Landscape transformation and complex change in the South-Eastern Great Plain during the Late Bronze Age

Abstract

The study focuses on fortified settlements, established on top of alluvial fans in the area of the Maros River during the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1400–900 BC), the fortifications of which can be effectively studied, and their morphological characteristics described, through surface find collecting surveys, excavations, geophysical surveys, and the analysis of aerial photographs. Their siting is considered in relation to the palaeohydrological and pedological context of the region. The paper presents a network of channels constructed to regulate rivers and minor watercourses – unparalleled in the prehistoric Carpathian Basin – and argues for a Late Bronze Age origin. Discussion addresses the environmental consequences and social implications of natural and human resource use in context with the construction of fortified settlements; the study concludes with an overview of the start and goals of the building process.