Cucuteni-Trypillian culture

The Cucuteni culture ( Romanian part ), Trypillja culture ( Ukrainian part of ), Russian and traditional Tripolje culture, is one of the Southeast European cultures follow the Linear Ceramic Culture ( LBK ). The earliest Cucuteni settlements are at the same time or on the LBK settlements.

At about 5000 BC was in the Great Wallachia ( in the area around Bucharest ) from a fusion of vinca LBK and the unusually dynamic Boian culture that only a little later decisive in the formation of Petreşti culture and the Cucuteni - Culture was involved.

History of Research

The Cucuteni culture has been known since 1884. The eponymous town is located 60 km west of Iaşi. In 1885 the first excavations, which were unearthed large settlement remains began.

Distribution area

The Cucuteni culture was located in Bessarabia, Romania and Moldova to the territory between the Prut and Dniester to the Dnieper area. The Tripolje culture ( A, B and C) is east of it, to find in Ukraine.

Settlements

The settlements are on schedule laid out in concentric rings or as surrounded by ditches houses groups on artificial terraces. Some Cucuteni settlements reach considerable size and with 2,000 homes on about 350 ha almost city -like proportions. The up to 20 m long and up to 6 m wide houses were divided into three or four rooms. In the late period there were settlements in the individual, in larger settlements also several two-storey houses. Clay models of houses could point to temple-like function.

Material Culture

Ceramics

The black -white-red ceramics of the Cucuteni culture is unique for this period. She sits with her spiral motifs continued Pottery forms. Also typical are far glassy double vessels.

Idols

The plastic art is highly stylized. It represents mostly represents women and is similar in the late phase something Cycladic Art. About 30% of the sculpture consists of some highly stylized zoomorphic ( animal -shaped ) characters.

Chronology

The Cucuteni culture starts at 4800 BC and lasts until 3500 BC making it one of the unusually resistant cultures. A distinction is pre- Cucuteni I - III, and a multi-phase Cucuteni A and B.