Liviu, Marta - Szőcs Péter Levente (szerk.): Catalogul colecţtiei de archeologie (Satu Mare, 2007)

Neoliticul şi eneoliticul

- Pescărie B, Căpleni- Canton CFR, Căpleni - Togul lui Reök, Urziceni-Vamă, Halmeu-Vamă, etc. They were built of wood and clay, while wood was rarely used. Prehistoric communities prefFered for constructions wicker-net and clay or just earth with straws and chaff. Usually the annexes had one of the walls against the wall of the house for practical purposes, this way the houses were loosing less warm during winter. These dwellings were not always provided with a source of heat inside, probably because the majority of the activities were implemented outside, therefore, the houses were mostly used for sleeping. The roof was made of straws, reed, and had a tent-like shape. The houses were short and thus protected from wind. Usually prehistoric people built their houses facing south, because of the lack of light and warmth. The verandah became the place for different house activities like spinning and weaving clothing articles. The houses used to have only one room.

During this period, several cultures were present on the territory of Satu Mare County: Starcevo-Criş culture (cat. no. 19-20), Pişcolt group (or Ciumeşti culture), and Herpály culture (or Salca-Herpály). These archaeological cultures can be differenciated through the techniques of making and decorating pottery: incision, pinching, barbotine (cat. no. 21), paint (cat. no. 48-49), applications (cat. no. 50) etc.

The pottery is the most frequent find in the Neolithic settlements. Beside the pottery, however, the chipped stone tools (cat. no. 84, 86-88) of the previous period and a new artifact type, the polished stone axes, are present (cat. no. 74-79). These axes were perforated in later phases allowing to introduce a handle for a better efficiency in use (cat.no. 61-62, 65-73).

The religious belief of the period is reflected through special finds, like the anthropomorphic (cat. no. 25-39), and zoomorphic statues, small shrines (cat. no. 24), seals (cat. no. 22), etc., (Tăşnad, Homorodu de Sus, Carei, Pişcolt, Căpleni, Moftinu Mic, Berea, Ciumeşti, Urziceni, Dumbrava, Halmeu). These artifacts show the cult of the earth that gives life, highlighting the importance of the

farming in Neolithic societies. The feminine statues depict pronounced feminine features (cat. no. 34-39): prominent breasts and hips marking womanhood and fertility. A great number of such statues were discovered in Tăşnad-,Sere and Homorodu de Sus-Ograda Borzului.

The burials are mostly inhumations, the body being laid in crouching position on a “bed” of pottery fragments originating from large vessels, and it is also “covered” with pot-sherds. The deposition and the covering of the body are related to the idea of the cosmic genesis of man. This concept can be found in many mythologies about the

Aspecte ale vieţii cotidiene dintr-o aşezare neolitică (reconstituire) Mindennapi élet egy neolitikus településen (rekonstrukció)

Daily life in a Neolithic settlement (reconstruction)

creation of man from earth and his final turning to dust. The myths preserved such formulation, like “he turned to pots and small pots” that fit with the rite of breaking vessels at the burial. The crouching position of the body is interpreted in some practices as an attempt to prevent the dead to come back among the living. Other interpretations are also possible, the crouching position being linked to

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