A Nyíregyházi Jósa András Múzeum évkönyve 37-38. - 1995-1996 (Nyíregyháza, 1997)

Régészet - Josyp Kobal’: Preliminary report on the results of archaeological research on the multi-level fortified settlement of „Chitattia” (near Solotvino/Aknaszlatina, Transcarpathian region, Ukraine) by the Expedition of the Transcarpathian Museum of Local History

Josyp Kobal the walls of features from the Late Iron Age, which had been dug into the subsoil. This shows that the cultural layer and features from the Bronze Age in this part of the settlement had been destroyed by later layers. A different picture was observed in the western part of the fortified settlement, in test square 1. It was excavated in 1992 in the same place as the old test pit of the expedition of Uzhgorod University (Fig. 8). Its main aim was to control the sequence and preservation of cultural layers in the western part of the site. It is noticeable that here, unlike the trench, the horizon of Bronze Age was much better preserved. In the test pit we also encountered finds from different epochs, but here the Bronze Age horizon proved to be most characteristic, and as a matter of fact, represented the cultural layer of the site here. In the same place we found Paleolithic flakes, ceramics from the Late Iron Age and some Early Medieval sherds (PI. I.,VII.). Despite the small territory investigated, we could identify remains of a surface house of the Bronze Age here (Fig. 8). Its construction also included pebbles of different sizes. The archaeological material of this house consists of ceramic finds, stone and bronze artifacts. The most common finds, as usual, were the ceramics. The ceramic fabric was made by adding ground quartz of different size grains to the clay. The majority of the finds are fragmentary, and we did not find whole pots. A characteristic feature of ceramics is a veiy intense firing. As a result, the sherd gives off a ringing sound when knocked. Pots in different tones of brown and gray dominate, but sometimes black ones are encountered. As a rule, pottery is well made: the surfaces of the vessels are frequently smoothed and engraved. The characteristic feature of this potteiy that it is black and smoothed inside. The Bronze Age ceramic complex is represented by a great variety of different forms: pots, amphorae, bowls, dippers, colanders and piraunos. The most numerous group are the pots. They come in several variations. Pots with S-shaped profiles dominate, sometimes with small handles (Pi. 11.1-4,111.1) and a dissected band under the very edge of the rim (Pi. II. 15). Sometimes pots were found with slightly profiled rims without any ornamentation (Pi. II.

9-15,). The surface of other pieces is frequently covered by vertical, oblique or criss-crossing brushed ornamentation (Pi. V.2,9-1

1). The basis of pots as a rule are flat (PI. V.8,IX.7) and also profiled (Pl. V.8). The rims are usually plain, but when they are ornamented, it is mostly with incised decoration or other forms of indentation (Pi. III.

5,II.

68). A separate group of pot-like vessels represent those with a cylindrical neck. In general, they are ornamented by paired incised lines forming spirals on the body (PI. V.3-7,VIII.7-14), nipple-shaped knobs (Pl. III.8) and incisions on the rim (Pi. 111.2-7,9-12). One of the amphorae had a handle with a pyramidal shape. Bowls represent a relatively numerous group within the ceramic material. They are usually rounded (Pi. IV. 1,3,4), sometimes with a biconical body (Pi. IV

2). The rim is slightly profiled with oblique, vertical or ••* In 1983 a temple ring was found in the test pit. parallel, incised oblong or oval form lines ornamenting it (PI. IV. 1-7). The body of the vessels is frequently ornamented by incised lines that formed semicircular, paired, or parallel lines in combination with hatched triangles (Pi. IV. 1). In some bowls small, pyramid shaped handles were preserved (Pl. IV.2). Dippers are less representative compared to the latter two groups. They were preserved in a very fragmented form. Their rims are slightly profiled, and sometimes ornamented with small incisions (Pi. IV. 13). The handle is almost at the level of the edge of the vessel and is sometimes ornamented with incised lines (PL IV. 12). We have only single fragments of such rare vessel types as colanders (Pi. IV.10), fish frying dishes (Pi. VIII.

5) and a portable vessel: a stove or piraunos (PI. VIII.4). There is a pressed biconical spindle-whorl among the clay artifacts (height: 2.2 cm, diameter: 3.8 cm) (Pi. VI.

3,3a) while among stone finds a pebble reminiscent of a human head should be mentioned (Pi. VI.4,4a) as well as an arrow-head, perfectly retouched. This latter has a triangular depression at its base (length: 2.4 cm, maximum width: 1.9 cm). The arrow-head was made from a very dense dark gray flint type (Pi. VI.

2). Metal artifacts are represented by a fragment of a bronze bracelet (diameter: 5 cm, thickness: 0.5 cm) (Pi. VI. 1). It had a rounded shape and round crosssection. In those places where the patina was better preserved, a point ornament can be seen on the surface. > As mentioned above, the Bronze Age horizon at the fortified settlement of Solotvino had earlier been attributed to the Ottomány Culture (KOTIGOROSHKO 1989.23.). However, on the basis of the finds from the last years excavations we were able to revise the cultural attribution of the Bronze Age layer of the site. The analysis of the ceramic material has shown that given to all the characteristic elements: technology, forms and ornamentation, it is related to the ceramics of the Suciu de Sus (=Stanovo) Culture. In the Suciu de Sus Culture we not only found analogies for some of the clay vessel types or ornamental compositions, but for the whole of the ceramics from Solotvino. The closest parallels to the „Chitattia" ceramics can be found at the settlements of this culture in the valleys of Máramaros/Maramures (Giules ti/Bihar magura, Säräsau/Szarvaszo) (KACSÓ 1987.Abb.5-7

; 9,12-15), Tur (Boianesti/Bujánháza) (BADER 1978.P1.XLVIIL, BADER 1979.P1.XLV.XLVI.) and Szamos/Somes (Culciu Mic/ Kiskolcs, Mediesul Aurit/Aranyosmeggyes, Seini/ Szinyérváralja) (BADER 1978. Pl.XLIV,XLV,XLVI. KACSÓ 1987.Abb.lO-13). All these sites belong to an early phase in the development of the Suciu de Sus Culture (phase Mediesul Aurit and Culciu Mic by T. Bader or phase Suciu I by K. Kacsó) (BADER 1978.74-75., BADER 1979.22-23., KACSO 1987.67-68.) that can be related to period BB1 (after Reinecke) (KACSO 1987.67). We know of chronologically parallel sites of this culture from the modern territory of the Transcarpathian region also. For example, the temple ring from Solotvino

3 is analogous to die finds from the lower levels of the 120 A Jósa András Múzeum Évkönyve 1997