O matriță pentru turnat bronzuri descoperită în podișul Sucevei

Abstract

The present study aims to present a casting mould accidentally discovered on the surface of the Late Bronze Age settlement from Mihăiești-Roșia, Suceava County. When compared with the quantity and the typological variety of bronze objects, the number of artefacts related to Bronze Age metallurgy is scarce in the East Carpathian area. The mould was made of gray sandstone, with polished faces and rounded edges. On one side, we can observe the negatives of four knobbed needles and on the other side the shape of a razor. The needles casted in this mould are typical for the Noua culture, and the matrix presented in this study is only the second discovered until now. This type of razor can be found in the north Pontic area, both in hoards and isolated finds attributed to the Sabatinovka culture. Chronologically, the two pieces can be assigned to the Late Bronze Age (period Br. D). Alongside a fragmented casting mould for socketed-axe, previously discovered in the same site, the existence of this matrix suggests that at the end of the Bronze Age, the communities from the East Carpathian area were practicing certain metallurgical activities.