup A — Typ. pl. 3) have the following forms: conical knobs (AA), perforated knobs (Ab), angled knobs/”false handles” (AC), vertical elongated knobs (AD), horizontal elongated knobs pointed upwards (AE), horizontal elongated knobs pointed downwards (AL), circular knob with a round impression (AK), pairs of knobs (AG), knobs on the rim (AH), crest with finger-impressions (AI), oval knob with finger-impressions (AJ). Knobs are present on almost all vessel forms of the Suciu de Sus pottery at Petea — Csengersima. They are very frequent on coarse pottery but are also present on fine pottery. As it is the case of other prehistoric cultures, knobs made from the material of the wall (?) are arranged symmetrically, even in the case of two or four knobs arranged crossways. Characteristic of the Suciu de Sus vessels is the positioning of the knobs on the upper part of the vessel’s body. Only in the case of very short cups (type 4) they appear in their lower part, 186 Bader 1978, pi. XIX/3,4. 187 Bader — Dumitraşcu 1970, fig.7/4; for the attribution of the settlement to the first phase of the culture see C. Kacsó (1995, p. 96-97). 188 Kobal 1997, pl. IV/10; Vasiliev et al. 2002, p. 40; fig. 3, 46/3. 189 Bader 1978, pl. LII1/7; Kacsó 2003, pl. VIII/10, XXXI/16, XXXVI/5; Kacsó 2004, Abb. 7/1,2. 35
