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

Régészet - Mikhailo Potushniak: Some results of research on the Middle Neolithic layer froma multilevel settlement near the village of Zastavne/Zápszony-Kovadomb in the Carpathian Ukraine

Some results of research on the Middle Neolithic layer from a multilevel settlement near the village of Zastavne/Zápszony-Kovadomh in the Carpathian Ukraine Mikhailo Potushniak The settlement is situated 1.5 km to the southeast of the village, at Kovadomb, near a brick factory. The site sits on a dome-shaped hill with a diameter of 106 m and covering an area of more than 2.5 ha. The hill is about 3 m high. It is part of the southeast section of the local Kosino-Zastavne mountains of volcanic origin situated in the southwest of the Carpathian Ukraine (Transcarpathian region), on the Hungarian border. At one time there was a river with no name flowing along the eastern and southern borders of the site. It may have been a left tributary of the Serne river. Today it has been regulated and channelized. The hill is threatened by ploughing year after year. Over various parts, the cultural layer of the settlement has been significantly destroyed. Features from different periods have been observed at a depth 0,40,5 m from the modern surface. The settlement has a horizontal stratigraphy: with some exceptions, features were found at the same level, frequently cutting into each other. The cultural layer was observed primarily in the fill of the features. The settlement was discovered in 1973. It was surveyed in 1974-1975. From 1982, the author of this article began excavations at the site. During 9 excavation campaigns (1982-1987, 1989-1991) we uncovered more than 2000 m

2 of the settlement including 132 farm and industrial features. They come from 4 different habitation periods at the site: the end of the Middle Neolithic (final phase of PPC - Painted Pottery Culture, Kovadomb I) - beginning of the Late Neolithic (early phase of the Polgár Culture, Kovadomb II), Middle Aeneolithic (Tiszapolgár phase of the Polgár Culture, Kovadomb III) and the Geto-Dacian culture of the 2ncl-3rd centuries A.D. (Kovadomb IV). In the investigated part of the settlement we also found a Medieval feature from the 12th-13th centuries. Let me shortly characterize in general the Early and Middle Neolithic period at the site. We found 40 features, among them the remains of 8 houses (features 1, 38-42, 52, 63, 76, 79, 84-86, 91-92), 22 pits with different functions (features l6a, 22, 24-25, 27, 29, 34, 35a, 37a, 54, 56-59, 60a, 65, 70, 71, 74a, 92,96, 98) and 2 industrial features - pottery kilns (features 12, 79b). In the following we cite some data from the stratigraphic observations: l.The southern part of feature 12 was disturbed by a Roman pit (feature 12a); 2. Feature l6a was covered by a fire-place from a Late Neolithic house (feature 16); 3. Feature 35a was cut by a Late Neolithic pit (feature 35b); 4. Feature 37a was covered by a Late Neolithic pit (feature 35b). Both were cut by a modern geological trench; 5. Feature 54 was covered by a fire-place from a Late Neolithic house (feature 53); 6. Feature 59 cut a Late Neolithic ditch at a part of feature 55c; 7. Feature 60a was covered by a fire-place from a Late Neolithic house (feature 60); 8. The eastern part of feature 63 was cut by a Late Neolithic pit dwelling (feature 63c); a Roman pit was dug into them (feature 63b); 9. Feature 79b was covered by a contemporary house (feature 79) into the southeastern wall of which was dug a Late Neolithic pit (feature 79a); 10. Features 90,91 were partly cut by a Late Neolithic ditch in the section of feature 93; 11. Feature 96 was cut by a Late Neolithic ditch in the section of feature 95. In the process of the investigation of the site it was discovered that in the Late Neolithic a complicated fortification system was built at the settlement consisting of a palisade (fence) the ditches of which remained. The ditches were narrowed or sharp angled in cross-section. The fortification of the settlement surrounded a territory of 2-2.5 ha and consisted of two rings of an inner and outer fence. The fortification was divided into four sections in the centre from east to west and from south to north. The ditches can be dated by stratigraphic data to the Late Neolithic. For example, one of the ditch cut a Middle Neolithic (Ko~ vadomb I) feature and at some sections was covered by Tiszapolgár (Kovadomb III) and Roman (Kovadomb IV) features. Dwelling places were represented by semi-subterranean houses and semi-surface buildings. The latter had a partly sunken floor where, as a rule, the fireplace was situated. Fire-places or kilns were usually built under one of the walls of the house. The surface part of the houses was rectangular and extended beyond the framework of the dwelling pit. The average size was 8-10 x 5-6 m. The side walls were covered by clay or wattle. The houses had tent-roofs, with its frame supported by posts inside the house and by the side walls. The houses were situated not far from each other. In the investigated territory they were observed in two rows running in an east-west direction. The whole settlement may have had about fifty houses. In the part of the territory free of houses and near them we found pits used in a variety of ways. Most of them served as stores and horraria. The latter were pear shaped, 0.4-1.35 m deep, and mainly had flat bottoms. Among the industrial features in the investigated territoiy of the settlement, we observed the remains of features that may have been pottery kilns. We did not succeed in defining their structures, as they had been disturbed by later constructions. Both features were filled with pieces of pounded clay from the walls of houses, mixed with charcoal and ashes. In the fill of these features we found a large number of burned fragments of pottery. Only walls, covered in some places by a thick layer of burned clay remained. A Jósa András Múzeum Évkönyve 1997 35