Limigantes faced by the Romans and the Sarmatians (3rd-4th century)
During the 4th century the settlement grew noticeably larger, probably due to the inflow of new population. Among around 190 explored structures there are around 25 houses, numerous storage pits, three structures with “tunnel-like” stoves, a structure in the shape of a trough, as well as a large surrounding trench. The houses are of various shapes and can be divided into three types:
1. semi-dugouts slide 65, 66, 79 of almost square base with regularly shaped corners, regular sides the length of 3 to 4 m and even floor. They can be with spherical earthen stoves or without, and on the eastern and western sides they have pits with pillars supporting the roof that slanted in two directions; 2. semi-dugouts slide 76,77 of almost square base, with a central roof pillar, with dimensions of 3 х 3 m; 3. semi-dugouts slide 64 with technical drawing and animation, and slide 69,70 of almost square base with rounded corners, regular sides the length of 2.5 to 3 m and even floor, without stoves; 4. semi-dugouts slide 67, 68, 71, 72, 73,74, 78, with technical drawing of almost square base that can have regular or irregular corners, sides of 2.50 to 2.80 m in length and earthen spherical stoves. An exception from the listed houses is a dugout slide 75 with an elongated rectangular base, dimensions of 8 х 3 m, made out of two rooms dug to different depths.
The purpose of the structures with “tunnel-like” stoves is unclear slide 86, 87, 88, 89, 90. The stove in one room was, by means of a “tunnel” 2 to 5 m long, connected with another room. One structure of larger dimensions, with a staircase at the entrance, had two such “tunnel-like” stoves, on the northern and the western sides.
Storage pits slide 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85 of cylindrical, barrel or pear shapes are of diameters of 1 to 2 m and the depth of 2.5 m.
The older late Classical structures were cut through by the mentioned surrounding trench slide 91, 92, around 1 m wide, approximately originating from the middle of the 4th century. The trench enclosed a rectangular or square area, with one side around 100 m long. To the east this area was open towards the shore of the marchland. Although several structures from the 4th century were also found within the enclosed area, most are concentrated on the outer side of the trench. The making of an additional wooden structure for the semi-dugouts, a palisade fortification, as well as of monoxiles and rafts, required a certain wood-carving skill picture 2/8 .
Sometimes, as in the 1st century, skeletons of dogs are found in the trenches slide 93 , as well as whole dishes slide 95, 96, 97, or whole metal objects such as fibulae slide 94 .
On the western side of the settlement, in the 3rd-4th century, the natural depression was adapted into a channel the width of 5–6 m and depth of around 3 m. Although its purpose is not entirely clear, the channel certainly surrounded the settlement, and could also have served as a communicational waterway, seeings as it is filled with sludhy earth.
According to pottery type two groups of structures of the 4th century can be singled out. Characteristical to both groups is gray polished pottery made on a swift wheel. It is also most frequent, with various shapes of table and packaging dishes. Of table dishes most frequent are bowls photo 100, and rarer are jugs photo 101 and glasses photo 102. Among packaging dishes we have amphorae photo 103 and pythos photo 104, while pot-like dishes photo 105 could also have been used for the storage of smaller quantities of food, but cooking as well. Apart from gray polished pottery, in the first two types of housing objects, in most storage pits as well as in the structures with “tunnel-like” stoves we have finds fo pottery made by kneading, with fire-clay in the facture and imported table and packaging Roman pottery. Among the kneaded pottery most frequent are pots photo 106 and lids with button-shaped handles photo 107, which were used for the preparation of food photo 2/ 12 and there are also glasses photo 108 that might have been used for the storage of spices and also for alcoholic drinks.
The Roman table pottery us most frequently represented by bowls and plates photo 109, while imported goods were brought in amphorae photo 111. The few finds of smaller pots photo 110 were used as kitchen vessels in addition to the existing local ones.
In the last two types of houses, in a small number of storage pits, as well as in the trough-shaped structure, apart from gray polished pottery we also have polished pottery made on a slow wheel photo 112, most frequently with sand in the facture, decorated with a comb. This type of pottery almost exclusively features pots. It can be presumed that the structures with pottery made on a slow wheel are younger than those without it.
As in the late La Tène period, in the late Classical period we also have rather frequent finds of objects made of stone, bone and metal, but also clay, which are not in the choice of dishes as the most frequent archeological find.
First we should mention objects made of clay, and among them the most frequent “tokens” photo 113, which are of the same appearance and probably the same function as those from the late La Tène period. That tokens were made in the 4th century as well and that these are not late La Tène pieces that entered into the latter structures from older archeological layers is testified to by pieces made from late Classical pottery such as that mentioned on the slow wheel photo 114 or Roman photo 115. This type of find tells of a certain continuity of culture throughout the Classical era.
Next in number among the clay objects are spinning wheel disks, some of which were made from pottery sherds photo 116, while others were made especially for this purpose photo 117. Pottery sherds were used for various purposes, and one of them was as a surface on which to cut food photo 118. On several sherds of kneaded pottery we can see textile imprints, imprints of weaving photo 119. Among the other clay objects we have weights photo 120, part of an object that might have been a figurine photo 121, as well as one clay pearl photo 122.
Pearls are the rarest of the decorations, and were mostly made of glass photo 123, although apart from clay ones there are also pearls made of bone photo 124. Apart from pearls one stone amulet was also found photo 125 which might have had a decorative function.
Apart from pearls, of glass objects only one shard of the foot of some vessel is known photo 126.
Of stone objects most frequent are whetstones photo 127 which might also have had the function of sharpening awls photo 128, and then we have pieces of milling stones photo 129 which are rarely found in larger pieces or whole. Flint photo 130 is a rare, but still a present find.
Bone objects were made in the settlement itself during this period, which is testified to by semi-finished products photo 131, while among finished products we should mention awls photo 132, part of a comb photo 133, smoothing tools photo 134 plating photo 135 and buttons photo 203.
Of steel object almost the only finds are of knives photo 136, although there are steel fibulae as well photo 137. The fibulae are mostly made of bronze photo 138, and among them we should particularly point out the circular fibula with the stylized monogram of Christ on it photo 139. Late Ancient bronze coins photo 140 were in use in “Stari Vinogradi”, but is still a rather rare archeological find here. Among the remaining bronze objects we must first mention decorations, such as bracelets photo 141, but also useful objects such as awls photo 142 and buttons photo 143. A unique find in these regions is that of a bronze cockade – a cap decoration photo 144, made by casting, fusing of decorative wires and granulation. It comes from the Eastern European regions surrounding the Black Sea.
One group of gray polished pottery, as well as pottery made on a slow wheel, shows similarity to finds from Padej, from the second half of the 4th century, while other pieces of gray polished pottery resemble by shape the grave pieces from the Necropolis near Subotica from the end of the 4th and beginning of the 5th century. In Hungary bowls with thickened rims, similar to the pieces from Čurug, are dated to the 4th century. In the necropolis near Subotica an iron Т-fibula with a spring was found, similar to the find from Čurug.
As in the older settlement, the diversity of architecture and pottery probably points to the mixed ethnic composition of the population, although the basic forms of the material culture from the 3rd-4th century from “Stari Vinogradi” can be recognized in the culture of Limigantes map 4, for now better researched in Banat. On these peoples first-class written information from the 4th century is given by the Roman historian Amianus Marcelinus. The focal point of this information is the war between the Limigantes on one side and the Roman army and Sarmatians on the other picture 2/ 16.