Archaeology-Research

"The study is presenting two stone objects belonging to the archaeological collection  of Muzeul Naţional al Unirii in Alba Iulia. The first object is a zoomorphic sceptre discovered in a sand quarry, near the railway station of Vinţu de Jos (fig.I). It has good parallels in the North-Pontic region (Suvorovo), as well as
in Moldavia (Fedeleseni. Fitioneşti). Dobrudja (Casimcea) or Macedonia (Suvodol). The sceptre from Vinţu de Jos is the first of this type in the Transylvanian region and could be dated in the Eneolithic period.
Thesecond find is a stone macehead with four knobs (fig.2), discovered by chance in the village of Şard (com Ighiu. jud. Alba), during the excavation of a fountain. It could belong to a grave of Decea Mureşului type.
Both objects represent  Eastern elements from  the North-Pontic steppic area,  which penetrated inside the Carpathian Basin during the Eneolithic period."

The paper is presenting a new site, located in the western part of Transylvania, which came out by chance, during the works for a new road. Most of the site was destroyed, but the pottery found is typical for the Livezile group, which marks the beginning of the Early Bronze Age in this area.

"The paper presents new bronze objects acquired lately by the museum of Alba Iulia. First, there are two bronze socketed axes from the area of Oradea, which definitely form together a small hoard (Oradea II). They may be dated to Ha B time and present close parallels to another small hoard from north-western Romania (Dragu II). Secondly, there is a bronze spearhead found in the area of Seusa village (Alba district). Part of the wood handle has been preserved inside the socket, which is quite unique on the Romanian territory. The spearhead belong to a common type and it could be dated in the Ha A2 – Ha B period.
A special disscussion is dedicated to the intentionally deteriorated blade of the two socketed axes, a well-known and long-time disscused feature in the Late Bronze Age hoards from
central and South-East Europe. The blade of one of the socketed axes from Oradea area has clear cuts with a narrow metalic blade, probably a chisel.

The first part of this study debates the possibility of existence of pre-Roman mines discussing some stone tools which belong typologically to the category “Rillenschlägel” or “Grooved hammer-stones.” Such hammer stones were discovered in Transylvania at Caraciu (Hunedoara County) and in the prehistoric settlement from Petresti (Alba County). Another possible evidence of pre-Roman mining exploitations is offered by the early salt exploitations from Valea Florilor (Cluj County), so far considered to belong to the Dacian period. The 14C date for one of the wooden tools surprisingly belongs to the later Bronze Age (13th century B.C.). A similar date is proposed for the wooden objects found out in 1817 in Valea Regilor, in Maramures. Only one image of these objects was published. The objects preserved in the National Museum of Geology from Budapest disappeared during the World War II.
The study also presents a number of 14C dates concerning gold mining in Roman Dacia. We discuss the date (2000+60 BP) given for a hydraulic wheel hub from Ruda-Brad (Hunedoara County), which can be dated cal. 1 σ (68 %) between 75 BC - 45 AD and cal. 2 σ (95 %) between 150 BC-130 BC. Two other dates concern the gold exploitations from Rosia Montană, being collected from Păru-Carpeni and Orlea areas. A sample of a wooden ladder from Păru-Carpeni gave the date 1860+60 BP, which was calibrated 1 σ (68 %) between 90-240 AD and cal. 2 σ (95%) between 20-245 AD.

The rhombic section rings from Cugir are part of a widely spread group of gold artifacts that have been found either in hoards or isolated throughout the Central and Western Transylvania, as well as Banat and North-Eastern Hungary, within a clearly delimited area. The weight analysis of the ring ingots from Cugir confirms and consolidates the results previously obtained in several reference studies of gold artifacts from Late Bronze hoards from Central and South-Eastern Europe.