Western-Pontic Culture Ambience and Pattern: In memory of Eugen Comsa

Contents
Prologue
Acknowledgments and Editorial Remarks
Introduction. Eugen Comşa
My Father
Memories about Eugen Comşa
Childhood Memories about Eugen Comşa
Remembering about Eugen Comşa
Short Biography of Eugen Comşa
Selected Publications by Eugen Comşa
Monographs
Articles
1 Food Production Modes in Neolithic Anatolia and the Neolithization of the Balkans
Bibliography
2 The Neolithic Site at Čatež-Sredno Polje
2.1 Introduction
2.2 The Scope of Paper
2.3 The Site at Čatež-Sredno Polje
2.4 The Stone Tools
2.5 The Ceramics
2.6 Considerations
Bibliography
3 Building and Burning: The Construction and Combustion of Chalcolithic Dwellings in the Lower Danub
3.1 Introduction: The Problem
3.2 The Diversity of Prehistoric Architecture
3.3 The Building Process
3.3.1 Foundation Trenches
3.3.2 Walls’ Wooden Structure
3.3.3 Wattle and Daub
3.3.4 Water and Construction
3.3.5 Wooden Platform
3.3.6 Ceiling and Roof
3.3.7 Walls’ Finishing
3.3.8 Ovens
3.4 The Burning Process
3.5 Burning the House: A Reverse Process of Construction
3.6 Conclusion: The Importance of the Experimental Approach
Acknowledgments
Bibliography
4 Tărtăria Tablets: The Latest Evidence in an Archaeological Thriller
4.1 The Background: The Script-Like Signs Found at Turdaş and Vinča, Troy and Knossos
4.2 Tărtăria Tablets as the Icon on the Possibility of a European Neolithic Writing
4.3 A Pivotal but Questionable Discovery
4.3.1 Four Stages for an Investigation
4.4 A Magic-Religious Complex Discovered and Lost
4.5 Why the Tărtăria Tablets are Dubiously Dated Archaeological Artifacts
4.5.1 The Gossip about Radiocarbon Dating
4.5.2 The Vague Stratigraphy of the Tablets Inside the Pit
4.5.3 The Uncertain Location of the Pit Inside the Stratigraphy of Vlassa’s Dig
4.6 The Transylvanian Tablets as the Focal Point of a Controversy on the Chronology of European Preh
4.6.1 Scholars Acknowledging either the Vinča-Turdaş or Vinča Assumption of the Tablets and the Radi
4.6.2 Scholars Reconciling the Tablets with Radiocarbon Dates Maintain that they could have been Int
4.6.3 Scholars Questioning the Authenticity of the Tablets
4.7 Tărtăria Tablets as a Case of Serendipity
4.8 Are the Famous Tărtăria Tablets Infamous?
4.9 The Radiocarbon Dating of the Human Bones Found with the Tablets
4.10 The Enigma of the Charred Human Being, the Cultic Sacrifice and the Cannibalistic Ritual
4.11 The Puzzle of the Corpse’s Identity
4.11.1 Sex and Age
4.11.2 The Height
4.11.3 The Anthropological Type
4.11.4 Paleopathologic Aspects
4.11.5 The Posture
4.12 We are not Dealing with a Ritual Pit and a Votive Deposit but with a Consecrated Grave of a Nov
4.13 Milady Tărtăria and her Casket with Magic Tools
4.14 Transylvanian Tablets and the Sacred Script for Initiates
4.15 Conclusions
Bibliography
5 About the Prehistoric Burial Rites, Rituals and Anthropological Data in Dobroudja (Eneolithic-Iron
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Archaeological Data
5.2.1 Early Eneolithic Period
5.2.1.1 Hamangia Culture
5.2.2 The Transitional Period to the Bronze Age and the Bronze Age
5.2.2.1 Cernavodă III
5.2.2.2 The Tumular Burials
5.2.3 Early Iron Age (Hallstatt Period)
5.2.3.1 Babadag Culture
5.3 Conclusions
Bibliography
6 A Copper Age Workshop for Gold at Cheile Turzii, Peştera Ungurească (Turda Canyon, Hungarian Cave)
6.1 Location
6.2 Short History
6.3 Stratigraphy
6.4 The Horizon with “Pastilatte Handles Pottery”/Scheibenhenckel-Late Bodrogkeresztúr
6.5 The Construction
6.6 The Oven
6.7 The Archaeological Material
6.8 The Gold Jewelry
6.9 Conclusions
Bibliography
7 Towards the Theory of Social Status: Cultural Parameters of Secure Social Status in Prehistory (a
7.1 Setting
7.2 Towards the Sociological Theory of Social Status
7.2.1 Social Position and Social Status
7.2.2 Formal and Non-formal Social Status
7.2.3 Social Status is Mobile
7.2.4 Social Status and Social Class
7.2.5 Segmentation and Stratification, Ordinary and Elite
7.2.6 Theoretical Synthesis
7.3 Towards the Cultural Parameters of Secure Social Status in Prehistory
7.3.1 Houses and Secure Status
7.3.2 Burials in Settlements as Accumulation of Wealth
7.3.3 Prehistoric Figurines and Secure Status
7.3.4 Metal and Accumulation of Wealth
7.3.5 Sedentarization and Mobility, and Secure Status
7.3.6 Wealth and Secure Status
7.3.7 Health and Social Status
7.3.8 The Wealth of Learning
7.3.9 The Social Mind and Security
7.4 Social Complexity and Social Status: Yunatsite Culture Case Study
7.5 Conclusive Summary
Bibliography
8 The Bronze and Early Iron Age Settlements in Romanian Dobroudja
8.1 The Early Bronze Age
8.2 The Middle and Late Bronze Age: The Coslogeni Culture
8.2.1 The Range
8.2.2 The Origin
8.2.3 The Evolution
8.2.4 The Habitats
8.2.4.1 The Settlements
8.2.4.1.1 The Types of Settlements
8.2.4.1.2 The Location of the Settlements
8.2.4.1.3 Size
8.2.4.2 The Houses
8.2.4.2.1 Types of Houses
8.2.4.2.2 The Fire Installations
8.2.4.2.2.1 Hearths
8.2.4.2.3 The Metallurgical Installations
8.2.4.3 The Pits
8.2.4.3.1 Domestic and Storage Pits
8.2.4.3.2 Ritual Pits
8.3 The Iron Age. The Babadag Culture
8.3.1 The Range
8.3.2 The Origin
8.3.3 The Evolution
8.3.4 The Human Habitats
8.3.4.1 The Settlements
8.3.4.1.1 Location
8.3.4.1.2 Settlement Types
8.3.4.1.3 Size
8.3.4.2 The Dwellings
8.3.4.2.1 Pithouses and Semi-Pithouses
8.3.4.2.1.1 Shape
8.3.4.2.1.2 Size
8.3.4.2.1.3 Orientation
8.3.4.2.1.4 Depth
8.3.4.2.1.5 Using Time
8.3.4.2.1.6 The Pithouses Fitting Outs
8.3.4.3.2 Surface (Ground) Constructions
8.3.4.3.2.1 Shape
8.3.4.2.2.2 Size
8.3.4.3 The Fire Installations
8.3.4.3.1.1 Location
8.3.4.3.1.1 Shape
8.3.4.3.2 Kilns
8.3.4.4 The Pits
8.3.4.4.1 Shape
8.3.4.4.2 Size
8.3.4.4.3 Functionality
8.4 Some Concluding Remarks
8.4.1 List A. Possible, Early and Middle Bronze Age Settlements in Dobroudja
8.4.2 List B. The Coslogeni Culture in Dobroudja
8.4.3 List C. The Settlements of the Babadag Culture
Bibliogaphy
9 Figurative Representations on the Phalerae Found between the Ural, the Caucasus ... and the Balkan
9.1 Diffusion Region
9.2 Archaeological Contexts
9.3 Materials
9.4 Cultural Environment
9.5 Chronology
9.6 Techniques
9.7 Shapes and Sizes
9.8 Inventory Associations
9.9 Ornamentation Types
9.10 Possible Interpretations
9.11 List of Discoveries with Figurative Representations
Abbreviations
Bibliography
List of Figures
List of Tables
Index