Virag, Cristian: Cercetări Archeologice în Judeţul Satu Mare 2. (Satu Mare, 2015)
Halmeu - Vamă
The excavations in the area of the Romanian-Ukrainian customs were continued in 2002 and 2003 (systematic excavations: C. Virág), and 2006, 2008, 2009 (preventive research) when a Neolithic settlement with a complex system of fortification was found along with features from the Bronze Age. The works of modernization in the area of Halmeu Customs led to the discovery of a late Neolithic settlement with both painted and incised materials, with analogies to the materials from Zăuan-Dâmbul Spâanzuraţilor, Suplac- Corău, Oradea-Sa/сй, Giurtelecu Şimleului, Carei-Cozard, Dumbrava- Medieşul Aurit. The pottery was tempered with sand and chaff, in some cases with mud, giving it a soapier, reddish, yellowish-red, dark brown colour. Recent excavations confirmed the existence of two different cultural horizons. One area of the customs yielded painted materials from the middle phase of the Pişcolt group. Those materials lacked incised materials typical of a later period. The research from 2006 and 2008 led to the discovery of two systems of fortification, the first consisting of a palisade and the second of a ditch fortification. The preventive nature of the research that were carried out and the area of the site (the Romanian-Ukrainian customs) were limiting factors that have prevented us to obtain a chronological correlation between the two systems of fortification. The area marked by C2/2006 and C4/2008 revealed both painted and incised material. The two features were part of a system of fortification with a ditch and palisade like the one of Iclod. Among the painted materials appeared a few import pieces of the Herpály type. The ceramic shapes are like the ones met in the discoveries of the Iclod I type. When the excavations will be completed and the processing of all materials from Halmeu will be done new references for the late Neolithic phenomena will be revealed. The archaeological investigations of 2012 led to the discovery of a fortification ditch in the close vicinity of the Romanian-Ukrainian border that offered a new clue on the area of the Neolithic settlement and fortification system. In the current state of research, the archaeological site from Halmeu- Vamă has an estimated area of approximately 2 hectares. With reference to the two levels of occupation, the fortification system corresponded to the second level. The fortification was discovered within the archaeological research on three points when the delimitation of its borders on the Romanian territory was established with priority. The Neolithic site of Halmeu is the origin for a number of idols with clothing items made by fine incisions and stitches. Thus, one of the idols has his/ her upper body clothing represented by incisions and a necklace around the neck made by fine stitches arranged in a V shape. 16
