Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 32/2. (2012)
Articles
A NEOLITHIC FEATURE DISCOVERED AT ALBA IULIA-LUMEA NOUÄ MARIUS-MlHAI CIUTÄ Lucian Blaga University, Sibiu, RO The paper presents some recent Neolithic discoveries from Alba Iulia-Lumea Nouä found in a pit house together with a few artefacts discovered in trench SI/1995. According to their structure, morphology, technique and ornamentation, the anthropomorphic protoma, the zoomorphic vessel, the pot and the flint blade brought into discussion are specific to the early Vinca culture. The study presents the stratigraphy and features of the artefacts, as well as their analogies from the Mures valley or even more distant regions (Banat, Morava valley, Tisa Basin, etc.), also emphasizing the regional elements of the culture. Keywords: Vinca culture, pit house, anthropomorphic protoma, zoomorphic pottery, symbiosis/ syncretism Located on the middle course of the Mures River, the site from Alba Iulia-Lumea Nouä is well known also because of the discoveries belonging to the early phases of the Vinca culture (Berciu-Berciu 1949; RepAlba 1995, 29; Aldea-Ciutä 1996; Paulet al. 2003; Ciutä 1998; Gligor 2009). Lately, systematic excavations had been undertaken in 1995 and 1996,1 in order to specify the chronological sequences and the extension of the site already researched in the 1940’s. Both the former and later investigations brought to light Neolithic discoveries, dated to the Early Vinca period (A3-B1), with some elements characteristic for the end of the A phase. From the later excavations recently two artefacts belonging to the early Vinca zoomorphic representations were presented (Ciutä-Ciutä 2011, 9-23), mentioning different points of view about the significance of these exceptional objects. The artefacts presented here were discovered in a pit house (В 1/1995) revealed in trench SI/1995 (PI. 1/1), with dimensions of 10 x 2 m, traced in the north-western area of sector B, oriented east-west, at approximately 50 m south from the south-western corner of the romancatholic farm (with Copper Age discoveries researched in 2002, see Paul et al. 2003), near the road, west to the area investigated in 1944-1947 (Berciu-Berciu 1949,1-3), on a territory used for agriculture in the last two centuries. The relatively thin layer - in SII/1995 the Early Vinca layer was about 2 m thick - and the archaeological phenomena indicate that the area of SI/1995 was on the periphery of the Neolithic settlement. 1 Responsible of the scientific research were Professor Iuliu Paul and Ion Alexandru Aldea, head of excavations, carried out on the ground by the author. Research has been carried out in the months of September-October 1995, at the excavations participating students of the University of Alba Iulia: M. Cästäian, D. С. Щшапи, A. Badea, A. Caloian, M. Petri?, C. Popa-Gorjanu, M. Gligor, etc. (Aldea-Ciutä 1996, 5-6). MARISIA XXXII, p. 7-14
