Sebastian Matei

The production of bowls with relief decoration represented one of the most elaborate manifestations of the imitation of Hellenistic vessels by the Geto-Dacians, alongside other ceramic forms such as amphorae, pithoi, kraters, kantharoi, or skyphoi. The Geto-Dacians adopted the technology for producing these bowls, adding a remarkable variety of decoration to beautify these vessels. Chronologically, bowls with relief decoration were produced and circulated over the course of a century, between 150 BC and 50 BC. Currently, the minimum number of discovered specimens is 934, originating from 85 different sites. Regionally, the first place is occupied, by a large margin, by Greater Wallachia with at least 794 specimens, representing 85% of the total discoveries. In second place is northern Bulgaria, with 57 pieces representing 6.10%, and in third place, with a percentage of 4.07%, is Transylvania, where at least 38 specimens have been discovered. In the rest of the regions, the number of discovered specimens is much smaller, not exceeding 2.78% in Lesser Wallachia, 1.71% in Moldavia, and 0.32% in Dobruja. Over 68% of the total number of bowls are discovered only in 5 sites, four in Greater Wallachia (Popești, Piscu Crăsani, Cârlomănești and Zimnicea) and one in Bulgaria (Ruse). The dava from Popești ranks first by far with 370 specimens, a number representing 44% of the discoveries in Wallachia and 37% of the total discoveries in pre-Roman Dacia. Taking into account that half of the total number of moulds discovered were found here, we can conclude that the settlement from Popești was the main production center. The second center in terms of discoveries is the settlement from Piscu Crăsani (village of Crăsanii de Jos), located about 80 km northeast of the settlement from Popești. The minimum number of discovered specimens is 100, representing over 10% of the total number of bowls discovered in Wallachia. In third place is the site from Cârlomănești, where 82 specimens were discovered during archaeological research, amounting to 8.78% of the total number of bowls discovered in pre-Roman Dacia. In fourth place is the settlement from Zimnicea, with 54 discovered specimens, comprising 5.78% of the total discoveries. Outside of Wallachia, the most important collection of bowls was found in Ruse. The 31 identified fragments represent 3.31% of the total number of discoveries. A global analysis of this phenomenon reveals that the main region that produced and distributed bowls with relief decoration was Wallachia, with a massive concentration in the areas of the settlements from Popești, Piscu Crăsani, and Radovanu, where the most numerous moulds also appeared.

Relief-decorated bowls are one of the ceramic forms imitated by the Geto-Dacians after Hellenistic models, along with amphorae, pithoi, kantharoi, kraters, etc. The production of relief-decorated bowls begins sometime after 150 BC and lasts until the middle of the 1st century BC. Their circulation is quite widespread, with most finds in Wallachia, less frequently in north-eastern Bulgaria, Oltenia and Transylvania, and very rarely in Moldavia and Dobrudja. The Geto-Dacians adopted both the manufacturing technology and some of the motifs of the Hellenistic bowls, but made numerous innovations in terms of shape, production technique and decoration, especially with motifs specific to Geto-Dacian art. The technique of modelling the local bowls is a special and particularly complex one, using moulds, which had the decoration printed in the negative using stamps. The moulds were also modelled on a wheel and used to make one or more casts. So far, 20 moulds have been found in 9 different places. The most numerous moulds have been found at Popesti, which was probably the most important centre for the production of relief-decorated bowls. Most of the other finds are still concentrated in Wallachia (Piscu Crăsani, Mihai Bravu, Radovanu, Zimnicea, Bragadiru, Pietroasa Mică - Gruiu Dării), while in Moldavia, at Poiana, and in the north-east of Bulgaria, at Batin, two moulds were discovered.
As regards the chemical analysis of the paste from which the Getic bowls were modelled, in 2007 measurements were made on 17 fragments from Carlomănești, establishing the chemical composition and the proportionality of the chemical elements. This type of chemical analysis carried out on a large number of bowls found in different sites, as well as on the clay deposits nearby, followed by the comparison of the results, could give us valuable information on the area where they were produced.
(Bolurile cu decor in relief reprezintă una dintre formele ceramice imitate de geto-daci după modelele elenistice, alături de amfore, pithoi, kantharoi, kratere etc. Producţia bolurilor cu decor in relief începe undeva după anul 150 a. Chr. și durează pană spre mijlocul sec. I a. Chr. Circulaţia lor este destul de răspandită, majoritatea descoperirilor fiind in Muntenia, mai rar in nord-estul Bulgariei, Oltenia și Transilvania, și foarte rare in Moldova și Dobrogea. Geto-dacii au preluat atât tehnologia de fabricare cat și o parte din motivistica bolurilor elenistice, dar au adus numeroase inovații privind forma, tehnica de producere sau de decorare, in special cu motive specifice artei geto-dacice. Tehnica de modelare a bolurilor locale este una aparte și deosebit de complexă, folosindu-se tipare, care aveau decorul imprimat in negativ cu ajutorul unor ștanțe. Tiparele erau la rândul lor modelate la roată, fiind utilizate pentru realizarea uneia sau mai multor șarje. Pană in prezent au fost descoperite 20 de tipare in nouă puncte diferite. Cele mai numeroase tipare au fost descoperite la Popești, unde a fost probabil cel mai important centru de producere a bolurilor cu decor in relief. Majoritatea celorlalte descoperiri se concentrează tot in Muntenia (Piscu Crăsani, Mihai Bravu, Radovanu, Zimnicea, Bragadiru, Pietroasa Mică - Gruiu Dării), pentru ca in Moldova, la Poiana și in nord-estul Bulgariei, la Batin, să fie descoperit cate un tipar. In ceea ce privește analiza chimică a pastei din care erau modelate bolurile getice, in anul 2007 au fost realizate măsurători pe 17 fragmente provenind de la Cârlomănești stabilindu-se compoziția chimică și proporționalitatea elementelor chimice. Acest tip de analiză chimică realizat pe un număr mare de boluri descoperite in diferite situri, precum și pe zăcămintele argiloase din apropierea acestora, urmate de compararea rezultatelor, ne-ar putea oferi informații prețioase privind zona unde au fost produse)

The site on Gruiu Dării is on a dominating plateau (altitude 534m) at the curvature of the Carpathians, in the Istriţa Massive, with excellent visibility towards the hills and plains around it. It is surrounded by slopes on three sides, some of them steep, with easy access solely from the west, where the plateau goes on. To the north and east of the plateau was the Dara River. Since the site is on a limestone massive, surrounded by woods and loess deposits, the local community had the building materials for the walls, as well as for the houses or cult deposits.
The archaeological excavations showed that the Gruiu Dării plateau was outstandingly dynamic in terms of the evolution of the types of sites: at the end of the 4th c. - 3rd c. BC and in the second half of the 2nd c. – ultimately beginning of the 1st c. BC, there was an unfortified settlement, in the 1st c. BC there was a fortress and, in the 1st c. AD, there was an important Geto-Dacian cult site. The construction of the wall of the fortress shows some Hellenistic influences – two faces from limestone blocks and emplecton. There are two stages visible in the construction of the wall, as it was also used in the time of the sacred enclosure, namely the 1st c. AD. The surface of the fortress is small, and the slopes were steepened to make access difficult. Also, stone structures were erected to support the fortification. The habitation and household complexes, as well as the rich and diverse inventory, place the fortress in the 1st c. BC.

The authors present a small hoard comprised of nine drachmas from the ancient city of Dyrrhachium, discovered in the place called "Muchia Blajani", at 2 km west of the Pruneni village (Buzau County).
The coins from the Pruneni hoard belong to the 5th group of drachmas issues of the city’s mint, the last one, dating between 97-85 BC according to the chronology of N. Conovici, in which the best represented are the issues of the monetar magistrates Xenon and Meniskos. They worked for five and six eponymous magistrates respectively, totalizing a period of ten years (97- 88 BC). The structure of the Pruneni hoard attests to the association between the moneyer Xenon and the eponym Philodamos (2 ex.), and of Meniskos with the eponyms Kallonos, Lykiskos (5 ex.) and Dionysios, representing the years 93, 91, 89 and 88 BC. The pauses in the chronological sequence of the drachmas issues suggest that this is a small amount from a larger batch, most likely representing a so-called „purse hoard”. The appearance of the coins is illustrative for the production in large quantities in a short time, at the political command, as in times of crisis: most of the coins were struck off-center, on flans (rarely circular) smaller than the dies, a negligent achievement that denotes the concern exclusively for the rapid monetization of as much silver as possible, to the detriment of technical and iconographic standards. At least seven exemplars bear traces of burning. Although the drachmas of the 4th-5th groups of Dyrrhachium issues penetrated in large numbers in pre-Roman Dacia, presumably in a short period between the 3rd and 4th decades of the 1st century BC, as political payments or from other sources in connection with the Roman wars in the Balkans, they remained very poorly attested in some areas. For the area of Buzau County, the treasure from Pruneni represents the first discovery in a hoarded form of the drachmas of this city.

The article presents 12 Dacian silver artifacts discovered at four points located on the middle course of the Buzău River
from the exit from the mountains to the approach to the plain. The pieces are older or recent finds, obtained either through systematic
research or through surveys in the settlements of Cârlomănești, Târcov and Valea Lupului or on the occasion of chance discoveries
such as the hoard of Cândești. Most of the pieces were discovered in Cârlomănești. From here come a bracelet, a spoon-fibula and
two pin-pendants. Another three silver pieces come from Târcov, respectively a link, a garnish, and a collar, and from Valea Lupului
an earring with a conical protrusion and amber bead. The first Dacian silver hoard in the Buzău area was discovered at Cândești. It
consists of three pieces of jewellery and 19 Roman Republican denarii, the last of which was minted in 41 BC.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH FROM THE DACIAN SITE AT VALEA LUPULUI, BUZAU COUNTY

The Dacian settlement at Valea Lupului is located on the right side of Buzău middle river, in an area with high hills on both sides of the river. The site is divided into two distinct units: a rocky spur of truncated cone shape, called Chichilău by the locals, and a high terrace of the Buzău river called La Pod, which starts at the base of Chichilău and runs about 750 m to the north-west, interrupted by a deep torrent called Valea Rea.
The Chichilău peak, with a maximum height of 464 m, has three very steep sides, namely the north, south and west sides. To the east the slope is more gentle, this being the only access point. The plateau on Chichilău has a size of about 33 x 25 m, towards the south it is higher, rocky and towards the north-west it is strongly affected by erosion. To the east and northeast there are two terraces, conventionally called Terrace 1 and Terrace 2, most likely of anthropogenic origin.
The first research was conducted in 1986 by Dragomir Popovici and George Trohani, who mapped several sections and surveys on La Pod terrace and Chichilău.
Between 2019-2022, 11 archaeological surveys and cross-sections were carried out, amounting to more than 40 square meters, in order to obtain data on the stratigraphy and substance of the archaeological deposits, all concentrated in the area of Chichilău hill.
The investigations was carried out as part of the research project Hidden Landscapes: Exploratory Remote-sensing for the Archaeology of the Lost Roads, Borders and Battlefields of South-Eastern Carpathians (HiLands).

Archaeological research has revealed a fairly substantial habitation documented by building remains or rubbish pits. The archaeological material is quite rich, the most important being the ceramic material.
The ceramic vessels discovered come from all forms of Geto-Dacian pottery such as: jars, rushlight cups, fruit bowls, mugs, bowls, kantharoi, colanders, lids, kraters or tube vessels. As far as imports are concerned, the only ceramic materials come from amphorae with simple or bifid (PseudoCos type) handles. Metal finds are much fewer. These include a strongly profiled fibula, a Nauheim-type fibula, a silver earring with an amber bead hanging from it, a Roman denarius minted in 86 BC and three iron knife blades.
According to the material discovered during the excavations, the settlement dates back to the second half of the 1st century BC, most probably in the Augustan period and lasted throughout the 1st century AD.
The nearest Dacian sites in the Buzau Valley lie at Târcov - Piatra cu lilieci, located 18 km east and Buda Crăciunești - Fântâna Hoților located 20 km southeast. Both sites are located downstream, on heights overlooking the Buzau valley, presenting habitation characteristics similar to those at Valea Lupului, i.e. dominant heights and man-made or natural inhabited terraces around them. As the Buzău river flows out of the hills, at the meeting point with the plains lies the Cârlomănești dava and to the south-west the site of Pietroasa Mică - Gruiu Dării.
Although surface research has been carried out, there are no known Dacian sites upstream of the settlement at Valea Lupului, which means that possible communication routes along the Buzău or Bâsca valley, towards Brașov depression and the fortress of Covasna, were not in use at that time or cannot be documented at this stage of research. However, for the 1st century B.C. - 1st century A.D. a communication axis between Wallachia and Brasov depression can be documented, on the Teleajen Valley through Tabla Buții pass, which was also used by the Romans during and after the Roman conquest.

There are two important Dacian sites in the Teleajen Valley, as recently documented by archaeological excavations within the HiLands project. All these data, together with other recent discoveries in the area, suggest a possible link between Valea Lupului and Teleajen Valley. Here we have in mind the Dacian site of Valea Cătinei - Piatra Rotării recently discovered and investigated and the hoard of 81 Roman Republican denarii discovered at Chiojdu in 2022.

The tumuli necropolises were situated at about 1-1,5km of distance from these important Dacian centres from the east of the Carpathians, which means the settlement and the cemetery were mutually visible. One has identified a series of fittings which, without being spectacular, suggest complicated rituals and offerings for the deceased.
The discovered inventory is, with two exceptions, modest or is absolutely missing. This obvious contrast between the funerary arrangement, the complicated rituals during the burial and the poor funerary inventory in
most of the tumuli could be explained only by the religious restrictions
Inhumations, skeleton parts and isolated bones in settlements. The archaeologists identified, in the three davae, human remains from at least 50 individuals, most of them in pits with domestic aspect, but also in/under the houses, under the fireplaces or in the archaeological layer. There were complete skeletons, in anatomical positions or not, skeleton parts, skulls, jaw bones, isolated bones from different parts of the body. On certain bones, one could see sections or traces of violence, like blows or cuts. There is no obvious preference for the orientation or deposit of the deceased; most of them were crouched, on the left or on the right, on the edge of the pits. Half of the individuals at least were children, but there are also some teenagers, adults, mature people. The analysis of the human bones discovered in settlements reveals the fact they could not be considered as common graves, because: a) they are not from funerary spaces, b) there are no rules of deposit or orientation, c) a very
diverse condition of the bones – complete skeletons, skeleton parts and isolated bones, d) lack of an inventory and offerings to observe certain funerary rules.

The authors present a small hoard recently discovered at Cândești, Buzău County. It consists of
3 silver jewellery (a bracelet, a fibula and a fragment of a spiral ring) and 19 Roman Republican denarii dating
between the first half of the 2nd Century BC and the Second Triumvirate. The main analogues for silver jewellery
associated with coins are the hoards from Remetea Mare and Cerbăl, respectively (only for jewellry) the hoard of
Săliștea, all three ones roughly dating between the second half of the 1st Century BC and the first quarter of the
1st Century AD. Taking into account the structure of the monetary batch as well as the analogies of jewellery, it
is plausible that the hoard from Cândești dates back to the Augustan period, i.e., to the last quarter of the 1st
century BC - first decade of the 1st century AD.

The Getae on the Râmnic Valley. The settlement from Oratia, commune of Podgoria, Buzău county The article presents a part of the results of the field researches effectuates in 2003 and in the spring of 2004 on the upper flow of Râmnicului Valley; this zone is very little known from archaeological point of view. The upper flow of Râmnicului Valley is bordered by high and low terraces from which some promontories detach. A Getic settlement was discovered on one of these promontories, which is called „Cetăţuia". Its surface is l,5 ha and is surrounded by abrupt slopes too. The dating of this settlement was established for the 4th-3rd centuries BC.

This paper presents 3 fragments of local amphorae, with anepigraphic stamps, which imitated Hellenistic models. Two pieces were discovered in deep complexes during the archaeological researches from 2007 and 2009, which ensures a dating in the first half of the first century BC. The third piece, lost, represents a accidental discovery that most probably also took place in Cârlomănești in the 70s, the information being recovered from the Mircea Babeș archive.

The glass production in the areas of the Mediterranean basin, during the Hellenistic and the Early Roman Imperial period experienced an unprecedented effervescence, regarding the manufacturing techniques, the raw materials, the specific vessel forms and their distribution, which radiated beyond the boundaries of the "civilized world". Glassware found in the Geto-Dacian sites from the northern Danube area is a testimony to this matter. The pieces found in the site from Cârlomănești, Buzău county, are not numerous, but they are distinguished due to the variety of techniques in which they were made (core-made, cast-made, free blown), the materials from which they were made, and their use. The following the contexts of discovery and distribution of vessels in the stratigraphy of the settlement raises challenging questions related to the pace of imports, the status, and the internal chronology of the settlement from Cârlomănești.

Mots-clés : Daces, établissement, pièces en miniature, trousse magique Résumé. Les fouilles archéologiques entreprises en 2005 dans l'établissement dace de Pietroasele-Valea Bazinului, dép. de Buzău, ont mis au jour un dépôt intéressant de pièces en miniature, mises à l'intérieur d'un vase. Il s'agit de trois vases en miniature, un outil, une fusaïole (?) et une pièce rhomboïdale perforée. Les pièces mentionnées ont été introduites dans le circuit scientifique sous la forme d'une simple mention 1. Compte tenu de cet aspect, nous avons considéré qu'il était nécessaire de publier ces pièces plus en détail, en raison de leur rareté et leur intérêt. Le contexte archéologique, les types de pièces et la manière de les déposer, tout cela représenterait des arguments pour les inclure dans la sphère des pratiques magiques, sans exclure pour autant d'autres significations.

The technology of firing ceramic vessels is a relatively poorly researched subject in the prehistoric Romanian archaeology. The available information is based on the study of ceramic vessels and installations where these pots were fired. The present study aims an analysis of the kilns for ceramic firing dated in the 2 nd century BC – 1 st century AD, centered on their morphology and typology.