Arheologia Moldovei

ABREVIERI

Die Redaktion — 2022-12-12

Doina Benea (8 iunie 1944 – 16 martie 2019)

Virgil Mihailescu-Bîrliba — 2022-12-12

Nicolae Gudea (17 octombrie 1941 – 5 iulie 2019)

Virgil Mihailescu-Bîrliba — 2022-12-12

Activitatea știinţifică a Institutului de Arheologie din Iași în anul 2019

Dan Aparaschivei — 2022-12-12

Notițe de lectură pe marginea unei cărți cu un titlu promițător: Vasile Diaconu, Ludmila Bacumenco-Pîrnău (ed.), Un secol de arheologie în spațiul est-carpatic. Concepte, metode, tendințe, Brăila-Piatra Neamț, Editura Istros a Muzeului Brăilei „Carol I”

Iurie Stamati — 2022-12-12

George Nuțu, Dan Elefterescu, Fibulele de la Durostorum-Ostrov (The Brooches from Durostorum-Ostrov), ediție bilingvă româno-engleză

Dan Aparaschivei — 2022-12-12

Ion Niculiță, Sergiu Matveev, Andrei Nicic, Cercetările sitului arheologic Potârca din Rezervaţia Cultural-Naturală Orheiul Vechi

Dragoș Măndescu — 2022-12-12

Liviu Măruia, Dorel Micle, Andrei Stavilă, Cristian Floca, Unip-Dealu Cetățuica: Rezultatele cercetărilor arheologice desfășurate între anii 2009-2015, Cu contribuții de: Iosif Vasile Ferencz, Petru Urdea, Bogdan Craiovan, Alexandru Hegyi, Editura Mega

Alexandru Berzovan — 2022-12-12

M. Cârciumaru, Elena-Cristina Nițu, Comportamentul simbolic și arta pe teritoriul României din Paleoliticul mijlociu până în Mezolitic (55.000 – 7.500 B.P.)

Vasile Chirica — 2022-12-12

O necesară reconsiderare a originii cuvântului românesc boier și a boieriei ca instituţie specifică românilor, albanezilor și slavilor medievali (II)

Adrain Poruciuc — 2022-12-12

Includes a summary in English.

Keywords: etymology; history; ethnology; onomastics; hospitalitas; OCS bolʹarinʺ; Romanian boier; Albanian bujar; Old High German buwari.

Dobrovăţ-„Pădurea Buda” – 2019. Archaeozoological study

Cristian Oprean — 2022-12-12

Adrain Poruciuc, O necesară reconsiderare a originii cuvântului românesc boier și a boieriei ca instituţie specifică românilor, albanezilor și slavilor medievali (II) [A necessary reconsideration of the origin of the Romanian term boier and of boyarship as an institution specific to medieval Romanians, Albanians and Slavs].

Keywords: archaeozoological analyze; domestic animals; wild animals; animal economy; artifacts made of bone; horn and shell.

Some remarks on the documentary sources of the “fortifications” of Iași

Cătălin Hriban — 2022-12-12

There is an academic consensus in that the premodern city of Iaşi was no walled. However, although there are campaign fortifications in and around the city that are well documented, mainly for the Russian-Turkish wars of 18th century, one also finds several sources that give testimony of various “walls” inside the city proper as well as at its outskirts. This paper undertakes a short inventory of these documentary “walls” in the city of Iasi in the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as commentary on the location and nature of such walls, making use of the methods of historical topography and the cartographic sources available.

Keywords: Iaşi; Princely Court of Iaşi; enclosures; city walls; ditches; pre-modern urbanism; Moldavia.

Marxism în opera Mariei Comșa

Florin Curta — 2022-12-12

Includes a summary in English.

Keywords: Marxism; tributary mode of production; history of archaeology; village community; eudalism; settlement archaeology; social archaeology; ethnography.

Tipar de cruce pectorală din secolele X-XII p.Chr. descoperit la Lămășeni – Rădășeni (jud. Suceava)

George-Dan Hânceanu — 2022-12-12

The stone mould was fortuitous revealed in the village of Lămășeni, Rădășeni commune, Suceava County. The carved out negative represents a model of a Byzantine pectoral cross, of small dimensions. The cross had trefoil arms, and it was decorated with geometrical (short lines, ″X″-s), and cruciform motifs. According with the characteristics of the mould (bivalve, but only one valve was recovered), the cross could be casted in lead or silver, materials which have lower melting points. The similarity to other artefacts suggest a dating, roughly, around 10th–12th centuries AD.

Keywords: mould; pectoral cross; Byzantine type; trefoil arms; geometric and cruciform decorations.

O amuletă-pandantiv antropo-zoomorfă din bronz descoperită în judeţul Iași

George Bilavschi — 2022-12-12

Includes a summary in English.

Keywords: 10th–12th centuries; bronze horseman-amulet; Dobrovăţ – Pădurea Buda (Iaşi County); the Carpathian-Dniester regions; Avar Khaganate; Alans; Proto-Bulgarians; Pechenegs, Cumans.

A clay myrmillo figurine from Territorium Troesmense

George Nuțu — 2022-12-12

The article is devoted to the analysis of a clay figurine discovered stray find in the area of the Cerna village during the 1980’s. The findspot is close to the legionary headquarter of Legio V Macedonica from Troesmis (near modern Turcoaia village in Tulcea county). This myrmillo statuette is a unicum for Dobrudja, NE area of Moesia Inferior province, and even a rare form in the rest of Roman provinces, and merits publication in its own right.

Keywords: Moesia Inferior; territorium Troesmense; clay figurine; gladiator; myrmillo.

Soldaţii uitaţi din curtea Casei Pogor. Contribuții arheologice la studierea istoriei contemporane a orașului Iași

Sever-Petru Boțan — 2022-12-12

The archaeological excavations undertaken by the members of the Institute of Archaeology in Iași, in the courtyard of the famous Pogor House, brought to light several human remains and other archaeological artifacts belonging to the soviet soldiers, that were buried there after the end of World War II. The Soviet cemetery from Pogor House was dismantled in 1992, the remains being moved to the Eternitatea Cemetery. Nevertheless, the remains of 11 individuals along with some personal items (belt buckles, buttons, a pocket knife, a small cap star), were discovered in a common grave. The anthropological analysis revealed the approximate age of the individuals and the multiple trauma related to their violent death in combat, perhaps in the fierce fights that took place around Jassy în 1944.

Keywords: Soviet soldiers; World War II; human remains; Pogor House cemetery.

Pontic tableware from Troesmis. The 1977 excavations

Marian Mocanu — 2022-12-12

In 1977 archaeologists from the Danube Delta Museum carried out a rescue excavation in the civilian settlement of Troesmis. On this occasion, they discovered a substantial amount of Roman pottery. In this article, we present the tableware produced in the Black Sea area. This group was divided into the following categories: Pontic Sigillata; Early Pontic Red Slip; Durostorum Red Slip; Pontic Gray Slip; Unslipped Wares and Late Pontic Red Slip. Pontic tableware dates from the middle of the 1st century AD to the middle of the 4th century. The Late Pontic Red Slip ceramic fragment is from the 5th century, contemporary with the late Roman fortress.

Keywords: Pontic Tableware; Western Black Sea; Danubian Limes; Troesmis.

Originile preistorice ale unei iconografii clasice. Reprezentări janiforme în Chalcoliticul Europei Sud-Estice

Senica Țurcanu — 2022-12-12

Includes a summary in English.

Keywords: Janus-type double-fronted character; Gumelnița – Karanovo VI; Cucuteni – Tripolie; anthropomorphic plastic art; anthropomorphic vessels; human face shaped vessels; gynaecomorph vessel.

The Cucuteni A3 site from Dobrovăţ – Pădurea Buda. 2019 Research

Cornelia-Magda Lazarovici — 2022-12-12

The A3 Cucuteni site from Dobrovăţ – Pădurea Buda/Buda Forest was discovered in 2016, by local Cornel Iascu and Alexandru Berzovan. In 2017 a magnetic prospection of the site (Carsten Mischka), which together with the LIDAR exploration offered information regarding the real dimensions of the site and of the constructions that are present in the investigated zone (9 constructions, one defense moat, palisade and other constructions with undetermined functions). In 2019, the first explorations to determine the magnetic anomalies were conducted. The research targeted two housing units, L3 and L4. The L4 was partially researched, resulting several rooms and interior amenities (altar, bed attached to the corridor separating two rooms) and annexes. The structures of walls and floors of L4 were investigated, as well as part of the pits related to the structure of resistance of the house. Between the two houses were found debris from another house, L10. At the same time, ceramics were analyzed statistically, as were the faunal remains discovered. Along with the typical ceramics for Cucuteni A3, ceramic fragments of the type Cucuteni C and Precucuteni III were also discovered. The study represents the current state of research.

Keywords: Cucuteni culture; A3 phase; Dobrovăţ-Pădurea Buda; houses; structure of the architecture.

Medalii și decorații din colecția Institutului de Arheologie din Iași (VI)

Sever-Petru Boțan — 2022-12-12

The authors present in this short contribution a series of 15 medals that are part of the numismatic collection belonging to the Institute of Archaeology in Iași. These popular medals were minted by various engravers (Carniol Father and Son, Șaraga, Sternberg, Radivon etc.) in order to commemorate some historical events or some important figures during the Romanian Kingdom period. A first group of medals has a somewhat religious character being linked to the restoration of important churches, pilgrimages or important ecclesiastical figures. The second group of medals is linked with the figures or some important political and social figures that built modern Romania (Ion Brătianu, Lascăr Catargiu, Constantin Angelescu or Take Ionescu). Last but not least, we also present some distinctions that were offered to the children with meritorious results in school and education.

Keywords: Phaleristics; medals and awards; “popular medals”; 19th – 20th centuries; Kingdom of Romania.

Descoperiri monetare din Moldova. XII

Lucian Munteanu — 2022-12-12

Includes a summary in English.

Keywords: coin finds; Moldavia; ancient and medieval coins; hoards; stray finds.

Descoperiri numismatice și arheologice din nordul Bucovinei (II.1)

Nicolai Bodnariuc — 2022-12-12

The paper discuss some archeological and numismatic artefacts found on the medieval sites in the Hliboca county, Cernăuți region, started in 2019 in the same edition. The site is located between Oprișeni and Stârcea villages, on the Cotovăț river bank, 500-600 meters from it discharge in the Siret river. The site, disappeared in present, can be identified with a settlement existed in the Middle Age and the Modern period, recorded in written sources as a Bârlinți village. Here were found various objects: coins minted by Moldovan Principality and Ottoman Empire, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Polish and Hungarian Kingdom; cloth seals; various decorative and house hold items (other 140 pcs.). In the article at hand we publish only a part of the materials, namely 22 coin specimens minted in the 14th – 16th c. by the Moldovan state, 13 items struck by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th – 16th and 18th cc. and four custom seals, produced by the Duchy of Burgundy in 15th c., Wrocław town in the 16th c., of the Western Europe in the 15th – 16th cc., and one of the unknown provenience, also made in the Western Europe in the 16th – 17th cc. Objects are of the big importance and notice high economical potential of the Bârlinți population. The publication of the rest of the materials to be continued in the next volume.

Keywords: Archaeology; The Șipeniț/Șipiniț Land; The Principality of Moldova; Bârlinți; Moldavian coinage; Otoman coins; Cloth Seals

Typology of the Ottoman coins minted in the Kingdom of K’akheti in the light of new findings

David Aleksanyan — 2022-12-12

Includes a summary in English.

Keywords: Kingdom of K’akheti; Zagem; Kakhed; dirhem; akche; monetary circulation

Unwanted refugees: Newcomers from the steppes in the Byzantine Balkans (11th – 12th century)

Aleksander Parón — 2022-12-12

After a period of safe isolation from the Great Steppe area and its restless inhabitants in the history of Byzantium came a difficult 11th century, when the empire had to face the migration of nomadic peoples (Pechenegs, Uzes). Their stay in the Paristrion theme was one of the most difficult problems that the imperial court had to deal with in the second half of the 11th century. This study is an attempt to answer two questions: how Byzantium coped with steppe refugees and how the experience of their presence influenced the later (until the end of the 12th century) relations of the empire with the inhabitants of the Black Sea steppes.

Keywords: Byzantine Balkans in the 11th–12th centuries; Byzantine policy towards nomads: Pechenegs, Uzes, Cumans.

Understanding the political geography and economic history of the Black Sea on the basis of proxeny decrees

Victor Cojocaru — 2022-12-12

Includes a summary in English.

Keywords: Black Sea area; Greek cities; proxeny decrees; political geography; economic history; status of foreigners.

Warriorhood at the end of the Neolithic in Central Europe. Comparative analysis of warrior traditions in the chosen regional groups of the Corded Ware Culture

Rafał Skryzniecki — 2022-12-12

The goal of this paper is to examine the variety of customs associated with celebration and commemoration of warrior virtues among chosen Corded Ware culture communities from western and eastern parts of its ecumene. It also summarizes recent theoretical background of warriorhood and compares assemblages from warrior graves with traces of skeletal traumata, in order to at least partially reconstruct actual methods of fighting. The level of actuality of warrior identity is reflected by the quantity of warrior burials. The need for emphasizing power and military prowess through funerary rituals and material culture might represent a response for internal social conflicts, as well as external threats. The lack of uniformity in rituals associated with warriorhood demonstrates that it was a dynamic social construct, which adapted to changing socio-economic conditions.

Keywords: Corded Ware culture; warriorhood; social identity; weaponry; skeletal traumata.

The chipped stone industry from the Chalcolithic in Eastern Romania:A literature review. I. Raw material procurement and the blade technology

Diana-Măriuca Vornicu — 2022-12-12

This paper addresses the archaeological literature on the subject of the chipped stone industry of the Chalcolithic communities that inhabited the east of nowadays Romania, namely Precucuteni and Cucuteni (5th and 4th millennium BC).1 The first part of the study focuses on how the Romanian archaeologists approached the first two stages of the chaîne opératoire: the raw material procurement and the technology of producing knapped stone tools (especially the elongated supports). These aspects were analysed through the literature published until now, regarding aspects as
petrographic determination of raw materials, available information on the morphology of the cores and on blade attributes, on the reduction sequences and procedures. Although rewarding in what considers the raw materials supply, the information proves scarce in what concerns the organisation of technology. The causes of this unbalance are sought in the specificity of the development of the study of Prehistory in Romania. Consequently, perspectives for the further investigations and new directions of research are proposed.

Keywords: Romanian archaeology; Precucuteni and Cucuteni communities; chipped stone assemblages; raw material acquisition; lithic technology; blade industry.

Sumar

Die Redaktion — 2022-12-12

Front Matter

Die Redaktion — 2022-12-12

Prof. Dr. Peter Robert Franke (2.11.1926 – 30.12.2018)

Virgil Mihailescu-Bîrliba — 2022-12-05

Le Paleolitique Superieur de Roumanie en contexte du Paleolitique Superieur Européen, Colloque International, Iași, 8-10 mai, 2019

Cristina Cordoș — 2022-12-05

Activitatea știinţifică a Institutului de Arheologie din Iași în anul 2018

Dan Aparaschivei — 2022-12-05

Costin Croitoru, Valea Mărului. Contribuții arheologice și documentare (I)

George-Dan Hânceanu — 2022-12-05

Iurie Stamati, The Slavic Dossier. Medieval archaeology in the Soviet Republic of Moldova: between State Propaganda and Scholarly Endeavor

Ludmila Bacumenco-Pîrnău — 2022-12-05

Translated by Ruxandra Iuliana Petrinca.

Moshe Idel, Experiența mistică la Abraham Abulafia

Constantin-Emil Ursu — 2022-12-05

Alina Streinu, Vase antice de sticlă din colecția ”Maria și Dr. George Severeanu”

Sever-Petru Boțan — 2022-12-05

Yu Taishan, Li Jinxiu, International Journal of Eurasian Studies

Dan Aparaschivei — 2022-12-05

Johannes Müller, Robert Hofmann, Wiebke Kirleis, Stefan Dreibrodt, René Ohlrau, Lennart Brandtstätter, Marta dal Corso, Welmoed Out, Knut Rassmann, Natalia Burdo, Mykhailo Videiko, Maidanetske 2013. New excavations at a Trypillia Mega-site

Diana Măriuca Vornicu — 2022-12-05

Isabel Cáceres, Isabel Expósito, Marta FONTANALS, M. Gema Chacón, Josep Maria Vergès, Experimental Archaeology: from research to society. Proceedings of the 5th International Congress of Experimental Archaeology. 25th – 27th October, 2017

Diana Măriuca Vornicu — 2022-12-05

O necesară reconsiderare a originii cuvântului românesc boier și a boieriei ca instituţie specifică românilor, albanezilor și slavilor medievali (I)

Adrian Poruciuc — 2022-12-05

The history of the Romanian (Rm.) term boier (a medieval aristocratic title) is long and rather confusing. Practically, all dictionaries that include entries on that term present it as ultimately derived from Old Church Slavonic (OCS) bolʹarinʺ. The latter, in its turn, has been presented – in keeping with a suggestion coming from Miklosich – as a “Turanian” word borrowed by South-Danubian Slavs from their Turkic (Bolgar) ruling elite of the 7th – 9th centuries. The present author considers, however, that the mainstream etymologic interpretations of Rm. boier and of its putative OCS source-word are hardly tenable. Part I of this study provides a inguisticethnologic-historical background for a new hypothesis, which does not center on the above-mentioned OCS term (as supposedly borrowed from Turkic), but rather on the deeply-rooted tradition of boyarship in Romania and on two lexical families that display striking correspondence (in roots and suffixes), namely Romanian boiér-boiereásăboieréşte-boieríe-boierí and Albanian bujár-bujoréshë-bujarísht-bujarí-bujerój. Worthy of attention is the fact that the latter lexical family appears to be etymologically linked with the Albanian verb buj ‘to lodge, to take up one’s lodging’, a word for which Gustav Meyer – in his etymologic dictionary of Albanian, 1891 – indicated a significant series of Old Germanic cognates. (Actually, Alb. buj may be a borrowing proper, from Old Germanic, like several other Albanian words for which the respective origin has already been demonstrated.) Such facts open the way for a discussion on the probable connection between the medieval Southeast European boyarship and the Roman institution of hospitalitas, whose earliest beneficiaries were East Germanic foederati. Further arguments along that line – as well as final conclusions – will make up part II of the present study, to be published in a future issue of Arheologia Moldovei.

Recent addenda to the mapping and ethnoarchaeological research of the brine springs from Bistrița-Năsăud county

Felix-Adrian Tencariu — 2022-12-05

The archaeological evidence confirmed that the brine of the salt springs from the Subcarpathian area was used to obtain salt, through the evaporation-crystallization processes, as far back as the Early Neolithic. This region is nowadays unique in Europe, for its traditional and non-industrial ways of salt water exploitation, still intensively applied. This inestimable scientific resource has been, in the last decade, the subject of an extensive ethnoarchaeological research conducted by a Romanian/French team, with impressive results. The paper deals with some results of the ethnographic inquiries, focusing on the traditional ways in which the brine is used in its original state, mainly for preserving different types of food, but also for daily cooking and in preparing feed for animals. The paper also explores the possible implications for the prehistoric archaeology, using the premises of the ancient exploitation of the brine and the (most probable) need to conserve aliments like meat, cheese, etc. (with few options available). Therefore, techniques similar to those known today, are highly likely/probable of having been used in prehistoric times, though much more difficult to establish than brine recrystallization.

Locuirea bastarnă de la Roșiori. Plăcuțe decorative de la cățeii de vatră

George-Dan Hânceanu — 2022-12-05

During the 2017 archaeological campaign from Roșiori, commune Dulcești, Neamț County was excavated section IX of the settlement where we discovered four fragments of decorative plates belonging to two or three fire-dogs. They are rectangular shaped, modeled from clay, black (three pieces) or yellow (one piece). The objects present aincised geometrical motifs. Considering the disposition of the geometric decoration we can assume that the three black fragments belong to one or two fire-dogs while the other fragment (incompletely burned) is a part of another fire-dog. All of the pieces were discovered on the archaeological level attributed to the bastarnae, IInd-Ist centuries before Christ specific to the Poienești – Lukașevka culture.

Noutăţi arheologice din zona bisericii Talpalari din Iași

Dan Aparaschivei — 2022-12-05

The Talpalari Church in Iasi, dedicated to "Nativity of the Virgin", was built, according to the existing documents, in the middle of 17th century, by the great vistiernic (treasurer) Iordache Cantacuzino, the brother-in-law of prince Vasile Lupu. There was a cemetery around it, about which we also have information from contemporary sources. In view of the consolidation works to be carried out on "Milescu" House, a heritage building, the Institute of Archeology in Iasi provided the archaeological assistance. The excavations near the Talpalari church, conducted in 2016 and 2017, led to the identification of the skeletal remains of 14 individuals in relatively certain funerary contexts. It was also possible to estimate, based on minimum number of individuals calculation method, the presence of 11 other individuals from which we have only disparate fragments due to repeated disturbance events. The present paper presents a detailed analysis of the funerary features, from historical, archaeological and anthropological points of view. The research focuses on both elements of funerary inventory (including potsherds), and animal osteological remains identified in a secondary context. Six coins have been identified as a grave goods. The excavation of the features has led to the finding of several buttons and hook-eye fasteners. In particular, based on the interpretation of the numismatic material, we could see that the graves corresponding to this level in the cemetery of the Talpalari church can be chronologically framed between the last decades of the sixteenth century and the first decades of the next. Therefore, the written sources of the time argue for the existence of Talpalari church in the seventeenth century, however, the field research leads us to the hypothesis that this place of worship was preceded by another one that operated in the previous century and which hosted the cemetery of that neighborhood.

Valentin Codrin Chirica, Les grattoirs de Mitoc

Vasile Chirica — 2022-12-05

The following contribution is focused on the lithic end-scrapers found in Mitoc, considering the statistics of finished pieces (tools), their percentage (%) and number, in comparison to other types of finished tools. The authors took into consideration end-scrapers discovered in five systematically excavated sites: Malu Galben, La Sărături, Valea Izvorului, Pârâu lui Istrate, Valea lui Stan, and La Pisc (La Chisc). The latter site yielding small sized pieces, in the context of a Dufour bladelet. Based on their dimensions, as well as the retouch manner, the end-scrapers discovered here during surface investigations can be assigned to a specific Gravettian cultural aspect, which was not identified in other sites form Mitoc, Crasnaleuca, Cotu Miculinți or Ripiceni. While re-examining the lithic collections from Mitoc, especially those from Valea lui Stan and La Pisc (La Chisc), we noticed the existence of specific aspects pertaining to the presence of human communities, different from those encountered in the habitation levels from Malu Galben and Pârâu lui Istrate, or Valea Izvorului and La Sărături.

Medalii și decorații din colecția Institutului de Arheologie din Iași (V)

Sever-Petru Boțan — 2022-12-05

The authors present 29 medals with official or commercial character issued by the Kingdom of Romania between 1881 and 1928 in order to commemorate various events like the proclamation of the Kingdom (1881), the jubilee years of 1891 and 1906, Emperor Franz Joseph’s visit to Romania in 1896, the inauguration of some monuments for the heroes of the 1877-1878 Independence War, commemoration of military manoeuvres or universal exhibitions. All these official or so called “popular medals” were created by famous artists of the era, some – like Carniol or Radivon – being official supplyers of the Romanian royal family. Apart from their artistic value, these medals represent very efficient means of political and ideological propaganda in service of the ruling Hohenzollern
Dinasty. By associating himself with historical figures like Emperor Trajan, Mircea the Elder or Stephen the Great, king Charles I of Romania sought to legitimate his reign, his mission and his accomplishments. Thus, these medals preserve in their engraving important parts of our history from the past centuries.

Descoperiri monetare din Moldova (XI)

Lucian Munteanu — 2022-12-05

The paper presents new coin finds from various places in Moldavia. The coins belong to hoards or they are stray finds in some cases. They date back to the ancient, medieval and modern times and they were discovered in the following locations: I. Botoșani (Botoșani County) (1 AR, Vespasianus: Domitianus, Rome, 76; 1 AR, Traianus, Rome, 101-102; 1 AR, Marcus Aurelius, Rome, 177; 1 AE, Constantinus I, Cyzicus, 324-330; the first three coins may belong to a Roman imperial coin hoard); II. Fedești (Vaslui County) (1 AE, Phillip II, “Apollo” type, c. 359-336 BC (or postum); the coin might be part of the well-known Fedești hoard); III. Horodiștea (Botoșani County) (hoard containing more than 600 coins, of which only 10 denari were recovered: 1 AR, Vitellius, Rome, 69; 3 AR, Vespasianus, Rome, 70, 73, 76; 1 AR, Vespasianus: Domitianus, Rome, 76; 1 AR, Domitianus, Rome, 92; 1 AR, Traianus, Rome, 108-111; 1 AR, Antoninus Pius, Rome, 152-153; 1 AR, Antoninus Pius: Diva Faustina I, Rome, after 141; 1 AR, Marcus Aurelius, Rome, 176); IV. Botoșani (Botoșani County) (1 AE, Lithuania, Wilna/Brześć, Jan Kazimierz, szeląg, 1666); V. Iași (Iași County) (all coins come from archaeological research: A. Mihai Eminescu Street no. 5: 1 AE, Polish Crown, Ujazdów, Jan Kazimierz, szeląg, 1664; 1 AE, Swedish Empire, Riga, Kristina, Schilling, 1653; Ottoman Empire, Mustafa III, Islâmbol, para, 1771/1772; B. Toma Cozma Street nos. 7B-9: 1 AR, Austrian Empire, Wien, Franz II. (I.), 3 Kreuzer, 1820; C. Zugravi Street no. 64: 1 AE, Russian Empire, Ekaterina II Alekseevna, Sadagura, 2 paras/3 kopecks, 1772).

“The afterlife” of money. The coins found in the necropolis of Brad (Negri Commune, Bacău County)

Lucian Munteanu — 2022-12-05

The medieval necropolis of Brad overlaps the fortified section of the Geto-Dacian fortress of Zargidava, located on the left bank of the Siret River. Altogether, 962 graves were researched here during the years 1963-2004. The numismatic material consists of 158 coins that were discovered in 146 graves. The coins are small silver and bronze
denominations that belong to various issuers and date back to an extremely generous chronological range (14th-19th centuries). More than half of the coin finds from Brad were issued by the Ottoman Empire (86 pcs.). Those originating in the Christian world came mainly from German (34 pcs.), Polish (21 pcs.) and Austrian territories (9 pcs.). Besides these, there are also small amounts of Russian (3 pcs.), Swedish (2 pcs.), Moldavian (1 pc.) and Hungarian (1 pc.) coins. Based on the numismatic discoveries, the commencement of the necropolis of Brad can be dated at the beginning of the 15th century. But the site starts to be used intensively only from the second half of the 16th century and the beginning of the next one. Immediately after the church was rebuilt (in 1697), the burial place attained its maximum level of use, which extended throughout the 18th century, reaching the peak of exploit to its end and continuing at the beginning of the next century. In these times the Ottoman paras and the Austrian small denominations of silver (late denars and duarii) and bronze (Kreuzer) have been deposited inside the graves. The coins from the studied batch can be interpreted as having a special status since they were part of grave inventories. Only hypotheses can be assumed in regard to the possible meanings of these coins in the funerary practices of the epoch. A significant part of the coins from Brad are pierced (66 pcs.). We believe that the perforations are not connected to funeral customs, but rather had a practical role, facilitating the activity of the usurers, who used to gather the small change into a certain unit of account, using a thin wire or thread.

Descoperiri numismatice și arheologice din nordul Bucovinei (I)

Nicolai Bodnariuc — 2022-12-05

The article discusses some archeological and numismatic artefacts found in the medieval settlement, which was identified as the old nucleus of the modern village of Oprișeni, situated in the Hliboca district (also called Adâncata district), Cernăuți region, Ukraine. These are Moldovan coins (15 ex.), cloth seals originated from Mechelen and
Gdansk (of Tudors rose type) (2 ex.), jewellery: earrings, finger rings, buttons, cloth hook, decorative appliques; household items; religious objects used in cults, as well as fragments of various other objects (48 ex.), which dates back from the end of the 14th century until the modern times. The importance of these objects, as well as the
localization of these settlements, is extremely important for the history of the Moldovan medieval Principality. Due to the fact that the current territory of Cernăuţi region, known from the written sources as Șipeniț/Șipiniț Land (Ţara Șipenițului/Șipinițului) has been part of Moldovan principality since the 14th century. Moreover, the favorable geographic location of this village on the international trade route The Moldovan Route (Drumul Moldovenesc), benefited to the arrival of the goods coming from the south and the north. The existence of these contacts is proven by the detection of coins and decorative objects as well as the customs seals for textiles.

Some remarks on the configuration of urban space in the pre-modern town of Iaşi

Cătălin Hriban — 2022-12-05

The morphology analysis of the pre-modern town in the East-European space is encumbered by the lack of maps and zoning plans, as well as by the small quantity of preserved documentary sources. In the case of Iași, the Russian military maps of the 18th century, together with the General plan of Iași made by the French engineer Joseph Bayardi, creates the base for analysis, corroborated by the historical documentary sources recently edited. The general analysis we carry out considers the origins, emergence, evolution and distribution of the town quarters/cores, the streets configuration as well as the size, distribution and evolution of urban plots. The analysis uses both cartographic and documentary sources, supported by analogies with the similar situations in the rest of Moldavia, which are documented by archaeology, and in Central and Western Europe, when the analogy is appropriate.

Farming and trading in Medieval Moldavia: The circulation of products based on historical sources

George Bilavschi — 2022-12-05

Includes an abstract in English.

Pseudofakten und Ethnonationalismus am Beispiel der „Geschichte der Daker”: Ein Beitrag zur Dekonstruktion axiomatischer Geschichtsbilder und ihrer Folgen in der Archäologie und Numismatik des Donau- und Balkanraumes

Karl Strobel — 2022-12-05

Includes an abstract in English.

Aspectele regionale ale Culturii Cucuteni faza A din perspectivă statistică. Teorie și studiu de caz asupra variației formei paharelor din cinci așezări

George Bodi — 2022-12-05

Our study investigates whether, during the phase A of the Cucuteni culture, a connection exists between observed regional cultural preferences for pottery decoration and pottery shapes. We do so through the statistical investigation of the variation in the shape of beakers, expressed as the ration between maximum diameter and height, from five diagnostic settlements. The use of one way ANOVA allows us to ascertain that there is significant variation between settlements. A post hoc Scheffe test, comparing the pairwise variability of the variation, shows that the specific decoration characteristics used to define each cultural group are also accompanied by preferences in specific beaker shapes. We conclude that, although our data set forces caution on the generalisation of our results, shape variation may be used as an added argument in the identification and characterisation of regional groups.

Sumar

Die Redaktion — 2022-12-05

Front Matter

Die Redaktion — 2022-12-05

Prof. em. dr. dres. h.c. Bernhard Hänsel (24.05.1937 – 1.04.2017)

Virgil Mihailescu-Bîrliba — 2022-11-29

In memoriam Marilena Florescu (27 septembrie 1932 – 23 noiembrie 2017)

Cornelia-Magda Lazarovici — 2022-11-29

Hommage à Jacques Tixier (1925-2018) Grand prehistorien et ethnologue des techniques

Foni Le Brun-Ricalens — 2022-11-29

Lăcrămioara Stratulat, Vizită în Republica Populară Chineză

Cornelia-Magda Lazarovici — 2022-11-29

Activitatea știinţifică a Institutului de Arheologie din Iași în anul 2017

Dan Aparaschivei — 2022-11-29

Ionel Cândea, Cetatea Albă. Cercetări arheologice și istorice

Ludmila Bacumenco-Pîrnău — 2022-11-29

Ion Tentiuc, Populaţia din Moldova centrală în secolele X-XIII

George Bilavschi — 2022-11-29

Dan Gh. Teodor, Contribuţii arheologice la problema etnogenezei românești

George Bilavschi — 2022-11-29

Roland Steinacher, Rom und die Barbaren. Völker im Alpen- und Donauraum

Alexander Rubel — 2022-11-29

Ekaterina Nechaeva, Embassies – Negotiations – Gifts. Systems of East Roman Diplomacy in Late Antiquity

Alexander Rubel — 2022-11-29

Alain Chauvot, Les “barbares” des Romains: représentations et confrontations. Études réunies par A. Becker et H. Huntzinger, avec le concours de C. Freu et O. Huck. Centre de Recherche Universitaire Lorrain d’Histoire

Roxana-Gabriela Curcă — 2022-11-29

Cătălin Borangic, Seniorii războiului în lumea dacică. Elite militare din secolele II a.Chr.-II p.Chr. în spațiul carpato-dunărean

Alexandru Berzovan — 2022-11-29

Sarmizegetusa Regia. I. Redescoperirea cetății

Alexandru Berzovan — 2022-11-29

Marzena Szmyt, Biały Potok.Materiały z badań Józefa Kostrzewskiego na Podolu

Diana-Măriuca Vornicu — 2022-11-29

Sabin Adrian Luca, Tărtăria Rediviva

Cornelia-Magda Lazarovici — 2022-11-29

Vasile Chirica, Cristian Ichim, Les Aurignaciens. Leur creation materielle et spirituelle. Actes du colloque international de Iași

Cristina Cordoş — 2022-11-29

Vasile Chirica, Cristian Ichim, Leur creation materielle et spirituelle. Actes du colloque international de Iași

Cristina Cordoş — 2022-11-29

Rom. Baniţă (‘vas de lemn folosit ca măsură pentru cereale’) și legăturile sale cu familia lexicală a rom. Ban (‘titlu feudal’)

Adrian Poruiuc — 2022-11-29

The first part of this article contains the author’s objections to the mainstream etymological opinions according to which Romanian (Rm.) baniţă was borrowed from Slavic, the putative source-word being a Slavic *banica. The latter has been presented as a suffixed diminutive from Slavic banja ‘bath (tub)’, in its turn borrowed from Vulgar Latin (*bannea < Lat. balnea). In fact such an etymological interpretation is debilitated by a number of confusions and conflations. Therefore, this author propounds a connection between baniţă and ban ‘local authority’ (later ‘feudal title’), whose Old Germanic origin has already been demonstrated. In such a case baniţă would appear to have designated a standard measure for grain that dates from the period during which Germanic elites imposed tributal systems on non-Germanic populations of Eastern and Southeastern Europe.

Experimental (re)construction and use of a Late Cucuteni-Trypillia kiln

Felix-Adrian Tencariu — 2022-11-29

This paper describes an archaeological experiment which took place in September 2017 in Stolniceni, Edineț County, Republic of Moldova, based on the recent discovery, in the Cucuteni-Trypillia site from the locality, of an exceptional two-chambered updraft kiln. First are presented the phases of the (re)construction of the complex, which strictly followed the dimensions and constitutive elements of the original discovery. After the kiln was finished and dried, a first attempt was made to fire a batch of about 50 vessels of various sizes. During over 10 hours of continuous firing, the kiln worked perfectly, with no incidents that could jeopardize the pottery. In the end, although the vessels seemed to be very well fired in an oxidizing atmosphere, it was proved that the temperatures reached in the kiln (measured with Orton temperature cones and confirmed by a series of XRD analyses) were inferior to those known (based on analyses) for Cucuteni- Trypillia ceramics. However, this first experimental attempt allowed some interesting observations, being a step forward in understanding this complex chaine opératoire of prehistoric pottery production.

O reprezentare a lui Marsyas pe o gemă de la Romula

Gabriele Filip — 2022-11-29

This small article is focused on the representation of Marsyas, on a gemstone from Romula. The piece is unpublished and the representation of Marsyas like a young boy is quite unusual. It is the only known representation of Marsyas in the gliptic of the province of Dacia Inferior, from which somehow results the uniqueness of the piece in question, at least for this area. From the point of view of artistic achievement, the piece betrays a accurate and careful execution. After the manner of engraving, the gemstone from Romula looks to join the Hellenistic or Italic Hellenistic style, characteristic from the Augustus period of time and the first century A.D. Furthermore, the known analogies on this kind of representations could indicate an early dating of the Marsyas gemstone at the earliest at the beginning of the 2nd century AD. In any case, this gemstone and its representation, complete the repertoire of the representations of divinities from Romula, the capital of Dacia Inferior.

Observații privind câteva fragmente ceramice de tip Vest-Podolian descoperite în cetățile getice de la Stâncești

Alexandru Berzovan — 2022-11-29

The present article brings into attention a number of previously unpublished pottery shards belonging to the Western Podolian culture that were discovered in the Iron Age Getian forts of Stâncești. Although, in very short numbers, their presence is important as they represent a good chronological indicator for the earliest phase of habitation from Stâncești dated between the 6th – 5th centuries BC.

Descoperiri arheologice efectuate în situl de la Ruginoasa, județul Neamț

Ștefan Honcu — 2022-11-29

Field research carried out in territory of the commune of Ruginoasa, Neamț County, has brought in to the light several ceramic fragments assigned to the period of the 2nd-3rd centuries AD. Following these research a new site belonging to the Poienești-Vârşeşcoiu culture was discovered. The importance of this new site is also due to the discovery in proximity of an imperial hoard coins.

Fashion by rituals: Rosette glass beads found in Sarmatian and Sântana de Mureș-Chernyakhov cultures (1st c. BC – 4th c. AD)

Lavinia Grumeza — 2022-11-29

This paper will analyse the rosette glass beads (TM XXIII/362) found extra and intra Carpathian Basin, especially in graves belonging to the so-called Sarmatian and Sântana de Mureș-Chernyakhov cultures, during the 1st c. BC – 4th c. AD. I will also discuss to the possible origins of these types of beads: production within the borders of the Roman Empire and outside the Empire – in Pontic workshops or native production in Barbaricum. The manner of wearing the rosette beads will be another important topic, since they appear in rich female graves, probably the funerary features of female elite. Regularly they are accompanied by other polychrome beads and Roman products, especially enamelled brooches or disc-shape brooches.

Prezenţa unor recipiente de lut legate de exploatarea sării în așezări ale culturii Cucuteni de la răsărit de Carpaţi

Vasile Diaconu — 2022-11-29

The article discusses several types of clay pots, which have been linked to the exploitation of salt from saline sources and have been discovered in the settlements of the Cucuteni culture between the Carpathians and the Prut. The author presents several remains of briquettages, mostly from settlements in the sub-Carpathian area of Moldova. There are also some clay ladles, with analogies at Provadia (Bulgaria), whose functionality is also
closely related to the exploitation of salt. The latter were discovered only at the site of Poduri (Bacău County). The sites discussed in the text are located, in most cases, at relatively small distances from the salt springs (5-7 km). For this reason, it is believed that the briquettage remains found in the settlements can be considered evidence of salt exchange, and those sites can be categorized as centers that controled salt sources and distributed it on large spaces. The settlements where such vestiges were discovered belong mainly to the Cucuteni A and A-B phases.

Recent investigations in the Early Chalcolithic settlement of Balș – La Brigadă (Romania)

Diana-Măriuca Vornicu — 2022-11-29

This paper presents the results of the investigations in the Early Chalcolithic settlement from Balș – La Brigadă. The site was surveyed in two instances: once in the 80s and recently in 2017 in order to assess its chronological framing, as a contribution to understanding the diachronic movement of the Precucuteni communities in the Bahlui River Basin. We estimated the surface of the site to cca 1 ha. The geomagnetic prospections helped at demarcating the eastern limits of the settlement. In the test trench were revealed the collapsed walls of a burnt dwelling, which allowed us to sample bones for the 14C dating of this specific building. The archaeological materials from the site, through their technology and typology, indicate an earlier beginning of the settlement than previously thought and probably the existence of at least two phases of inhabitation in the Early Chalcolithic. Artefacts and features from other periods were also revealed during the investigations. Keywords: Early Chalcolithic Precucuteni culture; geomagnetic survey; chronological and phase framing; pottery technology; lithic assemblage; anthropomorphic and zoomorphic representations.

Medalii și decorații din colecția Institutului de Arheologie din Iași (IV)

Sever-Petru Boțan — 2022-11-29

In the present study the authors focus on presenting four military medals of the Russian Empire. The first one is linked with the ill-fated campaign of Napoleon in Russia, commemorating the Russian victory of 1812 against the French invaders. Two other medals were minted in order to honor those who took part in the Russian-Japanese conflict of 1904-1905, while the last one is a 4th class Medal for Bravery issued for heroic deeds at the beginning of the First World War. The last medal is engraved with a low serial number which would date it approximately to the first half of 1915. Unfortunately, we have no data regarding the owners of these awards or of their heroic deeds.

Descoperiri monetare din Moldova. X

Lucian Munteanu — 2022-11-29

Includes a summary in English.

Considerații geografice privind geneza oraşului medieval în Moldova Centrală

Cătălin Hriban — 2022-11-29

The emergence and evolution of medieval towns and cities in the central region of Moldavia has its peculiarities, which are mainly due to location, acces to resources and ease of communication. All of these may be explained either by geographical settings or by historical constraints shaped by geography and topography. The paper summarizes the main issues that can be approached from the point of view of historical geography, wiz. medieval sources (narrative and cartographical, including explanations of this process, as given by early authors) and primary utilizations of geographical data in establishing patterns of emergence and evolution of medieval Moldavian towns.

Incineration, inhumation and biritualism

Virgil Mihăilescu-Bîrliba — 2022-11-29

Keywords: Carpathian tumuli culture; Braniște – Nemțișor cemetery; incineration; inhumation; foetus.

Ceramica de masă din vestul Mării Negre în mediul rural. Sarichioi – Sărătura

Marian Mocanu — 2022-11-29

In 1989 V. H. Baumann carried out an archaeological excavation in a rural settlement located at Sarichioi-Sărătura. The final report on this archaeological research was published in 1995. In this article we resume the analysis of the tableware discovered at Sarichioi-Sărătura. 78 ceramic fragments were analysed and the following conclusions were drawn: 24 specimens are Oriental imports from Asia Minor (ESB) and Aegean (ESC). The rest of the tableware was produced in the workshops in the Black Sea Basin. A particular ceramic category is the Pontic Gray Slip Ware (PGSW) produced by the local population. This ceramic category originates in the pottery specific to the La Tène period, and with the Roman occupation it begins to imitate ceramic forms specific to Pontic or Asia Minor workshops. The Pontic Gray Slip Ware is a useful indicator of the Romanization process of the West-Pontic population.

Noi date despre orizontul cultural Sălcuţa IV-Herculane II-III –Cheile Turzii

Gheorghe Lazarovici — 2022-11-29

In this study we specified some data on the Sălcuţa IV-Herculane II-III-Cheile Turzii cultural horizon, starting from our own research from Cheile Turzii, but also looking at other similar findings. We analyzed the terms used in the literature, as well as the relative and absolute chronological data. We have specified the levels in which the Sălcuţa type materials appear at Peştera Ungurească and we have formulated more hypotheses regarding the penetration of these elements in Transylvania, as well as its contribution to birth of Bodrogkeresztúr – Toarte Pastilate/Knobbed-handles, along with other elements (Tiszapolgár). As arguments we used certain ceramic shapes and the manner of decorating it. The mentioned cultures were also attracted by the copper and gold resources. We pointed out several items related to findings from Peştera Ungurească, where is the only workshop to process gold jewelry (but also from other materials) related to Bodrogkeresztúr – Toarte Pastilate/Knobbed-handles.

Matières premières locales et allogènes dans les technocomplexes lithiques de Mitoc-Malu Galben

Vasile Chirica — 2022-11-29

The procurement and use of lithic raw material by Upper Paleolithic communities has a great potential to reveal important aspects, such as patterns of movement, economic or technologic decisions, etc. The area located between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River is rich in local sources of good-quality raw material, some well-known in the specialized literature as Prut flint and Dniester flint. Unsurprisingly, the Upper Paleolithic sites investigated in this area yielded significant amounts of lithic artifacts worked in local chert. However, other types of raw material were identified (flint, sandstone, shale, and opal), some originating from known sources (Eastern Carpathians, Volhynia). At Mitoc-Malu Galben, a similar pattern is noticeable. Nevertheless, some varieties of flint, such as the black and white flint or the green flint, were brought within the site in some particular stages from unknown areas.

Sumar

Die Redaktion — 2022-11-29

Front Matter

Die Redaktion — 2022-11-29

Ioan Mitrea (4.04.1937 – 21.07.2017)

Virgil Mihailescu-Bîrliba — 2022-11-21

Alexandru Vulpe (16.06.1931 – 9.02.2016)

Virgil Mihailescu-Bîrliba — 2022-11-21

Virgil Mihailescu-Bîrliba la 80 de ani

Lucian Munteanu — 2022-11-21

Activitatea știinţifică a Institutului de Arheologie din Iași în anul 2016

Dan Aparaschivei — 2022-11-21

George Bilavschi, Unelte agricole din Moldova medievală

Dan Gh. Teodor — 2022-11-21

Nicolae Cătălin Rișcuţa, Iosif Vasile Ferencz, Oana Tutilă Bărbat, Representations, Signs and Symbols. Proceedings of the Symposium on Relgion and Magic

Dan Aparaschivei — 2022-11-21

Altay Coşkun, Alex McAuley, Seleukid Royal Women. Creation, Representation and Distorsion

Victor Cojocaru — 2022-11-21

Vasile Diaconu, Repertoriul descoperirilor atribuite epocii bronzului din judeţul Neamţ

Bogadan Petru Niculică — 2022-11-21

Sabin Adrian Luca, Viața trăită sub zei.

Cornelia-Magda Lazarovici — 2022-11-21

Un sistem juridic-administrativ de origine veche germanică reflectat într-o familie lexicală românească (ban, bănat, băni, bănui, bântui) (II)

Adrian Poruciuc — 2022-11-21

One can rarely find a series of cognates as significant – for both the post-ancient history of Southeast-Central Europe and for the Old Germanic domain – as the Romanian lexical family that includes ban1 ‘feudal title of nobility’ and ban2 ‘coin, money’. It is rather surprising that no one has decisively propounded ultimate Old Germanic origins for those Romanian words as well as for their obvious relatives in neighbouring languages. Such a situation is most probably due to the fact that some earlier (Avar-Turkic-Hungarian) etymological explanations regarding the ban family came to be considered as definitive solutions, so they became a kind of “etymological legends” transmitted from author to author up until the present day. The main point of this study is to demonstrate that the Romanian lexical family represented by terms such as ban, bănat, băni, bănui and bântui (plus many significant derivatives) are far from being just borrowings from the languages of today’s neighbours of the Romanians. In their earliest recorded meanings, the Romanian words under discussion show surprising unity, since they all reflect a proto-feudal juridical-administrative system that can be clarified only by reference to the semantic sphere of Germanic words such as German Bann, Swedish bann or English ban. The general conclusion of this study (divided into two parts, published in two consecutive issues of Arheologia Moldovei) is that Romanian, as continuant of the Vulgar Latin spoken in Southeast Europe, preserved a lexical family based on Old Germanic loans with meanings that look even more archaic than the ones of the ban family (of Frankish origin) which survived in the French language.

Observații antropologice în legătură cu complexul monahal de la Dumbrăveni, jud. Constanța

Costel Chiriac — 2022-11-21

The authors present their historical and anthropological observations concerning bone fragments belonging to a person buried in the 4th century AD in the monastical rupestral complex in Dumbraveni, Constanta county, in Dobruja (4th-6th century AD). It is believed that this person, buried inside the rupestral monastery is marked from an anthropological point of view by his natural and social environment. There are obvious resemblances with the burial rituals practiced in the Judaic desert.