Sunken buildings on the Middle Neolithic settlements of the upper Tisza region

Abstract

The author examines the sunken floored features characteristic of the Middle Neolithic settlements in the Upper Tisza Region, referred to in earlier publications as ‘pit houses’. First, she gives an overview of the floor plans and sizes of these features, and defines those characteristics and traces of structure which may be important when categorizing different house types and reconstructing their original structure. In the following, the author introduces the buildings at the settlement of the Middle Neolithic Esztár culture in Nagykálló-Harangod, excavated on a relatively large surface. Through the examination of the settlement structure, the author concludes that the sunken floored features were located not very far from the houses situated in a linear order, in the economic area of the settlement, occupied basically by storage pits. Based on the ceramic fragments found on the floor near to the ovens as well as the animal bone fragments and the a few tools the author suggests that the function of these sunken floored features was related to the households and housecrafts.