The study offers the present state of research regarding the Cugir-Band cultural group, which is ... more The study offers the present state of research regarding the Cugir-Band cultural group, which is characteristic for the Late Bronze Age in the central and South-Western parts of Transylvania. Fourteen sites have been identified so far, including one cremation cemetery. The three radiocarbon dates from Miceşti, Teiuş and Turdaş point towards the 12th century calBC. Thus, it mainly follows the Noua culture in the central and south-western regions and it might be contemporary with the very beginning of the Gáva culture, as the two dates from Alba Iulia and Teleac seem to indicate. A clear Cugir-Band heritage can be detected in the Gáva-style ceramics otherwise.
Southwest Transylvania was an important source of metal and other natural resources for Bronze Ag... more Southwest Transylvania was an important source of metal and other natural resources for Bronze Age Europe, helping to facilitate the development of increasingly hierarchical societies. The absence of a radiocarbon-based chronology for Transylvania, however, has impeded understanding of the region's role within broader socioeconomic networks. Here, the presentation of the first radiocarbon chronology for the Wietenberg Culture in southwest Transylvania allows the authors to highlight the importance of interregional exchange and reliable access to metal for Bronze Age European societies, and emphasise that resource-procurement zones follow unique trajectories of socioeconomic organisation.
Universitätsforschungen zur prähistorischen Archäologie, Band 335, Bonn, 2019
Geophysical prospection and excavations show that the heavily fortified Teleac hillfort was dense... more Geophysical prospection and excavations show that the heavily fortified Teleac hillfort was densely occupied with a population reaching the low thousands. In this article it is argued that Teleac was a local political centre that acted as a hub for transportation and trade in a region that is rich in mineral resources. Recent investigations also reveal that Teleac was attacked in the late 10th century in an event that breached and destroyed the formidable northern defensive system. This attack suggests that the level of military threat was quite severe in the eastern Carpathian Basin. The attacking forces must have had signifcant offensive capabilities in order to tackle Teleac’s defences. It is also a strong indication that not only Teleac, but contemporary fortified settlements in the surrounding region were at least in part erected to resist serious military threats.
The study offers the present state of research regarding the Cugir-Band cultural group, which is ... more The study offers the present state of research regarding the Cugir-Band cultural group, which is characteristic for the Late Bronze Age in the central and South-Western parts of Transylvania. Fourteen sites have been identified so far, including one cremation cemetery. The three radiocarbon dates from Miceşti, Teiuş and Turdaş point towards the 12th century calBC. Thus, it mainly follows the Noua culture in the central and south-western regions and it might be contemporary with the very beginning of the Gáva culture, as the two dates from Alba Iulia and Teleac seem to indicate. A clear Cugir-Band heritage can be detected in the Gáva-style ceramics otherwise.
Southwest Transylvania was an important source of metal and other natural resources for Bronze Ag... more Southwest Transylvania was an important source of metal and other natural resources for Bronze Age Europe, helping to facilitate the development of increasingly hierarchical societies. The absence of a radiocarbon-based chronology for Transylvania, however, has impeded understanding of the region's role within broader socioeconomic networks. Here, the presentation of the first radiocarbon chronology for the Wietenberg Culture in southwest Transylvania allows the authors to highlight the importance of interregional exchange and reliable access to metal for Bronze Age European societies, and emphasise that resource-procurement zones follow unique trajectories of socioeconomic organisation.
Universitätsforschungen zur prähistorischen Archäologie, Band 335, Bonn, 2019
Geophysical prospection and excavations show that the heavily fortified Teleac hillfort was dense... more Geophysical prospection and excavations show that the heavily fortified Teleac hillfort was densely occupied with a population reaching the low thousands. In this article it is argued that Teleac was a local political centre that acted as a hub for transportation and trade in a region that is rich in mineral resources. Recent investigations also reveal that Teleac was attacked in the late 10th century in an event that breached and destroyed the formidable northern defensive system. This attack suggests that the level of military threat was quite severe in the eastern Carpathian Basin. The attacking forces must have had signifcant offensive capabilities in order to tackle Teleac’s defences. It is also a strong indication that not only Teleac, but contemporary fortified settlements in the surrounding region were at least in part erected to resist serious military threats.
The exhibition catalogue presents nine bronze hoards discovered in eight different sites in Alba ... more The exhibition catalogue presents nine bronze hoards discovered in eight different sites in Alba county along the last decade.
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Papers by Liviu Balan