Marta, Liviu: The Late Bronze Age Settlements of Petea-Csengersima (Satu Mare, 2009)

IV. Habitation of the Lăpuş II-Gáva I Archaeological Culture

These are considered the “directory type”/ the primary ceramic type used in dating in the category of the pottery of the Gáva culture and the cultural groups that precede it, this also being the reason why this type was wide studied382. Amphorae belong to the pottery type used for serving meals, indicated by the fine treatment applied to the outer walls of the vessels no matter what clay category was used in their production. Such vessels underwent a good firing, the majority of these having a brick red colouring. 23,91% of amphorae discovered in the archaeological complexes of the Lăpuş II—Gáva I habitation were fired so as to obtain a double, black-red colouring. This percent is lower compared to that of blackred amphorae from the Gáva environment383. In order to establish the typology of amphorae a primary aspect taken into account was the general form of the vessel (the form of the neck and body or the dimensions), and also the presence of elements with a secondary role in the morphology of the vessels (protuberances, handles). These elements were taken into account also in the case of vessel types from the settlement we are presenting.

Type 1 has three components clearly outlined: conical body with the maximum diameter at the level of the shoulder, tall neck and out curved mouth (rim), usually very wide. The neck of the vessels is cylindrical or conical becoming wider toward its lower part384(Typ. pl. 5). The characteristic decoration of type I is wide channelled decoration with tall edges that sometimes have the aspect of appliqué ribs. The channelled decoration and appliqué ribs on the surface of the vessels are arranged into two or three decorative registers placed on the shoulder, neck and rim. The decorative register on the shoulder is always present, incorporating channels and oblique, vertical, arched or spiral ribs. Decoration covering the neck is also relatively frequent, comprising wide channels and rib decoration applied horizontally (PI. 4/2, 11/3, 21/15, 49/3, 79) or slighdy oblique (PI. 18/7). In the case of two examples the wide horizontal channels are present only on one part of the length of the neck (PI. 4/1, 17/1). Decoration on the rims of amphorae is rarer, it always comprises ribs and concentric channelled decoration (PL 4/8, 18/7, 39/14).

An important element taken into account for the dating of amphorae with highlighted shoulders from HaA are the protuberances created by pushing outwards the walls of the vessels. Subtype 1A includes vessels lacking in this element (PI. 18/7,10). Subtype 1A is attested also in other sites of the Gáva I385 and Lăpuş II phase386. This form differs from vessels with tall necks (cylindrical or conical) from Gáva II sites whose maximum diameter tends to descend from the level of the shoulders towards the middle of the body attaining a rounder appearance387. The rounded body with the maximum diameter underneath the shoulders is present also in the case of a few amphorae from BzD-HaAl discovered west of the Gáva I settlements388. Besides the body form, the vessels without protuberances from the Gáva I and Lăpuş II environments (subtype 1A) differ also through

382 László 1973; Rusu 1973, p. 108-112; Kemenczei 1984, p. 64-66; Kacsó 1981, p. 26-34; Vasiliev - Aldea — Ciugudean 1991, p. 80-83; László 1994, p. 75-79; Pankau 2004, p. 49-53; Vasiliev 2008, p. 7-16. These studies make references to earlier works treating this pottery forms.

383 Teleac - the vast majority of the specimens of this form are bi-chrome. Some types have their specimens with dark outside and brown-brick-red inside (Vasiliev — Aldea - Ciugudean 1991, p. 80-82); in Grăniceşti the bi-chrome firing is present in 86,01% of the amphorae (László 1994, p. 75).

384 The two forms of the neck are taken into account to define two different vessel types within the Gáva culture (for example Pankau 2004, tipentafel 2). It is difficult to operate with this criteria in the case of vessels from the HaA period because of the great number of vessels with the neck slighdy tilted, and the existence of numerous common elements of form or decoration makes their separation useless.

385 Németi 1990, fig. 2/2; 5/1 (Berveni).

386 Motzoi-Chicideanu — Iuga 1995, abb. 1/1,6 (Bogdan Vodă); Kacsó 2001, pl. 17,18 (Lăpuş).

387 The highlighted shoulder is kept only on one example from level I at Teleac (Vasiliev — Aldea - Ciugudean 1991, fig. 29/18) and a few examples from Grăniceşti (László 1994, p. 75-76, pl. 29/7, 30/ 1-2).

388 Mozsolics 1973, taf.46 (Valea lui Mihai), V. Szabó 1996, abb.50/10, 51/4 (Deszk-A, Szőreg-C).

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