Zahariade Mihail, Opaiţ A., Opaiţ Cristina, Suceveanu Alexandru, Topoleanu F. Şantierul arheologi... more Zahariade Mihail, Opaiţ A., Opaiţ Cristina, Suceveanu Alexandru, Topoleanu F. Şantierul arheologic Independenţa (Murighiol) / Le chantier archéologique Independenţa (Murighiol). In: Materiale şi cercetări arheologice, N°16 1986. A XVI-A sesiune anuală de rapoarte, Vaslui 1982. pp. 180-186
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Oct 1, 2021
The article analyzes a fragmentary marble relief of the Thracian Horseman, discovered in 2003 in ... more The article analyzes a fragmentary marble relief of the Thracian Horseman, discovered in 2003 in the ancient city of Halmyris (Tulcea County, Romania), and dated to the beginning of the 3 rd c. AD. Even if-taken separately-the iconographic elements (the horseman hunting and impaling the boar with a spear, the dog, the serpent coiled on a tree, touching a burning altar with its tail, the lion and the bull) appear on many other monuments dedicated to the god, their combination and the manner in which they are represented make this a unique relief. Rezumat: Articolul analizează un relief fragmentar de marmură, cu reprezentarea Cavalerului Trac, descoperit în 2003 în Cetatea Halmyris (jud. Tulcea, Romania) și datat la începutul sec. al III-lea p.Chr. Deși-luate separat-elementele iconografice (cavalerul la vânătoare, împungând cu sulița un mistreț, câinele, șarpele înfășurat pe un pom, cu coada atingând un altar care arde, leul și taurul) apar pe multe alte monumente dedicate zeului, combinația și modul în care acestea sunt reprezentate dau reliefului un caracter unic.
The paper presents the Roman era pottery discovered during the 1988 and 2000 rescue archaeologica... more The paper presents the Roman era pottery discovered during the 1988 and 2000 rescue archaeological excavations at Niculiţel-Cornet, Tulcea County, Romania, prior to the construction of the methane gas pipe in the area. The assemblage consists of pottery of Pontic, Oriental and Western origins, while the functional categories represented are kitckenware, tableware, amphorae. Handmade pottery of local tradition is also present. The fine ware is represented by terra sigillata, barbotine decorated vessels, Pontic sigillata and imitations. The majority of the pottery can be dated to the 2 nd-3 rd c. AD, with some fragments characteristic of a slightly earlier period, and other types dated up to the 5 th c. AD. The present catalogue represents a part of the discovered Roman pottery, the rest of material being scheduled for future analysis and publication. Rezumat: Articolul prezintă ceramica de epocă romană descoperită în timpul campaniilor de cercetări arheologice de la Niculiţel-Cornet, judeţul Tulcea, România din anii 1988 şi 2000. Construirea unei conducte de gaz metan a prilejuit cercetări arheologice preventive, rezultând categorii de vase de origine pontică, orientală şi occidentală, grupate în diferite tipuri de veselă de servit masa, de băut şi de bucătărie, împreună cu amfore şi vase lucrate la mână. Vasele din pastă fină sunt de asemenea prezente, inclusiv terra sigillata, vasele decorate în tehnica barbotinei, sigilate pontice şi imitaţii. Majoritatea ceramicii poate fi datată în perioada sec. II-III p.Chr., dar unele fragmente ceramice sunt caracteristice pentru o perioadă puţin mai timpurie, în timp ce alte tipuri pot fi datate în sec. V p.Chr. Prezentul catalog nu reprezintă întregul lot al ceramicii descoperite, urmând ca restul materialului să fie publicat ulterior.
This paper presents lamps and selected vessels from Mahmudia. The pieces discussed come both from... more This paper presents lamps and selected vessels from Mahmudia. The pieces discussed come both from recent excavations at the site of Salsovia and from a collection held by the village school. The paper begins with a discussion of the written evidence for the site of Salsovia, before offering a brief summary of the archaeological investigation of Late Roman activity at the site. The citadel on the promontory west of Mahmudia, Tulcea County was known in the Roman period as Salsovia. Prior to 2004, the site had not been the focus of systematic fieldwork; all knowledge of its history came from ancient sources and chance finds. Among the latter, the most important role was played by the inscriptions, which have been published on several occasions, very often with contradictory interpretations. One theory based on a particular interpretation of the epigraphic sources was that of Vasile Pârvan, according to which Salsovia was abandoned after the defeat of Emperor Valens at Adrianopole. This...
Ancient lamps from Spain to India. Trade, influences, local traditions, 2019
The architectural motif in the form of an arch-on-columns, the titular “temple facade”, decoratin... more The architectural motif in the form of an arch-on-columns, the titular “temple facade”, decorating the discus of late antique lamps, has been the subject of debate and various interpretations of the meaning without reference to the rendering or the lamp type. An examination of known examples of lamps with this particular motif has identified four different lamp type variants and two main renderings of the decoration. Ovoid lamps bearing a representation of an arch-on-columns, the most numerous among the finds, come mostly from Constantinople and nearby cities, the Black Sea coast and the Danubian sites, the sole exceptions being Egypt (where they appear also in a late variant), Cyprus and Byblos. Reconstructing the distribution of these types and renderings has introduced some “order” into the existing hypotheses and highlighted issues connected with understanding the booming economy of the Pontic area as well as the recently rebuilt Danubian limes fortresses, during their apex, in ...
The article analyzes a fragmentary marble relief of the Thracian Horseman, discovered in 2003 in ... more The article analyzes a fragmentary marble relief of the Thracian Horseman, discovered in 2003 in the ancient city of Halmyris (Tulcea County, Romania), and dated to the beginning of the 3 rd c. AD. Even if-taken separately-the iconographic elements (the horseman hunting and impaling the boar with a spear, the dog, the serpent coiled on a tree, touching a burning altar with its tail, the lion and the bull) appear on many other monuments dedicated to the god, their combination and the manner in which they are represented make this a unique relief.
Rezumat: Articolul analizează un relief fragmentar de marmură, cu reprezentarea Cavalerului Trac, descoperit în 2003 în Cetatea Halmyris (jud. Tulcea, Romania) și datat la începutul sec. al III-lea p.Chr. Deși-luate separat-elementele iconografice (cavalerul la vânătoare, împungând cu sulița un mistreț, câinele, șarpele înfășurat pe un pom, cu coada atingând un altar care arde, leul și taurul) apar pe multe alte monumente dedicate zeului, combinația și modul în care acestea sunt reprezentate dau reliefului un caracter unic.
Studii de arheologie și istorie antică în onoarea lui Victor Henrich Baumann cu ocazia celei de a 80-a aniversări , 2021
The rescue archaeological excavations for the construction of the Border Police Headquarters near... more The rescue archaeological excavations for the construction of the Border Police Headquarters nearby Noviodunum (Isaccea, Romania) were carried out in three campaigns: 2011, 2014 and 2018. Due to the great quantity and diversity, the pottery may be published in various steps, as it may be processed by the Laboratory of „Gavrilă Simion” Eco-Museum Research Institute Tulcea, and different categories of artefacts and contexts (lamps, coins, the Roman crypt, the amphorae kiln) will be published separately. This paper is the second one referring to the common pottery discovered, in the majority, in 2nd-3rd c. AD contexts. Among the categories of pottery, there have been identified various classes as terra sigillata, thin-walled pottery, Pergamenian (Çandarli) ware & imitations, barbotine, Pontic Red Slip ware, Aegean drinking and cooking wares, Pontic, Oriental and Occidental amphorae and table amphorae, local melting pots. Alongside fine and coarse provincial pottery from Moesia, there have been identified some imports as fine pottery from Adriatic regions, amphorae from North Italian and various Pontic provinces. Even the majority of the material is dated during the 2nd-3rd c. AD few shards can be estimated in the 1st c. AD, or even earlier. Also, some pottery examples can be dated for a period after 3rd c. AD. To these are added some non-Roman potsherds, characteristic of Thracian Getae tradition.
The fortunate find of a partially complete funerary stele in a tumulus located between the villag... more The fortunate find of a partially complete funerary stele in a tumulus located between the villages of Stejaru and Vasile Alecsandri prompted an archaeological excavation during the fall of 1983. In the researched mound, preserved on a height of 1 m and with a diameter of between 25 and 28.5 m, 16 graves were identified, belonging to the so-called "stepped pit" type. Of those, 10 graves contained funerary offerings composed of ceramic eating and drinking vessels, as well as lamps and bronze military equipment pieces. The five discovered coins, minted between the reigns of Antoninus Pius (145-161) and Iulia Domna (211-217), determined the dating of this necropolis between the middle of the 2nd century and the beginning of the 3rd c. AD. Furthermore, in the perimeter of the burial mound we have also identified nine offering spaces outside the graves, containing small ceramic fragments from ritually-broken vessels. The majority of the artefacts were produced in Western Pontic workshops. This necropolis belongs to a sizeable Roman rural settlement located to the west.
Lamps of the Hayes 9 type were produced in huge quantities in the state workshops of the Eastern ... more Lamps of the Hayes 9 type were produced in huge quantities in the state workshops of the Eastern Roman Empire and in the Western Pontic ateliers, where the Hayes 8 lamps were also manufactured, especially in Constantinople and Halmiris. The shape of the lamps and the fabric argue in favor of this assumption, further supported by the dating of contexts recorded during the excavation of Dobrogean sites. Thus, the Halmyris workshop complex appears to stand out among the lamp-producing centers, at least in the Black Sea area, during Justinian's reign.
Zahariade Mihail, Opaiţ A., Opaiţ Cristina, Suceveanu Alexandru, Topoleanu F. Şantierul arheologi... more Zahariade Mihail, Opaiţ A., Opaiţ Cristina, Suceveanu Alexandru, Topoleanu F. Şantierul arheologic Independenţa (Murighiol) / Le chantier archéologique Independenţa (Murighiol). In: Materiale şi cercetări arheologice, N°16 1986. A XVI-A sesiune anuală de rapoarte, Vaslui 1982. pp. 180-186
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Oct 1, 2021
The article analyzes a fragmentary marble relief of the Thracian Horseman, discovered in 2003 in ... more The article analyzes a fragmentary marble relief of the Thracian Horseman, discovered in 2003 in the ancient city of Halmyris (Tulcea County, Romania), and dated to the beginning of the 3 rd c. AD. Even if-taken separately-the iconographic elements (the horseman hunting and impaling the boar with a spear, the dog, the serpent coiled on a tree, touching a burning altar with its tail, the lion and the bull) appear on many other monuments dedicated to the god, their combination and the manner in which they are represented make this a unique relief. Rezumat: Articolul analizează un relief fragmentar de marmură, cu reprezentarea Cavalerului Trac, descoperit în 2003 în Cetatea Halmyris (jud. Tulcea, Romania) și datat la începutul sec. al III-lea p.Chr. Deși-luate separat-elementele iconografice (cavalerul la vânătoare, împungând cu sulița un mistreț, câinele, șarpele înfășurat pe un pom, cu coada atingând un altar care arde, leul și taurul) apar pe multe alte monumente dedicate zeului, combinația și modul în care acestea sunt reprezentate dau reliefului un caracter unic.
The paper presents the Roman era pottery discovered during the 1988 and 2000 rescue archaeologica... more The paper presents the Roman era pottery discovered during the 1988 and 2000 rescue archaeological excavations at Niculiţel-Cornet, Tulcea County, Romania, prior to the construction of the methane gas pipe in the area. The assemblage consists of pottery of Pontic, Oriental and Western origins, while the functional categories represented are kitckenware, tableware, amphorae. Handmade pottery of local tradition is also present. The fine ware is represented by terra sigillata, barbotine decorated vessels, Pontic sigillata and imitations. The majority of the pottery can be dated to the 2 nd-3 rd c. AD, with some fragments characteristic of a slightly earlier period, and other types dated up to the 5 th c. AD. The present catalogue represents a part of the discovered Roman pottery, the rest of material being scheduled for future analysis and publication. Rezumat: Articolul prezintă ceramica de epocă romană descoperită în timpul campaniilor de cercetări arheologice de la Niculiţel-Cornet, judeţul Tulcea, România din anii 1988 şi 2000. Construirea unei conducte de gaz metan a prilejuit cercetări arheologice preventive, rezultând categorii de vase de origine pontică, orientală şi occidentală, grupate în diferite tipuri de veselă de servit masa, de băut şi de bucătărie, împreună cu amfore şi vase lucrate la mână. Vasele din pastă fină sunt de asemenea prezente, inclusiv terra sigillata, vasele decorate în tehnica barbotinei, sigilate pontice şi imitaţii. Majoritatea ceramicii poate fi datată în perioada sec. II-III p.Chr., dar unele fragmente ceramice sunt caracteristice pentru o perioadă puţin mai timpurie, în timp ce alte tipuri pot fi datate în sec. V p.Chr. Prezentul catalog nu reprezintă întregul lot al ceramicii descoperite, urmând ca restul materialului să fie publicat ulterior.
This paper presents lamps and selected vessels from Mahmudia. The pieces discussed come both from... more This paper presents lamps and selected vessels from Mahmudia. The pieces discussed come both from recent excavations at the site of Salsovia and from a collection held by the village school. The paper begins with a discussion of the written evidence for the site of Salsovia, before offering a brief summary of the archaeological investigation of Late Roman activity at the site. The citadel on the promontory west of Mahmudia, Tulcea County was known in the Roman period as Salsovia. Prior to 2004, the site had not been the focus of systematic fieldwork; all knowledge of its history came from ancient sources and chance finds. Among the latter, the most important role was played by the inscriptions, which have been published on several occasions, very often with contradictory interpretations. One theory based on a particular interpretation of the epigraphic sources was that of Vasile Pârvan, according to which Salsovia was abandoned after the defeat of Emperor Valens at Adrianopole. This...
Ancient lamps from Spain to India. Trade, influences, local traditions, 2019
The architectural motif in the form of an arch-on-columns, the titular “temple facade”, decoratin... more The architectural motif in the form of an arch-on-columns, the titular “temple facade”, decorating the discus of late antique lamps, has been the subject of debate and various interpretations of the meaning without reference to the rendering or the lamp type. An examination of known examples of lamps with this particular motif has identified four different lamp type variants and two main renderings of the decoration. Ovoid lamps bearing a representation of an arch-on-columns, the most numerous among the finds, come mostly from Constantinople and nearby cities, the Black Sea coast and the Danubian sites, the sole exceptions being Egypt (where they appear also in a late variant), Cyprus and Byblos. Reconstructing the distribution of these types and renderings has introduced some “order” into the existing hypotheses and highlighted issues connected with understanding the booming economy of the Pontic area as well as the recently rebuilt Danubian limes fortresses, during their apex, in ...
The article analyzes a fragmentary marble relief of the Thracian Horseman, discovered in 2003 in ... more The article analyzes a fragmentary marble relief of the Thracian Horseman, discovered in 2003 in the ancient city of Halmyris (Tulcea County, Romania), and dated to the beginning of the 3 rd c. AD. Even if-taken separately-the iconographic elements (the horseman hunting and impaling the boar with a spear, the dog, the serpent coiled on a tree, touching a burning altar with its tail, the lion and the bull) appear on many other monuments dedicated to the god, their combination and the manner in which they are represented make this a unique relief.
Rezumat: Articolul analizează un relief fragmentar de marmură, cu reprezentarea Cavalerului Trac, descoperit în 2003 în Cetatea Halmyris (jud. Tulcea, Romania) și datat la începutul sec. al III-lea p.Chr. Deși-luate separat-elementele iconografice (cavalerul la vânătoare, împungând cu sulița un mistreț, câinele, șarpele înfășurat pe un pom, cu coada atingând un altar care arde, leul și taurul) apar pe multe alte monumente dedicate zeului, combinația și modul în care acestea sunt reprezentate dau reliefului un caracter unic.
Studii de arheologie și istorie antică în onoarea lui Victor Henrich Baumann cu ocazia celei de a 80-a aniversări , 2021
The rescue archaeological excavations for the construction of the Border Police Headquarters near... more The rescue archaeological excavations for the construction of the Border Police Headquarters nearby Noviodunum (Isaccea, Romania) were carried out in three campaigns: 2011, 2014 and 2018. Due to the great quantity and diversity, the pottery may be published in various steps, as it may be processed by the Laboratory of „Gavrilă Simion” Eco-Museum Research Institute Tulcea, and different categories of artefacts and contexts (lamps, coins, the Roman crypt, the amphorae kiln) will be published separately. This paper is the second one referring to the common pottery discovered, in the majority, in 2nd-3rd c. AD contexts. Among the categories of pottery, there have been identified various classes as terra sigillata, thin-walled pottery, Pergamenian (Çandarli) ware & imitations, barbotine, Pontic Red Slip ware, Aegean drinking and cooking wares, Pontic, Oriental and Occidental amphorae and table amphorae, local melting pots. Alongside fine and coarse provincial pottery from Moesia, there have been identified some imports as fine pottery from Adriatic regions, amphorae from North Italian and various Pontic provinces. Even the majority of the material is dated during the 2nd-3rd c. AD few shards can be estimated in the 1st c. AD, or even earlier. Also, some pottery examples can be dated for a period after 3rd c. AD. To these are added some non-Roman potsherds, characteristic of Thracian Getae tradition.
The fortunate find of a partially complete funerary stele in a tumulus located between the villag... more The fortunate find of a partially complete funerary stele in a tumulus located between the villages of Stejaru and Vasile Alecsandri prompted an archaeological excavation during the fall of 1983. In the researched mound, preserved on a height of 1 m and with a diameter of between 25 and 28.5 m, 16 graves were identified, belonging to the so-called "stepped pit" type. Of those, 10 graves contained funerary offerings composed of ceramic eating and drinking vessels, as well as lamps and bronze military equipment pieces. The five discovered coins, minted between the reigns of Antoninus Pius (145-161) and Iulia Domna (211-217), determined the dating of this necropolis between the middle of the 2nd century and the beginning of the 3rd c. AD. Furthermore, in the perimeter of the burial mound we have also identified nine offering spaces outside the graves, containing small ceramic fragments from ritually-broken vessels. The majority of the artefacts were produced in Western Pontic workshops. This necropolis belongs to a sizeable Roman rural settlement located to the west.
Lamps of the Hayes 9 type were produced in huge quantities in the state workshops of the Eastern ... more Lamps of the Hayes 9 type were produced in huge quantities in the state workshops of the Eastern Roman Empire and in the Western Pontic ateliers, where the Hayes 8 lamps were also manufactured, especially in Constantinople and Halmiris. The shape of the lamps and the fabric argue in favor of this assumption, further supported by the dating of contexts recorded during the excavation of Dobrogean sites. Thus, the Halmyris workshop complex appears to stand out among the lamp-producing centers, at least in the Black Sea area, during Justinian's reign.
The architectural motif in the form of an arch-on-columns, the titular "temple facade", decoratin... more The architectural motif in the form of an arch-on-columns, the titular "temple facade", decorating the discus of late antique lamps, has been the subject of debate and various interpretations of the meaning without reference to the rendering or the lamp type. An examination of known examples of lamps with this particular motif has identified four different lamp type variants and two main renderings of the decoration. Ovoid lamps bearing a representation of an arch-on-columns, the most numerous among the finds, come mostly from Constantinople and nearby cities, the Black Sea coast and the Danubian sites, the sole exceptions being Egypt (where they appear also in a late variant), Cyprus and Byblos. Reconstructing the distribution of these types and renderings has introduced some "order" into the existing hypotheses and highlighted issues connected with understanding the booming economy of the Pontic area as well as the recently rebuilt Danubian limes fortresses, during their apex, in the 5th and 6th centuries AD. It has also contributed to the discussion aimed at ending the widespread use of the term "Balkan lamps" for products that represent the output of Pontic and Danubian workshops influenced by the Imperial capital in Constantinople.
The publication of a Mithras relief from Castelu/Medgidia, bearing a Greek inscription and a simp... more The publication of a Mithras relief from Castelu/Medgidia, bearing a Greek inscription and a simple tauroctony scene, offers an opportunity for its iconographical analysis in the context of analogies existing in Moesia inferior and other Roman provinces. Therefore, it is possible to highlight the specifics of the Mithras reliefs from the region. The Mithras cult was one of the most widespread in the Roman provinces in the 2 nd-3 rd century, with Moesia inferior being no exception 1. The occurrence of dedications in Greek, especially in the Greek cities on the Black Sea coast and their hinterland, was characteristic for this region.
The paper presents the Early Iron Age discoveries resulted in the archaeological excavations carr... more The paper presents the Early Iron Age discoveries resulted in the archaeological excavations carried out in the year 2000 at the Niculiţel–Cornet site. During this campaign, 126 archaeological complexes were researched (most of them being deposit pits) and a considerably large quantity of pottery, clay objects, a bronze bracelet, animal and stone hard materials were discovered, which are here analyzed. Lacking the proper objects that could give us a more precise chronology, the settlement from Niculiţel–Cornet can be largely dated between the 10th-9th c. BC. Until now we have only one carbon dating extracted from the Cas-7 complex, which indicates a dating of 2730± 35 BP.
The fragment of inscription found at Noviodunum (Isaccea) contains the
names of five individuals.... more The fragment of inscription found at Noviodunum (Isaccea) contains the names of five individuals. They hold each two names suggesting their initial peregrin origin. Given the importance of the find place and especially the position of Noviodunum as the headquarters of the Moesian Fleet (Classis Flavia Moesica), the five men must be considered most likely discharged classici from the same unit, apparently in the same headquarters. The piece may be part of a longer list of veterans from the fleet written up and exposed on the occasion of the discharge of a contingent likely in late 2 nd or early 3rd century.
The present article aims to analyze the late antique lamps with discus bearing an arch or a niche... more The present article aims to analyze the late antique lamps with discus bearing an arch or a niche laying on two columns. This architectural motif has been discussed for forty years for its meaning, regardless of its rendering or the type of lamps it adorned. We have identified four different types of lamps and two main renderings. The ovoid lamps adorned with an arch on columns, quantitatively the most frequent, are to be found mostly in Constantinople and near cities, the Black Sea coast and the Danubian sites, but also in Egypt (where they appear also in a late variant), Cyprus and Byblos. With a complete atlas comprising several unpublished lamps, all the evidences brought together allow to make some "order” within the past hypothesis and open another door to understanding the booming economy of the Pontic area as well as the recently rebuilt Danubian limes fortresses, during their apex, in the late 5th and 6th centuries AD.
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Rezumat: Articolul analizează un relief fragmentar de marmură, cu reprezentarea Cavalerului Trac, descoperit în 2003 în Cetatea Halmyris (jud. Tulcea, Romania) și datat la începutul sec. al III-lea p.Chr. Deși-luate separat-elementele iconografice (cavalerul la vânătoare, împungând cu sulița un mistreț, câinele, șarpele înfășurat pe un pom, cu coada atingând un altar care arde, leul și taurul) apar pe multe alte monumente dedicate zeului, combinația și modul în care acestea sunt reprezentate dau reliefului un caracter unic.
Rezumat: Articolul analizează un relief fragmentar de marmură, cu reprezentarea Cavalerului Trac, descoperit în 2003 în Cetatea Halmyris (jud. Tulcea, Romania) și datat la începutul sec. al III-lea p.Chr. Deși-luate separat-elementele iconografice (cavalerul la vânătoare, împungând cu sulița un mistreț, câinele, șarpele înfășurat pe un pom, cu coada atingând un altar care arde, leul și taurul) apar pe multe alte monumente dedicate zeului, combinația și modul în care acestea sunt reprezentate dau reliefului un caracter unic.
names of five individuals. They hold each two names suggesting their initial peregrin origin. Given the importance of the find place and especially the position of Noviodunum as the headquarters of the Moesian Fleet (Classis Flavia Moesica), the five men must be
considered most likely discharged classici from the same unit, apparently in the same headquarters. The piece may be part of a longer list of veterans from the fleet written up and exposed on the occasion of the discharge of a contingent likely in late 2 nd or early 3rd century.