Getae

The rocky hill from Saharna Mare, situated at 1 km south-west of the present day village of Saharna, constitutes the high terrace of the Dniester's right bank, with lofty and steep flanks on its northern, eastern, and south-eastern sides. With a surface area of ca. 12ha, the hill has witnessed human habitation since the end of the 2nd millennium BC. A semi-oval "stronghold", measuring 60×64 m and dated to the 10th–8th century BC, has been archaeologically attested at this location. The fortification's southern boundary is marked by the interfluve's steep hillslope, while the eastern, northern, and western ones by a man-made defensive work composed of a palisade (a "wall" of two rows of timber, with the gap between them filled with clay and rocks) and a ditch adjoining to the front. Towards the 8th–6th century BC, the inhabited area from Saharna Mare witnessed a considerable expansion to the central and north-eastern parts of the promontory, forcing the erection of a newer, more complex and sturdy fortification system, which was again rebuild during the 5th–4th century. The defensive system was composed of a "wall", stretching for ca. 385m and
with a width of ca. 5.6m, which was built from a wooden case with a core (emplecton) made from a mixture of dirt, sand, gravel, and rocks. To the exterior of the south-western side, a ditch, 15m wide at the top and 6m at the bottom, was dug parallel to the "wall". The defensive potential of the fortress was augmented by three bastion positioned in front of the defensive line, in the central area and on the flanks. During the 2010 campaign the entire area in question was magnetometrically surveyed, as to trace the path of the fortification works that were archaeologically attested, and to identify new archaeological complexes. The resulting magnetometric map highlights the paths of the archaeologically identified fortifications, as well as the existence of other magnetometric anomalies which may represent other various archaeological complexes.

Between the 5th and 3rd centuries BC, at the turn of the Early and Late Iron Age, a significant number of fortresses were built in the Eastern Carpathian area, which still impresses today with their size, witnessing a large collective effort. These efforts were not only a simple response to the danger posed by the seasonal raids of the steppe nomads and endemic intertribal conflicts, but also the consequence of social, economic and cultural accumulations that favored, in this space and chronological interval, the emergence of strong elites with a pregnant identity. Our research in recent years has focused, in particular, on the problem of topography of the forts located in the central and northern areas of the Moldavian Plateau. The use of the results of LIDAR scans, made available in 2018 to the Institute of Archeology in Iași as a result of a protocol concluded with ABA Prut-Bârlad, was very useful in locating the objectives that were subsequently verified in the field. In the present study, using a similar methodology, we aimed to extend the analysis to the southern area of the Moldavian Plateau. At the end of this approach we were able to delimit eight fortifications that could be included in the period of 5th‒3rd centuries BC and a fortress with an unclear chronological framework. The fort of Dumești / RafailaZarea Rafailei is located on the hilly peak that separates the basins of the rivers Racova and Buda from the upper course of Bârlad. The fortification elements visible on the surface consist of a rampart with a ditch arranged on the outside, to the west. Regarding the total area, we estimate it to be between approx. 1,5‒2 hectares. The fort of Stănișești / Răchitoasa-Cetățuia is located on the northern end of a high plateau suggestively named on the topographic maps from 1973 “Dealul Cetățuia”, located on the long interfluve that separates the basins of the rivers
Zeletin (east) and Dobrotfor (west) from the Bârlad basin. The fortress has an approximately polygonal, rounded shape, the total length of the fortification elements being about 230 m, enclosing an area of about 0.8 hectares. The fort of Crețești-Cetățuia is located on the northwestern flank of Fălciului Hills, occupying the plateau of a secondary ridge called Movila Cetățuia, bordered on the east by Valea Vlăscineasa and on the west by another valley. The only accessible part from a military point of view is the southern one, where the defensive system was made, a rampart with a defense ditch located outside. The total area of the fortress is approx. 5 hectares. The fort of Albești-Cetățuia occupies the high terrace on the right bank of the Cetățuia valley, bordered on the north by Dealul Mălăiești and on the south by Dealul Ursoaia. The south-southeast part, towards the stream, is naturally protected by a precipice of approx. 15‒20 meters, difficult to climb, affected by small landslides, stabilized to some extent by forest vegetation. The northern, northwestern and eastern parts are protected by the rampart and the ditch, describing a somewhat uneven-shaped enclosure. The total closed area is somewhere at approx. 0.80 hectares. Fedești-Cetățuia occupies a wide interfluve called Dealul Morilor, bounded on the west by Valea Horga and on the east by Valea Tăieturii. The fortress has an oval shape, with a length (on the NW SE axis) of approx. 180 meters and a width (on the SV‒NE axis) of approx. 140 meters. The rampart and the corresponding ditch are much flattened, barely reaching a height of 0.30‒0.40 m. The total closed area is approx. 2 hectares. Bârlălești-Cetățuia Foișor occupies the western slope of a ridge detached to the north from the Ciomaga massif, at an altitude of approx. 186 meters, dominating with approx. 50‒60 meters level difference the surrounding lower areas.The fortification elements (ditch and rampart) are strongly visible on the western and southern side; on the north side they are almost invisible, and to the east they are apparently absent. They can be seen well in the field and on some Google Earth satellite images. Due to the low degree of preservation, we cannot estimate the total size. Murgeni Cetățuia Ciomaga is located at approx. 600 m southeast of the one from Bârlălești-Cetățuia Foișor, occupying the plateau of Ciomaga hill. This plateau is bordered on the north and east by sloping slopes, while on the south the boundary is given by the source of the Mănăstirea valley, a tributary of the Liscov in the Elan river basin. The fortress has a somewhat rectangular shape. The most prominent is the west side. Here the rampart has a preserved height of approx. 2 meters and a width at the base of approx. 7‒8 meters. The total closed area is approx. 2,7 hectares. Mălușteni-Cetățuia is located in the same Ciomaga massif, on a long and wide ridge that detaches to the south, at approx. 2 km SW of the previously discussed point, in the cadastral boundary of Mălușteni commune. The peak is bordered on the east by the Ghireasca Valley, and on the east by the Monastery Valley with the tributary of the Leaua Valley. The fortification elements (ditch and rampart) are almost completely destroyed. On the east side they are poorly visible, because they were strongly flattened by agricultural works (preserved height of 0.30‒
0.50 m), their route being more or less hypothetical. Only the southern side and the northern side are slightly more visible. On the west side, inside the fortress, only a few spurs separated by ravines remain, on the surface of which the remains of the western wave and ditch are still preserved. Obârșeni-Cetățuia occupies the plateau of a secondary ridge bordered to the west, south and east by steep slopes, delimited by two tributaries of the Andonia brook in the Jăravăț basin, a tributary river of Bârlad.The fortification elements ‒ ditch and rampart ‒ are located on the northern side, which connects with the rest of the plateau, the only one easily accessible from a military point of view. Slightly arched, the wave with the ditch has a length of 214 m, enclosing an area of approx. 1.6 hectares. The objective is known in the literature, especially due to the discoveries belonging to the Cucuteni Culture. However, the discovery of two bronze
arrowheads, of “Scythian type” as well as the pregnancy of the fortification elements (ditch, rampart) determine us to consider the possibility that the fortress was built during the 5th‒3rd centuries BC period, over an older dwelling. We have in total nine objectives ‒ certain forts ‒ eight of which can be attributed with a high degree of certainty to the period of the 5th‒3rd centuries BC. The archeological excavations carried out were very limited in scope, as they took
place in only two of the points concerned (Albești and Fedești). In two cases ‒ in Dumești / Rafaila-Zarea Rafaila and in Murgeni-Cetățuia Ciomaga ‒ we find near the forts a tumulus, in the second case, even a tumular necropolis. Of course, in the absence of archaeological excavations we cannot say if we are dealing with contemporary aristocratic necropolises or monuments from other periods. An area of particular interest ‒ from our point of view ‒ is the southern area of the Fălciu Hills. Here we meet an agglomeration of four, possibly five objectives (if we take into account the citadel with uncertain dating from Obârșeni) relatively close to each other, of which at least the three on the slopes of Ciomaga Hill can be considered to form a defensive system. Perhaps not coincidentally, in this area we encounter a concentration of quite significant accidental discoveries (coins and monetary treasures).

The problem of the fortresses raised at the turn of the Early and the Late Iron Age in the East-Carpathian space of Romania preoccupied us for a long time. Analyzing the results of LIDAR scans we observed in the Bucecea Low Ridge (Șaua Bucecii) area a number of anomalies - a possible fortification and possibly three tumular necropolises. The field research confirmed our expectations. The few archaeological materials recovered suggest a dating of the fortress during the 5th-3rd centuries BC. The dating of the three tumular necropolis cannot be solved solely trough field researches.

The present paper aims to bring into discussion a series of unpublished archaeological materials, found as a result of numerous field surveys carried out over several years in the site of Gănești – Tironu. Of the discovered material, the largest part is represented by pottery. Most of it is handmade, only a few shards belong to wheel made forms. The vessels are specific to the Getae pottery of the 4th - 3rd centuries BC. It is interesting to note the presence of a few fragments of Poienești - Lukasevka type pottery, related with the historical Bastarnae, and dated from the end of the 3rd century BC. The Hellenistic imports are almost completely absent. Of special interest among the finds is a clay anthropomorphic figurine. These kinds of figurines are well attested in the East-Carpathian territories at the end of the Early Iron Age and the beginning of the Late. They were used most likely in various magical rituals. Despite the shortcomings of analyzing field survey materials, we may still get an interesting glimpse on the life of the rural Getic communities living in the woodlands of the Moldavian Plateau.

The problem of fortifications from the 5th ‒ 3rd centuries BC located on Cetățuia Hill in Dobrovăț commune, had preoccupied us for a long time. During 2019 we decided to conduct a first archaeological test-dig to verify to what degree the archaeological structures were preserved. We had found the remains of a surface dwelling from which we recovered a rather rich archeological material (mainly local pottery).

The present article discusses two decorated sheats, one made of iron and the other of bronze, existing within the collections of the Târgu Frumos School Museum. While for the sheath made of iron we do not have any kind of information regarding its context of discovery, the bronze one was discovered accidentely in 2016 in the commune of Dobrovăț, Iași County. Without dismissing the posibility of dating the artifacts in the later part of the Early Iron Age, taking into account their shape and ornamentation, as well as the existing analogies, the two sheats could rather belong to Late Iron Age sica type daggers used by the warrior populations of the Northern Balkans.