Liviu, Marta - Szőcs Péter Levente (szerk.): Catalogul colecţtiei de archeologie (Satu Mare, 2007)
Neoliticul şi eneoliticul
The Neolithic and the Copper Age During its millenary development, humanity has known, like every human being, periods of intense progress alternating with stagnation. Such concentrated, even “revolutionary” development was the Neolithic period, when humanity rose from the slow life of Paleolithic, when man was only a hunter-gatherer whose only concern was the survival. During the period between 6500 and 4500 B.C., prehistoric man adopted new economic, social and spiritual habits that have determined the further development of humanity. The new economy was based on farming and husbandry, while previous activities like fishing (cat. no. 40-44), hunting and gathering, became complementary. The consequence of these two main activities changed the socio-cultural habits and made this period truly revolutionary. Cultivating plants and husbandry determined the prehistoric communities to become sedentary. In addition, the pottery was invented, in order to prepare the cereals. Other technical innovations were implemented in house-construction and tool-craft. Humans started to use new resources, like salt, beginning with this period. An archaeological collection was created in the region of Ciumeşti-Berea, called Kovács-collection, in the 1960 s. The Calvinist priest of Berea, Gyula Kovács started to collect archaeological finds from the region of Ciumeşti, Foieni and Sanislău, advised by doctor Ernő Andrássy. The information provided by Kovács collection, led to the systematic researches carried out in the sites Ciumeşti II-Păşune, Berea I, IX, X-XI, between 1962 and 1965. Further research was made by Eugen Comşa and János Németi in the regions of Cărei, Dindeşti, Moftinu Mic, Tiream, Văşad, and in the sites of Pişcolt-Ms ipărie, -Lutărie, -Cărămidărie, between 1970 and 1982. Most of these were rescue excavation. The issue of the early Neolithic in North-Western Romania was somehow clarified by the results of the excavations in Homorodu de Sus, Homorodu de Mijloc and Dumbrava in 38 the 1970s and 80s. During the last two decades, important discoveries were made in the sites of Tăşnad-Sere (where the late Neţa lercoşan worked for over a decade) and Călineşti-Oaş - Dâmbul Sfintei Mării, the northernmost point of the Starcevo-Criş culture from Romania. The researches of the last two decades were rescue excavation, only one systematic research was made in Pişcolt, by János Németi, starting from 1995. The results, however, remained unpublished. In addition, two excavations were started at the sites Halmeu- Vamă and Urziceni- Vamă, during the last five years. Prehistoric communities preferred to set their dwellings alongside rivers, on heights with the aspect of small hills or banks, dominating the surroundings. These island-like points were safe places against floods. In this sense, on the territory of Satu Mare County, the edge of the Ecedea Swamp, situated on the line of Berveni, Cămin, Căpleni, Domăneşti, Moftinu Mare, Ghilvaci, Dóba, Boghiş, and continuing beyond the border, is the richest in Neolithic settlements. Generally, the settlements were small, covering about 2-3 hectares with the average number of the population of 60-85 inhabitants. These types of settlements were set around a central settlement covering about 50 hectares. This type of settlement-network can be documented in all researched cultural horizons. Large settlements of this type were discovered in Tăşnad, Tăşnad-Sere, Pişcolt, Urziceni, Halmeu, Moftinu Mic, Homorodu de Sus, Cărei, Berea, etc. Dwellings were either dug in the soil, either built at the surface. The subteranean houses were found in Tăşnad- Sere, Pişcolt, Urziceni, Halmeu, Moftinu Mic, Homorodu de Sus, Cărei, Berea, etc., and they had among many inconveniences, the advantage of keeping cool in summer and warming up easier during winter. At the entrance was a sunken step on one side of the house, usually positioned to south. The heating was made with portable cooking vessels. Surface dwellings were found in Tăşnad-Sere, Moftinu Mic
