Living together or apart? Unravelling the development, internal organization and social structure of a complex Bronze Age tell settlement at Toboliu, western Romania. Part 2: scientific approaches

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Tobias L. Kienlin; Dr. Astrid Röpke
• Subject Area: Prehistory and World Archaeology
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 436834905

The site of Toboliu, western Romania, is representative of the tell settlements that developed in the Carpathian Basin during the late Early to Middle Bronze Age (Hungarian chronology, c. 2300/2200–1500/1450 BC). Recent research carried out in the region has dramatically changed our perception of these sites, revealing settlement activity beyond the mounds themselves and proving that tells were part of much more complex settlement systems then hitherto thought; these systems consisted of several parts whose relation vis-à vis each other in social, chronological and functional terms remains to be studied. Our recent work at Toboliu comes in support of this emerging image of Bronze Age tells. Non-invasive investigations conducted here starting with 2014 (topographic surveys, systematic field-walking, aerial photography and magnetometer survey) have revealed the existence of a composite site consisting of a central mound, two concentric ditches, and a largeouter settlement (c. 84 ha). Moreover, the evolution of the central mound during the Hungarian MBA and its complete stratigraphic sequence have been revealed through excavations conducted between 2014 and 2017. Our systematic field-walk on the surface of the outer settlement led to the recovery of MBA material only, thus certifying that the anomalies we see in the geomagnetic site plan (mostly houses and pits) were contemporary with the occupation on the mound. Hence, this site offers a unique opportunity to uncover in detail how a Bronze Age tell together with its surrounding settlement developed and functioned as an integrated system. Despite the progress obtained through recent investigations, information on the structure and chronological evolution of occupation outside Bronze Age tells remains insufficient. Therefore, through the investigations of the outer settlement planned within this project, as well as with the help of the multidisciplinary analyses planned within the accompanying project (combining geoarchaeological, archaeobotanical and archaeozoological investigations), we have the opportunity to test existing theoretical models, and formulate new ones based on a strong empirical foundation. All planned investigations will be based on the available high-resolution geomagnetic site plan. The results we obtained so far through excavations on the mound will provide a solid basis for upcoming comparisons between on-tell and off-tell households. Summing up, this project can offer a broad spectrum of new information about a Bronze Age tell in terms of the chronological and spatial development of the entire site structure, as well as subsistence practices and socialand economic developments. Through our multidisciplinary approach,we aim to reveal the interplay of factors that contributed to the genesis, growth and subsequent decline of this type of complex settlement.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants