Marta, Liviu: The Late Bronze Age Settlements of Petea-Csengersima (Satu Mare, 2009)
III. Habitation of te Suciu de Sus Archaeological Culture
spaces between the arches with fields of parallel incisions260. In both cultures the origin of arched shaped motifs can be found in the Middle Bronze Age, being widely used within the Otomani culture261. The motif of spared arches is present in the first262 and second263 phases of the Suciu de Sus culture as it was obtained in the same manner like in the Otomani culture. At Oarţa de Jos — Vâlceaua Rusului setdement, where other remnant elements from the earlier phases of the culture have been observed, a bowl still has arches with the surrounding spaces decorated with parallel incisions264. In the Lăpuş I phase arched ornaments lose their importance since they are present only as secondary decoration on the necks of some amphorae265. The ornamental motifs that have been obtained are different from those on Suciu de Sus vessels. Circular excised-indsed decorative motifs (the L group of ornaments — Typ. pl. 4). Circular motifs obtained by excisions and incisions are elements that together with the spiral motifs are characteristic features of the Suciu de Sus decoration on pottery. They have a lower frequency in comparison with spiral motifs, but the wide variety of circular motifs gready enriches the ornamental repertoire of the culture. Circular modfs are present on all types of serving vessels: amphorae, bowls/dishes and cups. The most commonly used circular modfs are the simple ones: the circle (LA modi), the disc (LM motif) and the concentric circle (LB motif). These have a secondary role in the general decoration of the vessels, placed in the spaces between the spirals. The different concentric circle motifs are rare — in some cases even singular — associated with or framed by other decorative elements (LE, LF, LG, LI, LJ, LK, LN, LO motifs). LH motif is also singular and draws a circle with a cross on the inside (PL 66/3). In some cases concentric circles of large dimensions are used as main ornaments (LP motif) replacing the spiral (PL 5/12, 24/6,8, 52/12, 60/17). The circles and the discs made by excision and incision are present in numerous setdements of the Suciu de Sus culture266. Their presence in the Suciu de Sus II phase (according to Bader) 267 could be a possible link with the concentric circles of the ornamentation specific of the 3rd phase of the Otomani culture268. Discs and concentric circles continue to be used also in the Lăpuş group where their edge is usually surrounded by small excised triangles269. Incised-excised spirals and hooks (the M group of ornaments — Typ. pl. 4). The spiral is an ornamental motif specific of Middle Bronze Age cultures in the Carpathian region. The Suciu de Sus culture is one of the few from the Late Bronze Age that continues to use this ornamental motif. The technique of excision used in the making of the spiral motif specific of the Suciu de Sus pottery confers this decoration a particular and spectacular character. Although the spiral is present only on three pottery forms (amphorae, bowls/dishes and cups) it is also found on a relatively great quantity of vessels. The variety of the spirals is given by the number of their coiling, by the width between them, their arrangement in bundles, the degree and complexity of their twirl and the way they come together at the end. 260 Kacsó 1999, abb. Vl/1, VII/2; Bejinariu 2000, fig. 5/7, 11/2,3, 14/2, 16/1,3, 33/2. 261 Their origin might be the spaces under the garland shaped incisions from the Otomani I phase (Németi — Molnár 2002, p. 275, motif IE). In the Otomani II and III phases the space between the arches is marked with parallel lines or with pointillés (Bader 1978, pl. XVII/25-28, XIX/5; Németi — Molnár 2007, pl. 59/3, pl. 68/2, 73/2,4, 78/1,79/1, 111/1-3,113/1-2). 262 Kacsó 1987, abb. 5/3,8,9,11, 10/12. 263 Bader 1978, pl. XLVI/8, XLVII/19. 264 Kacsó 2005, abb. 2/1. 265 Kacsó 2001, abb. 6-8. 266 Bader 1972, pl. 6/4, 7/7,10,11; Bader 1976, pl. II/7, III/3; Bader 1978, pl. LI/4,6, LII/7; Kacsó 2003, pl. II1/8, IV/7; Kacsó 2004, abb. 2/1,3, 3/10; Kacsó 2005, pl. 5/4; Kacsó 2006, fig. 12/10. 267 Bader 1978, pl. XLV/14, XLII/14,15,27,32,34, 268 Németi - Molnár 2007, p. 287, 289. 269 Bader 1976, pl. VI/3; Kacsó 1975, fig. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7; Kacsó 2001, abb. 23, 25. 43
