Neolithic of the Carpathian Basin

Motivaţie Pretextul abordării problematicii pandantivelor de candelă din sticlă premoderne/moderne transilvănene îl constituie o piesă inedită descoperită de noi în cursul unor cercetări de suprafaţă întreprinse în hotarul localităţii Cugir. Aparent minoră la început, importanţa şi semnificaţia piesei s-au conturat cu timpul. Pe fondul datelor relativ sărace cunoscute despre aceste artefacte-descoperite în arealul intracarpatic doar în Ţara Haţegului-, şi chiar a sticlăriei de acest gen, prezentarea pandantivului, cât şi rediscutarea categoriei din care face parte o considerăm utilă. Pandantivul de candelă de la Cugir Alături de materialele arheologice din diferite epoci apărute pe terasa râului Cugir, în locul numit La Arini (fig. 1), în arătura proaspătă de pe panta terasei a fost descoperit şi un artefact confecţionat din sticlă. Acesta provine din cercetări de suprafaţă, nefiind însoţit decât de fragmente ceramice preistorice şi dacice 1. Piesa, care se prezintă sub forma unui p...

Across prehistoric Europe several techniques were used to produce salt, including solar evaporation and the briquetage method. Here, the authors focus on a third technique used in Romania and western Ukraine. Building on excavations at Băile Figa and a series of wooden troughs found there, the authors conduct experiments to elucidate how these objects may have been used in salt production: to drip water onto rock salt surfaces to break them up; or to filter and/or concentrate brine by decanting and/or heating. The results demonstrate the troughs are ineffective at concentrating brine, but highly efficient at breaking up rock salt and cleaning the brine of insoluble impurities.

This volume is dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the birth of Sergej Ryzhov, an eminent figure in the Ukrainian archaeological community whose body of work serves as an example to generations of scholars. Included are contributions that deal with archaeological data systematization, attempting to understand the available records and reconstructing complex socioeconomic, migratory and cultural processes in the Neo-Eneolithic period of Southeastern and Central Europe.

This volume is dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the birth of Sergej Ryzhov, an eminent figure in the Ukrainian archaeological community whose body of work serves as an example to generations of scholars. Included are contributions that deal with archaeological data systematization, attempting to understand the available records and reconstructing complex socioeconomic, migratory and cultural processes in the Neo-Eneolithic period of Southeastern and Central Europe.

This volume is dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the birth of Sergej Ryzhov, an eminent figure in the Ukrainian archaeological community whose body of work serves as an example to generations of scholars. Included are contributions that deal with archaeological data systematization, attempting to understand the available records and reconstructing complex socioeconomic, migratory and cultural processes in the Neo-Eneolithic period of Southeastern and Central Europe.

This volume is dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the birth of Sergej Ryzhov, an eminent figure in the Ukrainian archaeological community whose body of work serves as an example to generations of scholars. Included are contributions that deal with archaeological data systematization, attempting to understand the available records and reconstructing complex socioeconomic, migratory and cultural processes in the Neo-Eneolithic period of Southeastern and Central Europe.

This volume is dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the birth of Sergej Ryzhov, an eminent figure in the Ukrainian archaeological community whose body of work serves as an example to generations of scholars. Included are contributions that deal with archaeological data systematization, attempting to understand the available records and reconstructing complex socioeconomic, migratory and cultural processes in the Neo-Eneolithic period of Southeastern and Central Europe.

We present archaeo-magnetic plans of nine Neolithic (eight of them Late Neolithic) settlements, which were surveyed between 2014 and 2022 along the lower reaches of the River Tisza, in Autonomous Province Vojvodina, Serbia. The site of Borđoš and the Borđoš Late Pleistocene Terrace (a loess terrace) are published in several preliminary reports and represent an example of micro-regionally focused multidisciplinary research. Borđoš is a multicomponent site with a 9 ha tell and a 40 ha flat settlement with five ditches, which is situated on the left bank of the Tisza, in the Banat part of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. In the past few years, thanks to the more widespread use of magnetic measurement as an indispensable survey method in archaeological field investigation, our knowledge about enclosure
ditches and tell settlements in the Carpathian Basin and the Lower Danube region has improved. In the past decade, eight Neolithic sites in the wider area around Borđoš and farther along the Tisza were investigated by archaeo-magnetic prospection and surface collecting. In this article, we provide a general overview and first results of our research project by presenting the archaeo-magnetic plans and their preliminary interpretation. In addition to describing each site, we discuss the variability of settlement structures within our study region. We then address the significance of enclosures and how they fit into the Late Neolithic tell-scape.

Next to today’s Hungarian-Romanian border, in the northwestern border of the Battonya settlement,
the site of Battonya–Parázs-tanya is located, which is one of the most important middle-late neolithic
tell settlements in the region. The site is surrounded by a natural watercourse, which created ideal
living conditions even for prehistoric people. The agricultural value of the soil surrounding the Neolithic settlement is very high, and its water balance is excellent, which also favored the Neolithic communities. It is an important fact that another significant Neolithic settlement was also found within the
reachable distance of the area, namely the almost fully destroyed Battonya–Gödrösök, which could
certainly have been closely related to the tell settlement of Parázs-tanya. The central tell located at
Parázs-tanya and the surrounding settlement was a huge, almost „urban” settlement, with roads, boulevards and concentrical moats. The site was excavated in 6 seasons between 1975 and 1981 under the
leadership of Júlia G. Szénászky and György Goldman. Various anthropomorphic clay plastic and
ceramic artefacts were already found at this time. In 2022, during the extensive field trip carried out
jointly with the supervision of the University of Miskolc, numerous ceramic fragments, stone and bone
tools and some cult objects were also collected. The finds collected a few years ago can be linked to the
period of the Szakálhát, Tisza and Proto-Tiszapolgár like cultures. However, the typical and common
middle and late Neolithic finds also contained a few rarer object types, namely a few anthropomorphic
idols and vessel fragments. In my study, I mainly present these human-like cult objects found in 2022,
but I also mention the important ceramic fragments of a similar age and purpose from previous excavations of the site.

This paper investigates differences and similarities in raw material use and
technological processes between the LBK and the Lengyel periods at the site of Karancsság (Middle and Late Neolithic, 5500/5400-4500/4400 BCE), located in the North-Hungarian Mountains, in order to understand connections and the exchange of items, knowledge, and technology among these mountains, Transdanubia, and the Great Hungarian Plain. The region of the North-Hungarian Mountains is of interest archaeologically because it has seen relatively few Neolithic sites excavated in comparison with the adjacent regions. One of the few Neolithic sites to have been analysed and published from the region thus far is the settlement of Szécsény-Ültetés, which neighbours Karancsság and shows archaeological evidence for a mixed material culture in its lithic raw material use and combined pottery style (Zseliz and Szakálhát) in the 6th millennium BCE.

The site of Gradište, located near the town of Kikinda, in the Serbian part of the Banat region, has been the subject of multidisciplinary archaeological research since 2014, focusing on the formation and transformation of human societies between the Neolithic and the Late Bronze Age, human – landscape interactions, local area networks, communications, and trade and exchange in a liminal area constantly washed by inɦuences of major traditions originating both in the Balkans and in the Carpathian Basin. The site was occupied between the late 6th and the 1st millennium BC and encompasses a large area of diverse traces of human activities, illustrating its varying use through time. In our efforts to elucidate the origins, development and transformations of the local Late Neolithic population, we use a multidisciplinary approach to the material culture remains, Bayesian chronological dating of events, and scientific analysis of period proxy data. The approached showed significant alterations to material culture and societal organisation through time, from the settlement organisation and architecture building to pottery making and firing, to subsistence adaptation to local environment.

This volume presents various facets of recent archaeological investigations into Neolithic and Bronze Age societies in the Carpathian Basin spanning from the 7th and 2nd millennium BCE. It delves into population dynamics, settlement patterns, and the spread of the Neolithic way of life through methodological approaches such as demographic analysis and environmental modelling.

Moreover, the book explores social transformations and the development of inequalities, emphasizing the role of cultural complexes and technological advancements in shaping prehistoric societies. Interdisciplinary studies encompassing the spatial scales from the archaeological site up to the supra-regional level shed new light on domestic practices, subsistence strategies, and integration into regional socio-economic networks. Several contributions deal with enclosures and communal areas, which are reinterpreted to unveil their ritual significance and community dynamics. This is particularly evident in those cases that include burials. Ritual practices surrounding burial sites are seen as responses to social crises and complex situations, reflecting the negotiation of individuality and community identity.

Overall, the book underscores the multifaceted nature of Neolithic and Bronze Age societies, showcasing their adaptability, social complexity, and elaborate interactions with the environment and neighbouring communities.

The Alsónyék-Bátaszék archaeological site is located in the southwestern part of the Tolnai-Sárköz micro-region on the right bank of the Danube and on the border of the two towns that give it its name.3 This area that is bisected by the Lajvér Stream in a southwest to northeast direction is bounded to the west by the Szekszárd Hills and to the east by the flood plain of the former course of the Danube River, which has served as an important transportation route since prehistoric times. On the basis of the field walks and the archaeological data, the extent of the entire site is ca. 80 ha, of which about 25 ha, containing nearly 15,000 objects, was examined during the excavations conducted between 2006 and 2009. Although relics from later periods also came to light, 90% of the excavated features are from the Neolithic Central European linear pottery culture, the Starčevo culture, as well as cemetery and settlement features of the Sopot and Lengyel culture.4 The present report aims at...

Prin publicarea, în viitor, şi a celui de-al doilea volum privitor la aşezarea Wietenberg de pe Piatra Detunată va putea fi adus la cunoştinţa tuturor cercetătorilor un material documentar deosebit de interesant şi relevant privitor la această cultură. Nu putem încheia aceste rânduri înainte de a aduce mulţumiri celor care, într-un fel sau altul, şi-au adus contribuţia la cercetările propriu-zise şi la apariţia acestui volum. Primul dintre aceştia este Profesorul Ioan Glodariu, care a şi condus cercetările arheologice sistematice de la Racoş în primii ani, înainte de începerea săpăturilor pe Piatra Detunată. Compus o vreme numai din Florea Costea şi Angelica Bălos, colectivul s-a îmbogăţit sau diminuat numeric aproape în fiecare an, permanenţi rămânând

Focusing on Early Neolithic continental Europe, I present new archaeological results in comparison to similarly recent ancient DNA and stable isotope studies. I address various scenarios from one region in the Balkans and another in northern Germany, before zooming in on the eastern and western parts of the Carpathian basin: the last region with direct Balkan migrant groups and the first region with a growing local contribution as well as genetic influx. These examples show that there are possibilities to reconcile aDNA data with the archaeological record, as well as some contradictions, but above all they highlight the extremely high diversity of the Neolithic transition.

The settlement of Tiszaigar lies some 10 km south of Tiszafüred in the northern Hungarian Plain in eastern Hungary. A site known as Tiszaigar-Homokbánya extends over a roughly 250 3 150 m large area about 500 m south of the village, to the north of the entrance to the Arboretum, on the high bluff overlooking the floodplain and a former curved channel of the Tisza to the west. A large, abandoned quarry pit with a diameter of 100 m, whose depth reached 5 m in some spots, can be found in its northern part. In 1984, the pupils of the local school noticed the remains of a disturbed and already largely eroded Middle Neolithic pit as well as several other features of differing sizes in the sand quarry's southwestern part. They found countless pottery sherds, bones, and burnt daub fragments in the pits' ashy section, alongside a most unusual clay tablet lying at a depth of 73 cm from the surface. The remains of the pit were excavated as part of a small archaeological excavation conducted between May 11 and 13, 1984. However, no more than a brief preliminary report was published about the Tiszaigar site and its finds. The finds recovered from the pit indicated that the contents of the Tiszaigar pit diverged from the 'norm' and the usual content of the refuse pits of the Alföld Linear Pottery (ALP) culture. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that a part of the finds represented types with a special symbolic value, while others fell within the usual spectrum of household refuse, suggesting that they were interwoven with the community activities associated with them. The hearth on the pit's floor (layer E) and the layer of burnt daub fragments in the pit's uppermost part (layer B) can be regarded as marking the initial and final acts of a specific set of activities. The assemblage of ritual material remains, and its physical context was situated in this matrix, which also determined the choreography of the one-time symbolic activities. The multidisciplinary examination of the archaeological record has shed light on the nature of the structured deposit found in the pit from several perspectives. The two radiocarbon dates for the remarkable Tiszaigar assign the assemblage to the close of the Middle Neolithic, to between 5300 and 5070 (86%) cal BC.

The settlement of Tiszaigar lies some 10 km south of Tiszafüred in the northern Hungarian Plain in eastern Hungary. A site known as Tiszaigar-Homokbánya extends over a roughly 250 3 150 m large area about 500 m south of the village, to the north of the entrance to the Arboretum, on the high bluff overlooking the floodplain and a former curved channel of the Tisza to the west. A large, abandoned quarry pit with a diameter of 100 m, whose depth reached 5 m in some spots, can be found in its northern part. In 1984, the pupils of the local school noticed the remains of a disturbed and already largely eroded Middle Neolithic pit as well as several other features of differing sizes in the sand quarry's southwestern part. They found countless pottery sherds, bones, and burnt daub fragments in the pits' ashy section, alongside a most unusual clay tablet lying at a depth of 73 cm from the surface. The remains of the pit were excavated as part of a small archaeological excavation conducted between May 11 and 13, 1984. However, no more than a brief preliminary report was published about the Tiszaigar site and its finds. The finds recovered from the pit indicated that the contents of the Tiszaigar pit diverged from the 'norm' and the usual content of the refuse pits of the Alföld Linear Pottery (ALP) culture. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that a part of the finds represented types with a special symbolic value, while others fell within the usual spectrum of household refuse, suggesting that they were interwoven with the community activities associated with them. The hearth on the pit's floor (layer E) and the layer of burnt daub fragments in the pit's uppermost part (layer B) can be regarded as marking the initial and final acts of a specific set of activities. The assemblage of ritual material remains, and its physical context was situated in this matrix, which also determined the choreography of the one-time symbolic activities. The multidisciplinary examination of the archaeological record has shed light on the nature of the structured deposit found in the pit from several perspectives. The two radiocarbon dates for the remarkable Tiszaigar assign the assemblage to the close of the Middle Neolithic, to between 5300 and 5070 (86%) cal BC.

Despite the allegedly high proportion of subadults, limited attention has been paid to children and understanding their role and position in prehistoric communities. By investigating the skeletal remains of children from the Late Neolithic Lengyel population from Svodín, Slovakia (4900-4700 cal bc), within their environment and archaeological context, this article provides insight into childhood and children's place in the Lengyel culture community. Altogether, 59 subadult skeletons from Svodín were macroscopically analyzed, evaluating their age at death, health status, and lifestyle. Subadults of all ages and social status manifested signs of long-lasting increased metabolic stress and/or infectious diseases. These results seem to correspond with the presumption of worsened environmental conditions and resource shortage at the end of the Neolithic. Injuries observed in adolescents and adults at the Lengyel sites seem consistent with small-scale raids, possibly for resources. Individuals skilled in acquiring food seem to have gained increased importance, with their status passing down to their kin, although adolescents may have been expected to contribute to the community and achieve their status on their own. The roundel area likely held special significance for the community, being designated for unborn or newborn infants, solitary children, and those linked to the supernatural. Stillborns and/or perinates were probably not yet perceived as part of the community. Toddlers and older children seem to have been recognized as members of society, their status reflecting that of their (closest) kin, regardless of their health. The shift from the "world of play" towards the "real life" also seems to manifest in osteoarchaeological records.

The paper is focused on reviewing the current state of research on the circular features around graves at burial grounds associated with Carpathian Tumulus culture and its related groups in the northern Carpathian Basin. During the Middle Bronze Age (16th to 14th centuries BC), features of this type appeared in southern Slovakia and Hungary in two basic forms, either as circular ditches or stone rings/wreaths. These are in most cases considered to be indirect evidence of mounds, now mostly non-existent, built of earth and even stone, which they encircled on the outside, however, this interpretative model is not always applicable. In the last two decades, the number of sites where their occurrence has been documented almost doubled. At present, there are known from at least 16 sites situated in the area between the Lower Váh valley, across the bend of the River Danube to the Middle Tisza Basin, which was the territory of the Carpathian facies of the Tumulus culture. Terrain features of this type are directly related to the long-debated terminology discussion of whether it is at all legitimate to attribute the adjective ‘tumulus’ to this archaeological cultural entity. This question arises when compared with the characteristics of the burial tradition practised in the western Tumulus culture zone, which extended from Moravia and eastern Austria
further to Czechia, Germany, and eastern France. In the presented study, the geographical distribution of the circular burial features, their main characteristics, as well as some specific features are discussed. The way of the central graves are furnished and their chronological position is also briefly evaluated in the analysis, as this distinctive element of the burial rite had a wider temporal span. Finally, some comments are made on the graves surrounded by circular ditches and the interpretation of these structures as remnants of possible earthen tumuli, in light of some of the more recent and precisely documented discoveries. These support the opinion that during the Middle Bronze Age (Bz B–C stages), in some lowland areas of the vast Carpathian Basin, actual mounds could occasionally be built over the graves of socially prominent individuals.

Little is known about the genetic connection system and community organization
of Late Neolithic and Early Copper Age populations of the Carpathian
Basin. Here, we present a comprehensive genetic investigation of these
populations, leveraging whole genome data from 125 individuals. Using
population genetics, kinship analyses and the study of networks of identityby-
descent haplotype segment sharing, we elucidate the social and genetic
dynamics of these communities between 4800−3900 calibrated years BCE.
Despite changes in settlement patterns, burial practices, and material culture,
we document a high degree of genetic continuity.While one set of individuals
from a large community cemetery is genetically diverse, another site is more
homogenous and closed, with numerous consanguineous relationships and
evidence of patrilineality and patrilocality. In this work, we document important
differences in kinship systems in contemporaneous Early Copper Age
communities using similarmaterial culture and living only about 100 km apart.

Little is known about the genetic connection system and community organization of Late Neolithic and Early Copper Age populations of the Carpathian Basin. Here, we present a comprehensive genetic investigation of these populations, leveraging whole genome data from 125 individuals. Using population genetics, kinship analyses and the study of networks of identityby-descent haplotype segment sharing, we elucidate the social and genetic dynamics of these communities between 4800-3900 calibrated years BCE. Despite changes in settlement patterns, burial practices, and material culture, we document a high degree of genetic continuity. While one set of individuals from a large community cemetery is genetically diverse, another site is more homogenous and closed, with numerous consanguineous relationships and evidence of patrilineality and patrilocality. In this work, we document important differences in kinship systems in contemporaneous Early Copper Age communities using similar material culture and living only about 100 km apart. The geographical position of the Carpathian Basin makes it a crossroads between SouthEast and Central Europe. The fertile river valleys of the Danube and its tributaries offered optimal conditions for settlement and facilitated the development of efficient transport and communication networks for early farming communities. Since the advent of the field of aDNA research, the prehistoric populations of the Carpathian Basin have been the subject of intensive study, primarily due to the critical role they played in the Neolithisation of Central Europe 1,2. The population genetic history of the Neolithic (6000-4500 calibrated BCE) of the Carpathian Basin is well-established 3-6. However,

A notab le featu re of the Holoc ene in many regio ns, includ ing Iberia , is the colon izatio n of new areas by agric ultura l group s. Altho ugh there is an exten sive [itera ture on migra tion and colon izatio n, little of this is speci fic to relati vely simpl e subsi~t ence agric ultura l group s. In order to under stand the proce ss of such colon izatio n, and perha ps ultim ately to mode l this proce !s, ethno graph ic and archa eolog ical cases will be exam ined. The focus will be on the spatia l and tempo ral patte rns of the proce ss, the criter ia used for select ing new settle ment locati ons, and the mean s by which these criter ia are mana ged in decisi onmakin g. A case study from centr al Eur(? pe will be used to explo re this proce ss in the archa eolog ical recor d A STRIKI NG FEATU RE OF THE HOLO CENE IN MANY AREAS OF EURO PE, includ ing Iberia , • is the colon izatio n of new regio ns by agricu ltural group s. Altho ugh the role of colon izatio n in relati on to the accul turati on of indige nous hunte r-gath erers in the sprea d of agricu lture has been much debat ed, it seems clear, given the rather -~apid appea rance of new crops and new artifa cts, often as a packa ge, that some degre e of colon izatio n did occur in many region s. In order better to u~der stand this proce ss and its role in Neoli thic transf orma tions, an exam inatio n of colon izatio n proce sses is warra nted. The goal here is not to addre ss the role of migra tion and colon izatio n versu s accul turati on of indige nous hunte r-gath erers in the Neoli thic transf orma tion proce ss, but rather to explo re the proce sses of migra tion and colon izatio n thems elves. Their roles in the overa ll neolit hizati on remai n to be inves tigate d. An enorm ous literat ure on migra tion and colon izatio n exists , focus ing prima rily on popul ations from relativ ely comp lex societ ies in recen t times. Many usefu l obser vation s and gener alizat ions have emerg ed from this literat ure, for exam ple about the role of variou s push and pull factor s, the impor tance of interv ening oppor tuniti~s , the freque ncy of back-migra tion, and the chara cteris tics of migra nts. Neve rthele ss, it seems reason able to questi on the applic ability of such studie s to prehis toric subsis tence fanne rs who lacked many of the techn ologie s and institu tions chara cteris tic of recen t migra nts. _In an attem pt to devel op ideas releva nt to popul ation move ments of the earlie r Holoc ene, it make s sense to invest igate exam ples of migra tion and colon izatio n by relativ ely simpl e fannin g group s, with the hope of identi fying recurr ent patter ns and ultima tely to mode l the proce ss to assist archa eolog ical resear ch.

Ten years ago, in 2014, we began systematic field research on the Borđoš Loess Plateau, located south of Novi Bečej in Vojvodina, on the left bank of the Tisza River. These researches, carried out in cooperation between the Museum of Vojvodina Novi Sad, Serbia, and the Institute of Pre-and Protohistoric Archaeology, Kiel University, Germany, initially focussed on the micro-region of the Loess Plateau of Borđoš. Meanwhile, the surveys have been extended to the entire lower course of the Tisza and Tamiš Rivers, with the involvement of other regional cooperation partners. Building on many years of regional research in Central Bosnia (e.g. and Vrable (e.g. , the overall objective of this field research is to comparatively investigate Neolithic settlement processes in the Western Balkan region and the Pannonian Plain. In this way, we aim to shed light on the interplay of local, regional and supra-regional social and environmental factors in the historical configuration of social and political forms of organisation, different degrees of social inequality, different economic systems, and various manifestations of material culture far beyond the narrower geographical scope of the field study. Looking back on ten years of research, we can confidently say that we were fortunate in choosing this study region. In addition to excellent cooperation, the geographical location of the study region at the intersection between the hilly landscape of the Western Balkans and the predominantly glacial and alluvial landscapes of the Pannonian Plain is particularly advantageous for our surveys. This location, at a geographical transition zone with a dense network of major rivers and their intersections joining here, has facilitated the development of a high degree of cultural diversity from the Neolithic period to the present day. As a result, even in the Neolithic era, this region served as a contact zone for societies influenced by different cultures. The diversity present in this region offers a valuable opportunity for us to better understand the various lifestyles and material cultures of Neolithic and Copper Age peoples and communities. In regional studies, these societies are often viewed in terms of their connection to larger cultural groups (e.g. Vinča Culture, Tisza Culture). Undoubtedly, this approach significantly hinders our understanding of the social dynamics within these societies.

This volume forms the Proceedings of the International Archaeological Conference held in the Damjanich Museum of Szolnok, in 1996. The 29 papers focus largely on lithic assemblages and faunal remains from sites and regions that span the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition and which provide important evidence on the process of Neolithisation.

C. S. Nicolăescu-Plopşor and the archaeological research of the karst in Cheile Vârghișului (Harghita County). The present study brings into discussion the unknown intention of the archaeologist C. S. Nicolăescu-Plopşor to carry out archaeological research in the caves of Cheile Vârghişului. His approach was continued by Lucian Rosu in collaboration with the museum institutions with which C. S. Nicolăescu-Plopşor came into contact in 1965.

The archaeological research activity undertaken by C.S. Nicolăescu-Plopșor is known through the specialized studies published, through the excavation notebooks in the archive of the "Vasile Pârvan" Institute
of Archeology, but not through the manuscripts, mostly unpublished, from the "C.S. Nicolăescu-Plopșor" archive fund, which is found in Craiova, at the Dolj County Service of the National Archives, partially utilized in the
present study.

Four pits and a grave group of nine burials were found at the Early Copper Age Tiszagyenda-Vágott-halom in the Middle Tisza Region (Great Hungarian Plain), which shows similarities to contemporary sites in the region. The aim of the study is the preliminary report and detailed description of the findings of the settlement and the grave group. The pottery vessels were the main finds in the pits and the graves. Some form categories, as well as surface treatment and decoration techniques showed uneven distribution between the graves and the pits. In total of nine deceased were found in the burials, one child (infans II), one juvenile, three females, and four males. The burial rite, grave-goods, and the utilitarian function of the pottery gravegoods probably reflect the social status or gender roles of the deceased individuals. The pathological alterations identified on the skeletons carry important information about their diet and lifestyle.

The painter Hermann Meuselbach (1858-1924) worked for more than four decades in Sebeș, many of his works illustrating a heritage that today is of interest for the accuracy of his drawings. A favourite subject of Meuselbach's paintings was the medieval fortress of Săsciori. A new painting from 1888 of the recently discovered Gothic tower of the citadel is the pretext for a foray into the "archaeology of art". Also presented is a history of the medieval monument, with the stories and legends surrounding it, a fortress datable to the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries, identified with castrum Petri and probably Saxobanya in medieval documents. Today a large courtyard with two towers, one with a gate, is preserved. The fortress has not benefited from archaeological excavations, but neither has there been any interest in its preservation.

The Eneolithic settlement from Șoimuș – Lângă Sat, belonging to the Tiszapolgár communities, revealed, among other types of archaeological complexes (fortification ditches, dwellings, pits with deposits etc.),also two categories of burned pits. THese could be defined,
based on the characteristics and analogies, as ceramic burning pits and storage pits.

Mirrors of Salt publishes the proceedings of the First International Congress on the Anthropology of Salt, which took place at the Alexandru loan Cuza University in lasi (Romania). The impact of salt on the development of human communities, from the Neolithic to the present, has generated a huge number of specialised studies. However, scientific research has become so atomized that the primordial importance of the mineral has been lost, creating a need for a holistic, comprehensive vision of the dimensions generated by salt. This can only be achieved through anthropology. The anthropology of salt encompasses the entirety of human behaviour, i.e. cognitive, spiritual, pragmatic, and social reactions to salt, and provides a holistic view of its role in the evolution of human communities. The anthropology of salt thus brings salt studies from an ancillary position to an autonomous discipline. The papers in this volume are organized into six sections: theoretical approaches, archaeology, history, ethnography/ ethnoarchaeology/ethnohistory, linguistics, and literature. Topics include salt in Greek and Roman antiquity, as well as from Austria, Cameroon, Georgia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Nigeria, Peru, Romania, Spain, Sudan, Syria, the UK, Ukraine, the USA and Venezuela. The congress was organised within the project The Ethnoarchaeology of the Salt Springs and Salt Mountains from the Extra-Carpathian Areas of Romania, financed by the Government of Romania (CNCS - UEFISCDI) (2011-
2016). Its theoretical novelty and geographical range render Mirrors of Salt a unique study of the world's most-used non-metallic mineral.

'Whitestone' is a characteristic raw material in the Late Neolithic (Tisza and Lengyel culture) polished stone tool (chisel, adze, macehead) archaeological record in Southern Hungary. However, the lithology-the technical term not reflecting a petrographic definition-needs detailed petrographic-analytical investigations (by optical microscopy, PGAA, and SEM-EDS) to determine the exact rock types and to connect them to specific geological sources. This article identifies the main types of 'whitestone' and, furthermore, focuses on the predominant 'silicified magnesite' type and the secondary 'silicified limestone/dolomite' type. Based on our results, both types originated from the alteration of serpentinized ultramafic assemblages, most probably from the closest magnesitic alteration zones of serpentinite outcrops in Serbia. Thus, the most possible provenance of the Late Neolithic 'whitestone' polished stone tools is the Serbian magnesite. These lithologies are in the territory of the Late Neolithic Vinča culture, which was engaged in mass production of 'whitestone' tools. This fact indicates the strong relationship of that population with the Tisza and Lengyel communities.

Охорона і дослідження пам’яток археології Полтавщини. Третій обласний науково-практичний семінар: тези доповідей (квітень 1990 р.) / [ред. кол.: Білоус Г. П., Кулатова І. М., Супруненко О. Б. та ін.]; ПКМ; ПОО УТОПІК; Луб. КМ. — Полтава: [Вид-во «Полтава»], 1990. — 200 с., 24 с. іл.
Вміщені статті, повідомлення, тези доповідей з питань охорони та досліджень пам’яток археології Полтавської, Дніпропетровської, Сумської, Черкаської, Харківської та ін. областей України, досвіду підготовки археологічної частини «Зводу пам'яток історії та культури», виголошені на доволі волелюдному науково-практичному семінарі, проведеному у квітні 1990 р. м. Лубни Полтавської обл. в часи розпаду колишнього СРСР. Частина матеріалів присвячена введенню в обіг нових, раніше невідомих археологічних матеріалів, частина — історії археологічного вивчення краю та його дослідникам. /
Protection and Research of Archaeological Monuments in Poltava Region. Third Regional Scientific and Practical Seminar: Abstracts (April 1990). [Editorial board: Bilous H. P., Kulatova I. M., Suprunenko O. B., et al.]; Poltava Museum of Local Lore; Poltava Regional Organization of the Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments; Lubny Local Lore Museum. – Poltava: Publishing House "Poltava," 1990. – 200 p., 24 p. of ill.
This publication includes articles, reports, and abstracts from the Third Regional Scientific and Practical Seminar on the protection and research of archaeological monuments in the Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Cherkasy, Kharkiv, and other regions of Ukraine. The seminar took place in April 1990 in Lubny, Poltava Region, during the collapse of the former USSR. It focused on the preparation of the archaeological section of the Inventory of Monuments of History and Culture, new archaeological materials previously unknown to the public, and the history of archaeological research in the region and its scholars.

This article presents information derived from the discovery of a warrior grave at the archaeological site of Băcăinţi-Obreje (Şibot Commune, Alba County). Whatever the ethnicalcultural affiliation of the warrior was, his funerary inventory, especially the features of the dagger and arrows (to which is added connection with Basarabi fine ceramics) suggest the grave dates back to the archaic period of Scythian culture in Transylvania: more precisely to the latter half of the sixth century and beginning of the fifth century BCE. The anthropologic analysis revealed that the fragments of human bones found during the rescue excavations belong to a male who died aged approximately 50 years old. Regarding his health, one can notice signs of a degenerative condition and dental pathologies.

The central Carpathian Basin forms the northern boundary of the Körös-Starčevo culture. Various archaeological and scientific interpretations have been advanced to explain the presence of this boundary, which stopped the progress of the Neolithic expansion on its northern frontier. The traditional explanations for the boundary are hampered by the fact that there are no marked geomorphological boundaries and the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition has been confounded by a gap in concomitant Mesolithic settlements. Recent archaeological evidence and modern scientific environmental analysis indicates that climate, bedrock, soil, and the evolution of the environmental mosaics, together with the agricultural economy and cultural tradition of the Early Neolithic, resulted in a boundary at the northern expansion limit of the Körös-Starčevo culture. This Central European-Balkan Agro-ecological Barrier (CEB AEB) may have functioned as an ecological trap.

The Carpathian Basin represents the cradle of human agricultural development during the Neolithic period, when large parts were transformed into ‘cultural landscapes’ by first farmers from the Balkans. It is assumed that an Early Neolithic subsistence economy established along the hydrologic systems and on Chernozem soil patches, which developed from loess deposits. However, recent results from soil chemistry and geoarchaeological analyses raised the hypothesis that extensive Chernozem coverage developed from increased land-use activity and that Early Neolithic ‘cultural’ groups were not restricted to loess-covered surfaces but rather preferred hydromorphic soils that formed in the floodplains. This article performs multivariable statistics from large datasets of Neolithic sites in Hungary and allows tracing Early to Late Neolithic site preferences from digital environmental data. Quantitative analyses reveal a strong preference for hydromorphic soils, a significant avoidance of loe...

Holocene environmental dynamics and the onset of early subsistence farming during the Neolithic period have led to major surface modification and landscape transformation in the Carpathian Basin. In this context, Neolithic settlements and agricultural activities were supposed to be located on Chernozem soil patches, which originated from loess-covered surfaces of the uneroded Pleistocene and early Holocene palaeolevees. Chernozem soil distribution is seen as an important precondition of agricultural expansion. However, Chernozem soil genesis and the anthropogenic modification of soil organic matter and Black Carbon (BC) content from clearing and vegetation burning are not yet fully understood and there is increasing evidence for the active role of human landscape interaction in the process of Chernozem development. Consequently, Neolithic land-use would not have been necessarily linked to Chernozem but rather triggered its development from alluvial and meadow soils through intensified surface transformation. This article applies a GIS-based multivariate surface analysis and a statistical evaluation to 49 Neolithic sites to track environmental location factors, soil preferences, and potential land-use strategies in Neolithic Hungary. The combination of remotely sensed surface data, environmental GISattributes, quantitative statistics, and archaeological datasets reveals site-location parameters during the Early to the Late Neolithic and critically discusses Chernozem soil development and utilization during agricultural transformations across Europe.

Salt is a biological and social necessity to human life. Salt has played a significant role in many ancient and modern processes, such as trade, preservation, health and cooking, which in turn makes the production, trade, transport and use of salt visible both in archaeological and historical evidence. This volume presents the papers of the Second Archeoinvest Symposium, From the ethnoarchaeology to the anthropology of salt (2012), held at the University of Iaşi, Romania. Many of the papers focus on theanthropology of salt in Romania, home of some of the oldest salt mines in the world and to an ancient and ongoing tradition of salt extraction and use. Also included are papers on evidence for salt use in other geographical regions including Mesopotamia,the Classical World and South America. Further, a selection of papers discuss the use of salt topically, such as the role of salt in magic and medicine, for example. The papers encompass a large chronological span from the Neolithic to the twentieth century. Papers draw on a range of disciplines including archaeology, ethnography, anthropology, medicine, geography, geology. This volume presents a fascinating and unique range of approaches for studying a ubiquitous and vitally important resource in past and present societies.

Starting from the diachronic impact of salt on humanity's numerous activities and spiritual reflexes, the author calls for establishing a new humanist discipline: the anthropology of salt. This first exertion lists the themes developed around salt and the sciences/disciplines involved primarily or sectorially in researching this mineral. The anthropology of salt is a discipline of the future, which will gradually become autonomous as the inter-and trans-disciplinary approaches to common salt will prevail over the monoor multi-disciplinary ones.

Fieldwalking surveys in 2007 and 2008 revealed a moderate sized settlement on Piatra Tomii Hill (Alba County, Romania) which was considered of interest because of its location on top of a natural source of chert, and the large amount of chert artefacts found on the surface. In 2009 the site was excavated during which one of the objectives was to learn more about the chert mining and processing at the site. The ratio of artefact types and lack of use-wear suggests that not only was raw material being extracted at the site, but tools were also being produced locally before being exported. The 2009 excavations also revealed what appear to be the remains of pit quarrying and possibly fire cracked limestone and debris. These finds provide technical insight into potential chert extraction techniques utilised in the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age. As well, this is as yet the only reported settlement in the Transylvanian basin involved in chert extraction (either quarrying or mining...