Cucuteni Neolithic Settlement (Type Site)
Cucuteni · Cucuteni-Cetățuia · Cetățuia Cucuteni
Chalcolithic (4800–3500 BCE, Cucuteni A–B)·Cucuteni-Trypillia (Cucuteni A–B)·🇷🇴 Iași County, Cucuteni commune, Cetățuia hill, Romania
About
About Cucuteni Neolithic Settlement (Type Site)
Hilltop tell Cetățuia at Cucuteni, Iași, eponym of Cucuteni culture (western Cucuteni-Trypillia), excavated 1884 by Teodor Burada and 1909–10 by Hubert Schmidt. The 3-m thick tell with painted ceramics phases Cucuteni A–B defined the Chalcolithic sequence 4800–3500 BCE, with elaborate bichrome and trichrome pottery. The site sits on a promontory above the Valea Oilor, with concentric ditches and a 1.5 ha fortified settlement featuring burnt houses and figurine hoards.
Why it mattersHilltop tell Cetățuia at Cucuteni, Iași, eponym of Cucuteni culture (western Cucuteni-Trypillia), excavated 1884 by Teodor Burada and 1909–10 by Hubert Schmidt. The 3-m thick tell with painted ceramic
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Why western Cucuteni smaller than eastern mega-sites
- 02Paint pigment sources and workshop organisation
Theories
- 01Hillfort function as cult/aggregation centre for Valea Oilor basin
- 02Cucuteni A painted ware as prestige signalling in emergent ranking
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 4800 BCE (Cucuteni A)
- Period
- Chalcolithic (4800–3500 BCE, Cucuteni A–B)
- Culture
- Cucuteni-Trypillia (Cucuteni A–B)
- Purpose
- Fortified hilltop tell settlement and cultural type-site
- Abandoned
- c. 3500 BCE
- Rediscovered
- 1884 Burada; Schmid 1909
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 4800 BCE (Cucuteni A)
Initial construction
c. 1293 CE
Abandonment
On the ground
Structures & features
47.2670° N · 26.9330° E · 282 m · 2 mapped features
Cetățuia Hillfort Ditch
ditchOuter concentric ditch 20 m wide enclosing settlement
47.2675° N · 26.9335° ECucuteni Painted Pottery Deposit
depositBurnt house with trichrome ceramics (Museum Iași)
47.2665° N · 26.9325° E
Gallery