Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology No. 11-4 / 2024, 2024
Research undertaken in the past 35 years has shown that the depiction
of soldiers in muscle cuira... more Research undertaken in the past 35 years has shown that the depiction of soldiers in muscle cuirass (lorica, thorax), pteruges and paludamentum (in addition to other elements), is linked to the funerary commemoration of equestrian individuals who either fulfilled one or more posts within the militia equestris at one point during their lives or died while holding such a position. These members of the equestrian order chose to be commemorated in this way out of the desire to emphasize their service and devotion to the state and to the emperor himself domi militiaeque i.e. ‘home and abroad’. As such, these monuments are important sources for the social history of the Roman world and implicitly Roman Dacia, even if they are detached from their original epitaph, the commemorated persons retaining their anonymity. One of the most intriguing examples of full body armour representations from Roman Dacia comes from Brâncovenești in Mureș County (Hu: Marosvécs). Even though a detailed description of the relief was published over 30 years ago, apart from some elusive hints to its significance, and despite the numerous interesting questions it poses, no comprehensive analysis has been undertaken so far. The present paper intends to do justice to the relief from Brâncovenești by giving a long overdue detailed analysis of the piece.
The paper discusses the lamps discovered during the excavations carried out on the site from V. D... more The paper discusses the lamps discovered during the excavations carried out on the site from V. Deleu Street, a residential area situated in the northern end of Roman Napoca. The excavations brought to light an urban residential area, which was established immediately after the birth of the Roman province and was inhabited until its abandonment in the latter half of the 3rd century AD. A small part of the lychnological material resulting from the excavations was included in C. A. Roman’s unpublished thesis on the Roman lighting equipment in Dacia Porolissensis (16 out of the 49 pieces), the greater part of the assemblage being unpublished. The present paper discusses the lighting devices discovered on the site, focusing on their provenance, chronology and aspects related to their use within the site. The changes recorded in the composition of the lighting instrument assemblages throughout the habitation phases of the site outline interesting transformations in the patterns of consumption and perhaps human mobility. The current contribution is part of a wider effort intended to deal with the unpublished lighting devices from the Roman city of Napoca.
Limes. Frontierele Imperiului Roman în România, 2023
Comunitatea palmireanS de la Porolissum mimimiiMá este amplu reprezentatá in izvoarele epigrafice... more Comunitatea palmireanS de la Porolissum mimimiiMá este amplu reprezentatá in izvoarele epigrafice. Acestea mentioneazé in repetate ránduri prezen^a unei trupe neregulate de arca §i recrutati din Palmira [Tadmor in limba aramaicS] renumitul ora § fondat in oaza din mijiocul de$ertului Sirian, numitá in inscriptii numerus Palmyrenorum Porolissensium sagittariorum. Se pare cS trupa a fost transferatá la Porolissum in timpul domniei impáratului Hadrian [117-138 p. Chr.), fiind cantonatá initial in castrul de pe dealul Citera, iar ulterior mutatá in castrul maré de pe dealul Pomet. Tót datoritá surselor epigrafice eunoa^tem numele mai multor indivizi palmireni la Porolissum, unii dintre chiar membri al aristocratiei municipale, proveniti probabil din rándurile veteranilor iásati la vatrá din numerus-u\ mentionat mai sus. íi amintim doar pe P. Aelius lacubus declurloj munliciplil Por[olissensis! [ILD I 681) ?! P. Ael. Malachu(s), fiamén qluinjqluennallsl munliciplil Sleptimii] Porlolissensis] et sacerdos Dei n[umeri] Plorolissensium] [\iD I 680). Mai recent au fost identificate alté douá nume palmirene pe inscripiii de tip instrumentum inscriptum. mai precis pe un inéi de argint (Baras), respectiv pe un dolium ceramic (Mocimus). Complexul cultual alcátuit din templul lui Bel, altarul in aer liber din fata acestuia, respectiv o
Acta Classica Universitatis Scientiarum Debreceniensis, 2017
By any standards Henrik Finály was a true polymath, his overarching interests ranging from mathem... more By any standards Henrik Finály was a true polymath, his overarching interests ranging from mathematics to classical studies, modern linguistics and literature, economics, medieval studies and archaeology. Although he was among the first Hungarian antiquarians to pursue systematic scholarly investigations of Roman Dacia, his contribution in this field has been unfairly downgraded in the intervening years, and his name almost erased from the research history of the province. The main goal of the paper is to provide a comprehensive insight into, and a critical overview of the early stages of Roman Dacia studies through the work of Henrik Finály in the social, political and cultural context of 19th century Transylvania.
Old lamps in a new province: Loeschcke type I lighting devices in Roman Dacia, 125-144, 2021
Loeschcke type I volute lamps were the first mass‑produced Roman pottery lamps, their appealing s... more Loeschcke type I volute lamps were the first mass‑produced Roman pottery lamps, their appealing shape and unmistakable triangular nozzle along with their rich decoration ensured that they were just as easily recognizable for Roman period consumers, as they are for today’s specialists. In Italy their production started in the mid-1st century BC and mostly ended by the late 1st century AD, being pushed out of the market by the cheaper and more practical Firmalampen developed in northern Italy. Even so, type I lamps were used in Dacia, a province founded in a period when these lamps ceased to be produced in Italy. The present study brings into discussion a number of 54 pieces, coming from various sites of the province, mainly Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa as well as from several auxiliary forts. While the archaeological data is scarce and no fabrics analyses could be carried out, the present paper sets out to explore different possibilities with regard to this apparent chronological anomaly. The investigation is based on the patterns of distribution of these lamps in the province, as well as their proportion within the local lamp finds against the backdrop of the chronological evolution of production in Italy and the provinces.
The present paper is centred around the presentation
of the ceramic lighting devices discovered t... more The present paper is centred around the presentation of the ceramic lighting devices discovered throughout the years in the necropolis of Porolissum, situated on Ursoieș Hill. The assemblage at hand, while not particularly large, amounting to 41 finds, comprises some interesting pieces that might have some implications concerning aspects such as supply and use, also allowing for some cultural inferences to be drawn especially with regard to the connection of some pieces to the numerus Palmyrenorum Porolissensium stationed here. The research carried out in the said area of the site can be ascribed to three phases, the earliest being the excavations of M. Moga from 1949, which produced 7 finds, followed a decade later by the research carried out by M. Macrea (1958–1959) producing 8 lamps, while the most recent work was undertaken by the team of the Necropolis Porolissensis Project between 2006 and 2008. As part of the latter research a number of incineration graves as well as a funerary precinct and a funerary mound were excavated, unfortunately however the comprehensive publication of the results has not yet been achieved. With regard to the ceramic lighting devices, a total of 26, mostly fragmentary lamp finds can be accounted for, roughly half (14) coming from the graves, while the rest being discovered in the spaces between the burials. The present paper intends to deal exclusively with the question of the ceramic lamps from a mainly typological standpoint, aiming to answer questions with regard to the aforementioned aspects of supply and use within the settlement of Porolissum.
The iconographic lineage" of Toc-Chereluș coin-type. Relationship between Dacian scyphates and th... more The iconographic lineage" of Toc-Chereluș coin-type. Relationship between Dacian scyphates and the coins from the Scordisci territory 9
Chemical analysis by wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF) was used to establish refe... more Chemical analysis by wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF) was used to establish reference groups for Moe-sian sigillata produced in Butovo, Pavlikeni and Novae in present day Bulgaria. Sigillata finds from Dacian sites (Buciumi, Brâncoveneşti) were compared. Long-distance traded imports were easily identified as coming from Gaul (Lezoux, Les Martres de Veyre, La Graufesenque). The rest of the finds and ten samples of local sigillata from Dacia (Micăsasa, Cristeşti) could not be distinguished so easily by chemical analysis. Multivariate methods yielded ambiguous results and therefore in publications they should not replace the original analysis results, as it is only the latter which allow the interpretation of data to be verified, e.g. by taking possible alteration effects into account. Finally, the finds could not be attributed securely to any of the regional workshops in Moesia or Dacia. More analyses are necessary to establish secure reference groups. With all samples the use of portable XRF was tested. This method could be very important for future studies of museum objects.
Acta Classica Universitatis Scientiarum Debreceniensis, 2017
By any standards Henrik Finály was a true polymath, his overarching interests ranging from mathem... more By any standards Henrik Finály was a true polymath, his overarching interests ranging from mathematics to classical studies, modern linguistics and literature, economics, medieval studies and archaeology. Although he was among the first Hungarian antiquarians to pursue systematic scholarly investigations of Roman Dacia, his contribution in this field has been unfairly downgraded in the intervening years, and his name almost erased from the research history of the province. The main goal of the paper is to provide a comprehensive insight into, and a critical overview of the early stages of Roman Dacia studies through the work of Henrik Finály in the social, political and cultural context of 19 th century Transylvania.
A. Dobos, D. Petruț, S. Berecki, L. Vass, Sz. P. Pánczél, Zs. Molnár-Kovács, P. Forisek (eds.), Archaeologia Transylvanica. Studia in honorem Stephani Bajusz. Opitz Archaeologica 8. Cluj-Napoca, Târgu-Mureș, Budapest 2016.
The long-debated issue of supply is crucial for our understanding
of the way in which the Roman a... more The long-debated issue of supply is crucial for our understanding of the way in which the Roman army functioned as well as for the everyday life of the troops. Supply can be understood as the conjunction of local production and the import of various goods. The problem of military pottery production in Dacia has so far been largely neglected by researchers in Roman archaeology. Indeed, clear connections between production sites associated with military bases, i.e. pottery workshops situated in the vicus, and the forts they were meant to supply, are yet to be established. Due to this general shortcoming we are forced to rely to a great extent on ‘indirect evidence’ for the assessment of local military pottery production. The notion of indirect evidence in this case refers mainly to particular categories of the material culture, such as implements and tools used in pottery production, but also wasters and other discarded by-products linked to the process of manufacture. Evidence derived from the analysis of certain traits and patterns in the pottery assemblages which might indicate the parameters of local production are equally significant. The underlying principle behind this approach is based on the assumption that the overwhelming majority of the pottery assemblages were produced in the immediate vicinity of the fort, i.e. in the vicus. The purpose of the paper is to evaluate the pottery production linked with the auxiliary fort of Buciumi in Dacia Porolissensis. The question of local pottery production can be addressed only in conjectural terms, as there is no clear archaeological data referring to pottery workshops in connection with the fort, due to the lack of research in the area of the vicus so far. The main source for this investigation consists in the pottery assemblages discovered chiefly in the barracks of the fort. The ultimate aim of this investigation is to raise certain questions concerning the character of military pottery production in this region of the Dacian limes, as part of the general phenomenon observed in most of the European frontier provinces and most often discussed under the term ‘legionary ware’.
Umschlag: Militärdiplom aus Carnuntum (ZPE 172, 2010, 271-276; Photo: P. Böttcher), Inschrift aus... more Umschlag: Militärdiplom aus Carnuntum (ZPE 172, 2010, 271-276; Photo: P. Böttcher), Inschrift aus Ephesos (ÖJh 55, 1984, 130 [Inv. Nr. 4297]; Photo: P. Sänger), P.Vindob. G 2097 (= P.Charite 8).
T. Gluhak, S. Greiff, K. Kraus, M. Prange (Hrsg.), Archäometrie und Denkmalpflege 2015, Jahrestagung an der Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität Mainz. Metalla, Sonderheft 7, 95‒97.
Szilágy (Sălaj) megyei Nyirsid (Mirşid) és Karika (Creaca) községekhez tartozó Mojgrád (Moigrad),... more Szilágy (Sălaj) megyei Nyirsid (Mirşid) és Karika (Creaca) községekhez tartozó Mojgrád (Moigrad), Vártelek (Ortelec), Bréd (Brebi) és Zsákfalva (Jac) határában található az ókori Porolissum (1. tábla/1). A római település a második dák háború (Kr. u. 105-106) után a Várhegy ("Pomet") dombon kialakított segédcsapat erıd körül jön létre. Fekvésének köszönhetıen Porolissum válik Dácia, majd Dacia Porolissensis tartomány északnyugati részének legjelentısebb katonai központjává. Legfontosabb szerepe a barbaricumból az Erdélyi-medencébe vezetı északnyugati út ellenırzése és a szakirodalomban meszesi limesnek nevezett határszakasz védelmének a koordinálása. A számottevı katonai jelenlét és az itt kialakított vámállomás viszonylag gyors gazdasági fellendülést eredményez, melyet a település Septimius Severus alatti municipiumi rangra való emelése koronáz meg. A gazdasági fellendüléssel párhuzamosan Porolissum a tartomány egyik legfontosabb kulturális, vallási és adminisztratív központjává fejlıdik, a 3. századra a territorium és a település lakossága 20000 fıre tehetı. 2 A rómaiak kivonulása után nem alakult ki számottevı település a területen, ezért a római kori kutatások számára ideális terület. Az elsı tudományos igényő feltárást Buday Árpád vezette 1908-ban, 3 majd többszöri megszakítás után 1977 óta folynak rendszeres tervásatások. Az eddigi kutatások során sikerült a védelmi rendszer, a település, az úthálózat és a temetı jelentıs részeit beazonosítani és feltárni (1. tábla/2 4 ), illetve számos épület maradványait konzerválni és restaurálni, melynek köszönhetıen egy elég nagy területet felölelı régészeti park jött létre. 5 A Zsákfalva határában levı Ursoieş dombon található római temetıben 1949-ben és 1958-ban voltak számottevı feltárások és 2006 óta a Necropolis Porolissensis projekt 6 keretében újrakezdıdtek a kutatások (2. tábla 7 ). 8 A 2008-as ásatási idényben a J szelvényben (3. tábla/1) feltárt 19 hamvasztásos sírt két temetkezési horizonthoz tudtuk rendelni, a korai, 9 sírból álló csoporthoz tartozó volt az az 1,36 x 1,40 m-es dácit tömbökbıl készült alapozás (1810. kontextus), mely mellett egy ledılt síremlék in situ töredékei (1803a kontextus) kerültek elı (3. tábla/2-3). A sírkı környékén megfigyelhetı volt a korai sírok koncentrációja, mely egy családi sírkert meglétére utalhat, ezt támasztja alá a környéken elıkerült síroroszlán és aedicula-töredék is (1803b kontextus).
Condensed and preliminary version of 'Lighting Roman Military Barracks' for the Limes XXII Procee... more Condensed and preliminary version of 'Lighting Roman Military Barracks' for the Limes XXII Proceedings. In: L. Vagalinski, N. Sharankov (eds.), Limes XXII. Proceedings of the 22nd International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies Ruse, Bulgaria, September 2012, Sofia, 2015, 259-268.
Representations, Signs and Symbols. Proceedings of the Symposium on Religion and Magic. Deva 2014, 337-344.
Oana Tutilă Bărbat Cover Design: Oana Tutilă Bărbat, Nicolae Cătălin Rişcuţa (Front Cover: Clay H... more Oana Tutilă Bărbat Cover Design: Oana Tutilă Bărbat, Nicolae Cătălin Rişcuţa (Front Cover: Clay Hands from Vlaha, Cluj County; photo: Mihaela Savu) Descrierea CIP a Bibliotecii Naţionale a României REPRESENTATIONS, SIGNS AND SYMBOLS. Simpozion naţional ( 2014 ; Deva) Representations, signs and symbols : proceedings of the symposium on religion and magic : Deva, 27-29 martie 2014 / coord.: Nicolae Cătălin Rişcuţa, Iosif Vasile Ferencz, Oana Tutilă Bărbat. -Cluj-Napoca : Mega, 2015 Bibliogr. ISBN 978-606-543-579-7 I. Rişcuţa, Nicolae Cătălin (coord.) II. Ferencz, Iosif Vasile (coord.) III. Tutilă Bărbat, Oana (coord.) 902 Abstract: The issue of cultic activity inside the barracks of the forts has received limited attention throughout the years, for the most part the assessment of the religious life of garrisons being based on the epigraphy and iconography of cultic and funerary monuments. The auxiliary fort from Buciumi is situated on the western frontier line of Dacia Porolissensis, being one of the most consistently excavated forts from the province. Archaeological research was carried out here between 1963 and 1976, the results being partially published in two monographic studies and several articles concentrated mainly on the small-finds. Although the old excavation techniques employed could not produce high resolution contextual data, the vast quantity of finds discovered in the four completely excavated barracks blocks situated in the praetentura of the fort include a relatively high number of artefacts that can be linked either directly or indirectly to instances of cultic activity. The aim of the paper is to explore the possibilities of interpreting a well-defined group of artefacts in terms of cult practices based on a close examination of the finds, the contextual data available and on analogies from similar military environments from the Empire. Emphasis is placed on a possible miniature votive offering, discovered in 1973 in one of the barracks of the fort, hitherto unpublished.
Lighting simulations made by H. Trîncă for the three scenarios detailed in D. Petruț, M. Gui, ... more Lighting simulations made by H. Trîncă for the three scenarios detailed in D. Petruț, M. Gui, H. Trîncă, Lighting Roman Military Barracks. An Interdisciplinary Approach based on Evidence from Dacia, Archaeologia Bulgarica XVIII/3, 2014, 65-92.
Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology No. 11-4 / 2024, 2024
Research undertaken in the past 35 years has shown that the depiction
of soldiers in muscle cuira... more Research undertaken in the past 35 years has shown that the depiction of soldiers in muscle cuirass (lorica, thorax), pteruges and paludamentum (in addition to other elements), is linked to the funerary commemoration of equestrian individuals who either fulfilled one or more posts within the militia equestris at one point during their lives or died while holding such a position. These members of the equestrian order chose to be commemorated in this way out of the desire to emphasize their service and devotion to the state and to the emperor himself domi militiaeque i.e. ‘home and abroad’. As such, these monuments are important sources for the social history of the Roman world and implicitly Roman Dacia, even if they are detached from their original epitaph, the commemorated persons retaining their anonymity. One of the most intriguing examples of full body armour representations from Roman Dacia comes from Brâncovenești in Mureș County (Hu: Marosvécs). Even though a detailed description of the relief was published over 30 years ago, apart from some elusive hints to its significance, and despite the numerous interesting questions it poses, no comprehensive analysis has been undertaken so far. The present paper intends to do justice to the relief from Brâncovenești by giving a long overdue detailed analysis of the piece.
The paper discusses the lamps discovered during the excavations carried out on the site from V. D... more The paper discusses the lamps discovered during the excavations carried out on the site from V. Deleu Street, a residential area situated in the northern end of Roman Napoca. The excavations brought to light an urban residential area, which was established immediately after the birth of the Roman province and was inhabited until its abandonment in the latter half of the 3rd century AD. A small part of the lychnological material resulting from the excavations was included in C. A. Roman’s unpublished thesis on the Roman lighting equipment in Dacia Porolissensis (16 out of the 49 pieces), the greater part of the assemblage being unpublished. The present paper discusses the lighting devices discovered on the site, focusing on their provenance, chronology and aspects related to their use within the site. The changes recorded in the composition of the lighting instrument assemblages throughout the habitation phases of the site outline interesting transformations in the patterns of consumption and perhaps human mobility. The current contribution is part of a wider effort intended to deal with the unpublished lighting devices from the Roman city of Napoca.
Limes. Frontierele Imperiului Roman în România, 2023
Comunitatea palmireanS de la Porolissum mimimiiMá este amplu reprezentatá in izvoarele epigrafice... more Comunitatea palmireanS de la Porolissum mimimiiMá este amplu reprezentatá in izvoarele epigrafice. Acestea mentioneazé in repetate ránduri prezen^a unei trupe neregulate de arca §i recrutati din Palmira [Tadmor in limba aramaicS] renumitul ora § fondat in oaza din mijiocul de$ertului Sirian, numitá in inscriptii numerus Palmyrenorum Porolissensium sagittariorum. Se pare cS trupa a fost transferatá la Porolissum in timpul domniei impáratului Hadrian [117-138 p. Chr.), fiind cantonatá initial in castrul de pe dealul Citera, iar ulterior mutatá in castrul maré de pe dealul Pomet. Tót datoritá surselor epigrafice eunoa^tem numele mai multor indivizi palmireni la Porolissum, unii dintre chiar membri al aristocratiei municipale, proveniti probabil din rándurile veteranilor iásati la vatrá din numerus-u\ mentionat mai sus. íi amintim doar pe P. Aelius lacubus declurloj munliciplil Por[olissensis! [ILD I 681) ?! P. Ael. Malachu(s), fiamén qluinjqluennallsl munliciplil Sleptimii] Porlolissensis] et sacerdos Dei n[umeri] Plorolissensium] [\iD I 680). Mai recent au fost identificate alté douá nume palmirene pe inscripiii de tip instrumentum inscriptum. mai precis pe un inéi de argint (Baras), respectiv pe un dolium ceramic (Mocimus). Complexul cultual alcátuit din templul lui Bel, altarul in aer liber din fata acestuia, respectiv o
Acta Classica Universitatis Scientiarum Debreceniensis, 2017
By any standards Henrik Finály was a true polymath, his overarching interests ranging from mathem... more By any standards Henrik Finály was a true polymath, his overarching interests ranging from mathematics to classical studies, modern linguistics and literature, economics, medieval studies and archaeology. Although he was among the first Hungarian antiquarians to pursue systematic scholarly investigations of Roman Dacia, his contribution in this field has been unfairly downgraded in the intervening years, and his name almost erased from the research history of the province. The main goal of the paper is to provide a comprehensive insight into, and a critical overview of the early stages of Roman Dacia studies through the work of Henrik Finály in the social, political and cultural context of 19th century Transylvania.
Old lamps in a new province: Loeschcke type I lighting devices in Roman Dacia, 125-144, 2021
Loeschcke type I volute lamps were the first mass‑produced Roman pottery lamps, their appealing s... more Loeschcke type I volute lamps were the first mass‑produced Roman pottery lamps, their appealing shape and unmistakable triangular nozzle along with their rich decoration ensured that they were just as easily recognizable for Roman period consumers, as they are for today’s specialists. In Italy their production started in the mid-1st century BC and mostly ended by the late 1st century AD, being pushed out of the market by the cheaper and more practical Firmalampen developed in northern Italy. Even so, type I lamps were used in Dacia, a province founded in a period when these lamps ceased to be produced in Italy. The present study brings into discussion a number of 54 pieces, coming from various sites of the province, mainly Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa as well as from several auxiliary forts. While the archaeological data is scarce and no fabrics analyses could be carried out, the present paper sets out to explore different possibilities with regard to this apparent chronological anomaly. The investigation is based on the patterns of distribution of these lamps in the province, as well as their proportion within the local lamp finds against the backdrop of the chronological evolution of production in Italy and the provinces.
The present paper is centred around the presentation
of the ceramic lighting devices discovered t... more The present paper is centred around the presentation of the ceramic lighting devices discovered throughout the years in the necropolis of Porolissum, situated on Ursoieș Hill. The assemblage at hand, while not particularly large, amounting to 41 finds, comprises some interesting pieces that might have some implications concerning aspects such as supply and use, also allowing for some cultural inferences to be drawn especially with regard to the connection of some pieces to the numerus Palmyrenorum Porolissensium stationed here. The research carried out in the said area of the site can be ascribed to three phases, the earliest being the excavations of M. Moga from 1949, which produced 7 finds, followed a decade later by the research carried out by M. Macrea (1958–1959) producing 8 lamps, while the most recent work was undertaken by the team of the Necropolis Porolissensis Project between 2006 and 2008. As part of the latter research a number of incineration graves as well as a funerary precinct and a funerary mound were excavated, unfortunately however the comprehensive publication of the results has not yet been achieved. With regard to the ceramic lighting devices, a total of 26, mostly fragmentary lamp finds can be accounted for, roughly half (14) coming from the graves, while the rest being discovered in the spaces between the burials. The present paper intends to deal exclusively with the question of the ceramic lamps from a mainly typological standpoint, aiming to answer questions with regard to the aforementioned aspects of supply and use within the settlement of Porolissum.
The iconographic lineage" of Toc-Chereluș coin-type. Relationship between Dacian scyphates and th... more The iconographic lineage" of Toc-Chereluș coin-type. Relationship between Dacian scyphates and the coins from the Scordisci territory 9
Chemical analysis by wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF) was used to establish refe... more Chemical analysis by wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF) was used to establish reference groups for Moe-sian sigillata produced in Butovo, Pavlikeni and Novae in present day Bulgaria. Sigillata finds from Dacian sites (Buciumi, Brâncoveneşti) were compared. Long-distance traded imports were easily identified as coming from Gaul (Lezoux, Les Martres de Veyre, La Graufesenque). The rest of the finds and ten samples of local sigillata from Dacia (Micăsasa, Cristeşti) could not be distinguished so easily by chemical analysis. Multivariate methods yielded ambiguous results and therefore in publications they should not replace the original analysis results, as it is only the latter which allow the interpretation of data to be verified, e.g. by taking possible alteration effects into account. Finally, the finds could not be attributed securely to any of the regional workshops in Moesia or Dacia. More analyses are necessary to establish secure reference groups. With all samples the use of portable XRF was tested. This method could be very important for future studies of museum objects.
Acta Classica Universitatis Scientiarum Debreceniensis, 2017
By any standards Henrik Finály was a true polymath, his overarching interests ranging from mathem... more By any standards Henrik Finály was a true polymath, his overarching interests ranging from mathematics to classical studies, modern linguistics and literature, economics, medieval studies and archaeology. Although he was among the first Hungarian antiquarians to pursue systematic scholarly investigations of Roman Dacia, his contribution in this field has been unfairly downgraded in the intervening years, and his name almost erased from the research history of the province. The main goal of the paper is to provide a comprehensive insight into, and a critical overview of the early stages of Roman Dacia studies through the work of Henrik Finály in the social, political and cultural context of 19 th century Transylvania.
A. Dobos, D. Petruț, S. Berecki, L. Vass, Sz. P. Pánczél, Zs. Molnár-Kovács, P. Forisek (eds.), Archaeologia Transylvanica. Studia in honorem Stephani Bajusz. Opitz Archaeologica 8. Cluj-Napoca, Târgu-Mureș, Budapest 2016.
The long-debated issue of supply is crucial for our understanding
of the way in which the Roman a... more The long-debated issue of supply is crucial for our understanding of the way in which the Roman army functioned as well as for the everyday life of the troops. Supply can be understood as the conjunction of local production and the import of various goods. The problem of military pottery production in Dacia has so far been largely neglected by researchers in Roman archaeology. Indeed, clear connections between production sites associated with military bases, i.e. pottery workshops situated in the vicus, and the forts they were meant to supply, are yet to be established. Due to this general shortcoming we are forced to rely to a great extent on ‘indirect evidence’ for the assessment of local military pottery production. The notion of indirect evidence in this case refers mainly to particular categories of the material culture, such as implements and tools used in pottery production, but also wasters and other discarded by-products linked to the process of manufacture. Evidence derived from the analysis of certain traits and patterns in the pottery assemblages which might indicate the parameters of local production are equally significant. The underlying principle behind this approach is based on the assumption that the overwhelming majority of the pottery assemblages were produced in the immediate vicinity of the fort, i.e. in the vicus. The purpose of the paper is to evaluate the pottery production linked with the auxiliary fort of Buciumi in Dacia Porolissensis. The question of local pottery production can be addressed only in conjectural terms, as there is no clear archaeological data referring to pottery workshops in connection with the fort, due to the lack of research in the area of the vicus so far. The main source for this investigation consists in the pottery assemblages discovered chiefly in the barracks of the fort. The ultimate aim of this investigation is to raise certain questions concerning the character of military pottery production in this region of the Dacian limes, as part of the general phenomenon observed in most of the European frontier provinces and most often discussed under the term ‘legionary ware’.
Umschlag: Militärdiplom aus Carnuntum (ZPE 172, 2010, 271-276; Photo: P. Böttcher), Inschrift aus... more Umschlag: Militärdiplom aus Carnuntum (ZPE 172, 2010, 271-276; Photo: P. Böttcher), Inschrift aus Ephesos (ÖJh 55, 1984, 130 [Inv. Nr. 4297]; Photo: P. Sänger), P.Vindob. G 2097 (= P.Charite 8).
T. Gluhak, S. Greiff, K. Kraus, M. Prange (Hrsg.), Archäometrie und Denkmalpflege 2015, Jahrestagung an der Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität Mainz. Metalla, Sonderheft 7, 95‒97.
Szilágy (Sălaj) megyei Nyirsid (Mirşid) és Karika (Creaca) községekhez tartozó Mojgrád (Moigrad),... more Szilágy (Sălaj) megyei Nyirsid (Mirşid) és Karika (Creaca) községekhez tartozó Mojgrád (Moigrad), Vártelek (Ortelec), Bréd (Brebi) és Zsákfalva (Jac) határában található az ókori Porolissum (1. tábla/1). A római település a második dák háború (Kr. u. 105-106) után a Várhegy ("Pomet") dombon kialakított segédcsapat erıd körül jön létre. Fekvésének köszönhetıen Porolissum válik Dácia, majd Dacia Porolissensis tartomány északnyugati részének legjelentısebb katonai központjává. Legfontosabb szerepe a barbaricumból az Erdélyi-medencébe vezetı északnyugati út ellenırzése és a szakirodalomban meszesi limesnek nevezett határszakasz védelmének a koordinálása. A számottevı katonai jelenlét és az itt kialakított vámállomás viszonylag gyors gazdasági fellendülést eredményez, melyet a település Septimius Severus alatti municipiumi rangra való emelése koronáz meg. A gazdasági fellendüléssel párhuzamosan Porolissum a tartomány egyik legfontosabb kulturális, vallási és adminisztratív központjává fejlıdik, a 3. századra a territorium és a település lakossága 20000 fıre tehetı. 2 A rómaiak kivonulása után nem alakult ki számottevı település a területen, ezért a római kori kutatások számára ideális terület. Az elsı tudományos igényő feltárást Buday Árpád vezette 1908-ban, 3 majd többszöri megszakítás után 1977 óta folynak rendszeres tervásatások. Az eddigi kutatások során sikerült a védelmi rendszer, a település, az úthálózat és a temetı jelentıs részeit beazonosítani és feltárni (1. tábla/2 4 ), illetve számos épület maradványait konzerválni és restaurálni, melynek köszönhetıen egy elég nagy területet felölelı régészeti park jött létre. 5 A Zsákfalva határában levı Ursoieş dombon található római temetıben 1949-ben és 1958-ban voltak számottevı feltárások és 2006 óta a Necropolis Porolissensis projekt 6 keretében újrakezdıdtek a kutatások (2. tábla 7 ). 8 A 2008-as ásatási idényben a J szelvényben (3. tábla/1) feltárt 19 hamvasztásos sírt két temetkezési horizonthoz tudtuk rendelni, a korai, 9 sírból álló csoporthoz tartozó volt az az 1,36 x 1,40 m-es dácit tömbökbıl készült alapozás (1810. kontextus), mely mellett egy ledılt síremlék in situ töredékei (1803a kontextus) kerültek elı (3. tábla/2-3). A sírkı környékén megfigyelhetı volt a korai sírok koncentrációja, mely egy családi sírkert meglétére utalhat, ezt támasztja alá a környéken elıkerült síroroszlán és aedicula-töredék is (1803b kontextus).
Condensed and preliminary version of 'Lighting Roman Military Barracks' for the Limes XXII Procee... more Condensed and preliminary version of 'Lighting Roman Military Barracks' for the Limes XXII Proceedings. In: L. Vagalinski, N. Sharankov (eds.), Limes XXII. Proceedings of the 22nd International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies Ruse, Bulgaria, September 2012, Sofia, 2015, 259-268.
Representations, Signs and Symbols. Proceedings of the Symposium on Religion and Magic. Deva 2014, 337-344.
Oana Tutilă Bărbat Cover Design: Oana Tutilă Bărbat, Nicolae Cătălin Rişcuţa (Front Cover: Clay H... more Oana Tutilă Bărbat Cover Design: Oana Tutilă Bărbat, Nicolae Cătălin Rişcuţa (Front Cover: Clay Hands from Vlaha, Cluj County; photo: Mihaela Savu) Descrierea CIP a Bibliotecii Naţionale a României REPRESENTATIONS, SIGNS AND SYMBOLS. Simpozion naţional ( 2014 ; Deva) Representations, signs and symbols : proceedings of the symposium on religion and magic : Deva, 27-29 martie 2014 / coord.: Nicolae Cătălin Rişcuţa, Iosif Vasile Ferencz, Oana Tutilă Bărbat. -Cluj-Napoca : Mega, 2015 Bibliogr. ISBN 978-606-543-579-7 I. Rişcuţa, Nicolae Cătălin (coord.) II. Ferencz, Iosif Vasile (coord.) III. Tutilă Bărbat, Oana (coord.) 902 Abstract: The issue of cultic activity inside the barracks of the forts has received limited attention throughout the years, for the most part the assessment of the religious life of garrisons being based on the epigraphy and iconography of cultic and funerary monuments. The auxiliary fort from Buciumi is situated on the western frontier line of Dacia Porolissensis, being one of the most consistently excavated forts from the province. Archaeological research was carried out here between 1963 and 1976, the results being partially published in two monographic studies and several articles concentrated mainly on the small-finds. Although the old excavation techniques employed could not produce high resolution contextual data, the vast quantity of finds discovered in the four completely excavated barracks blocks situated in the praetentura of the fort include a relatively high number of artefacts that can be linked either directly or indirectly to instances of cultic activity. The aim of the paper is to explore the possibilities of interpreting a well-defined group of artefacts in terms of cult practices based on a close examination of the finds, the contextual data available and on analogies from similar military environments from the Empire. Emphasis is placed on a possible miniature votive offering, discovered in 1973 in one of the barracks of the fort, hitherto unpublished.
Lighting simulations made by H. Trîncă for the three scenarios detailed in D. Petruț, M. Gui, ... more Lighting simulations made by H. Trîncă for the three scenarios detailed in D. Petruț, M. Gui, H. Trîncă, Lighting Roman Military Barracks. An Interdisciplinary Approach based on Evidence from Dacia, Archaeologia Bulgarica XVIII/3, 2014, 65-92.
ATLAS OF ROMAN POTTERY WORKSHOPS FROM THE PROVINCES DACIA AND LOWER MOESIA/SCYTHIA MINOR (1ST-7TH CENTURIES AD) (I), 2018
The publication of a volume featuring up-to-date information concerning the pottery production of... more The publication of a volume featuring up-to-date information concerning the pottery production of the workshops based in the two Roman provinces founded on the territory of modern-day Romania, i.e. Dacia and Lower Moesia / Scythia Minor, is a comprehensive project that could only be brought to a successful conclusion with the combined effort of the entire community of Roman pottery specialists from Romania. The hosting of the 31st International Congress of the Rei Cretariae Romanae Fautores in Romania in 2018 represented the ideal opportunity for the implementation of this project whose main goal is to particularize the pottery production within the above mentioned two provinces in the wider context of the ceramic industry across the entire Empire.
The principal aim of the present study is the critical assessment and systematization of the arch... more The principal aim of the present study is the critical assessment and systematization of the archaeological sites and finds (settlements, cemeteries, hoards, and isolated finds) dated between the 3rd/4th and 12th/13th centuries AD in the microregion of the Someșul Mic (Hu: Kis-Szamos) Basin. A further aim is the evaluation of the region’s archaeological characteristics and its transformations over the respective centuries. Due to the geographic and hydrographic features of the region, along with the Mureș Valley, it was the main contact region between the Transylvanian Basin and the Great Plain during the 1st millennium AD, both in cultural and economic terms.
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Papers by Dávid Petruț
of soldiers in muscle cuirass (lorica, thorax), pteruges and paludamentum
(in addition to other elements), is linked to the funerary commemoration of
equestrian individuals who either fulfilled one or more posts within the militia equestris at one point during their lives or died while holding such a position. These members of the equestrian order chose to be commemorated in this way out of the desire to emphasize their service and devotion to the state and to the emperor himself domi militiaeque i.e. ‘home and abroad’. As such, these monuments are important sources for the social history of the Roman world and implicitly Roman Dacia, even if they are detached from their original epitaph, the commemorated persons retaining their anonymity. One of the most intriguing examples of full body armour representations from Roman Dacia comes from Brâncovenești in Mureș County (Hu: Marosvécs). Even though a detailed description of the relief was published over 30 years ago, apart from some elusive hints to its significance, and despite the numerous interesting questions it poses, no comprehensive analysis has been undertaken so far. The present paper intends to do justice to the relief from Brâncovenești by giving a long overdue detailed analysis of the piece.
specialists. In Italy their production started in the mid-1st century BC and mostly ended by the late 1st century AD, being pushed out of the market by the cheaper and more practical Firmalampen developed in northern Italy. Even so, type I lamps were used in Dacia, a province founded in a
period when these lamps ceased to be produced in Italy. The present study brings into discussion a number of 54 pieces, coming from various sites of the province, mainly Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa as well as from several auxiliary forts. While the archaeological data is scarce and no fabrics analyses could be carried out, the present paper sets out to explore different possibilities with regard to this apparent chronological anomaly. The investigation is based on the patterns of distribution of these lamps in the province, as well as their proportion within the local lamp finds against the backdrop of the chronological evolution of production in Italy and the provinces.
of the ceramic lighting devices discovered throughout
the years in the necropolis of Porolissum, situated on
Ursoieș Hill. The assemblage at hand, while not particularly
large, amounting to 41 finds, comprises some interesting
pieces that might have some implications concerning aspects
such as supply and use, also allowing for some cultural inferences
to be drawn especially with regard to the connection of
some pieces to the numerus Palmyrenorum Porolissensium
stationed here. The research carried out in the said area of
the site can be ascribed to three phases, the earliest being
the excavations of M. Moga from 1949, which produced
7 finds, followed a decade later by the research carried out
by M. Macrea (1958–1959) producing 8 lamps, while
the most recent work was undertaken by the team of the
Necropolis Porolissensis Project between 2006 and 2008.
As part of the latter research a number of incineration
graves as well as a funerary precinct and a funerary mound
were excavated, unfortunately however the comprehensive
publication of the results has not yet been achieved. With
regard to the ceramic lighting devices, a total of 26, mostly
fragmentary lamp finds can be accounted for, roughly half
(14) coming from the graves, while the rest being discovered
in the spaces between the burials. The present paper intends
to deal exclusively with the question of the ceramic lamps
from a mainly typological standpoint, aiming to answer
questions with regard to the aforementioned aspects of supply
and use within the settlement of Porolissum.
of the way in which the Roman army functioned
as well as for the everyday life of the troops. Supply can be
understood as the conjunction of local production and the
import of various goods. The problem of military pottery
production in Dacia has so far been largely neglected by
researchers in Roman archaeology. Indeed, clear connections
between production sites associated with military bases, i.e.
pottery workshops situated in the vicus, and the forts they
were meant to supply, are yet to be established. Due to this
general shortcoming we are forced to rely to a great extent on
‘indirect evidence’ for the assessment of local military pottery
production. The notion of indirect evidence in this case
refers mainly to particular categories of the material culture,
such as implements and tools used in pottery production, but
also wasters and other discarded by-products linked to the
process of manufacture. Evidence derived from the analysis
of certain traits and patterns in the pottery assemblages which
might indicate the parameters of local production are equally
significant. The underlying principle behind this approach
is based on the assumption that the overwhelming majority
of the pottery assemblages were produced in the immediate
vicinity of the fort, i.e. in the vicus.
The purpose of the paper is to evaluate the pottery production
linked with the auxiliary fort of Buciumi in Dacia
Porolissensis. The question of local pottery production can
be addressed only in conjectural terms, as there is no clear
archaeological data referring to pottery workshops in connection
with the fort, due to the lack of research in the area
of the vicus so far. The main source for this investigation
consists in the pottery assemblages discovered chiefly in the
barracks of the fort. The ultimate aim of this investigation is
to raise certain questions concerning the character of military
pottery production in this region of the Dacian limes, as part
of the general phenomenon observed in most of the European
frontier provinces and most often discussed under the term
‘legionary ware’.
In: L. Vagalinski, N. Sharankov (eds.), Limes XXII. Proceedings of the 22nd International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies Ruse, Bulgaria, September 2012, Sofia, 2015, 259-268.
of soldiers in muscle cuirass (lorica, thorax), pteruges and paludamentum
(in addition to other elements), is linked to the funerary commemoration of
equestrian individuals who either fulfilled one or more posts within the militia equestris at one point during their lives or died while holding such a position. These members of the equestrian order chose to be commemorated in this way out of the desire to emphasize their service and devotion to the state and to the emperor himself domi militiaeque i.e. ‘home and abroad’. As such, these monuments are important sources for the social history of the Roman world and implicitly Roman Dacia, even if they are detached from their original epitaph, the commemorated persons retaining their anonymity. One of the most intriguing examples of full body armour representations from Roman Dacia comes from Brâncovenești in Mureș County (Hu: Marosvécs). Even though a detailed description of the relief was published over 30 years ago, apart from some elusive hints to its significance, and despite the numerous interesting questions it poses, no comprehensive analysis has been undertaken so far. The present paper intends to do justice to the relief from Brâncovenești by giving a long overdue detailed analysis of the piece.
specialists. In Italy their production started in the mid-1st century BC and mostly ended by the late 1st century AD, being pushed out of the market by the cheaper and more practical Firmalampen developed in northern Italy. Even so, type I lamps were used in Dacia, a province founded in a
period when these lamps ceased to be produced in Italy. The present study brings into discussion a number of 54 pieces, coming from various sites of the province, mainly Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa as well as from several auxiliary forts. While the archaeological data is scarce and no fabrics analyses could be carried out, the present paper sets out to explore different possibilities with regard to this apparent chronological anomaly. The investigation is based on the patterns of distribution of these lamps in the province, as well as their proportion within the local lamp finds against the backdrop of the chronological evolution of production in Italy and the provinces.
of the ceramic lighting devices discovered throughout
the years in the necropolis of Porolissum, situated on
Ursoieș Hill. The assemblage at hand, while not particularly
large, amounting to 41 finds, comprises some interesting
pieces that might have some implications concerning aspects
such as supply and use, also allowing for some cultural inferences
to be drawn especially with regard to the connection of
some pieces to the numerus Palmyrenorum Porolissensium
stationed here. The research carried out in the said area of
the site can be ascribed to three phases, the earliest being
the excavations of M. Moga from 1949, which produced
7 finds, followed a decade later by the research carried out
by M. Macrea (1958–1959) producing 8 lamps, while
the most recent work was undertaken by the team of the
Necropolis Porolissensis Project between 2006 and 2008.
As part of the latter research a number of incineration
graves as well as a funerary precinct and a funerary mound
were excavated, unfortunately however the comprehensive
publication of the results has not yet been achieved. With
regard to the ceramic lighting devices, a total of 26, mostly
fragmentary lamp finds can be accounted for, roughly half
(14) coming from the graves, while the rest being discovered
in the spaces between the burials. The present paper intends
to deal exclusively with the question of the ceramic lamps
from a mainly typological standpoint, aiming to answer
questions with regard to the aforementioned aspects of supply
and use within the settlement of Porolissum.
of the way in which the Roman army functioned
as well as for the everyday life of the troops. Supply can be
understood as the conjunction of local production and the
import of various goods. The problem of military pottery
production in Dacia has so far been largely neglected by
researchers in Roman archaeology. Indeed, clear connections
between production sites associated with military bases, i.e.
pottery workshops situated in the vicus, and the forts they
were meant to supply, are yet to be established. Due to this
general shortcoming we are forced to rely to a great extent on
‘indirect evidence’ for the assessment of local military pottery
production. The notion of indirect evidence in this case
refers mainly to particular categories of the material culture,
such as implements and tools used in pottery production, but
also wasters and other discarded by-products linked to the
process of manufacture. Evidence derived from the analysis
of certain traits and patterns in the pottery assemblages which
might indicate the parameters of local production are equally
significant. The underlying principle behind this approach
is based on the assumption that the overwhelming majority
of the pottery assemblages were produced in the immediate
vicinity of the fort, i.e. in the vicus.
The purpose of the paper is to evaluate the pottery production
linked with the auxiliary fort of Buciumi in Dacia
Porolissensis. The question of local pottery production can
be addressed only in conjectural terms, as there is no clear
archaeological data referring to pottery workshops in connection
with the fort, due to the lack of research in the area
of the vicus so far. The main source for this investigation
consists in the pottery assemblages discovered chiefly in the
barracks of the fort. The ultimate aim of this investigation is
to raise certain questions concerning the character of military
pottery production in this region of the Dacian limes, as part
of the general phenomenon observed in most of the European
frontier provinces and most often discussed under the term
‘legionary ware’.
In: L. Vagalinski, N. Sharankov (eds.), Limes XXII. Proceedings of the 22nd International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies Ruse, Bulgaria, September 2012, Sofia, 2015, 259-268.
project that could only be brought to a successful conclusion with the combined effort of the entire community of Roman pottery specialists from Romania. The hosting of the 31st International Congress of the Rei Cretariae Romanae Fautores in Romania in 2018 represented the ideal opportunity for the implementation of this project whose main goal is to particularize the pottery production within the above mentioned two provinces in the wider context of the ceramic industry across the entire Empire.