Were there any tells in the Coţofeni culture area?

The approach to the topic of tells in the North-Danube area, between 3500 and 2800 BC, corresponding to the Coţofeni culture (in Bulgaria, Magura–Coţofeni, Tărnava culture) has been inconsistent. This study aims to clarify a series of archaeological and terminological aspects in direct relation to...

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Main Author: Cristian Ioan Popa
Format: Article
Language:Bulgarian
Published: Association of Bulgarian Archaeologists 2022-06-01
Series:Българско е-Списание за Археология
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Online Access:https://be-ja.org/index.php/journal/article/view/261
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author Cristian Ioan Popa
author_facet Cristian Ioan Popa
author_sort Cristian Ioan Popa
collection DOAJ
description The approach to the topic of tells in the North-Danube area, between 3500 and 2800 BC, corresponding to the Coţofeni culture (in Bulgaria, Magura–Coţofeni, Tărnava culture) has been inconsistent. This study aims to clarify a series of archaeological and terminological aspects in direct relation to those Coţofeni sites that may or may not be included in the category of tell settlements. The so-called tell settlements are also discussed and the term pseudo-tell is proposed. Sites at very high altitudes (over 1000 m) or others related to salt exploitation have generated complex stratigraphies, consisting of successive Coţofeni levels, but completely different from the types of sediments that led to the formation of “classic” tells from the lowlands. The lack of fortifications is another feature of these settlements, which takes them away from the classic definition of a tell. Following this analysis, it can be summarized that the terminological problems or the established conventions are not sufficient to define certain Coţofeni sites, such as those from Ostrovu Corbului, Basarabi or Moldova Veche. However, there are arguments to speak of ​​tell or pseudo-tell settlements in the Coţofeni area. Compared to the impressive number of known sites in the area (over 1500), their percentage is only around 1%.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1314-5088
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series Българско е-Списание за Археология
spelling doaj-art-1f27c455ae4c42319ec87c22258af0fb2025-02-10T01:52:39ZbulAssociation of Bulgarian ArchaeologistsБългарско е-Списание за Археология1314-50882022-06-01121Were there any tells in the Coţofeni culture area?Cristian Ioan Popa0“1 Decembrie 1918” University of Alba Iulia, 5 Gabriel Bethlen Street, 510009 Alba Iulia The approach to the topic of tells in the North-Danube area, between 3500 and 2800 BC, corresponding to the Coţofeni culture (in Bulgaria, Magura–Coţofeni, Tărnava culture) has been inconsistent. This study aims to clarify a series of archaeological and terminological aspects in direct relation to those Coţofeni sites that may or may not be included in the category of tell settlements. The so-called tell settlements are also discussed and the term pseudo-tell is proposed. Sites at very high altitudes (over 1000 m) or others related to salt exploitation have generated complex stratigraphies, consisting of successive Coţofeni levels, but completely different from the types of sediments that led to the formation of “classic” tells from the lowlands. The lack of fortifications is another feature of these settlements, which takes them away from the classic definition of a tell. Following this analysis, it can be summarized that the terminological problems or the established conventions are not sufficient to define certain Coţofeni sites, such as those from Ostrovu Corbului, Basarabi or Moldova Veche. However, there are arguments to speak of ​​tell or pseudo-tell settlements in the Coţofeni area. Compared to the impressive number of known sites in the area (over 1500), their percentage is only around 1%. https://be-ja.org/index.php/journal/article/view/261Coţofeni culturegenuine tellstell-type settlementspseudo-tellsLate EneolithicEarly Bronze Age
spellingShingle Cristian Ioan Popa
Were there any tells in the Coţofeni culture area?
Българско е-Списание за Археология
Coţofeni culture
genuine tells
tell-type settlements
pseudo-tells
Late Eneolithic
Early Bronze Age
title Were there any tells in the Coţofeni culture area?
title_full Were there any tells in the Coţofeni culture area?
title_fullStr Were there any tells in the Coţofeni culture area?
title_full_unstemmed Were there any tells in the Coţofeni culture area?
title_short Were there any tells in the Coţofeni culture area?
title_sort were there any tells in the cotofeni culture area
topic Coţofeni culture
genuine tells
tell-type settlements
pseudo-tells
Late Eneolithic
Early Bronze Age
url https://be-ja.org/index.php/journal/article/view/261
work_keys_str_mv AT cristianioanpopa werethereanytellsinthecotofeniculturearea