Papers by Roxana Munteanu
Dan Aparaschivei, George Bilavschi, Ludmila Bacumenco-Pîrnău (eds.) - Varia Archaeologica (IV) Provocări, căutări și certitudini în cercetarea arheologică românească actuală, 2024
Arad railway infrastructure project (section 3). I. Results of the archaeological diagnosis
SCIVA, 2022
The paper presents a hoard of copper artefacts from Eastern Romania, dating back to the first hal... more The paper presents a hoard of copper artefacts from Eastern Romania, dating back to the first half of the second millennium BC. The hoard consists of 14 metal adornments: two possible neck‑rings and two bracelets made of thick wire, two double‑wired open bracelets, six double‑wired head ornaments, a decorated disk and an indeterminate fragmentary item – possibly a needle. Most likely, the ensemble is a Central European import; good correspondents are to be found in Nitra and Únetiče, cultural environments. The paper also discusses this hoard's origin, chronology and significance, within the context of the Middle Bronze Age in Eastern Romania.
V. Sîrbu, D. Ștefan, M. Ștefan (eds.) - Hidden Landscapes : The Lost Roads, Borders and Battlefields of theSouth-Eastern Carpathians, 2022
Starting from the mapping of the Early Bronze Age findings from the Curvature Subcarpathians the ... more Starting from the mapping of the Early Bronze Age findings from the Curvature Subcarpathians the paper questions their cultural specificity. Taking into account the high degree of similarity in terms of the aspect of archaeological deposits, material culture and landscape, it is inferred that the high area of SouthEastern Transylvania and the Curvature Subcarpathian share a cultural identity during the 3rd millennium BC. 'Schneckenberg culture' is the most appropriate label for defining these archaeological realities.
Memoria Antiquitatis, 2022
The paper presents the data collected during the research conducted in 2011-2013 at Bodeștii de J... more The paper presents the data collected during the research conducted in 2011-2013 at Bodeștii de Jos. This multi-layered site is located in Eastern Romania, in the piedmont area near Piatra-Neamț, on the left high bank of the Cracău river. The Middle Bronze Age features consist of a uniform, almost continuous layer of stones (marl and cobbles), that appears to cover the entire plateau. 369 shards were recovered from this layer (from between, beneath and above the stones) most of them with distinctive features for the Costișa culture. This batch of pottery includes fragments of small biconical vessels and cups, large bowls, pots and amphorae-like vessels. The range of ornaments is typical for the Costișa cultural milieu. No dwellings or other habitat related features were unearthed. The Middle Bronze Age layer is considered to encompass a non-domestic enclosure.
Recent research at Berca (Buzău County) led to the discovery of a deposit composed of 68 flint it... more Recent research at Berca (Buzău County) led to the discovery of a deposit composed of 68 flint items (53 flake blanks and 15 blades) made of Balkan flint (matte, fine-textured, cream/cream-yellow, blackish-brown/gray and blackish-gray). The flint objects were deposited in a small vessel, covered with a cup-like lid. The cultural assessment of vessels and flint objects is difficult, none of these artefacts exhibiting notable features. Taking into account the technological features of the flint items and the existence of some late Eneolithic ceramic markers from the site, the dating of the assemblage in the second half of the 4th millennium BC is inferred.
Mousaios, 2022
Responsabilitatea pentru con inutul i pentru formele grafice indica ii The authors are responsibl... more Responsabilitatea pentru con inutul i pentru formele grafice indica ii The authors are responsible for the content of the submitted texts and illustrations, as well as for the precision of the references, abbreviations and transcriptions of the foreign words.-MUZEUL JUDE website: muzeubuzau.ro Telefon (Phone)
V. Sîrbu, C. Schuster, D. Hortopan (eds.) - Graves, Cenotaphs and Votive Deposits of Weapons in Europe - Bronze and IronAges. Proceedings of the 20th International Colloquium of Funerary Archaeology. Târgu Jiu, Gorj County (Romania), 7th - l0th October 2021, 2022
The paper analyses the package of known data regarding the axes from the third and second millenn... more The paper analyses the package of known data regarding the axes from the third and second millennia discovered in the eastern and south-eastern parts of Romania. For most of the copper and bronze axes, comprehensive data on the context of discovery is notoriously absent, hindering the understanding of their use. The possibility of a long chronology of such items is emphasised here. It is possible for some of the items traditionally attributed to the Early Bronze Age to have originated from Middle Bronze Age contexts. Also, a short discussion on the functional or symbolic meaning of the shaft-hole axes is introduced. The shaft-hole is the most common heavy implement in the studied territory in both the third and the second millennium so their labelling as preferred weapons by the communities of this space can be justified.
Mousaios, 2022
The paper presents the Middle Bronze Age sites (ca. 2200-1600 BC) from a small area located at th... more The paper presents the Middle Bronze Age sites (ca. 2200-1600 BC) from a small area located at the outer limit of the Curvature Subcarpathians. The study area covers 6 km2 on the south-eastern slope of the Istrița Hill, near the villages Pietroasa Mică and Câlțești (Pietroasele commune, Buzău).
A number of 20 sites were inventoried from published and unpublished data. The revision of this package was conducted through field surveys and a critical analysis of the data.
The Monteoru communities settled on the mid- to high altitudes of the Istrița Hill, on rocky ridges (Dealul Dogaru, Gruiu Dării) and on open plateaus (Via lui Despan). Complex earthworks and several construction layers were documented at Gruiu Dării, suggestive of the existence of a major settlement between 2200-2000 BC.
The data from the western part of the study area is more scattered and less impressive (Dealul Dogaru, Via lui Despan), corresponding to a different settlement pattern (perhaps from a slightly later period).
Later on, in the final stage of the Middle Bronze Age the archaeological evidence is mainly related to the funerary domain (Dealul Dogaru, Șapte Frați). The identification of the contemporary settlement of these cemeteries will be the subject of future studies.
Buletinul Muzeului Județean Teleorman, 2020
This short note introduces a shaft-hole axe discovered at the beginning of 2020 in the hilly area... more This short note introduces a shaft-hole axe discovered at the beginning of 2020 in the hilly area of Buzău valley. Made of copper, this light and graceful artifact displays the morphometrical features of a Vidra hammer axe. While no direct associations could be established with other artifacts, the existence of a Chalcolithic settlement upstream, about 8 km away, suggests the assignment of the hammer axe within the geographic limits of the Gumelniţa culture. The new discovery adds to a short list of metal artifacts discovered in the Carpathians Curvature, in the contact zone of three cultural areas: Gumelniţa, Cucuteni and Ariuşd
The aim of this paper is to present a series of discoveries attributed to the Turkic nomadic popu... more The aim of this paper is to present a series of discoveries attributed to the Turkic nomadic populations (11th– 12th centuries), resulting from archaeological research conducted in 2018 and 2019 in several burial mounds placed in the localities of Târgșoru Nou and Inotești from Prahova County, as well as Lunca from Buzău county. It includes descriptions of the investigated archaeological features, the results of the anthropological and archaeozoological determinations as well as those of the physico-chemical investigations of some metal artefacts, and absolute chronology dates. Given that artefacts were part of the archaeological features investigated, we briefly present information regarding their analogies and occurrence. These discoveries highlight a time period which is otherwise scarcely known in this region and at the same time add weight to other materials already published during past years.
Le site roumain de Poiana Slatinei a Lunca (Neamt), fouille regulierement par G. Dumitroaia et so... more Le site roumain de Poiana Slatinei a Lunca (Neamt), fouille regulierement par G. Dumitroaia et son equipe depuis 1984, represente les plus anciens temoins de production de sel en Europe. Il s'agit d'un site unique en Europe ou un amas stratifie de cendres, de charbons et de sols rubefies, long de 60 m et large de 25 m a ete conserve. Situe a proximite immediate d'une source salee toujours utilisee et fortement concentree, il renferme plusieurs dizaines, sinon centaines, de sols de combustion stratifies qui forment cet important amas sur pres de 3 m de haut. Grâce aux nombreux fragments de ceramique peinte, ces temoins de production de sel ont des le debut ete dates du Neolithique ancien, et plus precisement du Starcevo-Cris IIIb-IVa. En 2004, l'elargissement a 20 m2 du sondage central ouvert en 2002 sur le sommet du depot allait permettre a l'equipe franco-roumaine de realiser des releves detailles systematiques des differentes coupes stratigraphiques et des prel...
Shell-tempered ware identified at Gârcina–Slatina Cozla II-III (Neamț County) was analysed in ter... more Shell-tempered ware identified at Gârcina–Slatina Cozla II-III (Neamț County) was analysed in terms of microscopic, mineralogical and chemical characteristics for revealing its technological parameters. The site located near Piatra Neamț, on the Cozla hillside was used for the exploitation of salt-water resources by the Cucuteni communities and, later on, during the Early Bronze Age. Selected pottery samples were examined using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Results show that the studied pottery samples although similar in the added temper have distinctive features in terms of raw material quality, processing and firing regime.
Keywords: salt exploitation, prehistory, Lunca – Poiana Slatinei Includes a summary in French.
Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology, 2021
The research project ‘Hidden Landscapes: Exploratory Remote-sensing for the Archaeology of the Lo... more The research project ‘Hidden Landscapes: Exploratory Remote-sensing for the Archaeology of the Lost Roads, Borders and Battlefields of South-Eastern Carpathians’ (HiLands) implements a systematic and diachronic investigation of the historic strategic circulation corridors crossing the South-Eastern part of the Carpathian Mountains – the main gate used along ages by people transiting between Transylvania and the Danube or the Black Sea. In order to achieve such aims we have been exploring, starting from large scale LiDAR surveys, the circulation corridors’ diachronic archaeological fingerprint, preserved in the shape of repeatedly fortified landscapes. LiDAR surveys have been carried on continuously since 2018, by airplane, but also with portable sensors based on SLAM technology. The results of the LiDAR explorations were enhanced by field surveys, geophysical prospections and pin-pointed excavations, in order to elucidate the nature of anomalies or better contextualize the significa...
Cercetări Arheologice, 2020
Abstract: Evidence of a Chalcolithic ditch at Bodeşti-Cetăţuia Frumuşica (Neamţ County Archaeolo... more Abstract: Evidence of a Chalcolithic ditch at Bodeşti-Cetăţuia Frumuşica (Neamţ County Archaeological investigations carried out between 2011 and 2013 verified and confirmed some of the previously known data regarding the prehistoric habitation from Bodeşti-Cetăţuia Frumuşica (in Eastern Romania, near Piatra Neamţ). The site preserves the remains of a Chalcolithic settlement with Cucuteni A, A-B and B layers as well as Early and Middle Bronze Age features. The dominant position of the plateau surrounded by steep slopes towards the north, west and south fully justifies the settlement choice of the first inhabitants. As the older archaeological researches returned unclear data regarding the man-made defences of the site, in 2013 we opened a trench to verify the layout of a hypothesized earthwork of the eastern side. A segment of a transverse ditch barring the point of the easiest access was uncovered here. The ditch is about 11 metres wide and more than 3.5 metres deep, cutting through the archaeological deposits, the clay subsoil and the underlying marl bedrock The stratigraphic evidence as well as the artefacts retrieved from various depths indicate several filling sequences (with the most consistent occurring during Cucuteni A). Further cross-sections through this ditch are necessary in order to validate our data.
Mousaios, XXII, 2018
In 2011-2013, archaeological researches were conducted in a site previously known for its rich Ch... more In 2011-2013, archaeological researches were conducted in a site previously known for its rich Chalcolithic layers – Bodeşti-Cetăţuia Frumuşica, in the piedmont area in Eastern Romania (Neamţ County). The archaeological deposit sits on top of a high terrace of a small river (Cracău), towering over the valley.
The features uncovered during the latest researches document the Early and Middle Bronze Age habitation. Documenting the Middle Bronze Age, part of a stone layer (Feature 3) associated with Costişa-type pottery was unearthed.
A thorough research of an Early Bronze Age feature was subsequently conducted. Feature 1 consists of a ditch that, supposedly, enclosed the larger (south-eastern) plateau. The stratigraphic position of the feature is well established, as it cuts the entire Chalcolithic layers and it is covered by the Middle Bronze Age feature. A short segment of 16 metres was documented. Older researches (from 1939-1942) intersected parts of the same structure, but the particular character of this feature was not understood at that time.
The ditch is merely 1.20-2.50 metres wide and 1.50-1.80 metres deep. Its covering began during the Early Bronze Age – first by setting ablaze some wood and grains amassed on the bottom of the feature, later by throwing over the fire a large amount of stones. Later on, part of the soil (with Chalcolithic remains) excavated while digging the ditch became the upper part of the filling.
Two samples of charred seeds were collected from the bottom of the ditch: the calibrated AMS dates obtained (at the Debrecen Laboratory), fall in the last centuries of the 4th millennium BC.
A small pottery batch is associated with the Early Bronze Age layer. About 40 small shards were collected, displaying the stylistically, morphologically and technologically characteristics of a local groupware (Târpeşti) of Folteşti II/Cernavoda II origin.
On this account, the beginning of the Bronze Age in this area can be traced back to the last centuries of the 4th millennium BC.
Mousaios, XXII, 2018
The excavations from 2018 conducted in research unit 12 (S12) determined, for the first time sinc... more The excavations from 2018 conducted in research unit 12 (S12) determined, for the first time since the beginning of the archaeological researches at Gruiu Dării, the demarcation of two Chalcolithic layers (N.1 and N.2).
The identification of the two layers allows for some considerations regarding the possible existence of horisonz within the Cucuteni B-Cernavoda mixture . The analysis of the archaeological material from the two layers offered the possibility to follow the progress of the synthesis processes and the stylistic or typological evolution of some categories of objects involved in the specific interference phenomena for this area. The chronological or just stylistic value of the products resulting from such processes remains to be clarified by the accumulation of information and future debates.
Three archeological complexes have been identified: C276 (N.1) most likely representing the remains of a structure; C277 (N.1), a hearth with a flat cobbles base and C276a (N.2), representing an „agglomeration" of archaeological materials concentrated mainly in the area of the B-square of the S12 section.
Among the archaeological materials belonging to the two layers of S12, we identified ceramic products and tools which were not found in previous discoveries from Gruiu Dării.
The discovery of pottery shards with similar decorations to those applied to some pieces found on the site of Hârşova and attributed to the Cernavoda Ib phase, opens the debate on the chronological or just stylistic relevance of these pieces. Judging by the chronological value assigned to the Hârşova classification, we may formulate the opinion of a possible earlier presence in the area of Cernavoda communities. However, the discovery of these pottery shards and those of the Cernavoda Ic type already attested on the same layer, raises questions about the chronological or just stylistic value of these pieces.
Another novelty of the 2018 excavations regarding the Chaocolithic is the discovery of the first tools made of copper.
It is also worth mentioning the discovery during the same excavations of a whole vessel with a tube. This vessel represents the second discovery of this type from Gruiu Dării in the context of a rather rare presence of this category of containers in the sites attributed to the Chalcolithic period.
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Papers by Roxana Munteanu
A number of 20 sites were inventoried from published and unpublished data. The revision of this package was conducted through field surveys and a critical analysis of the data.
The Monteoru communities settled on the mid- to high altitudes of the Istrița Hill, on rocky ridges (Dealul Dogaru, Gruiu Dării) and on open plateaus (Via lui Despan). Complex earthworks and several construction layers were documented at Gruiu Dării, suggestive of the existence of a major settlement between 2200-2000 BC.
The data from the western part of the study area is more scattered and less impressive (Dealul Dogaru, Via lui Despan), corresponding to a different settlement pattern (perhaps from a slightly later period).
Later on, in the final stage of the Middle Bronze Age the archaeological evidence is mainly related to the funerary domain (Dealul Dogaru, Șapte Frați). The identification of the contemporary settlement of these cemeteries will be the subject of future studies.
The features uncovered during the latest researches document the Early and Middle Bronze Age habitation. Documenting the Middle Bronze Age, part of a stone layer (Feature 3) associated with Costişa-type pottery was unearthed.
A thorough research of an Early Bronze Age feature was subsequently conducted. Feature 1 consists of a ditch that, supposedly, enclosed the larger (south-eastern) plateau. The stratigraphic position of the feature is well established, as it cuts the entire Chalcolithic layers and it is covered by the Middle Bronze Age feature. A short segment of 16 metres was documented. Older researches (from 1939-1942) intersected parts of the same structure, but the particular character of this feature was not understood at that time.
The ditch is merely 1.20-2.50 metres wide and 1.50-1.80 metres deep. Its covering began during the Early Bronze Age – first by setting ablaze some wood and grains amassed on the bottom of the feature, later by throwing over the fire a large amount of stones. Later on, part of the soil (with Chalcolithic remains) excavated while digging the ditch became the upper part of the filling.
Two samples of charred seeds were collected from the bottom of the ditch: the calibrated AMS dates obtained (at the Debrecen Laboratory), fall in the last centuries of the 4th millennium BC.
A small pottery batch is associated with the Early Bronze Age layer. About 40 small shards were collected, displaying the stylistically, morphologically and technologically characteristics of a local groupware (Târpeşti) of Folteşti II/Cernavoda II origin.
On this account, the beginning of the Bronze Age in this area can be traced back to the last centuries of the 4th millennium BC.
The identification of the two layers allows for some considerations regarding the possible existence of horisonz within the Cucuteni B-Cernavoda mixture . The analysis of the archaeological material from the two layers offered the possibility to follow the progress of the synthesis processes and the stylistic or typological evolution of some categories of objects involved in the specific interference phenomena for this area. The chronological or just stylistic value of the products resulting from such processes remains to be clarified by the accumulation of information and future debates.
Three archeological complexes have been identified: C276 (N.1) most likely representing the remains of a structure; C277 (N.1), a hearth with a flat cobbles base and C276a (N.2), representing an „agglomeration" of archaeological materials concentrated mainly in the area of the B-square of the S12 section.
Among the archaeological materials belonging to the two layers of S12, we identified ceramic products and tools which were not found in previous discoveries from Gruiu Dării.
The discovery of pottery shards with similar decorations to those applied to some pieces found on the site of Hârşova and attributed to the Cernavoda Ib phase, opens the debate on the chronological or just stylistic relevance of these pieces. Judging by the chronological value assigned to the Hârşova classification, we may formulate the opinion of a possible earlier presence in the area of Cernavoda communities. However, the discovery of these pottery shards and those of the Cernavoda Ic type already attested on the same layer, raises questions about the chronological or just stylistic value of these pieces.
Another novelty of the 2018 excavations regarding the Chaocolithic is the discovery of the first tools made of copper.
It is also worth mentioning the discovery during the same excavations of a whole vessel with a tube. This vessel represents the second discovery of this type from Gruiu Dării in the context of a rather rare presence of this category of containers in the sites attributed to the Chalcolithic period.
A number of 20 sites were inventoried from published and unpublished data. The revision of this package was conducted through field surveys and a critical analysis of the data.
The Monteoru communities settled on the mid- to high altitudes of the Istrița Hill, on rocky ridges (Dealul Dogaru, Gruiu Dării) and on open plateaus (Via lui Despan). Complex earthworks and several construction layers were documented at Gruiu Dării, suggestive of the existence of a major settlement between 2200-2000 BC.
The data from the western part of the study area is more scattered and less impressive (Dealul Dogaru, Via lui Despan), corresponding to a different settlement pattern (perhaps from a slightly later period).
Later on, in the final stage of the Middle Bronze Age the archaeological evidence is mainly related to the funerary domain (Dealul Dogaru, Șapte Frați). The identification of the contemporary settlement of these cemeteries will be the subject of future studies.
The features uncovered during the latest researches document the Early and Middle Bronze Age habitation. Documenting the Middle Bronze Age, part of a stone layer (Feature 3) associated with Costişa-type pottery was unearthed.
A thorough research of an Early Bronze Age feature was subsequently conducted. Feature 1 consists of a ditch that, supposedly, enclosed the larger (south-eastern) plateau. The stratigraphic position of the feature is well established, as it cuts the entire Chalcolithic layers and it is covered by the Middle Bronze Age feature. A short segment of 16 metres was documented. Older researches (from 1939-1942) intersected parts of the same structure, but the particular character of this feature was not understood at that time.
The ditch is merely 1.20-2.50 metres wide and 1.50-1.80 metres deep. Its covering began during the Early Bronze Age – first by setting ablaze some wood and grains amassed on the bottom of the feature, later by throwing over the fire a large amount of stones. Later on, part of the soil (with Chalcolithic remains) excavated while digging the ditch became the upper part of the filling.
Two samples of charred seeds were collected from the bottom of the ditch: the calibrated AMS dates obtained (at the Debrecen Laboratory), fall in the last centuries of the 4th millennium BC.
A small pottery batch is associated with the Early Bronze Age layer. About 40 small shards were collected, displaying the stylistically, morphologically and technologically characteristics of a local groupware (Târpeşti) of Folteşti II/Cernavoda II origin.
On this account, the beginning of the Bronze Age in this area can be traced back to the last centuries of the 4th millennium BC.
The identification of the two layers allows for some considerations regarding the possible existence of horisonz within the Cucuteni B-Cernavoda mixture . The analysis of the archaeological material from the two layers offered the possibility to follow the progress of the synthesis processes and the stylistic or typological evolution of some categories of objects involved in the specific interference phenomena for this area. The chronological or just stylistic value of the products resulting from such processes remains to be clarified by the accumulation of information and future debates.
Three archeological complexes have been identified: C276 (N.1) most likely representing the remains of a structure; C277 (N.1), a hearth with a flat cobbles base and C276a (N.2), representing an „agglomeration" of archaeological materials concentrated mainly in the area of the B-square of the S12 section.
Among the archaeological materials belonging to the two layers of S12, we identified ceramic products and tools which were not found in previous discoveries from Gruiu Dării.
The discovery of pottery shards with similar decorations to those applied to some pieces found on the site of Hârşova and attributed to the Cernavoda Ib phase, opens the debate on the chronological or just stylistic relevance of these pieces. Judging by the chronological value assigned to the Hârşova classification, we may formulate the opinion of a possible earlier presence in the area of Cernavoda communities. However, the discovery of these pottery shards and those of the Cernavoda Ic type already attested on the same layer, raises questions about the chronological or just stylistic value of these pieces.
Another novelty of the 2018 excavations regarding the Chaocolithic is the discovery of the first tools made of copper.
It is also worth mentioning the discovery during the same excavations of a whole vessel with a tube. This vessel represents the second discovery of this type from Gruiu Dării in the context of a rather rare presence of this category of containers in the sites attributed to the Chalcolithic period.