Virag, Cristian: Situl neolitic Halmeu - Vamă (Satu Mare, 2015)
Abridged version
Cristian Virág Houses A. Surface houses The research of 2008 provided the opportunity to study the area between the excavations of 2000 and 2003 when the Duty-Free store was expanded (fig. 35, 100). Cx. 2/2000 had an oval ending, with a foundation trench for a wall on its southern side, and it was parallel to Cx. 45. The latter was another foundation trench that, correlated with several postholes, indicates the presence of a surface dwelling. Linked to this house may be also Cx. 44 (fig. 100, 101), a posthole with the posthole proper visible. On the bottom of this pit was deposited a bowl as a foundation ritual for the building (bothros). Another surface house was uncovered during the excavations from 2003. There were discovered: Cx. 1-а foundation trench, partially identified (2,80 x 0,24m.) and Cx. 2 - another foundation trench, also partially identified (2,96 x 0,20 m) that ended where Cx. 6 began (fig. 35). Both ditches had a depth of 0,10-0,15 m. They were parallel, at a distance of 5.40 m from each other. It is very likely they were the sides of a surface dwelling. In their vicinity were discovered: Cx. 5, a rectangular feature with rounded corners (1.70 x 0.48 m), with the maximum depth of 0.48 m and Cx. 6, an oval feature, of slightly irregular shape (1.50 x 1.16 m) with little ceramic material, located in the vicinity of Cx. 2. We assume that both Cx. 5 and Cx. 6 may be connected with Cx. 1 and Cx. 2 respectively. Another surface dwelling was indicated by Cx. 12/2006 (fig. 61). Its shape was that of a trench (5.60 x 0.80 m) with light brown fill and large pieces of daub, faceted on one side. Its walls were slightly inclined and its bottom flat. The feature deepened as much as 0.40 m from the level of its identification. It was a foundation trench for a wall of the dwelling. Cx. 12/2008 (fig. 92) was a trench (6 x 0.40 m) with dark brown clayey fill. It is likely it was a foundation trench for the wall of a surface dwelling. We can assume that there was a surface dwelling in the area of the feature Cx. 38/2008 (fig. 98), which is a trench (0.30 x 8.5 m) with clayey, dark brown fill and no ceramic material. Its maximum depth was 0.20 m. Another foundation trench was identified in the corner of the same surface: Cx. 30/1 (2008; fig. 98). It was a shaped like a ditch or foundation trench and had two segments that ended in Cx 30 (fig. 98, 99). Its maximum depth was 0,40 m. The fill of the feature was dark brown with clayey consistency. The walls of the ditch were straight and the bottom flat. A similar situation was found in the case of Cx. 28/A (the 2008 excavations; fig. 96, 97), which was a feature shaped like a ditch of 0.3 x 2.5 m in dimensions and 0.2 m deep. We assume that it was a foundation trench for a wall. The feature ended where Cx. 28 began. The fill of the feature was dark brown and clayey. B. Sunken and semi-sunken dwellings Cx. 4/2006 (fig. 61, 63) was a rectangular archaeological feature (6,40 x 7,20 m), slightly irregular in shape, with black-gray fill and much scattered daub at the top of the fill. There were three pits in the feature that looked like a three-leafed clover at the bottom. We found an upside down vessel on the bottom. The feature was a subterranean house and we discovered storage pits in its immediate vicinity. So, on the north-eastern side of the feature we discovered Cx. 11 (2.2 X 1.60 m) and Cx. 1 lb (an oval feature 2.5 x 1.70 m, which deepens into two oval pits (fig. 61, 63) with the dimensions of 1 x 0.60 m each) and on the southern side of the feature we found Cx 14 (two round pits with 2 m, respectively 1.8 m in diameter). Nearby the feature was found a posthole which is in correlation with Cx 4 (fig, 61, 63). Cx. 33/2006 is a subterranean dwelling (fig. 61, 70), the pit of the house having a slightly oval contour (3.30 x 3.00 m), with dark brown fill. The walls of the pit were oblique or slightly arched. The bottom was flat, with a slight alveolar form on the southern side. Its maximum depth was 0.90 m. 108
