Wild and free Phone: +40721530956 Address: Institutul de antropologie "Fr. I Rainer" Casa Academiei, etaj 3 (Aripa Est) Calea 13 septembrie, nr. 13, sector 5, București, cod 050711
Peuce (Serie Nouă). Studii şi cercetari de istorie şi arheologie, 2016
Archaeological surveys in 1972 and in 2010-2011 at University Square in Bucharest, Romania, led t... more Archaeological surveys in 1972 and in 2010-2011 at University Square in Bucharest, Romania, led to the discovery of 688 graves in the cemetery of St. Sava Church, dated to 16th-19th centuries. The Ottoman, Tartar, Russian and Austrian invasions of Bucharest in the late and modern periods are likely responsible for the death of some the individuals buried in St. Sava cemetery. The object of this paper is the analysis of the violent injuries identified on the skeletons, detailing their type, location, distribution by sex and age, affected skeleton segments, incidence of peri- and antemortem traumas. The results of these observations were compared to data from other sites with similar temporal and geographical features as to ascertain the possibility of a distribution pattern of the traumas depending on type, sex and age of the individuals etc. Male individuals account for greater number of injuries compared to the females, leading us to the conclusion that men were the main target of ...
Die Wiederaufnahme der archäologischen Untersuchungen der hallstattzeitlichen Hügelnekropole in B... more Die Wiederaufnahme der archäologischen Untersuchungen der hallstattzeitlichen Hügelnekropole in Bârseşti ermöglicht sowohl die Auswertung der unpublizierten Ausgrabungen als auch die akribische Dokumentation eines Tumulus’. Die Arbeit umreißt den Forschungsstand, beschreibt die Paläogeographie der Region und stellt die zwei Monteoru-Gräber des Keramikstils Ic2 (2000-1750 v. Chr.) dar. Weiterhin wird die Bauart des neu ausgegrabenen Hügelgrabes 32 beschrieben und eine Typologie der Hügelbauarten in Bârseşti durchgeführt. Die C14-Daten dreier hallstattzeitlicher Bestattungen lassen das Ende der Nekropole in der Mitte des 6. Jhs. v. Chr. vermuten. Die anthropologischen Untersuchungen der Leichenbrandreste erwachsene Individuen, die bei einer Temperatur von 800-1000º C verbrannt wurden. Die Einschätzung der verwendeten Energie für die Errichtung des Hügelgrabes 32 weist darauf hin, daß es von einem kleinen Familienverband erbaut worden sein könnte.
Peuce (Serie Nouă). Studii şi cercetari de istorie şi arheologie, 2015
This study deals with the anthropological research of a skull discovered in the Roman-Byzantine l... more This study deals with the anthropological research of a skull discovered in the Roman-Byzantine layer and a skeleton (Grave 1) dated between the second half of the 7th century and 5th century BC, found at the entrance of the Skulls Cave in Cheile Dobrogei area, Constanța County. Both relics belong to adult female individuals. The analysis shows that the missing segments of the skull from the Roman-Byzantine layer are the result of accidental postmortem damage and not of intentional "cut-out" of the skull base. The skeleton in Grave 1 shows high incidence of caries and dental abscesses, healed fractures of bones from both hands (probably a result of an accidental fall) and a small osteoma on the right parietal bone. Some bones show signs of animal teeth, gaps and cracks that cannot be related to assumed beheading of the individual, but to postmortem interventions. This explains the partial anatomical connection of the skeleton, lack of the long bones of the upper right limb...
Zusammenfassung In Desa sind in den Bereichen Castravița und Lunculița zwei Latène-Nekropolen gef... more Zusammenfassung In Desa sind in den Bereichen Castravița und Lunculița zwei Latène-Nekropolen gefunden worden. Die Nekropole in Desa-Castravița ist die erste Nekropole der Mittel- und Spätlatène-Zeit in der Region des Eisernen Tores, für die menschliche und tierische Überreste paläoanthropologisch und archäozoologisch analysiert worden sind. Menschliche Überreste konnten in sechs Gräbern in kleinen Mengen gefunden werden; sie sind stark fragmentiert und deformiert. Die Bestatteten wurden bei unterschiedlichen Temperaturen, zwischen 600–900º C, in einem sauerstoffreichen Milieu verbrannt. Nicht alle Knochen sind dem Scheiterhaufen entnommen worden. Es gibt keine Auswahl bestimmter Körperteile. Eine Sica wurde bei einer Temperatur von 570–900° C verbrannt und dabei entstand eine Magnetitschicht, deren Konservierung das Dekor erkennen lässt. Die Bestatteten waren adulte, männliche Individuen oder Individuen unbestimmten Geschlechtes; nur der Bestattete aus Grab 6 ist ein Jüngling. Die ...
As a major crossroads between Asia and Europe, Romania has experienced continuous migration and i... more As a major crossroads between Asia and Europe, Romania has experienced continuous migration and invasion episodes. The precise routes may have been shaped by the topology of the territory and had diverse impacts on the genetic structure of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in historical Romanian provinces. We studied 714 Romanians from all historical provinces, Wallachia, Dobrudja, Moldavia, and Transylvania, by analyzing the mtDNA control region and coding markers to encompass the complete landscape of mtDNA haplogroups. We observed a homogenous distribution of the majority of haplogroups among the Romanian provinces and a clear association with the European populations. A principal component analysis and multidimensional scaling analysis supported the genetic similarity of the Wallachia, Moldavia, and Dobrudja groups with the Balkans, while the Transylvania population was closely related to Central European groups. These findings could be explained by the topology of the Romanian territor...
Peuce (Serie Nouă). Studii şi cercetari de istorie şi arheologie, 2018
Preventive archaeological excavations in 2013 at Enisala–Palanca, Sarichioi, Tulcea County (south... more Preventive archaeological excavations in 2013 at Enisala–Palanca, Sarichioi, Tulcea County (south-east Romania) brought to light 210 medieval archaeological features. 118 skeletons we recovered during these excavations dated in the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century. This report presents a short version of the demographic, metric and paleopathological data acquired during the anthropological analysis of this skeletal sample. A more detailed analysis of this cemetery and of other contemporary skeletal samples from Dobrudja province are to be publish along with the archaeological result of the excavations from this medieval site.
Peuce (Serie Nouă). Studii şi cercetari de istorie şi arheologie, 2017
Recent excavations in the necropolis at Valea Stânii led to the attestation of the kaolin little ... more 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 adornme...
Preventive archaeological excavations in 2003-2013 at Enisala-Palanca, Sarichioi, Tulcea County (... more Preventive archaeological excavations in 2003-2013 at Enisala-Palanca, Sarichioi, Tulcea County (south-eastern Romania) brought to light an EIA settlement ascribed to Babadag culture (10th-8th c. BC). The 15 archaeological structures (pits and dwellings) containing human skeletons in various stages of representation hold an important place in the overall finds. The human bones belong to 26 individuals of both sexes and of various age categories. The anthropological analyses of the human remains from Enisala-Palanca site provide an opportunity to discuss matters concerning taphonomy, demography, pathology etc. The identification of human remains exhibiting signs of violent death opened way to the study of frequency, characteristics and significance of these injuries.
Forager focus on wild cereal plants has been documented in the core zone of domestication in sout... more Forager focus on wild cereal plants has been documented in the core zone of domestication in southwestern Asia, while evidence for forager use of wild grass grains remains sporadic elsewhere. In this paper, we present starch grain and phytolith analyses of dental calculus from 61 Mesolithic and Early Neolithic individuals from five sites in the Danube Gorges of the central Balkans. This zone was inhabited by likely complex Holocene foragers for several millennia before the appearance of the first farmers ∼6200 cal BC. We also analyzed forager ground stone tools for evidence of plant processing. Our results based on the study of dental calculus show that certain species of Poaceae (species of the genus Aegilops) were used since the Early Mesolithic, while ground stone tools exhibit traces of a developed grass grain processing technology. The adoption of domesticated plants in this region after ∼6500 cal BC might have been eased by the existing familiarity with wild cereals.
ABSTRACTAncient DNA sampling methods—although optimized for efficient DNA extraction—are destruct... more ABSTRACTAncient DNA sampling methods—although optimized for efficient DNA extraction—are destructive, relying on drilling or cutting and powdering (parts of) bones and teeth. As the field of ancient DNA has grown, so have concerns about the impact of destructive sampling of the skeletal remains from which ancient DNA is obtained. Due to a particularly high concentration of endogenous DNA, the cementum of tooth roots is often targeted for ancient DNA sampling, but standard destructive sampling methods often result in the loss of at least one entire root. Here, we present a minimally destructive method for extracting ancient DNA from dental cementum present on the surface of tooth roots. This method does not require destructive drilling or grinding, and, following extraction, the tooth remains safe to handle and suitable for most morphological studies, as well as other biochemical studies, such as radiocarbon dating. We extracted and sequenced ancient DNA from 30 teeth (and 9 correspo...
Materiale şi cercetãri arheologice (Serie nouã), 2009
Anthropological analysis of the human bones from Basarabi – Murfatlar have identified 20 individu... more Anthropological analysis of the human bones from Basarabi – Murfatlar have identified 20 individuals (another three -five from E 6, end of the corridor). Bones inventory, sex determination, age and stature estimation, measurements have taken for each individual. Regarding to sex determination, there are 17 males, 2 females and 1 indeterminate ; all of them are adults or matures. No children bones have identified.
Peuce (Serie Nouă). Studii şi cercetari de istorie şi arheologie, 2016
Archaeological surveys in 1972 and in 2010-2011 at University Square in Bucharest, Romania, led t... more Archaeological surveys in 1972 and in 2010-2011 at University Square in Bucharest, Romania, led to the discovery of 688 graves in the cemetery of St. Sava Church, dated to 16th-19th centuries. The Ottoman, Tartar, Russian and Austrian invasions of Bucharest in the late and modern periods are likely responsible for the death of some the individuals buried in St. Sava cemetery. The object of this paper is the analysis of the violent injuries identified on the skeletons, detailing their type, location, distribution by sex and age, affected skeleton segments, incidence of peri- and antemortem traumas. The results of these observations were compared to data from other sites with similar temporal and geographical features as to ascertain the possibility of a distribution pattern of the traumas depending on type, sex and age of the individuals etc. Male individuals account for greater number of injuries compared to the females, leading us to the conclusion that men were the main target of ...
Die Wiederaufnahme der archäologischen Untersuchungen der hallstattzeitlichen Hügelnekropole in B... more Die Wiederaufnahme der archäologischen Untersuchungen der hallstattzeitlichen Hügelnekropole in Bârseşti ermöglicht sowohl die Auswertung der unpublizierten Ausgrabungen als auch die akribische Dokumentation eines Tumulus’. Die Arbeit umreißt den Forschungsstand, beschreibt die Paläogeographie der Region und stellt die zwei Monteoru-Gräber des Keramikstils Ic2 (2000-1750 v. Chr.) dar. Weiterhin wird die Bauart des neu ausgegrabenen Hügelgrabes 32 beschrieben und eine Typologie der Hügelbauarten in Bârseşti durchgeführt. Die C14-Daten dreier hallstattzeitlicher Bestattungen lassen das Ende der Nekropole in der Mitte des 6. Jhs. v. Chr. vermuten. Die anthropologischen Untersuchungen der Leichenbrandreste erwachsene Individuen, die bei einer Temperatur von 800-1000º C verbrannt wurden. Die Einschätzung der verwendeten Energie für die Errichtung des Hügelgrabes 32 weist darauf hin, daß es von einem kleinen Familienverband erbaut worden sein könnte.
Peuce (Serie Nouă). Studii şi cercetari de istorie şi arheologie, 2015
This study deals with the anthropological research of a skull discovered in the Roman-Byzantine l... more This study deals with the anthropological research of a skull discovered in the Roman-Byzantine layer and a skeleton (Grave 1) dated between the second half of the 7th century and 5th century BC, found at the entrance of the Skulls Cave in Cheile Dobrogei area, Constanța County. Both relics belong to adult female individuals. The analysis shows that the missing segments of the skull from the Roman-Byzantine layer are the result of accidental postmortem damage and not of intentional "cut-out" of the skull base. The skeleton in Grave 1 shows high incidence of caries and dental abscesses, healed fractures of bones from both hands (probably a result of an accidental fall) and a small osteoma on the right parietal bone. Some bones show signs of animal teeth, gaps and cracks that cannot be related to assumed beheading of the individual, but to postmortem interventions. This explains the partial anatomical connection of the skeleton, lack of the long bones of the upper right limb...
Zusammenfassung In Desa sind in den Bereichen Castravița und Lunculița zwei Latène-Nekropolen gef... more Zusammenfassung In Desa sind in den Bereichen Castravița und Lunculița zwei Latène-Nekropolen gefunden worden. Die Nekropole in Desa-Castravița ist die erste Nekropole der Mittel- und Spätlatène-Zeit in der Region des Eisernen Tores, für die menschliche und tierische Überreste paläoanthropologisch und archäozoologisch analysiert worden sind. Menschliche Überreste konnten in sechs Gräbern in kleinen Mengen gefunden werden; sie sind stark fragmentiert und deformiert. Die Bestatteten wurden bei unterschiedlichen Temperaturen, zwischen 600–900º C, in einem sauerstoffreichen Milieu verbrannt. Nicht alle Knochen sind dem Scheiterhaufen entnommen worden. Es gibt keine Auswahl bestimmter Körperteile. Eine Sica wurde bei einer Temperatur von 570–900° C verbrannt und dabei entstand eine Magnetitschicht, deren Konservierung das Dekor erkennen lässt. Die Bestatteten waren adulte, männliche Individuen oder Individuen unbestimmten Geschlechtes; nur der Bestattete aus Grab 6 ist ein Jüngling. Die ...
As a major crossroads between Asia and Europe, Romania has experienced continuous migration and i... more As a major crossroads between Asia and Europe, Romania has experienced continuous migration and invasion episodes. The precise routes may have been shaped by the topology of the territory and had diverse impacts on the genetic structure of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in historical Romanian provinces. We studied 714 Romanians from all historical provinces, Wallachia, Dobrudja, Moldavia, and Transylvania, by analyzing the mtDNA control region and coding markers to encompass the complete landscape of mtDNA haplogroups. We observed a homogenous distribution of the majority of haplogroups among the Romanian provinces and a clear association with the European populations. A principal component analysis and multidimensional scaling analysis supported the genetic similarity of the Wallachia, Moldavia, and Dobrudja groups with the Balkans, while the Transylvania population was closely related to Central European groups. These findings could be explained by the topology of the Romanian territor...
Peuce (Serie Nouă). Studii şi cercetari de istorie şi arheologie, 2018
Preventive archaeological excavations in 2013 at Enisala–Palanca, Sarichioi, Tulcea County (south... more Preventive archaeological excavations in 2013 at Enisala–Palanca, Sarichioi, Tulcea County (south-east Romania) brought to light 210 medieval archaeological features. 118 skeletons we recovered during these excavations dated in the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century. This report presents a short version of the demographic, metric and paleopathological data acquired during the anthropological analysis of this skeletal sample. A more detailed analysis of this cemetery and of other contemporary skeletal samples from Dobrudja province are to be publish along with the archaeological result of the excavations from this medieval site.
Peuce (Serie Nouă). Studii şi cercetari de istorie şi arheologie, 2017
Recent excavations in the necropolis at Valea Stânii led to the attestation of the kaolin little ... more 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 adornme...
Preventive archaeological excavations in 2003-2013 at Enisala-Palanca, Sarichioi, Tulcea County (... more Preventive archaeological excavations in 2003-2013 at Enisala-Palanca, Sarichioi, Tulcea County (south-eastern Romania) brought to light an EIA settlement ascribed to Babadag culture (10th-8th c. BC). The 15 archaeological structures (pits and dwellings) containing human skeletons in various stages of representation hold an important place in the overall finds. The human bones belong to 26 individuals of both sexes and of various age categories. The anthropological analyses of the human remains from Enisala-Palanca site provide an opportunity to discuss matters concerning taphonomy, demography, pathology etc. The identification of human remains exhibiting signs of violent death opened way to the study of frequency, characteristics and significance of these injuries.
Forager focus on wild cereal plants has been documented in the core zone of domestication in sout... more Forager focus on wild cereal plants has been documented in the core zone of domestication in southwestern Asia, while evidence for forager use of wild grass grains remains sporadic elsewhere. In this paper, we present starch grain and phytolith analyses of dental calculus from 61 Mesolithic and Early Neolithic individuals from five sites in the Danube Gorges of the central Balkans. This zone was inhabited by likely complex Holocene foragers for several millennia before the appearance of the first farmers ∼6200 cal BC. We also analyzed forager ground stone tools for evidence of plant processing. Our results based on the study of dental calculus show that certain species of Poaceae (species of the genus Aegilops) were used since the Early Mesolithic, while ground stone tools exhibit traces of a developed grass grain processing technology. The adoption of domesticated plants in this region after ∼6500 cal BC might have been eased by the existing familiarity with wild cereals.
ABSTRACTAncient DNA sampling methods—although optimized for efficient DNA extraction—are destruct... more ABSTRACTAncient DNA sampling methods—although optimized for efficient DNA extraction—are destructive, relying on drilling or cutting and powdering (parts of) bones and teeth. As the field of ancient DNA has grown, so have concerns about the impact of destructive sampling of the skeletal remains from which ancient DNA is obtained. Due to a particularly high concentration of endogenous DNA, the cementum of tooth roots is often targeted for ancient DNA sampling, but standard destructive sampling methods often result in the loss of at least one entire root. Here, we present a minimally destructive method for extracting ancient DNA from dental cementum present on the surface of tooth roots. This method does not require destructive drilling or grinding, and, following extraction, the tooth remains safe to handle and suitable for most morphological studies, as well as other biochemical studies, such as radiocarbon dating. We extracted and sequenced ancient DNA from 30 teeth (and 9 correspo...
Materiale şi cercetãri arheologice (Serie nouã), 2009
Anthropological analysis of the human bones from Basarabi – Murfatlar have identified 20 individu... more Anthropological analysis of the human bones from Basarabi – Murfatlar have identified 20 individuals (another three -five from E 6, end of the corridor). Bones inventory, sex determination, age and stature estimation, measurements have taken for each individual. Regarding to sex determination, there are 17 males, 2 females and 1 indeterminate ; all of them are adults or matures. No children bones have identified.
Acta Archaeologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 2019
Red deer canine ornaments have been known since the Upper Paleolithic as symbolic markers of the ... more Red deer canine ornaments have been known since the Upper Paleolithic as symbolic markers of the status of the possessor. A recent discovery made at the Iron Age cremation necropolis of Valea Stânii (Romania) probably provides the latest prehistoric occurence of this type of personal ornament. This find was part of the grave goods in the burial in barrow no. 4, a double grave (an adult woman and a subadult individual of unidentified sex). Among the cremated bones of the subadult individual were 16 personal adornments made of red deer antler, imitating red deer canines. Most likely, the ornaments were sewn on the funeral clothes. Such imitations of red deer canines indicate the transmission of certain cultural traditions, perhaps related to prestige and representation, over the millennia until the end of the Iron Age in Eastern Europe.
The necropolis from Plosca–Cabana de Metal is situated on the southern shore of the Bistreţ Lake
... more The necropolis from Plosca–Cabana de Metal is situated on the southern shore of the Bistreţ Lake (today Basin no. 1 of the fishery on the lake), across from the Plosca village, Dolj County (Pl. 1), on what is preserved of the former Gagiu sand bank, not very far from two other necropolises of the Žuto Brdo- Gârla Mare culture (from now on ŽB-GM), the one from Cârna–Ostrovogania and the one from Cârna– Grindu’ Tomii, both situated to the south as the crow flies at 3.2 km, and 7.2 km respectively (Pl. 3). The distance to the Danube is, also in a straight line, 6.2 km. The Bistreț Lake has changed very much during time, most of the modifications being brought about by the hydro-amelioration works during 1968–1971. During prehistory, the landscape was much wilder. A map dated before the changes from the late 1960s (Pl. 2) allows us to better understand the geography of this area during prehistory. According to the map, north of the Danube there was a complex consisting of the Călugăreni, Bistreț, Nasta, Cârna and Nedeia lakes, communicating with each other over a distance, from east to west, of over 20 km. South of them, towards the Danube, which was at a variable distance of 5–11 km, there were other smaller lakes, separated by wind-created sand banks and dunes236, oriented with their long axis east-west, the dominant direction of the winds in the Danube Valley. In the area of the Bistreţ lake there are numerous archaeological sites, most of them belonging to the Coţofeni, ŽB-GM and Basarabi cultures. However, many of the settlements have been damaged or destroyed by water-action, as demonstrated by the fact that although six necropolises belonging to the ŽB-GM culture were found, their settlements could not be found, with the exception of the one from Cârna–Rampă, also almost completely destroyed. During 1968–1971, the Bistreţ, Cârna and Nasta lakes were transformed into what is today the Bistreţ Lake fishery, with a surface of almost 2000 ha, separated by dams oriented north-south into several basins destined for fish reproduction and fishing (Pl. 3). The necropolis from Cabana de Metal was studied during several campaigns between the years 1999 and 2005 by a team led by Ion Motzoi-Chicideanu from the Institute of Archaeology Vasile Pârvan from Bucharest, the authors of this book also being team members. Starting from 1983, during surveys on the beach of the Bistreţ Lake, in the place named Cabana de Metal each year pottery fragments, metal objects, and fragmentary anthropomorphic figurines were found. The first tombs (M. 1–6) were found by chance by local people or the surveys research in the years 1991–1999. Systematic excavation started in 1999, with the opening of sections of various dimensions, from the lake towards the dam, in an attempt to save the most endangered contexts, situated on the lake’s shore. The last campaign was conducted in 2005, when, despite the fact that five large surfaces were opened, only one funerary context was found (M. 86); to which several contexts dated post-ŽB-GM can be added.
The Monteoru culture first became known from a series of chance finds discovered at the end of th... more The Monteoru culture first became known from a series of chance finds discovered at the end of the 19th century at the settlement and the adjacent necropolises of Sărata Monteoru, where later archaeological excavations were conducted. For a long period of time its characterisation and internal chronology were based on the observations and especially the published archaeological material from this eponymous site. As one of the archaeological cultures defined at an early stage of archaeological research in Romania, it was surrounded by an emblematic aura in the history of the archaeology of Romanian prehistory, due to the finds marking a long period of the Bronze Age and to the rigorous fieldwork. Thus, the eponym site became, thanks to I. Nestor, a veritable archaeological school. The discussions in the archaeological literature concerning the Monteoru culture, based on a reduced quantity of material, often selected and taken out of its original context, were for a long time focused on the pottery typology and the internal chronology. Evidently the belated publication of important and ample excavations (such as the vast necropolis from Cândeşti and its adjacent settlement, or the settlement and some of the necropolises from Sărata Monteoru) transformed the eponym settlement of this culture into the only major landmark of published material to which all other finds were put into relation. The present book presents the study of a community established on the Zănoaga hill at the beginning of the Middle Bronze Age, the most important aspect being the full publication of an archaeological excavation conducted on a Monteoru culture site – features, contexts, artefacts and stratigraphical observations. Until present, the site at Năeni–Zănoaga Cetatea 2 has become known to the scientific community through several archaeological reports presenting the field finds identified during systematic research and surveys, the stratigraphy, a part of the features and contexts (including a multiple grave ascribed to the last phase of the culture), the main characteristics of the pottery and the place of the site in the overall distribution of the Monteoru culture. A series of studies also discussed the problems concerning the relative and absolute chronology of the site and the question of the beginning of the Monteoru culture, based on the archaeological record and the available radiocarbon data from the site. A series of articles focused on specific artefacts of stone, pottery, bone, antler or shell, and the scattered human bones have been the subject of a separate study. This volume is based on my PhD thesis, defended in 2010 at the Faculty of History, University of Bucharest. Although its initial purpose was limited to the publication of the finds from Năeni–Zănoaga Cetatea 2, the need to understand at least a glimpse of the daily life and comportment of this community made me extend my research over the entire early period of the culture and, more often than not, to include all the categories of finds attributed to the Monteoru culture. Based on the archaeological material from Cetatea 2 and the archaeological documentation published for other sites, I have attempted to explore other directions than the traditional ones as well: the motivation behind choosing the Curvature of the Sub-Carpathians as settlement area, the general characteristics of the habitation, the exploited food sources, the main occupations, the objects used on daily basis and their utility, the alimentation habits, the relation to other pottery-defined groups/cultures, without excluding, of course, the discussions regarding the typology of ceramics and their decoration, and those regarding the relative and absolute chronology. Thus, without the intention or pretence of a monographic approach to the Monteoru culture, I have tried to understand especially the daily life and the social and economic dynamics of the communities inhabiting the Sub-Carpathian hills during an extremely important period of the Carpathian regions prehistory – that of the formation of the major cultures of the Middle Bronze Age.
Translated by Alexandra-Clara Țârlea and Nikolaus G. O. Boroffka
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prehistoric occurence of this type of personal ornament. This find was part of the grave goods in the burial in barrow no. 4, a double grave (an adult woman and a subadult individual of unidentified sex). Among the cremated bones of the subadult individual were 16 personal adornments made of red deer antler, imitating red deer canines. Most likely, the ornaments were sewn on the funeral clothes. Such imitations of red deer canines indicate the transmission of certain cultural traditions, perhaps related to prestige and representation, over the millennia until the end of the Iron Age in Eastern Europe.
(today Basin no. 1 of the fishery on the lake), across from the Plosca village, Dolj County (Pl. 1), on what
is preserved of the former Gagiu sand bank, not very far from two other necropolises of the Žuto Brdo-
Gârla Mare culture (from now on ŽB-GM), the one from Cârna–Ostrovogania and the one from Cârna–
Grindu’ Tomii, both situated to the south as the crow flies at 3.2 km, and 7.2 km respectively (Pl. 3). The
distance to the Danube is, also in a straight line, 6.2 km. The Bistreț Lake has changed very much during
time, most of the modifications being brought about by the hydro-amelioration works during 1968–1971.
During prehistory, the landscape was much wilder. A map dated before the changes from the late 1960s
(Pl. 2) allows us to better understand the geography of this area during prehistory. According to the map,
north of the Danube there was a complex consisting of the Călugăreni, Bistreț, Nasta, Cârna and Nedeia
lakes, communicating with each other over a distance, from east to west, of over 20 km. South of them,
towards the Danube, which was at a variable distance of 5–11 km, there were other smaller lakes, separated
by wind-created sand banks and dunes236, oriented with their long axis east-west, the dominant
direction of the winds in the Danube Valley.
In the area of the Bistreţ lake there are numerous archaeological sites, most of them belonging to
the Coţofeni, ŽB-GM and Basarabi cultures. However, many of the settlements have been damaged or
destroyed by water-action, as demonstrated by the fact that although six necropolises belonging to the
ŽB-GM culture were found, their settlements could not be found, with the exception of the one from
Cârna–Rampă, also almost completely destroyed. During 1968–1971, the Bistreţ, Cârna and Nasta lakes
were transformed into what is today the Bistreţ Lake fishery, with a surface of almost 2000 ha, separated
by dams oriented north-south into several basins destined for fish reproduction and fishing (Pl. 3).
The necropolis from Cabana de Metal was studied during several campaigns between the years 1999
and 2005 by a team led by Ion Motzoi-Chicideanu from the Institute of Archaeology Vasile Pârvan from
Bucharest, the authors of this book also being team members. Starting from 1983, during surveys on
the beach of the Bistreţ Lake, in the place named Cabana de Metal each year pottery fragments, metal
objects, and fragmentary anthropomorphic figurines were found. The first tombs (M. 1–6) were found
by chance by local people or the surveys research in the years 1991–1999.
Systematic excavation started in 1999, with the opening of sections of various dimensions, from the
lake towards the dam, in an attempt to save the most endangered contexts, situated on the lake’s shore.
The last campaign was conducted in 2005, when, despite the fact that five large surfaces were opened,
only one funerary context was found (M. 86); to which several contexts dated post-ŽB-GM can be
added.
The present book presents the study of a community established on the Zănoaga hill at the beginning of the Middle Bronze Age, the most important aspect being the full publication of an archaeological excavation conducted on a Monteoru culture site – features, contexts, artefacts and stratigraphical observations. Until present, the site at Năeni–Zănoaga Cetatea 2 has become known to the scientific community through several archaeological reports presenting the field finds identified during systematic research and surveys, the stratigraphy, a part of the features and contexts (including a multiple grave ascribed to the last phase of the culture), the main characteristics of the pottery and the place of the site in the overall distribution of the Monteoru culture. A series of studies also discussed the problems concerning the relative and absolute chronology of the site and the question of the beginning of the Monteoru culture, based on the archaeological record and the available radiocarbon data from the site. A series of articles focused on specific artefacts of stone, pottery, bone, antler or shell, and the scattered human bones have been the subject of a separate study.
This volume is based on my PhD thesis, defended in 2010 at the Faculty of History, University of Bucharest. Although its initial purpose was limited to the publication of the finds from Năeni–Zănoaga Cetatea 2, the need to understand at least a glimpse of the daily life and comportment of this community made me extend my research over the entire early period of the culture and, more often than not, to include all the categories of finds attributed to the Monteoru culture.
Based on the archaeological material from Cetatea 2 and the archaeological documentation published for other sites, I have attempted to explore other directions than the traditional ones as well: the motivation behind choosing the Curvature of the Sub-Carpathians as settlement area, the general characteristics of the habitation, the exploited food sources, the main occupations, the objects used on daily basis and their utility, the alimentation habits, the relation to other pottery-defined groups/cultures, without excluding, of course, the discussions regarding the typology of ceramics and their decoration, and those regarding the relative and absolute chronology. Thus, without the intention or pretence of a monographic approach to the Monteoru culture, I have tried to understand especially the daily life and the social and economic dynamics of the communities inhabiting the
Sub-Carpathian hills during an extremely important period of the Carpathian regions prehistory – that of the formation of the major cultures of the Middle Bronze Age.
Translated by Alexandra-Clara Țârlea and Nikolaus G. O. Boroffka