Virag, Cristian: Situl neolitic Halmeu - Vamă (Satu Mare, 2015)

Abridged version

Abriged version

History of research. Description of research units and archaeological features

Halmeu - Vamă

2000

The site was discovered within rescue excavations conducted in November 2000 by Liviu Marta and Ciprian Astaloş1. The area under research was 20 x 7 m (fig. 12). Three features were revealed here, two Neolithic (Cx. 1 and Cx. 2) and a Bronze Age feature (Cx. 3).

Features

Cx. 1 small Neolithic feature with little ceramic material, characteristic of the Pişcolt group. The material belongs to the same cultural phase as feature Cx. 2.

Cx. 2 large Neolithic feature (fig. 12/b) with a rich ceramic and lithic material. Its dimensions were 11.80 x 3.70 metres but the feature was not entirely excavated. The maximum depth is 1.30 metres. The feature deepens gradually taking the shape of a ditch. When it went out of use, it turned into a domestic pit filled with ceramic fragments, disseminated daub, and lithic waste.

Cx. 3 Bronze Age feature belonging to the Suciu de Sus culture

2003

An area of 15.20 x 8 m was uncovered at a distance of 6 m from the rescue excavation carried out in 2000. By this, it was intended to find the feature Cx. 2 / 2000 in order to confirm or refute the observations made in 2000. At that time we thought Cx. 2 was a fortification ditch captured in the entrance area in the settlement (fig. 35).

Stratigraphy:

0 to -0.30 m: plought top soil layer with mixed Neolithic and Bronze Age materials; -0.30 to -0.50 m: Neolithic layer cut by subsequent Bronze Age features;-0.60 to -0.70 m: archaeologically sterile yellow clay, here and there with limonite pigment,

Features:

At a depth of -0.30-0.40 m eight circular modern pits were observed occurring in the culture layer. All pits had a diameter of 0.70 to 0.75 m and were deviced for planting fruit trees.

Cx. 1 is a foundation trench for a wall, partially captured (2,80 x 0,24 m), with the maximum depth of 0.15 m, without ceramic material;

Cx. 2 foundation trnch for a wall, partially captured (2.96 x 0.20 m), with the maximum depth of 0.15 m, without ceramic materials, it stops where Cx. 6 begins;

Both foundation trenches have a depth of 10 to 15 cm and are parallel with a distance between them of 5,40 m. It is very likely that they were the sides of a surface dwelling.

Cx. 5 is a rectangular feature with rounded corners (1.70 x 0.48 m) and the maximum depth of 0.48 m;

1 Astaloş/Marta 2001, p. 97; Virág 2004, p. 29-30.

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