Papers by Marius Alexianu
Asăndulesei (Iaşi) (membres). Web-editor: Ştefan Caliniuc La responsabilité du contenu scientifiq... more Asăndulesei (Iaşi) (membres). Web-editor: Ştefan Caliniuc La responsabilité du contenu scientifique et sur la forme des articles revient intégralement aux auteurs. Les manuscrits, les livres et les revues proposés en échange et pour comptes-rendus, ainsi que toute la correspondance seront adressés à la Redaction:
L'exploitation du sel a travers le temps, Chapter: „A Re-Evaluation of Salt Resources for the Cucuteni-Tripolye Area ”Publisher: Colectia “Bibliotheca Memoriae Antiquitatis”, XVIII, Ed. Constantin Matasă, Piatra Neamt; Editors: D. Monah, Gh. Dumitroaia, O. Weller, J. Chapman, 2007
This study proposes a re-evaluation of salt resources for the Cucuteni-Tripolye area, as well as ... more This study proposes a re-evaluation of salt resources for the Cucuteni-Tripolye area, as well as for the steppe region North of the Black Sea. Previous attempts to identify salt resources within the territory between the Moldavian piedmont and the Volga basin took into account almost exclusively the rock salt and salt springs of the Eastern Carpathians. The steppe and forest-steppe region of Ukraine was considered a "salt-starved region" and, therefore, it was inferred that the Eastern Carpathians were the main provider of salt for Cucuteni-Tripolye settlements, as well as for the Neolithic and Chalcolithic pastoralists inhabiting the northern coast of the Black Sea. Relying on this assumption, archeologists further conceived various models of dynamic material and cultural exchanges among the populations of the region. Our multidisciplinary approach points to a salt resource that was consistently overlooked by the salt archaeologists. We provide hydrogeological, historical, ethnological and climatic evidence that on the northern Black Sea, despite its often invoked low salinity in comparison with other inland seas, the phenomenon of natural crystallization of the salt, as well as the widespread exploitation and trade of salt taken from salt lake deposits were present since immemorial times to our present day in an almost unbroken sequence. The flourishing Cucuteni-Tripolye culture must have had therefore (at least) two salt bases -first, the salt extraction lakes from the Northern Black Sea (which had a spectacular rate of production), and, secondly, the (regionally important) salt springs of Moldavia -, which between them constituted a territory fully provided with salt.
The present study aims to evaluate the competition between the modern management and the ethno-ma... more The present study aims to evaluate the competition between the modern management and the ethno-management of the water resources from Eastern Romania. The employment of specific hydrological, ethno-archaeological and spatial analysis methods yielded well delimited specific areas, corresponding to the levels of NaCl present in rivers and springs. The waters from the mountainous and piedmont areas of the Carpathians are directly influenced by the presence of salt deposits. The reduced salinity of the larger water arteries is due to the important liquid discharges that dilute the salts. The recent ethno-archaeological investigations that focused on the approximately 200 salt springs which were identified in the sub-Carpathian areas of Moldavia, have highlighted a well-structured ethno-management system. The modern management of the fresh water resources, developed under governmental and local communal financial support, must be continued with increased intensity. Conversely, an involvement into the ethno-management of the saltwater springs must be generally prohibited; only seldomly, in cases of uttermost necessity, can it interfere with the 8.000-years-old ethno-management of these saltwater springs.
ION SANDU1*, VIORICA VASILACHE1, MARIUS ALEXIANU2, ROXANA-GABRIELA CURCA2 1 ARHEOINVEST Interdisc... more ION SANDU1*, VIORICA VASILACHE1, MARIUS ALEXIANU2, ROXANA-GABRIELA CURCA2 1 ARHEOINVEST Interdisciplinary Platform,”Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, Laboratory of Scientific Investigation and Cultural Heritage Conservation, 11 Carol I Blv., 700506, Iasi, Romania 2 ”Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, Ethnoarchaeological Department of the Applied and Theoretical Archaeology Laboratory ARHEOINVEST Interdisciplinary Platform, 11 Carol I Blv., 700506, Iasi, Romania
Our approach emphasizes on the importance of the first forms of salt springs exploitation meant t... more Our approach emphasizes on the importance of the first forms of salt springs exploitation meant to obtain recrystallized salt for the development of prehistoric human communities within the continental inlands of Europe. Although it does not compare with the monumental dimension of World Heritage, the exploitation of some salt springs in Eastern Romania goes back around 8 millennia; they may be the oldest such exploitations in the world, as proven by 14C calibrated data. What differentiates Romanian salt springs from other famous similar areas in Europe is the continuity of exploitation and utilization of natural brine. Actually, these resilient behaviours explain the creation of a whole and complex universe of salt, which also represents a unique point of reference within the intangible World Heritage. It is through this association in variable proportions between tangible (non-monumental) and intangible that these salt springs comprising the oldest traces of salt exploitation can ...
This book presents the proceedings of the International Colloquium (1-5 October 2008) held at Al.... more This book presents the proceedings of the International Colloquium (1-5 October 2008) held at Al. I. Cuza University (Iaşi, Romania) on the Archaeology and Anthropology of Salt. This title was awarded the Grand Prize at the National Salon of Technical and Scientifical Books at the European Exhibition of Creativity and Innovation, May 10-13, 2012, Iaşi, Romania.
Lucrețiu Mihailescu-Bîrliba, Wolfgang Spickermann (eds.), Roman Army and Local Society in the Limes Provinces of the Roman Empire Papers of an International Conference, Iași, June 4th-6th, 2018, 2019
The authors present the main elements of the linguistic impact of the Roman army in Moesia Inferi... more The authors present the main elements of the linguistic impact of the Roman army in Moesia Inferior. It is relevant for this topic to make a classification of the different types of linguistic contacts: case, accidental vs. permanent; external vs. internal; natural vs. artificial; marginal/border vs. intraregional (including of the enclaves speaking another language); direct vs. mediated; non-mediated vs. remote; popular vs. cultic. The
current paper proposes to have an approach based on the general research directions regarding the role of legions and Roman auxiliary military units in the linguistic romanisation of Moesia Inferior.
Quaternary Science Reviews, 2024
Drawing on ethnoarchaeological field research conducted in Romania's Outer Carpathian region betw... more Drawing on ethnoarchaeological field research conducted in Romania's Outer Carpathian region between 2007 and 2015, an ethnographic radial model for the supply of brine, recrystallized salt, and rock salt was developed. This paper aims to apply this model to prehistoric contexts, specifically the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and Bronze Age periods, in relation to the brine sources at Cacica. The selection of this area is grounded in several factors: the presence of multiple brine sources, the use of the briquetage technique (a method for producing salt cakes in ceramic containers) during a specific phase of the Chalcolithic, extensive documentation from ethnographic and ethnohistorical studies, and a rich database on prehistoric settlement patterns. At Cacica, two distinct methods of brine exploitation were identified: the production of salt cakes and the direct use of brine without human intervention, primarily for human and animal consumption. The authors utilized the Radial Model of Salt Supply to analyse these two methods of exploitation and suggest that this dual model could offer valuable insights into the understanding of inland briquetage sites across worldwide.
Mankind Quarterly, 2012
Latin authors mentioned the unusual process of obtaining salt by spraying salt water on hot ashes... more Latin authors mentioned the unusual process of obtaining salt by spraying salt water on hot ashes. At the end of the 18th century this method was confirmed ethnographically. Archaeological research has demonstrated that there is evidence for this process as early as 6050 BC. Analysis of the salts produced following an archeological experiment demonstrated that this was, in fact, a matter of obtaining the first food supplement in the history of the world.
Studia Antiqua Et Archaeologica, Dec 31, 2014
The sub-Carpathian area of Moldavia (Romania) represents the ideal framework to perform extensive... more The sub-Carpathian area of Moldavia (Romania) represents the ideal framework to perform extensive ethno-archaeological research as the area harbours over 200 salt springs near which are found remarkable archaeological deposits related to salt exploitation, in particular from Neolithic and Chalcolithic times (6000-3500 BC). Nowadays, these mineral springs are still exploited at an unexpected degree of intensity by members of rural as well as of urban communities. The main research focuses on the identification of all salt springs in sub-Carpathian Moldavia and on the completion of complex ethno-archaeological research (exploitation, uses, distribution networks, trade, social contexts, symbolism, etc.) in order to propose new and more varied models for explaining prehistoric situations.
Archaeopress Publishing Ltd eBooks, Jul 13, 2023
Historical Archaeologies of Transhumance across Europe, 2018
International audienc
Mirrors of Salt. Proceedings of the First International Congress on the Anthropology of Salt 20-24 August 2015, ‘Al. I. Cuza’ University, Iași, Romania Edited by Marius Alexianu Roxana-Gabriela Curcă Olivier Weller Ashley A. Dumas, 2023
Cover: Cucuteni typical ladles, Romania (photo: C. Preoteasa). The production phases of salt crys... more Cover: Cucuteni typical ladles, Romania (photo: C. Preoteasa). The production phases of salt crystallization in Cacica, the Cucuteni culture (Mugur Andronic).
In Romanian archaeology, the aspects related to demography are poorly presented. The present stud... more In Romanian archaeology, the aspects related to demography are poorly presented. The present study combines the demographic data already known in the archaeological literature with geophysical surveys in order to obtain additional information relating to the social organization and population size. The research is focused on the Cucuteni A 3 settlement of Războieni-Dealul Mare, that has benefited over the years from several geophysical surveys. The results regarding the spatial organisation and the delineation of the living space are impressive. From the data obtained we can achieve some demographic information. Rezumat. În arheologia românească, aspectele legate de demografia complexului Precucuteni-Cucuteni sunt slab abordate. Studiul de față combină datele de ordin demografic deja cunoscute cu cercetările geofizice pentru a obține informații suplimentare referitoare la organizarea socială a comunităților. Așezarea vizată este cea de la Războieni-Dealul Mare, încadrată cronologic Cucuteni A 3 , care a beneficiat pe parcursul anilor de mai multe sondaje geofizice. Rezultatele sunt impresionante, fiind obținute planimetria sitului, precum și modul de delimitare a spațiului locuit. Datele obținute fac posibile și unele estimări de ordin demografic.
Arheologia Moldovei, 1995
Cernjachov a ete completde prcmierement par Ies fouilles systematiques de 1984, reprises îi l'ini... more Cernjachov a ete completde prcmierement par Ies fouilles systematiques de 1984, reprises îi l'initiativc du Musde d'Histoire de Piatra Neamț2 et continudes entre 1987-1990 par la collaboration entre 1'Institut d'Archdologie de Bucarest et le meme musde3. Jusqu'h prdsent, on a publie Ies informations obtenues ă la suite des campagnes de fouilles de 1984 et de 1987. 11 s'agit surtout de la ddcouverte en 1984 de deux nouvelles tombes d'inhumatiori, dont seulement une (tombe X)contenant 24 objets, respectivement recipients ceramiques, objets en mdtal, en ambre et en voire-a pu etre dtudide intdgralement. Â la meme occasion on a publie aussi d'autres pidces intdressantes4. Avec la ddcouverte en 1987 d'une autre tombe, dont l'inventaire fundraire dtait reprdsentd par 2 vases, la necropole du type Sântana de Mureș de Izvoare comptait 12 tombes.5
FONTES PERENNITATIS Studia in honorem magistri Nicolae Ursulescu octogesimum annum peragentis, 2023
Această lucrare reprezintă o sinteză a cercetărilor etnoarheologice asupra zonelor
salifere d... more Această lucrare reprezintă o sinteză a cercetărilor etnoarheologice asupra zonelor
salifere din România, desfășurate în cadrul a trei proiecte naționale (UEFISCDI) în perioada
2007-2019. Cercetările cu caracter interdisciplinar au vizat exploatarea izvoarelor de apă sărată
și a aflorimentelor de sare. Pe plan teoretic, investigațiile au generat o clasificare a așezărilor
umane în funcție de această resursă minerală și un model radial de aprovizionare cu sare a
comunităților umane, aplicabil în timpul arheologic.
Abstract. This work represents a synthesis of the ethnoarchaeological research on the saliferous
areas in Romania, carried out within three national projects (UEFISCDI) in the period 2007-2019.
The interdisciplinary research was focused on the exploitation of salt springs and salt outcrops.
On the theoretical level, the investigations generated a classification of human settlements
according to this mineral resource and a radial model of salt supply to human communities,
applicable in archaeological time.
14th SGEM GeoConference on INFORMATICS, GEOINFORMATICS AND REMOTE SENSING, 2014
The paper presents a number of methodological aspects, based on GIS (Geographic Information Syste... more The paper presents a number of methodological aspects, based on GIS (Geographic Information System) applications, useful in complex studies of prehistoric economies, or, more specifically, of subsistence strategies employed by prehistoric agrarian communities. The study provides arguments for the existence of an economic potential in the Subcarpathian areas of Romania, and at the same time focuses on determining, by means of landscape analyses, a model of habitation of the prehistoric settlements from this area. Relying on a series of case studies, the main natural resources available in the area were identified, with a focus on the salt springs, which undoubtedly played a key role and should be considered a decisive factor in selecting the occupation areas. Directly related to this, a detailed characterisation of the terrain, by describing its main morpho-hydrometric characteristics, is provided. For the Subcarpathian area of Romania, the ethnoarchaeological investigations conducted recently as part of two research projects, alongside the archaeological researches performed throughout time, interpreted conjointly in a GIS environment, support the hypotheses regarding the archaeological potential of the area directly conditioned by the presence of salt resources.
Scholars of anthropology, archaeology, history, linguistics, geography, geology, and other specia... more Scholars of anthropology, archaeology, history, linguistics, geography, geology, and other specialists whose research involves the role of salt in human life are invited to submit abstracts.
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Papers by Marius Alexianu
current paper proposes to have an approach based on the general research directions regarding the role of legions and Roman auxiliary military units in the linguistic romanisation of Moesia Inferior.
salifere din România, desfășurate în cadrul a trei proiecte naționale (UEFISCDI) în perioada
2007-2019. Cercetările cu caracter interdisciplinar au vizat exploatarea izvoarelor de apă sărată
și a aflorimentelor de sare. Pe plan teoretic, investigațiile au generat o clasificare a așezărilor
umane în funcție de această resursă minerală și un model radial de aprovizionare cu sare a
comunităților umane, aplicabil în timpul arheologic.
Abstract. This work represents a synthesis of the ethnoarchaeological research on the saliferous
areas in Romania, carried out within three national projects (UEFISCDI) in the period 2007-2019.
The interdisciplinary research was focused on the exploitation of salt springs and salt outcrops.
On the theoretical level, the investigations generated a classification of human settlements
according to this mineral resource and a radial model of salt supply to human communities,
applicable in archaeological time.
current paper proposes to have an approach based on the general research directions regarding the role of legions and Roman auxiliary military units in the linguistic romanisation of Moesia Inferior.
salifere din România, desfășurate în cadrul a trei proiecte naționale (UEFISCDI) în perioada
2007-2019. Cercetările cu caracter interdisciplinar au vizat exploatarea izvoarelor de apă sărată
și a aflorimentelor de sare. Pe plan teoretic, investigațiile au generat o clasificare a așezărilor
umane în funcție de această resursă minerală și un model radial de aprovizionare cu sare a
comunităților umane, aplicabil în timpul arheologic.
Abstract. This work represents a synthesis of the ethnoarchaeological research on the saliferous
areas in Romania, carried out within three national projects (UEFISCDI) in the period 2007-2019.
The interdisciplinary research was focused on the exploitation of salt springs and salt outcrops.
On the theoretical level, the investigations generated a classification of human settlements
according to this mineral resource and a radial model of salt supply to human communities,
applicable in archaeological time.
THIRD INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF SALT
12–15 September 2018, Salinas de Añana, Basque Country, Spain
vallesalado.com/congressalt
Dear colleagues,
We are glad to invite you the attend the “Third International Congress on the Anthropology of Salt”, organized between the 12th and 15th of September 2018, in Salinas de Añana, Basque Country, Spain — vallesalado.com/congressalt
Please print and share this call with anyone who might be interested in attending, and this includes not only anthropologists and archaeologists, but also historians, geographers, linguists, and specialists from any domain researching common salt.
You can find more information on the event on its dedicated webpage: vallesalado.com/congressalt [ENG] / vallesalado.com/congresosal [ESP]
The Scientific Committee
The first category includes: (1) Passages on salt found in writings with very different purposes, e.g. Literary works (in prose or lyrics), travel journals, memoirs, etc.; (2) Passages about salt in various works written in idioms without international circulation; and (3) Episodes neglected in the history of salt-related sciences or technologies. Oral testimonies refer to relevant salt events in which various persons took part or of which they heard. They must be valued by introducing them into the scientific circuit.
Our session is open to researchers all over the world interested in capitalizing on this intangible, neglected patrimony. Our session also encourages the participation of people outside the academic world, whose unique testimonies about salt are particularly precious for scientific research.
Please visit the congress' website for more information on the event and for submitting a paper — http://saluniversalis.com/submit-paper/
We are glad to invite you the attend the “Second International Congress on the Anthropology of Salt”, organized between the 12th and 16th of October 2017 in Los Cabos, Mexico — http://saluniversalis.com
Themes — http://saluniversalis.com/themes
Presentations are invited on any of the following open themes: Salt and Gastronomy, Salt and Medicine, Shamanism, magic, esoterism and witchcraft, Art and salt, Tourism and salt, Religion Rituals and salt, Ecotourism and salt, Salt and science, Salt, astronomy and NASA, Economy and salt, History and salt, Prehistory and salt, Lexicon and vocabulary of salt, Toponymy, Literature and salt, Salt inheritance, Archaeology and salt, Salt, Art rock and petroglyphs, Sal and technology, Health and medicine, Salt and industry, Salt and ancient costumes, Salt and indigenous culture, Salt and university education, Salt palaeontology, Salt and artcraft, Salt and environment, Microbial carpets and salt, Salt and biology, Salt and geology, Salt, beauty, cosmetics and make up, Cinema, music and arts of salt, Photography and salt, Salt and tanning leather, The Encyclopedia of Salt, etc.
Key dates — http://saluniversalis.com/important-dates
– session/workshops proposals submission: 1 January–31 March 2017
– session/workshops proposals: notification of acceptance: 1–16 April 2017
– individual contribution: submission: 17 April–31 July 2017
– individual contribution: notification of acceptance: 1–10 July 2017
Please print and share this call with anyone who might be interested in attending, and this includes not only anthropologists and archaeologists, but also historians, geographers, linguists, etc. You can find more information on the event on its dedicated webpage: http://saluniversalis.com
The Organizing Committee
20–24 August 2015
Iasi, Romania
http://ethnosalro.uaic.ro/salt2015
We are glad to invite you the attend the “First International Congress on the Anthropology of Salt”, organized between the 20th and 24th of August 2015 by the “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași, Romania — http://ethnosalro.uaic.ro/salt2015
Important dates
20 June 2015 — Abstracts submission deadline
30 June 2015 — Notification of abstract acceptance
20–24 August 2015 — Congress days
No registration fee! — The congress is organised within the framework of project The ethno-archaeology of the salt springs and salt mountains from the extra-Carpathian areas of Romania financially supported by the Romanian National Council of Scientific Research. The organisers will cover the expenses regarding the registration fee, the welcoming dinner and a study trip to the Targu Ocna salt mine in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania.
Abstracts
Abstracts should be around 200–300 words, and may also include one image. Please also provide the following information: (1) title; (2) name and affiliation of the author(s); and (3) presentation type (oral or poster). Abstracts should be sent to [email protected], not later than the 31st of May 2015.
Please share this call with anyone who might be interested in attending, and this includes not only anthropologists and archaeologists, but also historians, geographers, linguists, etc.
You can find more information on the event on its dedicated webpage: http://ethnosalro.uaic.ro/salt2015
*Argument*
Common salt (sodium chloride) is an invisible object for archaeological research, but the ancient texts, the history, the ethnography and our everyday life confirm that both Man and Animal cannot live without it. Salt is a primordial reference for humanity. This “fifth element” is universal in a double sense, diachronically and diatopically. How can archaeology and related disciplines or sciences approximate this soluble good, this “white gold”, this invisible past?
From the diatopic and diachronic perspective, common salt—with all its natural or artificial metamorphoses—has influenced the humanity in the most diverse aspects. This is why, within a brief enumeration, the salt-related research themes are intriguingly various: explorations (hunting for salt), exploitation techniques, techniques to obtain different products, exploitation and use tools, transport and storage containers, human and animal feeding, conservation (meat, bacon, cheese, vegetables, green goods, fruits). The themes also include manufacture-related uses (including the construction of salt houses), mythology, religion, cult, rituals, beliefs, superstitions, mentalities, secret societies, magic, vows, curses, prohibitions, popular medicine, sexuality, economy, hide working, population, alchemical procedures, scientific and cultural representations, treatment of the deceased, barter, commerce, contraband, robbery.
On the other hand, the themes also include human and animal mobility, the attraction exerted on savage beasts, symbolic uses, folk literature (stories, tales, and proverbs) and cult literature, the control of salt resources, conflicts, strategic value, geographic perceptions, professions related to salt exploitation and uses, economic, legal and administrative regulations, vocabulary, toponymy, anthroponomy and, of course, the list can go on.
All these themes already constitute a study object for an impressive number of sciences, disciplines, or sub-disciplines, such as archaeology, heritage studies, history, ethnography, ethnoarchaeology, economic anthropology, food sciences, statistics, sociology, geology, mineralogy, geography, hydrology, botany, chemistry, medicine, pharmacology, ethology, theology, agronomy, symbology, linguistics, folklore studies, cultural studies, literary studies, hermeneutics, legal sciences, etc. Obviously, some themes must be approached only in an interdisciplinary vision.
For more information, please visit the dedicated website of the congress — http://ethnosalro.uaic.ro/salt2015
From this perspective, the tangible heritage of salt encompasses the tools and installations that caused the change of the natural heritage, and also the traces left by the exploitation. All these elements should enjoy our undivided attention. Obviously, the management of the traces left by the exploitation and of the archaeological vestiges demand completely distinct approaches and solutions. A particular issue is the management of the so-called briquetage remains. On account of their lacklustre and exclusively fragmentary state, briquetage has seldom benefited from adequate management, despite the fact that they represented illo tempore a revolutionary cultural-technological answer to the social necessity to transform brine into crystallised salt of a definite shape, the so-called salt cakes. Another problem concerning the tools and installations of the quarry operations is the differentiation, often hard to operate, between the archaeological heritage and the “ethnographic” one.
The intangible heritage of salt has been, in our opinion, entirely insufficiently capitalised so far for understanding the multiple dimensions that salt and its exploitation, under various forms, have generated on the diatopic and diachronic levels. The investigation of this heritage can even determine alterations of archaeological research strategies, as in, for instance, extending the spatial parameters of brine/salt distribution in archaeological time.
This triadic unity — the natural heritage, tangible heritage, and intangible heritage of salt — requires a holistic approach centered on the idea of intrinsic connections between the three categories. And this, because the heritage of salt is the intersection of the human spirit and actions with salt, this defining element of the natural environment with determinative power on the sustenance, well-being ,and civilisation of human communities from all time and everywhere.
Marius Alexianu
The remarkable number of disciplines and technologies related to salt, and the staggering list of uses known so far, reflect, ipso facto, the multitude of human reactions towards the non-metal mineral NaCl. In the context of this paper, the term ‘reactions’ should be understood as perceptions, representations, spiritual constructions, cognitive undertakings, practical actions, social organization and stratification, juridical and administrative regulations, decisions of a political, economic, military nature, etc.
In a first and inherently incomplete taxonomic attempt, these reactions can be organized into:
- epistemic reactions (ranging from the empirical ones, to those of the highest scientific level, from all the fields involved in the research of salt from Earth or outer space);
- spiritual reactions: reflections of salt in mythologies, religions, cults, rituals, beliefs, superstitions, mentalities, literature, cinema (particularly documentaries), music, visual arts, etc.;
- pragmatic reactions: exploitation practices (including exploitation tools, transport and storage containers, means of transportation, etc.), preindustrial and industrial uses, experiments, mitigating the adverse effects of salt, desalination, etc.
- other reactions: for instance, of social, political, economic, military, linguistic, juridical, or administrative nature, mass-media, and so on.
This taxonomy, which should naturally be refined and extended in the future, provides sufficient premises for formulating a preliminary definition of AoS:
The Anthropology of Salt studies the human reactions (and their derived effects) towards salt.
Starting from this definition, research can be directed along different subfields of anthropology, grouped in turn as follows:
- anthropology of nature, anthropology of landscape, anthropology of place and space, anthropology of animals;
- cultural anthropology, historical anthropology, anthropology of religion, linguistic anthropology, anthropology of social media, anthropology of art and media;
- anthropology of knowledge, anthropology of science, anthropology of science and technology, anthropology of consciousness;
- pragmatic anthropology, economic anthropology, anthropology of industrial work, anthropology of transport;
- social anthropology, anthropology of work, anthropology of law and society;
- medical anthropology, anthropology of health, anthropology of obesity, anthropology of sport, anthropology of death and dying.
The fundamental scope of the Anthropology of Salt is to provide a holistic view, or one that respects the exigencies of the saturated model, of the role of salt in the evolution of human communities, from anywhere and anytime, in the evolution of human society on the global level.
For reaching this goal, the fundamental objectives are:
- disseminating the concept of ‘Anthropology of Salt’ among specialists from various disciplines or sciences directly involved in the research on salt;
- disseminating the concept of AoS among specialists from general anthropology and specialists from various subfields of anthropology;
- edifying a holistic image on the study of salt in various branches of knowledge;
- applying the anthropological vision to this holistic image;
- continuing and intensifying the organization of scientific meetings on AoS, attended by specialists from various disciplines and sciences;
- intensifying the publication of multi- and inter-disciplinary studies, in journals and by publishing houses;
- creating an institutional framework for furthering at the international level AoS research.
The methods of AoS are those specific to any of the disciplines or sciences involved in reaching the third and fourth objectives. As progress ensues in this sense, it becomes possible to define a unitary methodology specific to the Anthropology of Salt. In any case, a key parameter within the methodology of AoS is the valorisation of any relevant aspect, irrespective of its historical importance, and even at the local level.
The Anthropology of Salt has a twofold status: it is obviously a subfield of general anthropology, but due to the large number of sciences and disciplines considered it is, just as obviously, a metadiscipline.
explorations of the site with remains of salt exploitation from Gherla–Valea Sărată. The site is located at ca. 1800 m south-west of the city of Gherla, Romania, and covers the valley of a salt creek measuring ca. 3000 m (N–S) × 550 m (E–W). In the northern sector of the site, around a saltwater basin that was recently developed, on a surface measuring ca. 70 m (N–S) × 60 m (E–W), there were identified and studied various
archaeological remains: traces from structures of wooden poles and wattle, ceramic fragments and a stone axe. They date from the Neolithic or the Eneolithic, the early and middle Bronze Age, and the modern period. The discovered remains are, by most probabilities, related to the exploitation of the saltwater. In the northern and central parts of the site there are numerous cavities and earth mounds, as well as other soil irregularities of anthropic origin, for which it was not possible to advance a dating. The
northern part of the site yielded several structures from the recent period: two roofed saltwater wells with timber shafts, both recently re-developed using fresh and reclaimed timber. Across the entire site, there are several salt springs with basic furnishings. In the northern and central parts of the site, there are several “scalde” — pools with basic furnishings used for treatments with saltwater and mud, without any supervision from healthcare personnel. Near the largest of these “scalde”, there have been discovered fragments a wayside crucifix, specific to the area. It was most likely dedicated to the curative properties of the “salt place”. According to the interviewed denizens, the saline manifestations from Valea Sărată are exploited to a large extent in the traditional economy: for cooking and preserving human food and animal fodder, and in folk medicine. Also relevant is that Valea Sărată is one of the preferred grazing locations for sheep according to the local shepherds, who mentioned that animals particularly like the grass growing in saline soils. The brine from Valea Sărată is considered by the locals and inhabitants of the surrounding villages as “the best of the area”, so that people from multiple settlements around a 10 km radius come regularly to Valea Sărată for collecting brine and for bathing. The site has a high potential for more in-depth interdisciplinary research.
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CUPRINS – CONTENTS – SOMMAIRE
ARTICLES
— Sedat BARALIU & Ilir MUHARREMI
—— Les importations grecques dans le territoire de Kosovo
— Valerii KAVRUK, Dan ȘTEFAN, Marius ALEXIANU, Viorica VASILACHE
—— A salt production site at Gherla–Valea Sărată (Transylvania). Preliminary report
— Alexei BORISOVICH EGOROV
—— The notion of justice in Roman wars and the fetial law
— Nadezhda S. SHIROKOVA
—— The cult of Mercury in Roman Gaul and Roman Britain
— Lucrețiu MIHAILESCU-BÎRLIBA
—— La population dans le milieu rural de Capidava
— Svetla PETROVA
—— The votive relief to Pluto from Nicopolis ad Nestum
— Radu PETCU
—— Swastika-shaped fibulae with horse-head decorations (Almgren 232)
from the Roman period in Dobrudja (Moesia Inferior)
— Marian MOCANU
—— ESB in Western Black Sea
— Firas ALAWNEH, Abdelrahman ELSEROGY, Rita Sulaiman AL DAWOOD
—— The conservation of the byzantine icon from Georgios Church, Jordan
— Marta LICATA, Silvia IORIO, Chiara ROSSETTI, Giuseppe ARMOCIDA, Adelaide TOSI, Francesco MUSCOLINO,
Antonio CELLINA, Roberto MELLA PARIANI, Ilaria GORINI, Melania BORGO, Paola BADINO
—— The medieval church of San Biagio in Cittiglio (Varese, Northern Italy). Archaeological and anthropological investigations of the cemeterial area
— Kamal Aldin NIKNAMi, Reza GHASEMI, Rezvan REZAEI
—— A study on the Seleucid and Parthian seals of the Semnan Museum, Iran
— Policarp HORTOLÀ
A multilingual Romance-language lexicon for manufactured objects
— Patrizia MASCOLI
—— Sidonio Apollinare nella manualistica letteraria di età umanistica
REVIEWS
— A. Tomas, Inter Moesos et Thraces: The Rural Hinterland of Novae in Lower Moesia (1st–6th Centuries AD)
(Rada VARGA)
KEY PRESENTATIONS....................................................................................................................15
SESSION 1
I. The Archaeology of Salt in Eastern North America...............................................................29
SESSION 2
II. The ethnoarchaeology and the ethnography of salt exploitation, distribution
and consumption.............................................................................................................................35
SESSION 3
III. Historiography of Salt................................................................................................................44
SESSION 4
IV. The typology of salt production in the archaic societies....................................................53
SESSION 5
V. Towards the safeguarding of saltscapes................................................................................62
SESSION 6
VI. Unknown, less known, surprising stories on salt..................................................................66
SESSION 7
VII. Linguistics of salt.......................................................................................................................71
Papers draw on a range of disciplines including archaeology, ethnography, anthropology, medicine, geography, geology. This volume presents a fascinating and unique range of approaches for studying a ubiquitous and vitally important resource in past and present societies.
From the diatopic and diachronic perspective, common salt—with all its natural or artificial metamorphoses—has influenced humanity in the most diverse aspects. This is why, within a brief enumeration, the salt-related research themes are intriguingly various: explorations (hunting for salt), exploitation techniques, techniques to obtain different products, exploitation and use tools, transport and storage containers, human and animal feeding, conservation (meat, bacon, cheese, vegetables, green goods, fruits). The themes also include manufacture-related uses (including the construction of salt houses), mythology, religion, cult, rituals, beliefs, superstitions, mentalities, secret societies, magic, vows, curses, prohibitions, popular medicine, sexuality, economy, hide working, population, alchemical procedures, scientific and cultural representations, treatment of the deceased, barter, commerce, contraband, robbery.
On the other hand, the themes also include human and animal mobility, the attraction exerted on savage beasts, symbolic uses, folk literature (stories, tales, and proverbs) and cult literature, the control of salt resources, conflicts, strategic value, geographic perceptions, professions related to salt exploitation and uses, economic, legal and administrative regulations, vocabulary, toponymy, anthroponomy and the list can go on.
All these themes already constitute a study object for an impressive number of sciences, disciplines, or sub-disciplines, such as archaeology, heritage studies, history, ethnography, ethnoarchaeology, economic anthropology, food sciences, statistics, sociology, geology, mineralogy, geography, hydrology, botany, chemistry, medicine, pharmacology, ethology, theology, agronomy, symbology, linguistics, folklore studies, cultural studies, literary studies, hermeneutics, legal sciences, etc. Obviously, some themes must be approached only in an interdisciplinary vision.
From the ethno-archaeology to the anthropology of salt
April 20th–21st, 2012, Iaşi, Romania
Programme and Abstracts
Editors: Marius Alexianu, Roxana-Gabriela Curcă, Vasile Cotiugă
Foreword.......................................................................................................................................vii
Welcoming Speech ......................................................................................................................... 1
Nicolae Ursulescu
Part I. Ethnographic Approaches of Salt
Salt Springs in Today’s Rural World. An Etnoarchaeological Approach in Moldavia (Romania) ....................................................................................................................................... 7
Marius Alexianu, Olivier Weller, Robin Brigand, Roxana-Gabriela Curcă, Vasile Cotiugă, Iulian Moga
New Ethnoarchaeological Investigations upon the Salt Springs in Valea Muntelui,
Romania........................................................................................................................................ 25
Dan Monah, Gheorghe Dumitroaia, Dorin Nicola
Traditional Methods of Salt Mining in Buzău County, Romania in the 21st Century .......... 35
Doina Ciobanu
El Salado-Ixtahuehue and Benito Juárez-Soconusco: an Ethno-Archaeological Study
of Salt Pre-Industries of Southeast Veracruz, Mexico.............................................................. 37
Jorge A. Ceja Acosta
The Saltmakers of Soconusco and Benito Juárez: An Interpretation of
Ethnoarchaelogical Data from the Perspective of Gender and Identity................................. 49
María Luisa Martell Contreras
Part II. Archaeological Salt Exploitation Provadia-Solnitsata (NE Bulgaria): A Salt-Producing Center of the 6th and 5th
Millennia BC................................................................................................................................. 59
Vassil Nikolov
Tell Provadia-Solnitsata (Bulgaria): Data on Chalcolithic Salt Extraction ........................... 65
Viktoria Petrova
Spatial Analysis of Prehistoric Salt Exploitation in Eastern Carpathians (Romania).......... 69
Olivier Weller, Robin Brigand, Laure Nuninger, Gheorghe Dumitroaia
The Cucuteni C Pottery near the Moldavian Salt Springs....................................................... 81
Roxana Munteanu, Daniel Garvăn
Some Salt Sources in Transylvania and their Connections with the Archaeological Sites in the Area............................................................................................................................ 89
Gheorghe Lazarovici, Cornelia-Magda Lazarovici
New Archaeological Researches concerning Saltworking in Transylvania. Preliminary Report.......................................................................................................................................... 111
Valeriu Cavruc, Anthony F. Harding
The Beginning of the Salt Exploitation in Spain: Thinking about the Salt Exploitation in the Iberian Peninsula during Prehistoric Times................................................................. 123
Jesús Jiménez Guijarro
Part III. Ancient Texts and Salt Salt in the Antiquity: a Quantification Essay.......................................................................... 137
Bernard Moinier
Hypotheses, Considerations – and unknown Factors – regarding the Demand for Salt in Ancient Greece....................................................................................................................... 149
Cristina Carusi
Historical Development of the ‘salinae’ in Ancient Rome: from Technical Aspects to
Political and Socio-Economic Interpretations......................................................................... 155
Nuria Morère Molinero
Salt in Tanning, Dyeing and Cleaning in Ancient Egypt ....................................................... 163
Virginie Delrue
Part IV. Historical Approaches Salt Production in Mediterranean Andalusia in the Transition from Late Antiquity to
the Early Middle Ages ............................................................................................................... 171
Antonio Malpica Cuello
Land Organisation and Salt Production in Region of the Salado River (Sigüenza, Province of Guadalajara, Spain): Ancient and Medieval Times. Results of the First Campaign 2008........................................................................................................................... 179
Antonio Malpica Cuello, Nuria Morère Molinero, Adela Fábregas García, Jesús Jiménez Guijarro
Sea Salt and Land Salt. The Language of Salt and Technology Transfer (Portugal since the Second Half of the 18th Century) .............................................................................. 187
Inês Amorim
A short Overview on the Main Salt Production in Italy from the End of the Middle Ages up to the Modern Period .................................................................................................. 197
Valdo D’Arienzo
Part V. Linguistic and Philological Approaches ‘Salty’ Geographical Names: A Fresh Look............................................................................ 209
Alexander Falileyev
Etymological and Historical Implications of Romanian Place-Names Referring to Salt.... 215
Adrian Poruciuc
Salt in the Greek and Latin Aphoristic Phrase ....................................................................... 219
Mihaela Paraschiv
Index of Authors......................................................................................................................... 225
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Ethnographical Investigation in Nexquipayac (México) at the LAST salt producer by lixiviation of salty soil. The production of salt through this process is an ancient but dying tradition.
Lixiviation is a physical-chemical process by which a soluble substance (in this case salt) contained by an insoluble medium (in our case, soil with a very high concentration of sodium chloride) is extracted through dissolution (''solvation'') in water or other solvent (steam, alcohol, etc. The process in commonly called ''leaching''; in chemistry of industry, the technique is also know as ''extraction'' or ''percolation''). The soluble substance is subsequently recovered from the solution through evaporation or precipitation.
This clip is the result of a serie of ethnographical inquiries concerning traditional salt production techniques in use across the world, undertaken by Romanian and French researchers (for more info, please see the project's webpage: http://ethnosalro.uaic.ro ).
Field team: Marius-Tiberiu Alexianu PhD (team manager), Roxana-Gabriela Curcă PhD, Vasile Cotiugă PhD (camera).
Special thanks to Blas Román Castellón Huerta PhD (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, México).
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