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ÉTUDES
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ALEXANDRA COMȘA, The Bronze Age Cemetery from Dumbrăviţa (Wietenberg Culture). An Anthropological Overview
The paper presents the results of the anthropological study undertaken on the osteological materials which were still available from the cremation necropolis discovered at Dumbrăviţa – Stricata (Bistriţa‑Năsăud County), belonging to the Wietenberg culture, dating to the Middle Bronze Age. Even if the number of burials is small, which could lead to somewhat biased conclusions, a greater number of women compared to men could be noticed, especially among adults. Concerning the funerary ritual, it was established that men, women and children were buried in the same cemetery, but only a single double interment (Burial 14 a and 14 b) was found. Generally, the head, but frequently all the parts of the body, were represented, and had a very advanced degree of cremation. Offerings appeared only in a few cases. It was obvious that some of the dead had adornments made of bronze, due to the bluish‑green traces existing on their bones (especially on their long ones). As for pathology, the existence of osteoarthritis on the spine of the skeleton in Burial no. 2, belonging to a male of about 50 years, was noticed, as well as the presence of a carious process on an upper left premolar of the individual in Burial no. 10, an infans II (8‑9 years).
Keywords: Dumbrăviţa – Stricata necropolis, Wietenberg culture, deceased, anthropological study
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DRAGOȘ MĂNDESCU, The Lone Rider. In Quest of Ties between the Ferigile Group and the Mediterranean
This paper deals with a grave good item from the Early Iron Age necropolis at Valea Stânii (Argeș County, Romania), found in the cremation grave excavated in 2024 under barrow 18. It is a bronze figurine representing a human riding an animal (probably a horse). Analogies with the funerary inventory and radiocarbon dating place the grave in the Ferigile‑North phase, at the turn of the 7th and 6th centuries BC at the earliest. Bronze figurines depicting animals or the human–animal pair are rarities in the local cultural landscape from the end of the Early Iron Age; so, in the artefact from Valea Stânii, one can glimpse one of the rare southern imports received by the Ferigile group. Its origin should be sought in the production of the workshops in the Greek Sub‑geometric style, or rather in that of the workshops from the Orientalising period (the 7th century BC). It is not excluded that Macedonia acted as a mediator in the journey of the figurine from its Mediterranean area of origin to the lands north of the Danube, although other scenarios of the object reaching the Ferigile environment (for example, via the recently founded West‑Pontic Greek cities of Orgame and Histria, or even as an expression of individual mobility, brought by members of the North Thracian community returning home from some southern wandering) should not be rejected either.
Keywords: Early Iron Age, Ferigile group, grave goods, imports, Sub‑Geometric / Orientalising
period figurines, chronology
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49
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PIOTR DYCZEK, Medicine without Borders. The Case of the Roman Provinces on the Lower Danube
In the Republican Period, only the highest military commanders were provided with medical care. Ordinary legionaries started benefiting from it only from the time of Julius Caesar. From then onwards, military hospitals – valetudinaria – began to appear within legionary fortresses. This development was accompanied by the creation of a medical services network consisting of physicians – legionaries as well as civilians. The Danubian archaeological site in Novae, excavated by the Antiquity of Southeastern Europe Research Centre (University of Warsaw), contains timber‑and‑earth barracks of the first cohort of the legio VIII Augusta, which presumably established a castra there ca. AD 45. Medical instruments were discovered in two rooms of the complex. When the legio I Italica arrived in Novae in AD 69, the newcomers erected a large valetudinarium. The excavations there revealed a number of hospital rooms, storerooms, utility rooms, and a temple dedicated to deities of healing, located in the middle of the hospital’s courtyard. The cultic space also yielded fragmented sculptures and inscriptions referencing Asclepius and Hygieia. The hospital in Novae is the best‑preserved building of this type not only along the Lower Danubian limes, but also in the whole Roman Empire. The organisation of military medical care appears similar across three provinces: Moesia Superior, Moesia Inferior, and Dacia. An analysis of finds indicates that concentrations of medical personnel and infrastructure were linked to the functioning of Roman fortresses. Many physicians were of Greek descent. Medical services were also provided in local hydrotherapy centres. Other notable centres included Greek and Roman towns. The relatively small number of military hospitals discovered in these provinces should be seen as a result of the topography and logistics characteristic of the region.
Keywords: medical service, Roman army, Novae, military hospitals (valetudinaria), Lower Danube provinces
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81
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CHRISTIAN GUGL, CRISTINA-GEORGETA ALEXANDRESCU, MARIO WALLNER, KLAUS LÖCKER, RALPH TOTSCHNIG, GERALD GRABHERR, BARBARA KAINRATH, Advancing Frontiers: Large-scale Archaeological Investigations in Troesmis, 2023-2024
The Troesmis Research Project (2010‑2024) is a Romanian‑Austrian collaboration focused on the Roman and Byzantine site of Troesmis located on the Lower Danube. Extensive interdisciplinary research was conducted, including remote sensing, field surveys, and geophysical prospection, thus employing non‑invasive methods. Key objectives included reconstructing the historical development of the military camp and civilian settlements, mapping infrastructure like aqueducts and roads, and creating a comprehensive archaeological dataset of an ancient microregion. Recent surveys (2023‑2024) employed advanced geophysical techniques, notably motorised magnetometry and ground‑penetrating radar, allowing detailed mapping of the legionary camp and adjacent civilian areas. The surveys revealed the layout of Troesmis’ fortress, streets, and public buildings, while providing new data indicating that the epigraphically attested municipium developed outside the former camp after the departure of legio V Macedonica in the last decades of the 2nd century AD. Noteworthy results include the identification of residential zones, the extensive road network, burial grounds, and the shift from Roman military to Byzantine settlement patterns. Marble artefact analysis and provenance studies revealed a mix of local and imported materials, particularly Prokonnesian marble, used in architectural elements, various interior decorations and sculptures, and highlighting trade networks. For the first time in the region, the use of greco scritto marble (imported from the Ephesos area) for wall revetments and flooring is identified for the 2nd‑3rd centuries AD. Troesmis now stands as a rare example where large parts of the spatial organization of a Roman frontier settlement can be mapped, providing unique insights into urban development, military‑civilian dynamics, and material culture in the Lower Danube region
Keywords: Troesmis, Moesia Inferior, castra legionis, canabae, municipium, geophysical prospection, marble provenance analyses
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105
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RADA VARGA, Crafting Roman Identity: Professions and Latinisation in Moesia Superior
This study examines the relationship between urbanisation, Latinisation, and occupational epigraphy in the Roman province of Moesia Superior during the 1st to 3rd centuries AD. It explores how military presence, mining activities, and urban centres influenced the social and economic fabric of the province. The epigraphic record reveals how occupational identities functioned as markers of social status, cultural integration, and economic roles, with a focus on independent professionals who shaped local communities beyond elite narratives. The analysis highlights the complex interplay between Roman administrative culture and local traditions, shedding light on processes of Latinisation and Romanisation at multiple social levels.
Keywords: occupational epigraphy, urbanisation, social identity, provincial society
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141
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CĂLIN COSMA, The Symbolism of Beads in the Avar Society of the Seventh-Eighth Centuries in Transylvania
The study of beads and their symbolism in the 7th‑8th‑century Avar society of Transylvania is innovative within the historiographical research of both the period and geographical area of reference. The suggested scientific approach aims to present the beads found in the Avar cemeteries in a more complex, interpretative perspective. The author addressed several aspects when discussing this topic. The first regards the presence or absence of beads/bead necklaces in the Avar inhumation cemeteries and graves in Transylvania dated to the 7th‑8th centuries AD. A second aspect concerns the raw material used in making the beads. Their association within the graves with a series of artefacts believed to represent social standing or ethnic attributes is the third element that the author considered. The quantitative and qualitative analytical approach aimed to provide support for the hypothesis that beads were not merely jewellery items or adornment accessories, but also a marker of gender, ethnicity, social status etc. within communities. Subsequently, the author concluded that beads may be included in a study centred on artefact symbolism (as a symbol of gender, religion, social status and cultural or ethnic identity).
Keywords: beads, Avars, symbolism, Transylvania, early Middle Ages
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155
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SILVIU OȚA, GABRIEL STĂICUȚ, CRISTIANA TĂTARU, ZIZI ILEANA BALTĂ, The Hoard from Săsenii pe Vale (Buzău County)
In April 2020, on the territory of Săsenii pe Vale village (Vernești commune), a treasure composed of coins and medieval adornments was discovered with the help of a metal detector. The village Săsenii pe Vale has been mentioned in documents since the 16th century. The hoard comprises 12 jewellery accessories (four earrings, eight hair/veil/headdress pins), 50 clothing accessories (28 appliqués and 22 buttons) and 686 coins (between the years 1492/93 and 1596 as dates of their issue). Both coins and ornaments were deposited in a clay pot and wrapped in textile fabrics. The investigations into metal items and textile materials contribute to a deeper understanding of the manufacturing techniques and chronological framework of metal adornments and textile materials used in medieval garments. The analysis of the textile materials, different from each other, suggests the mid‑16th century as the final date of production. The hoard, by its jewellery and dress accessories, belongs to a wider horizon of such finds, dated to the 16th and early 17th centuries. These discoveries are specific to the Lower Danube area, especially Wallachia and Moldavia, such as Sihleanu – Sub Muche, Cândești – Domneasca, Țifești – Property of N. Angonescu, Șotânga, Zlătunoaia, Bălțați, Cuhureștii de Sus, Braniștea, Dezghingea, Purcari and Păun. These hoards could have been buried due to multiple reasons (looting, war, preservation, trade change, hoarding in order to make payments, etc.). As a rule, they are buried outside settlements and basically the chances of clarifying the exact reason for burial are even fewer.
Keywords: hoard, earrings, hair/veil/headdress pins, buttons, appliqués, coins, textile remains, pot
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179
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NOTES ET DISCUSSIONS
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DRAGOȘ HĂLMAGI, On the Reuse of Doric Architectural Members in Roman Histria: A Tale of Two Inscriptions
A statue base dedicated by the Histrian authorities to the Roman governor Titus Vitrasius Pollio was originally an anta block from a Hellenistic Doric temple and was later reused as the threshold of a postern in the Late Roman city wall. The inscription honours Pollio as a public benefactor and saviour, probably in connection with ample building activity at Histria during his tenure. A Doric architrave likewise bears traces of reuse and an erased inscription. It seems unlikely that the two architectural fragments belonged to the same temple. The text on the architrave, previously unpublished but partly legible, contains a dedication for the wellbeing of a Roman emperor of the late 1st or 2nd century AD.
Keywords: Doric temples, spolia, anta block, statue base, Roman governor, architrave, Roman emperor
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233
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CONSTANTIN C. PETOLESCU, FLORIAN MATEI-POPESCU, P. Frontinius Decoratus, manceps ferrariarum
A short commentary on the life and activity of P. Frontinius Decoratus, manceps ferrariarum in the provinces of Noricum, Raetia and Dacia, is presented here. Some questions regarding the exact meaning of his position are also raised, as well as the business relationship with the attested conductores from the provinces, especially with the one from Dacia. It thus seems that during the Severan dynasty, he leased the tax revenues owed to the state from iron mining (vectigal), while the conductores oversaw the actual exploitation and the production, leasing the mines in turn to the coloni.
Keywords: Noricum, Raetia, Dacia, manceps ferrariarum, conductores ferrariarum, P. Frontinius Decoratus
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243
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COMPTES RENDUS
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Andrea Popa, Managementul integrat al patrimoniului cultural mondial în România. Studiu de caz: Frontiera romană în Dacia. Siturile de epocă romană de la Brețcu, Comolău și Boroșneu Mare [The Integrated Management of World Cultural Heritage in Romania. Case Study: The Roman Frontier in Dacia, The Sites at Brețcu, Comolău, and Boroșneu Mare], Sibiu, Astra Museum, 2023, 279 p., ISBN 978-606-733-361-9 (Florian Matei-Popescu)
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249
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IN MEMORIAM
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Eugen Nicolae, 19th June 1955 – 28th September 2024 (Theodor Isvoranu)
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253
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ABRÉVIATIONS
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263
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