A clay tablet from Suplacu de Barcău
Autor: Gruia Fazecaş
In 2002 Criş County Museum purchased an archaeological collection from Sálanki Imre. It consists in numerous artefacts from Suplacu de Barcău (stone axes, vessels, some stone mould). One of this is the clay tablet which makes the object of this paper. About the place of discovery, we know just it comes from “Corău” point (see Pl. I). The artefact look like an fragmented disc with about 5,7 – 6 cm diameter and 6 mm in thick. The clay is well burnt. We presume that this clay tablet belong to second horizon of habitation from Suplacu de Barcău.
On one side, the disc has two semicircle areas made by incised lines filled with stitched points. Between those two semicircles are represented two human figures in ornate position also realized by stitched points. The human silhouettes are disposed exactly contrary and are separated by a thinner dotted line. On the second side, the artefact is decorated just in incision technique. This side has the same two semicircle fields but just on field contains a human figure (See Pl. II/1 – 2).
After a short review over the so called old European writing problem (S. Winn, D. Schmandt-Besserat, P. Michalowski), we conclude that the artefact from Suplacu de Barcău is in connection with religious beliefs from north-vest Romanian late Neolithic and the signs on the tablet may contain some message, but do not represent a writing.