ARHIVELE OLTENIEI - Universitatea din Craiova

Types of habitat at the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age in Oltenia 9In the Late Bronze period and especially in the First Iron Age it seemsthat we assist at the disappearing of vast settlements, with several levels ofhabitation. This fact could be explained although the climatic changes happenedon the whole continent. Based on the palinological, pedological andarcheozoological researches, made especially in the areas close to the carpathodanubianzone, has been observed the installation of a period of cold andgradually dryer climate 9 . A.Vulpe presumed that this climate conditionsfavoured the growth of the pastoral activities, phenomenon with directimplications on the type of the habitat. 10The most settlements from the end of the Bronze Age have, as we saidbefore, only one cultural layer, showing us that they were habited for a shorttime. We find this situation in the Danube area and around the sloughs or in theislands close to the river, where settlements of Gârla Mare and Bistreţ Işalniţatype are present, but also in the hilly and pre mountain area, where we find fewtraces of habitation of Govora type.In the Zuto Brdo – Gârla Mare area 11 , on the both sides of the Danubethere are almost 40 settlements confirmed, but, most of them, were mentionedearlier, they either did not benefit from systematic diggings, or they have beenpresented very sketchy without digging plans and details regarding the habitationcomplexes. More information we have about nine settlements Balej, Cârna –Nasta, Cârna – Rampă, Ghidici – Balta Ţarova, Ostrovu Corbului, Ostrovu Mare –Colonie, Hajduča Vodenica, Mala Vrbica – Livade, Usije - Grad 12 .In Mehedinti district, at Izvoarele, com. Gruia 13 , two Gârla Maresettelments have been identified (figureI), from which only one entirelydug, about which the author of the dig mentioned that it is a hut 14 . But thepossibility of the walls to exceed the ground level exists, keeping in mindthe presence of numerous adobe fragments with trails of twigs engraved inthe mud. It had a right-angled form and the dimensions of 5.10x3.20m,being orientated east-west. The settlement had a high ledge of 0.70m aboveground level and a height of 1m and 0.65m.In it has been found peaces ofadobe, pottery, ash, snail and oysters shells, animal, bird and fish bones.Near by, a similar pit appeared, from which only a surface of 3.25 x 1.65 m9 M. Tomescu, Holocenul, date cronologice şi climatice, in Cercetări arheologice MNIR,11, p. 235-270; A. Vulpe, Problema scitică în România, în „Identitate naţională şi spiritEuropean”, 2003, p. 122-123.10 A. Vulpe, op. cit., p. 123-124.11 M. Şandor Chicideanu, Cultura Žuto-Brdo Gârla Mare. Contribuţii la cunoaştereaepocii bronzului la Dunărea mijlocie şi inferioară, 2003, where the author synthesizes theinformation we have up to now, regarding the Zuto Brdo – Gârla Mare culture, in the same timeoffering a very utile inventory of the sites.12 Ibidem, p. 40, where is presented the reference material for each site.13 G. Crăciunescu, Aşezarea culturii Gârla Mare la Izvoarele, in „Thraco-Dacica”, 13,1-2, 1982, p. 43-47.14 Ibidem, p. 29, the author specifies that the stepping level of the hut is situated at 2, 10m deeper than the actual level.