The site of Tasnad-Sere (4746'38''/2258'20''), located near the town of Tasnad, Satu Mare county, North-Western Romania (Transylvania), was chosen for long-term research into intra-site distributions because it offers excellent preservation.



Our project started in 2012 as a rescue excavation. The aim was to elucidate the settlement structure and intra-settlement activity areas of this early farming village. The excavation is a joint project UCL Institute of Archaeology and the Satu Mare County Museum/Muzeul Judetean Satu Mare (Astalos et al. 2013).



Up to now, about ten early Neolithic sites are known from the territory of Satu Mare county, to which we can add a few sites known from the nearby counties of northwestern Romania: Salaj and Maramures. It is planned to conduct small research excavations in different ecotopes and in different site-types in order to obtain material for dating and economic data. This will enable us to trace how life changed for early farming communities "between the mountains and the flood".



In 2019, the project will concentrate on continuing the excavations in trench 1 in Tasnad-Sere. There is also the chance to do more finds-recording after the dig proper in the Satu Mare County Museum under the direction of Ciprian Astalos and Cristian Virag.



If you are interested in joining an International team of students in excavating an early Neolithic settlement, send your letter of application to u.sommer@ucl.ac.uk and c.t.astalos@gmail.com (please send the letters to both of us, as we are conducting other fieldwork activities as well, sometimes out of reach of the internet). Your letter should contain information on: your previous archaeological experience a short CV, explaining your interest in the project the dates you would like to join the excavation For more details see the website of the project: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/research/directory/tasnad-sommer .

