Peuce. Studii si Cercetari de Istorie si Arheologie

7-48

Authors: Dragoş MĂNDESCU, Maria MIHALACHE, Ioana STĂNCULESCU, Mihai CONSTANTINESCU

Recent excavations in the necropolis at Valea Stânii led to the attestation of the kaolin little beads as grave goods (in the tumulus No. 1, 4 and 10), for the first time in the north-Thracian culture at the end of the Early Iron Age (Ferigile group). These adornments are widespread throughout the 7th-6th centuries BC within a large area, from the North of the Caucasus (in the tombs of the early Scythian culture) to the South-East of Poland (in a milieu corresponding to the Tarnobrzeg Lusatian culture), and from the Lower Danube to Northern Ukraine (in the Scythian tombs of the Aksiutincy area). A high density of such kind of adornments was documented in the tombs of the Ciumbrud group, in Transylvania. Their arrangement in the grave goods framework typical for the inhumation tombs and their relation to the preserved skeletons indicate that they were worn in necklaces, on the head or coiled around the neck. According to the characteristics of the grave goods with which these adornments were associated within sealed contexts, but also in agreement with some anthropological determinations, the necklaces of kaolin beads were the attribute of the female attire. The anthropological study of the burnt bones in the No. 4 tumulus tends to confirm this fact. Beyond the archaeological discussion, the paper displays the results of parallel investigations on some samples from the No. 1 grave at Valea Stânii, delivered by RATEN-ICN Pitești and „Horia Hulubei” IFIN Măgurele laboratories. A bead fragment was examined by Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersion X-Ray Spectrometry. The characterization of the fracture surface of the archaeological artefact showed the presence of small particles with different shapes and morphology. Some of them were crystallites with sharp edges that displayed a pattern with parallel lines, representing the crystalline plans of particle, others were areas containing either small or bigger particles rounded by cracks. The EDS analysis of a large field indicated the presence of Oxygen, Silicon, Aluminium as main chemical elements and also the presence of Iron, Potassium, Titanium, Magnesium and Calcium. EDS mapping of these elements demonstrated the presence of Oxygen and Silicon in isolated areas whereas other elements were absent, while the rest of the surface is composed of all these elements. The EDS multi-point analysis determined the chemical composition that indicated the presence of complex silicates formed with Aluminium, Iron, Potassium, Titanium and Calcium. Vibrational spectroscopy methods give information on the samples’ functional groups/chemical bonds and allow the identification of compounds by comparing them with reference spectra. The following Fourier Transform (FT) techniques were used for investigations: micro DRIFT (Diffuse Reflectance Infrared), KBr pellet transmission FTIR and FT-Raman. The DRIFT spectra showed the very specific OH kaolin strong bands of 3695 and 3620 cm-1. In the FTIR spectra, silicate SiO2 bands of 1088, 796, 779, 694 and 465 cm-1 helped us to conclude that the material used for beads was kaolin paste. In the FT-Raman spectra the SiO2 bands of 466 and 129 cm-1 were identified. The results of the laboratory investigations provide a reference database for future investigations on this specific type of adornment.

79-116

Authors: Dan ELEFTERESCU

The Lower Danube Museum of Călărași houses over 1400 Roman lamps, most of them discovered by the author of this paper during field research and preventive or systematic excavations made within the territory of the civil settlement of Durostorum (Ostrov-No. 4 Farm). Among these, 13 pieces fall within the proposed theme. Even though most of them were not found in a stratigraphic context, the already known chronological boundaries of the civil settlements determines the dating of the presented pieces within the 2nd-3rd centuries AD.

149-174

Authors: Victor-Henrich BAUMANN

The transit commerce which underwent at the Danube`s mouths favoured the emergence and development of a local industry, one based on the processing of raw materials, needed on the market economy of the time. The northern area of the province, a hilly one, mainly covered by forests and pastures, was suitable for the development of crafts involving the processing of clay, iron, stone, lime used in building construction and wood. The archaeological research within the Noviodunensian territory brought under light the presence of a strong crafts centre on the Telița creek valley, whose evolution, beginning with the Getic-Latène period, underwent a qualitative increase in Roman times. Numerous archaeological finds prove the high technical standards reached by the Roman period`s craftsmen of this border area, and the industrial stage of the serial production of different kinds of local products. A great part of the artefacts unearthed in the archaeological excavations stand proof for a production meant for market which took place in the farms` figlinae and in the rural settlements of the territory. We chose to investigate a special category of monuments, made up of kilns used for manufacturing ceramic construction materials and of those used for reducing ferrous ore. These monuments can be defined as Roman buildings, having a special destination, being of greater importance, as they incorporate not only constructive techniques and procedures so advances for their time, but also a whole history, vastly contributing to the transformation of the rural structures from the Istro-Pontic area. The building and use of these installations reflect a great confidence coming from the masters, based on a long experience and on their technical knowledge from various domains. Their presence reflects the level of civilization reached within the provincial Roman society, during its process of urbanization, and also a change in the mentality of this society, evident through the level of craft production as an expression of a selective appropriation of material values essential for an originally rural civilization.

279-294

Authors: Alina MUŞAT-STREINU

This paper presents some preliminary results of the study of the pottery finds found in an early Roman building discovered in the settlement at Acic Suat (Caraburun, com. Baia, Tulcea county), in the 2015 campaign. The focus is on the ceramic materials as the building has not yet been fully uncovered and its functionality is still uncertain. Still, the ceramic fragments can lead to a hypothesis to this end and, moreover, can help date the edifice and point towards relations of the settlement with neighboring centers.

305-326

Authors: Luminiţa ANDREICA-SZILAGYI, Andrei SOFICARU

The 466 skeletons subjected to this study are part of a group of 676 graves belonging to the St. Sava churchyard cemetery dating from the 16th to the 19th centuries. The main purpose of this work is an attempt to identify the accidental and/or violent etiology of the bone fractures, following the pattern of the lesions and their incidence according to the sex and age of the individuals. The results obtained have been compared to data from other more or less contemporary sites in Romania and Europe, from both urban and rural areas. The migration of the population in villages in search of a job led to overcrowded cities, the emergence of insalubrious conditions of living and, possibly, to the increase of the violence level in the population of Bucharest. Moreover, historical sources mention the Tatar, Ottoman, Russian and Austrian invasions, which were very likely to negatively influence the quality of life of the population buried in the St. Sava cemetery. The increasing incidence of fractures on the skeletons established as belonging to male individuals, as well as their diversified location on bones may suggest the demanding nature of the professions in which men were involved. Also, the co-occurrence of cubitus and skull fractures only in male individuals may suggest violence against the men of this community.