Arheologie-Cercetare

At municipal work in the spring and summer 1981 near the current Rescue Station Alba Iulia, in an area northwest of the legionary camp, near the second Roman necropolis from Apulum, was unveiled a Roman building with five rooms which had the following dimensions: chamber 1 - 5.7 X 5.5 m; chamber 2 - 5.7 X 5.5 m; chamber 3 - 4.5 X 3 m; chamber 4 - 4.5 X 3.75 m. They were not specified the chamber size 5 because it was partially destroyed by the barracks construction site workers. Foundations were preserved walls made of mortar broken stones. Superstructure was made of bricks, which apparently were used and the floor of the building was preserved only in a room. As inventory were discovered several iron tools or other iron objects: nails, spikes, knives, sickles, knives and a hook. At 15 m north-west of the first house was spotted another building, much smaller in size, kept in one room 7.5 X 6.75 m, foundation walls with the same structure and dimensions of the above. It was dated in the first half of the third century A.D., on several silver coins (denarii) issued by Septimius Severus, Elagabalus, Iulia Mamaea and Severus Alexander. Knowing that nearby the first building was discovered another roman house dated in the first half of the IIIrd century A.D., we can say that in this situation we can stays the same chronological classification of the first building, where they were discovered the agricultural and domestic tools. In 2004 a building was investigated by elevation of brick that have kept the two rooms, with two phases of housing. It was situated in the first terrace of the Mureş river. Of this building were recovered three agricultural or household tools: a hoe, a sickle and a knife made of iron found in one of the first phase of living rooms dating up until the third quarter of II century A.D., On a bronze knee-brooch, an earlier version (Cociş type 19a1b1a). Unfortunately, after more than a century of archaeological research Apulum, agricultural tools are few, and information about the practice of this occupation are still lacking.

The present study analyzes a recently rediscovered relief of Mithras

Tauroctonos from Apulum. The relief was found in 1905 in Apulum (Alba Iulia, Gyulafehérvár) by Béla Cserni, the first director of the local museum. The artifact was shortly mentioned in some notable catalogues (CIMRM 1938), but without further details about its exact location and fate. Recently, the relief was found in the deposit of the Museum of Arad. In this study the authors present the adventurous discovery and rediscovery of the relief and its iconographic features, reflecting on the Mithraic material of Apulum.

Point investigated, located in Alba Iulia, str. Timotei Cipariu, Nr. 25, is part of the northwestern
sector of canabae legionis settlement, in an area very rich in roman archaeological
vestigies, as diverse archeological pieces. We are in the settlement where they conducted a series
of economic activities, as evidenced by other excavations in this area which will be published in
the next period. At this point were discovered two clay extraction pits dated to middle century III
A. D. Period of exploitation of such clay pit was relatively short, one-two decades. Almost as short
excavation was filled with debris and waste. One if the pits was partly a superimposed walls of a
Roman building dated towards the end of Roman administration in Dacia. Archaeological materials
are diverse and numerous. We opted for this study to deal with „small finds” like bronzes, iron
artifacts, bone pieces, glass beads, next following that in a future study to present ceramic material
resulting from this archaeological digging. Almost all the bronze artifacts are pieces of military
equipment, which shows that we are in a settlement whose development is linked by the presence
of the XIII Gemina legion. A suber antoninianus with the legend which is not very well preserved,
emitted after the reign of Gordianus III indicates us the continuation of habitation in the second
half of IIIrd century A. D. in this area of the settlement. It is the first archaeological evidence of the
late roman dwelling in Apulum. So far this late period was proven by other aspects of material
culture which were evidenced through the specialty reviews along the time.

The authors present two archaeological researches carried out in the north-western area of the Medieval and premodern town of Alba Iulia. The dwellings were probably destroyed on the occasion of the Turkish-Tatar invasions in the years 1658 and 1661, or by another causes. The archaeological excavations confirm the tragic events in the history of the Medieval and premodern city, as attested by literary sources. We note, from an archaeological point of view, the black stage in the evolution of the town of Alba Iulia. The two Turkish-Tatar invasions did not allow this city to recover economically and architecturally. The last princes preferred to live in the city of Făgăraş, because the fortification from Alba Iulia was outdated in terms of military technology of the time. The plan signed by the Italian architect Giovanni Morando Visconti from 1711 revealed the extent of the medieval and premodern city around the castle, before fortifications were built by the Habsburgs. We tried to locate, aproximatively, the points investigated by us on this plan. It seems that our houses were on the limits of town, in an area highly exposed to the danger of an invasion.

Only starting with the second half of the 4th century A.D. did combs appear in women and
children’s graves from the Roman province of Pannonia. Humpbacked combs were discovered in
late Roman or Gothic necropolises. Some combs decorated with dot-circles could be found in the
late Roman cemeteries from Lauriacum, Tokod, Brigetio and Intercisa in Pannonia and in the
Gothic necropolis from Sântana de Mures (Mures County).
The double-sided Roman combs came from the Greek area of the Roman Empire and could
be found until the 6th century A. D. Such combs were discovered in the Pannonia province in the
military camps from Carnuntum (Bad Deutsch-Altenburg) and Arrabona (Gyır). The humpbacked
combs were produced until the first decades of the 5th century A.D. In post-Roman Dacia, humpbacked
combs dating from as late as the first half of the 5th century could be found, whereas
double-sided combs were present after this period as well. Humpbacked combs may however have
been used until the first decades of the 5th century in Dacia in the Roman environment.
The double-sided and humpbacked combs found in the post-Roman settlement from Alba
Iulia at the Dealul Furcilor-Monolit site can be placed in a larger time frame, between the 4th and
6th centuries A.D.
A hiatus exists in archaeological research regarding the use of these combs by the local
population from the former Roman province of Dacia. I hope that future archaeological research
will tackle these trends of the Roman and local population.

In this study the authors have tried to gather a lot of informations about the clay lamps discovered in canabae legionis from Apulum in last three decades with the occasion of archaeological researches or accidental findings. It's about with mark or without one. They were analyzed more than seventy clay lamps, majority found in archaeological diggings carried in last three years in some locations and areas where the settlement of canabae legionis was developed. Majority are types X Loeschcke, XVII Iványi and VIII Loeschcke, VII Iványi. One of them is type IV Loeschcke, VB Deneauve and it is an italic import. All artifacts were dated on the basis of archaeological context, a thing rarely met so far in the publishing of this kind of material at Apulum. The authors have tried to render some results of archaeological researches made by some archaeologists from Alba Iulia since 1995-2000. Analyzing the archaeological excavations carried out over nine years we allow at this stage of research to shade some conclusions that we could help to make an overview of the development of a significant part of canabae situated to the south and southwest from roman legionary camp. I noticed that the brooches and coins at least a level (if not two), located between-1-0,4 m depth dated to between the last two large, three decades of the second century A.D. and the first three decades of the next. But there are situations when the date on some complex are closer, such as housing investigated in 1995. A housing is given prior to the existence of at least two layers of culture under these levels which have been dated on the basis of certain types of artifacts. It's present levels below-1 m depth. As I mentioned in previous pages the finding of a strong profiled brooch in a secondary position we could point to a housing during the second century A.D. until the last decades of the century respectively. So the layers of culture present in one meter deep in the archeological zone could be timed to logically during the second century A.D. until the end of it. Unfortunately we have other items that date to indicate the exact beginning of the housing in the south and southwest of camp.

Studiul face referire la o descoperire făcută în cursul anului 2013, la Alba Iulia, cu
ocazia lucrărilor de modernizare a Staţiei de Epurare a Apelor, situată la cca. 350 m vest de
municipium Aurelium/colonia Aurelia (descoperirile de epocă romană de pe str. Dacilor). Cu
această ocazie a fost cercetat parţial un edificiu de tip mausoleu, în a cărui cameră funerară au
fost descoperite două sarcofage de marmură. Edificiul a fost parţial distrus de lucrările începute
fără asistenţă arheologică. S-a putut constata că acesta avea în plan dimensiunile de 11,1 ×
6,5 m, cu o cameră funerară în centru de 3,3 × 4,5 m. Din punct de vedere arheologic s-a observat
un pat de pietriş, care reprezenta fundaţia construcţiei, surprinsă pe profilul vestic, pe o înălţime
de 1 m. Sub aceasta a fost descoperită o reţea de gropi de stâlpi care “armau” stratul de pietriş.
Edificiul a suferit mai multe jefuiri, fiind spoliat de calcarul din care era ridicată partea
superioară, dar şi de marmura cu care era placat. Elemente de la intrare au fost refolosite la
sarcofagul unui mormânt de inhumaţie, descoperit la câţiva metri spre nord.
Pe baza analogiilor presupunem că mausoleul descoperit de noi avea o formă rectangulară,
cu intrarea pe latura de sud, poziţionat la drumul care intra în Apulum prin partea de
vest. A fost ridicat pe un teren aflat în proprietatea unei familii cu putere financiară însemnată,
pentru a cinsti cum se cuvine memoria unor membri ai acesteia trecuţi în Lumea de Dincolo.

At municipal work in the spring and summer 1981 near the current Rescue Station Alba Iulia, in an area northwest of the legionary camp, near the second Roman necropolis from Apulum, was unveiled a Roman building with five rooms which had the following dimensions: chamber 1-5.7 X 5.5 m; chamber 2-5.7 X 5.5 m; chamber 3-4.5 X 3 m; chamber 4-4.5 X 3.75 m. They were not specified the chamber size 5 because it was partially destroyed by the barracks construction site workers. Foundations were preserved walls made of mortar broken stones. Superstructure was made of bricks, which apparently were used and the floor of the building was preserved only in a room. As inventory were discovered several iron tools or other iron objects: nails, spikes, knives, sickles, knives and a hook. At 15 m northwest of the first house was spotted another building, much smaller in size, kept in one room 7.5 X 6.75 m, foundation walls with the same structure and dimensions of the above. It was dated in the first half of the third century A.D., on several silver coins (denarii) issued by Septimius Severus, Elagabalus, Iulia Mamaea and Severus Alexander. Knowing that nearby the first building was discovered another roman house dated in the first half of the IIIrd century A.D., we can say that in this situation we can stays the same chronological classification of the first building, where they were discovered the agricultural and domestic tools. In 2004 a building was investigated by elevation of brick that have kept the two rooms, with two phases of housing. It was situated in the first terrace of the Mureş river. Of this building were recovered three agricultural or household tools: a hoe, a sickle and a knife made of iron found in one of the first phase of living rooms dating up until the third quarter of II century A.D., On a bronze knee-brooch, an earlier version (Cociş type 19a1b1a). Unfortunately, after more than a century of archaeological research Apulum, agricultural tools are few, and information about the practice of this occupation are still lacking. Agricultura romană practicată în provincia Dacia a fost relativ destul de puţin cercetată, deşi au apărut în ultimii ani câteva lucrări de sinteză publicate de câţiva specialişti cum ar fi , care au reuşit să adune şi să sintetizeze informaţiile despre acest subiect în monografii despre aşezările rurale din întreaga