Dacia Porolissensis

The present paper is centred around the presentation
of the ceramic lighting devices discovered throughout
the years in the necropolis of Porolissum, situated on
Ursoieș Hill. The assemblage at hand, while not particularly
large, amounting to 41 finds, comprises some interesting
pieces that might have some implications concerning aspects
such as supply and use, also allowing for some cultural inferences
to be drawn especially with regard to the connection of
some pieces to the numerus Palmyrenorum Porolissensium
stationed here. The research carried out in the said area of
the site can be ascribed to three phases, the earliest being
the excavations of M. Moga from 1949, which produced
7 finds, followed a decade later by the research carried out
by M. Macrea (1958–1959) producing 8 lamps, while
the most recent work was undertaken by the team of the
Necropolis Porolissensis Project between 2006 and 2008.
As part of the latter research a number of incineration
graves as well as a funerary precinct and a funerary mound
were excavated, unfortunately however the comprehensive
publication of the results has not yet been achieved. With
regard to the ceramic lighting devices, a total of 26, mostly
fragmentary lamp finds can be accounted for, roughly half
(14) coming from the graves, while the rest being discovered
in the spaces between the burials. The present paper intends
to deal exclusively with the question of the ceramic lamps
from a mainly typological standpoint, aiming to answer
questions with regard to the aforementioned aspects of supply
and use within the settlement of Porolissum.

The present study aims to form an image of the names of places (toponymy) of Dacia Porolissensis in the current stage of research. Regarding the names of the military or civil settlements of the province, these can be categorized in two groups: the first one is represented by the names attributed with certainty to different Roman settlements (for example the urban areas: Napoca, Potaissa, Porolissum) or the forts and adjacent civil settlements ( for example Ilișua/Arcobara; Cășeiu/Samum); the second category is represented by the Roman settlements of which the Roman name is uncertain being only deduced using epigraphic, cartographic or literary sources. These hypothesis were presented in the pages to follow. Finally the study took into consideration also the names of some regions (regio Ansamensium) or the hydrography of the landscape of Dacia Porolissensis, namely the rivers Mureș and Someș.