V. Heyd, G. Kulcsár, B. Preda-Bălănică (eds.), Yamnaya Interactions. Proceedings of the International Workshop held in Helsinki, 25–26 April 2019. The Yamnaya Impact on Prehistoric Europe, Vol. 2. Budapest, 2021, 2021
During the archaeological excavation in 2018-2019 in Jijila (SE Romania), a group of eight inhuma... more During the archaeological excavation in 2018-2019 in Jijila (SE Romania), a group of eight inhumation graves concentrated on a rather small area was researched. 14 C dates made for graves no. 1, 2, 5-8 indicate a very long period of time separating the earliest and the latest burial. Graves no. 5, 7, and 8 (probably also 3) can be dated between the end of the 4 th millennium BC and the beginning of the 3 rd millennium BC, grave 1 was dated to the middle of the 3 rd millennium BC, and graves no. 2 and 6 to the fi rst part of the 2 nd millennium BC. The density of graves and their wide time span, covering a period of almost 1500 years, could suggest the existence of a burial mound. Despite this, we could not identify any traces of such a funerary structure. However, the practice of fl at burials in a period from which thousands of mounds are still preserved is not a unique case at the Lower Danube. Unlike mounds, which can be easily identifi ed in the landscape as funerary monuments, fl at necropolises were usually discovered during research of sites dating from other periods, especially Eneolithic tell settlements. Due to the general lack of grave goods or any arrangements of stone or earth, these sites are practically almost impossible to identify only by surface research. These cemeteries were often located near water, on terraces or promontories visible from the surrounding areas. They probably followed the communication routes or areas exploited for various important resources, on the courses of rivers such as Ialomița, Buzău, and Călmățui. Many such discoveries were also identifi ed on the Danube course. In this respect, we cannot fail to highlight the cemeteries from Brăilița, Orlovka and Isaccea located in the area of a crossing widely used throughout history. Although many of the fl at cemeteries known in the Early and Middle periods of the Lower Danube Bronze Age are known only by brief mentions in the literature, they seems to share a similar chronology with the burial mounds. The oldest burials date from the end of the Eneolithic period (Cernavodă I: ~ 3800-3500 BC) and the most recent seem to be contemporary with the Mnogovalikovaya horizon (~ 2200-1800 BC). The graves at Jijila show once again the importance of 14 C dating. Without absolute dates it would have been almost impossible to assume such a large chronological distance between the eight graves. Even though in most cases we have little chronological information, we can see that human communities have used these places as burial grounds for very long periods (over 1500 years).
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Papers by Florian Mihail
The area around Babadag Lake undoubtedly offered a favourable environment to human communities from the beginning of the first millennium BC. On a surface of approximately 200 km2, no fewer than nine settlements characterised by Babadag type pottery were identified. From a chronological point of view, these sites cover the 10th-9th centuries BC. The only site with an existence covering this entire period is the settlement from Babadag–Cetăţuie. A complex stratigraphy with over 2 m of archaeological depositions was identified here, as well as the only ample fortification works. Such investments necessitated, without doubt, coordination as well as an important mobilisation of the entire community. The unique character of the site from Babadag proves its importance in the studied area, situation indicating the probability of its functioning as a centre around which the other settlements were founded and to which the exploitation of this territory can be connected for approximately two centuries.
This paper analyzes the artifacts made of stone (knapped and polished) and hard animal materials discovered at Garvăn–Mlăjitul Florilor site , aiming to improve our understanding of the artifacts’ operational process, from raw material block to discarded item: raw material, typology, technological and functional observations.
late Roman and early Byzantine period on the territory of Luncavița commune from the North -West of
Tulcea county. On this occasion, a series of objects from the late Roman and early Byzantine period
discovered on two emblematic sites of the area, Luncavița–Cetățuia and in the fortification on Dealul
Milanului/Cetatea Milan, are discussed. We are thus following the initiation of a series of articles through
which to be introduced in the scientific literature archaeological materials discovered by chance in the last
decades on the territory of Dobrogea.
2015–2017, on the Eneolithic cemetery located in Pecica, Arad County. This lithic group is formed of 70 artefacts:
55 elements knapped of flint and 15 elements knapped of obsidian. Our analysis followed a few main directions,
such as: establishing the types and sources of the raw material, the determination of the technological characteristics
and the typological framing. A few preliminary observations regarding the correlation between the type
of material and the context in which it was discovered were also made.
The area around the Babadag Lake undoubtedly offered a favourable environment to the human communities from the beginning of the first millennium BC. On a surface of approximately 200 km2 were identified no less than nine settlements characterised by Babadag type pottery. From the chronological point of view these sites cover the 10th – 9th centuries BC. The only site with an existence covering this entire period is the settlement from Babadag – Cetăţuie. Here there was identified a complex stratigraphy, with over 2m of archaeological depositions, as well as the only ample fortification works. Such investments necessitated without doubt coordination as well as an important mobilization of the entire community. The unique character of the site from Babadag proves its importance in the studied area, situation indicating the probability of its functioning as a centre around which the other settlements were founded and to which the exploitation of this territory can be connected to during approximately two centuries.