Marta, Liviu: The Late Bronze Age Settlements of Petea-Csengersima (Satu Mare, 2009)
III. Habitation of te Suciu de Sus Archaeological Culture
found around the spirals (PL 11/13, 33/3, 63/11). Besides the main decorative frieze on the body of the cups, the underside of the rims is usually decorated by a strip of oblique incised lines (decorative motif HB) (as in the case of amphorae or bowls). Only in the case of some type lAa cups, the base is decorated (PI. 63/4). It is likely that the few decorated handles belonged to type lAa cups (PI. 2/5). Variant lAa is present in settlements and necropolises from the late phase of the Suciu de Sus culture. There can be observed the presence of rarer elements like the vessels decorated on the upper side of the rim'59 or on the area of the neck159 160. Alongside frequently encountered decorative themes and the common style of their arrangement on vessels there are a few exceptional ornamental themes: like “S”-s facing each other (PI. 37) or almond shaped incisions161. T. Bader considers that variant lAa (also called the Suciu de Sus type cup) appears in the first phase of the Suciu culture162. He is probably referring to the short necked cup from the burial mound at Medieşu Aurit-Dâmbul Acastăului163 However its form is still very different than that characteristic of the cups from the Suciu III phase. A form considered as being transitory between the early and the late cups was discovered in the Stanovo 1/ Suciu de Sus I settlement at Kvasovo164. The same intermediary forms are present at Culciu Mic and Boineşti165. Thus, it is quite clear that the cups from the Suciu de Sus I phase (of the type mentioned from Medieşu Aurit) are the starting point of a typological line which will result in the emergents of the Suciu II (Kacsó) phase. Variant lAa is no longer present among the pottery forms of the Lăpuş group even if its characteristic excised-incised decoration still appears on an important number of vessels166. Variant lAb (PI. 63/3) has an identical form with the preceding variant and is fit with two small little handles. It is rare, being represented only by three examples. Two of these have lobed rims next to the handles. Variant lAb is not mentioned in other settlements of the Suciu de Sus culture. Its discovery together with a cup of variant 1 Aa within complex 1500 shows that the two variants were used in the same period. Subtype 1B has an arched body just like subtype 1A, but it lacks the lugs. Variant 1Ba has a globular body, short neck and out curving rim (PI. 15/1,3,4,7, 33/2, 35/9, 41/10, 43/4, 44/7, 54/6, 60/1,3-4,8, 63/5). It is the most frequent form of subtype IB, 33 as vessels have been discovered in the complexes of the settlement. Besides, these numerous vessels have been discovered in the cultural layer (their specific decoration of the Suciu de Sus culture is the key to their association). The decoration of this variant is made through the excision and incision technique, however channelled decoration is present in a similar amount, usually in an oblique arrangement (ornamental motifs FA, FB, FC, FD). Among the excised-incised motifs, the ones represented by different variants of spared lobes (ornamental motifs KH, KG, KJ) are frequent. Spirals and concentric circles continue to be used alongside these, less frequently than the preceding variants, usually being used as secondary ornamental motifs. Less frequent is also the decorative strip from under the rim formed by oblique or hachured lines (ornamental motifs HB and HC). At least one example had decoration on the upper side of the rim which has also an animal head modelled on it (PI. 84/12). Variant IBb has a more flattened body than variant IBa and its out curved rim is more prominent (PI. 30/6). It is rarer, only 4 examples have been found in the complexes of the settlement. The ornamental motifs present on the cups of this variant are represented by oblique channelled decoration (FA and FB). Variant lBc has a flattened body like the preceding variant but it 159 Almássy - Istvánovits - Kurucz 1997, p. 9. kép 2. 160 Bader 1978 pl. L/15; Almássy - Isvánovics - Kurucz 1997, p. 9. kép 2; Balahuri 70 fig. 70a/12. 161 Bader 1978, pi. L/15. 162 Bader 1978, p. 74. 163 Bader 1978, pl. XLIV/2. 164 Kobal' 2007, p. 590-591, ris. 6/1. 165 Bader 1978, pl. XLV/2; XLVII/2. ,66 Kacsó 1981a, p. 105-106. 32
