The excavation of the deer house

Fig. 37b. Room D, ground floor, posthole pits and staircase to the upper level

Fig. 37a. Room D, the ground floor, north part;
view from the east

After we have partially dismantled the upper level structure, we noticed some inner compartments (we have kept some parts for next year’s investigation). Some of them cannot be explained. In the main area we noticed a frail structure from a partition wall, dividing the ground floor (EW) in two. Traces of this wall continue to the middle of the room. In the west part, two oblique post holes (8 cm) might be related with a staircase going to the store. At about 80 cm faraway we found a pillar from the base structure that might have sustained this staircase. A similar situation was found in „Casa Tribului” and in P42.

The interruption of the partition wall permitted the access to the store from both rooms of the ground floor. On the floor store we noticed an interruption (about 0.90 x 1.10 m); nearby we also noticed the trace of the pillar from the base structure that may have supported the roof. Several other interruptions have been found but these seem to be connected to the different depths where the adobe had been found.
Because between rooms C and D there was a passageway, we cannot exclude the hypothesis of an entrance to the west, from the passageway, that separated the west rooms (C and D).

Fig. 38. Room D, the floor is missing, but there is a space for climbing to the upper level

Looking from the north, we can see the posthole pit near the edge of the platform. The platform has a 7-8 cm high frame and was connected with the upright wall (that was not plastered with clay). Big postholes, from the basic structure have been noticed on the edge of the platform on the store and ground floor. Some of them sustain the beams and girders of the store, others the roof structure.
From the next pictures we can see how the upper level floor of the southern room was broken; at different depths there are fragments of the floor, fallen down gradually, during the burning of the beams of the floor structure. We can also notice the different structure of the floor on the upper level and on the ground floor. The last one has only cracks and no big, massive breakings, as those of the store. We believe that this dwelling offers a very good example to the younger colleagues to better understand the construction system and to interpret the data.

Fig. 39. Up, room D, plan; down, reconstruction of the upper level and the staircase area

In fig. 39 we tried to reconstruct the staircase, using all the elements that we have noticed during our investigation. Although it is not a, perfect, truthful reconstruction, it offers a space perspective.

Fig. 40. Room D: ground floor and parts of the upper level; view from the N side

In 2005 campaign our research stopped at this stage.

The pot from the southern room

Fig. 41. Pots on the floor of the upper level,
room D, the S part Fig. 42. Pots on the floor of the upper level,
room D, the N part

On the floor of the ground floor, near the architectonic element (frame of the window or cassette) fragments of a big storing pot have been found. Such fragments, from the same pot or a similar one were found between or on top of the ruins of the upper level.

Fig. 43. Casa Cerbului, room D, upper level: wall structure and sling clay ball, unburned

Close by, under the ruins of the wall of the upper level (with an oblique pillars structure, arranged on two different directions) on the floor, a big dry clay sling ball was discovered. When the wall fell down the ball was already dry, because we found it entire. Such clay sling balls, for war, have been found under the floor of room D, in the northern part, as well as in other different dwellings at Parta.
Some of these pieces have been discovered under the ruins; some were broken while being used to hit the altars (household altar from P 126: Lazarovici et alii 2001, p. 288, fig. 262). In their documentation, Fr. Resch and C. Germann mention ovens that inside have, for firing, big clay sling balls.

Fig. 44. Casa Cerbului, room D, upper level, the S part: store pots and wall structure, upright fall down

In the southern part of room D, at the store, the base of a store pot was discovered near a wall structure with rods (vertically fall down). Under the adobes, about 20 cm west other fragments have been found (fig. 41, 43a).

Objects on the ground floor

Few ceramic objects have been discovered on the ground floor. Between them a bowl with 4 protuberances in spite of handles. Nearby were some burned animal bones, engraved on the floor. They are analyzed now, so more details will be available after the expertise.

Fig. 45. In situ small pot, room D, in the S part Fig. 46. Bones on the floor, room D, in the N part

Depositions under the floor of the ground floor

Under the floor of room D, near a structure pillar, we found many big clay sling balls. The balls have traces of firing from the floor and from the ground floor that fell down. In this area the floor has a span. Near this area we found 3 fragments from a broken clay disk that may have covered the span.

Fig. 47. Ground floor in Casa Cerbului, room D; in the N part, sling clay ball under the floor