S. Matveev, Multidisciplinary Research in the Prut-Dniester interfluve Barbaricum, In: The Thracians and their Neighbors in the Bronze and Iron Ages, „Settlements, Fortresses, Artifacts”,

PROCEEDINGS OF THE 12TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF THRACOLOGY

The Thracians and their Neighbors in the Bronze and Iron Ages

- Volume I -

Institutions involved in the organization of the Congress: Dmbovia County Council

Valahia University of Trgovite Institute of Archaeology Vasile Prvan

Center of Thracology Bucureti International Union of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences

30th Commission Curtea Domneasc National Museum Complex of Trgovite

Braov County History Museum Museum of Brila

Persons involved in the organization of the Congress:

The Honorary Committee Prof. univ. dr. Ion Cucui, president

Conf. univ. dr. Clin D. Oros, vice-president Conf. univ. dr. Adrian uuianu, vice-president

Acad. Alexandru Vulpe, vice-president Prof. univ. dr. Marin Crciumaru, secretary

Organizing Committee Prof. dr. Valeriu Srbu, president

Prof. dr. Cristian Schuster, secretary general Conf. univ. dr. Marian Cosac, vice-president

Dr. Ovidiu Crstina, member Dr. Radu tefnescu, member

Prof. univ. dr. Ionel Cndea, member

Secretariat Prof. dr. Cristian Schuster Dr. George Murtoreanu

Dr. Ana Ilie

It is the authors who are responsible for the contents and the quality of studies. Due to the late reception of manuscripts, the Editorial Board could not in all cases intervene to any significant extent in order to ensure a standard language.

DMBOVIA COUNTY COUNCIL INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY VASILE PRVAN BUCHAREST

CURTEA DOMNEASC NATIONAL MUSEUM COMPLEX OF TRGOVITE

VALAHIA UNIVERSITY OF TRGOVITE


PROCEEDINGS OF THE 12TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF THRACOLOGY

TRGOVITE

10TH -14TH SEPTEMBER 2013

Settlements, Fortresses, Artifacts - Volume I -

Editorial Board

Cristian Schuster, Ovidiu Crstina, Marian Cosac and George Murtoreanu

Covers: Valeriu Srbu, Dana Smaznov DTP: Dana Smaznov, Valeriu Srbu Descrierea CIP a Bibliotecii Naionale a Romniei

INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF THRACOLOGY. Proceeding (12 ; 2013 ; Trgovite)

Proceedings of the 12th International Congress of Thracology : the Thracians and their Neighbors in the bronze and Iron ages : Trgovite, 10th-

14th September 2013. - Trgovite : Cetatea de Scaun, 2013 2 vol.

ISBN 978-606-537-208-5 Vol. 1 : Settlements, fortresses, artifacts / editorial board: Cristian Schuster, Ovidiu Crstina, Marian Cosac and George Murtoreanu. - Bibliogr. - ISBN 978-606-537-207-8

I. Schuster, Cristian (ed.) II. Crstina, Ovidiu (ed.) III. Cosac, Marian (ed.) IV. Murtoreanu, George (ed.)

904(398.9)(063)

ISBN general 978-606-537-208-5 ISBN vol. I 978-606-537-207-8 Editura Cetatea de Scaun, Trgovite, 2013 www.cetateadescaun.ro , email: [email protected]

SUMMARY

FOREWORD ......................................................................................................................................... 9A NEW BANIABIC TYPE AXE FROM SOUTHERN ROMANIA

Radu Bjenaru (Bucharest Romania), Alin Frnculeasa (Ploieti Romania) ............................. 13A SPECIAL RED DEER ANTLER ARTEFACT FROM THE DACIAN SETTLEMENT OF

UNIP, TIMI COUNTY, ROMANIA Corneliu Beldiman (Bucharest Romania) ..................................................................................... 17

DATA ABOUT THE OSSEOUS MATERIALS ARTEFACTS FROM DACIAN HILLFOR OF ARDEU, HUNEDOARA COUNTY, ROMANIA Corneliu Beldiman (Bucharest Romania), Iosif Vasile Ferencz (Deva Romania), Diana-Maria Sztancs (Bucharest Romania) ........................................................................................................ 39

WOMEN AT PISTIROS Jan Bouzek (Prague Czeh Republic), Lydia Domaradzka (Sofia Bulgaria) ............................... 67

WHETSTONES WITH A HANGING HOLE IN STEPPE ZONE CULTURES OF THE NORTHERN PONTIC AND THE GREAT HUNGARIAN PLAIN FROM THE LATE BRONZE AGE AND THE EARLY IRON AGE Marcin Burghardt (Rzeszowsk - Poland) ........................................................................................ 83

REPERES CHRONOLOGIQUES OFFERTS PAR LA CERAMIQUE GRECQUE IMPORTE Livia Buzoianu, Maria Brbulescu (Constana Romania) ............................................................ 95

VIEWPOINTS IN INTERPRETING LATE IRON AGE HILL-FORTS AND FORTIFIED SETTLEMENTS BETWEEN THE SOUTHERN CARPATHIANS AND THE DANUBE (2ND CENTURY BC 1ST CENTURY AD) Vlad Crbii, Monica Nicolescu (Bucharest Romania) .......................................................... 111

THE TRIBAL WORLD OF ANCIENT THRACE Peter Delev (Sofia Bulgaria) ....................................................................................................... 127

DATA ON LIVESTOCK MANAGEMENT IN THE IRON AGE HABITATION FROM CRLOMNETI (BUZU COUNTY), IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT ARCHAEOZOOLOGICAL RESEARCH Georgeta El Susi (Reia Romania) ............................................................................................ 135

TEI CULTURE SETTLEMENTS IN BUCHAREST AND ILFOV COUNTY Elena-Florentina Gavril (Bucharest Romania) ......................................................................... 153

FIRST MILLENIUM BC THRACIAN SETTLEMENT ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE UPPER MARITSA REGION AND ITS ADJACENT AREAS Alexei Gotzev (Sofia Bulgaria) .................................................................................................... 169


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LEXPLOITATION DES SOURCES SALES DU BASSIN SUPRIEUR DE LA RIVIRE IALOMIA, DE L GE DU BRONZE JUSQUAU IER SICLE AP. J.C Ana Ilie, Gheorghe Olteanu, Ovidiu Crstina, Adrian Puna, Bogdan Ilie (Trgovite, Roumanie) .................................................................................................................. 183

SPARADOKOS: BRUDER ODER SCHWAGER DES ODRYSENKNIGS SITALKES? Dobriela Kotova (Sofia Bulgarien) ............................................................................................. 207

LES SPCIFITS DE L'EMPLACEMENT DES HABITATIONS DU PREMIER ET SECOND GE DU FER DANS LA ZONE DE STEPPE BOISE DE LA MOLDAVIE CENTRALE Alexandru Levinschi (Chiinu R. Moldavie) ............................................................................. 213

IN QUEST FOR QUALITY STONE: LA TNE ROTARY QUERNS FROM IDOVAR, SOUTH BANAT Marija Ljutina (Belgrade Serbia) .............................................................................................. 225

MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH IN THE PRUT-DNIESTER INTERFLUVE BARBARICUM Sergiu Mateev (Kishinev R. of Moldova) ................................................................................... 237

ON A POSSIBLE FUNCTION OF THE GETO-DACIAN DECORATED HEARTHS Alexandru S. Morintz (Bucharest Romania) ............................................................................... 255

LA FORTIFICATION GTE DE HORODCA MICA, RPUBLIQUE DE MOLDAVIE: TECHNIQUES DE CONSTRUCTION ET PHASES DE LDIFICATION Octavian Munteanu, Vasile Iarmulschi (Chiinu R. Moldova) ................................................. 269

DIACHRONIC EVOLUTION OF SITES FROM SAHARNA AREA, THE REGION OF MIDDLE DNIESTER Ion Niculi, Aurel Zanoci, Mihail B (Chiinu R. of Moldova) ............................................. 295

LES POLEIS-EMPORIA ET LES MARCHES THRACES DU ROYAUME ODRYSE (VE MILIEU DU IVE SIECLE AV. J.-C.) Kalin Porozhanov (Sofia Bulgarie) ............................................................................................. 315

HELLESPONTUS, THE THRACIAN BOSPORUS AND INFORMATION RELATED TO THRACIANS ON THEIR COASTS DURING THE HALF OF THE FIRST MILLENIUM BC Alexandar Portalsky (Blagoevgrad Bulgaria) ............................................................................. 321

DISCOVERIES OF CELTIC NATURE ON THE MIDDLE AND SUPIRIOR COURSE OF THE OLT RIVER IN THE SECOND IRON AGE Lucica Savu (Braov Romania) ................................................................................................... 327

DIE GETISCHEN DAVA VON RADOVANU IM LICHTE DER NEUSTEN FORSCHUNGEN Cristian Schuster (Bukarest Rumnien), Done erbnescu (Oltenia Rumnien), Alexandru S. Morintz (Bukarest Rumnien) ..................................................................................................... 335

THE GETO-DACIAN FORTRESS OF PIETROASA MIC GRUIU DRII, BUZU COUNTY (ROMANIA) Valeriu Srbu (Brila, Bucharest - Romania) Sebastian Matei (Buzu - Romania) ...................... 347

NEWLY DISCOVERED MONUMENTS OF THE ANCIENT IRON METALLURGY: RESEARCH PERSPECTIVE AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES Nino Sulava, Rusudan Chagelishvili, Nino Kalandadze, Tamar Beridze (Tbilisi - Georgia) ........ 375


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SPECIAL ASPECTS OF GRAECO-BARBARIAN CONTACTS IN THE EARLY COLONIZATION PERIOD OF THE NORTHERN BLACK SEA COASTAL REGION IN THE LIGHT OF THE EXAMINATION OF THE MATERIALS OF THE CITY-SITE NEMIROV ON THE RIVERSIDE OF SOUTH BUG Marina Vakhtina, Maya Kashuba (Saint-Petersburg - Russia) ...................................................... 379

TRANSCARPATHIAN FINDS OF STAMPED CERAMICS Izabela Wnuczek (Rzeszow - Poland) ............................................................................................ 397

THRAKISCH UND DAKISCH SPRACHEN ODER DIALEKTE? Svetlana Yanakieva (Sofia Bulgarien) ......................................................................................... 407

FOREWORD

Our country has previously hosted once more this Congress, 17 years ago, when the 7th edition

was held at Constana-Mangalia-Neptun/Olimp. Since then, other editions of this congress have been organized by colleagues from Bulgaria (2000), Republic of Moldova (2004), Greece (2005) and Turkey (2010). In 1996, when the 7th edition of the Congress was held, the status of this research direction Thracology was most probably different than today both in Romania and in the other countries. At that time, our research field benefited from the existence of an independent institution (The Romanian Institute of Thracology, director prof. dr. Petre Roman), with its own juridical status and budget. Today, the Centre of Thracology activates harmonically as part of the Vasile Parvan Institute of Archaeology of the Romanian Academy.

As other peoples from antiquity were dedicated distinct branches of research that included

historical, archaeological, linguistic, anthropological, archaeo-zoological, and ethnographical investigations it was only natural that the Thracians also had their own distinct discipline. The Thracology was and still is a field of extremely interesting scientific disputes. An example in this direction is the dispute concerning the appearance of the first Thracians in the Balkans.

Many research opportunities are still offered by the study of antic written sources. The archaeology and the linguistic studies permit (and most surely will still do so in the future) the discovery of new faces of the material and spiritual culture of this people.

The development and the evolution of the Thracians cannot be fully comprehended without knowledge of their neighbors and of the connections between the Thracians and the Celts, the Greeks, the Macedonians, the Scythians, the Romans, etc. This is what justifies the theme of this congress, namely The Thracians and their Neighbors in Antiquity, in the Bronze and Iron Ages.

Of course, not all the specialists that research the Thracians accept the existence of a separate field of research dedicated to this people. Some do it out of belief, having, in their opinion, the necessary arguments in this direction, others, unfortunately, do it for reasons that include fashion or pure opportunism. As long as the disputes are carried at a scientific level, the things subscribe to normality. But, unfortunately, we notice that sometimes this pseudo-conflict is transferred to the relations between institutions or even between persons which is damaging to the scientific research.

On behalf of the Organizing Committee, we convey our thanks to everyone for the personal,

scientific and financial efforts made in order to attend this prestigious scientific event. We need to express our gratitude to the Dmbovia County Council, and to its President

Professor Adrian uuianu, who, understanding the meaning of a scientific manifestation of the amplitude of the present one, accepted from the start to grant us a decisive financial help without which we could not have organized this event. We also thank the Valahia University, its rectors Professor Ion Cucui and Professor Clin Oros, who allowed us to use their International Conference Center and the Campus. And we also thank the colleagues, Dr. Marian Cosac and Dr. George Murtoreanu, for their support. We must not omit from the thank you list the Curtea Domneasc National Museum Complex from Trgovite and its director, Dr. Ovidiu Crstina and his colleagues, the Brasov County Museum and its manager Dr. Radu tefnescu, and the Brila Museum and its director Professor Ionel Cndea. Another thank you we direct towards the manager of the Vasile Parvan Institute of Archaeology Academician Alexandru Vulpe and to the colleagues from the Centre of Thracology.

We also want to express our high appreciation towards the efforts of Professor Marin Crciumaru, who, with his well-known ability and determination, was the generator of energy that made all the people involved in the organization of the Congress to resonate in unison.


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The Institute of Archaeology, an institution with a smaller budget compared to the other partners, wishes to thank for the financial help granted by the ArchaeoCommunity Foundation from the USA and Sebastian Morintz Foundation from Oltenita and to Cristina-Hannelore Schuster.

One can say and many have said upon departure and in messages sent afterwards that this

congress was a scientific and cultural success, but also a success in terms of the interpersonal relations. The congress was attended by 96 distinguished researchers, from 14 countries, which held 67

lectures of great topical, geographic and chronological diversity. Without a doubt, the lectures and the discussion that took place resulted in a significantly

wealthier body of knowledge on the Thracians and neighboring peoples. Furthermore, the publishing, before the end of the year, of the lectures will result in the quick adoption by the international scientific world of many finds, ideas and interpretations of the phenomena in question.

It is worth noticing that the participants voted, unanimously, in favor of establishing an association with legal personality The International Association of Thracian Studies , which will be able to include all the specialists across the globe involved in the research and scientific and cultural application of the Thracian vestiges, of course as interacting with the neighboring peoples. This association will be able to promote a more fruitful scientific cooperation across borders, between researches with such interests.

Also, all the participants to the Congress adopted a Statement of protest against the destruction of historical monuments, in general, and of Thracian vestiges, in particular, destructions which have multiplied lately.

The lectures held at the congress will be, for topic and financial reasons, published in 2013, in two volumes. The first volume, containing the lectures on the topic Settlements, Fortresses, Artefacts, will be published in Trgovite, while the second one, on the topic Necropolises, Cult places, Religion, Mythology, will be published in Braov.

On behalf of the Organizing Committee, Prof. Dr. Valeriu Srbu

Chairman Prof. Dr. Cristian Schuster

Secretary General

The p

artici

pants

at th

e Con

gress

MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH IN THE PRUT-DNIESTER INTERFLUVE BARBARICUM

Sergiu Mateev (Kishinev R. of Moldova) Keywords: Sobari, archaeology, pedology, geomagnetic investigations, roman epoch, fortification,

palisade, stone paving, mortar. Abstract: The research conducted in 2011 was based on non-invasive research methods, namely GIS

analysis of the Sobari site and validation of these results with the situation on the ground. The site is located approximately 2.5km west of the village with the same name in r. Soroca, on a hill called Cetuia. In the near vicinity were also identified Eneolithic and Bronze Age sites. The Sobari site was discovered in 1950 by G. Fedorov and was later studied through archaeological excavatyions by E. Rikman, I Niculi and through geomagnetic research by A. Popa. The studies revealed remains of fortifications, living and household spaces accompanied by a considerable number of archaeological artifacts that supported site dating with the 3rd-4th centuries AD and its attribution to Sntana de Mure ernjachov archaeological culture. GIS research was based on 3D Path Profile which allowed profiling of the area and visibility analysis (Line of sight). GIS research confirmed the existence of a ditch on the Cetuia headland; however no cultural-chronological classification was possible due to the high number of archaeological sites from different periods located nearby. The results allowed to outline the direct area of locals activity (microzone A) and to highlight the hidden character of the location especially from the areas on the banks of Dniester, which in the same time allowed locals to observe the river area. Elements of predictive modeling based on the correlative model focused on integration, analysis and visualizing indicated with a high probability that an observation tower or a small settlement was located in microzone B. This hypothetical scenario needs to be tested on field.

On the 2013 research area of the stone building in Sobari, the fortification line was represented by a complex construction with paving consisting of big stone blocks on the exterior and palisade beams in the interior, the emplecton composed of a thick layer of mortar mixed with small stones. In the interior, a paving similar to the one on the exterior was not identified on the researched area. The archaeological material discovered in the cultural layer and complexes, as well as inventory pieces and ceramics, can be listed in the category of pieces characteristic to Sntana de Mure ernjachov culture. Comparing fortification elements identified in Sobari with other discoveries in this cultural area where small castles are found belonging to Sntana de Mure ernjachov culture highlights the lack of unique designs. Builders were directed by the topographic situation of the specific location and only certain elements in building the walls are sometimes similar.

Non-invasive archaeology is slowly, but growing roots in the Republic of Moldova also. This fact

is explained on one hand by the limited number of geo-spatial data on archaeological sites collected with modern equipment and on the other hand by the multidisciplinary character of this research. In the last years several multidisciplinary investigations were conducted in microzone of Sobari site (r. Soroca, Republic of Moldova).

Sobari village is situated at a distance of around 18km north-west from Soroca town and around 1,5km south-west from Dniester River (Fig. 1). At around 2.5 km west of the village, on a top hill called Cetuia, is situated the archaeological site Sobari. The top hill is triangular in shape and is delimited on the west by a slope of 20-40 which descends towards Bolata creek (Fig. 5.A), while on the south by one of its tributaries transformed into two lakes. The creeks have very reduced water debit and often dries, while the swampy banks form a difficult obstacle to pass. The situation was similar in earlier periods - Bolata hydronym serves as indication to this as the name takes its root from the Slav substantive: boloto swamp. Precisely in this area are the highest hills with average heights of 250 m, the hill on this the site is located has an altitude of 235 m.

This area attracted human communities from early times due to fauna and flora diversity and to soil mostly of chernozem type although podzols are found also. In the immediate vicinity were identified various sites from the Eneolithic, Bronze Age, etc., the population of this space being encouraged by


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the presence of many springs with drinking water and Dniester river bed which forms many meanders in this area offering visual supervision possibilities without the supervisor being exposed.

The research of maps presented by the National geo-spatial data fund highlighted in the north-eastern part of the hill the remains of a ditch uniting its two edges and having 1,25km in length, actually enclosing a surface of about 1.22 km2 (Fig. 1.B-C)1. It is possible that Cetuia toponym takes it name from this ditch.

The archaeological site Sobari La cetuie (v. Cremenciug, r. Soroca) (Fig. 1) was identified in 1950 and introduced into the scientific circuit by archaeologist G.B. Fedorov (Fedorov 1960)2. The archaeological investigations started under archaeologist . Rikman which conducted several excavation campaigns in 1962, 1965, 1967, 1971 (Rikman 1970, p. 180-197; Rikman 1975a, p. 64-66; Rikman 1975b, p. 205-214). In those years were partially identified the fortress premises, the construction from stone and brick with glass windows, covered with tiles and surrounded with wooden columns on stone base which finds similarities in the provincial roman world; other constructions made from wood carcass smeared with clay, a ceramics firing kiln and a rich inventory of artifacts from bronze, iron, glass, clay and stone (arms, tools, ceramic pots of local manufacture and objects imported from the Roman Empire). The investigations made . Rikman assume that the site existed in the 3rd-4th centuries AD, while the stone premises and the building from stone and bricks were built at the final stage of the site existence. All discoveries were chronologically dated to the 3rd-4th c. AD and attributed to Sntana de Mure ernjachov culture, except a few ceramic fragments dated with the 17th century. At the beginning of the 70ies, after what . Rikman proposed the hypothesis about a Romanization process which covered the Prut-Dniester space also, the archaeological research at Sobari was stopped (Matveev 2007, p. 160-171). After a break of almost 20 years, the investigations on the fortress hill were resumed by the State University of Moldovas expedition under the head of prof. I. Niculi which conducted several archaeological campaigns in 1990-1991, 1993 and 1994 (Niculi, Bnaru 1995, p. 492-507; Popa 1997, p. 119-131; Popa 2001; Niculi 2004, p. 129-135). During those years was finished the investigation of the construction from stone and brick, the collection of objects was enlarged among which are highlighted two roman coins (Niculi 2001, p. 9-10). In 2009 on the site surface were conducted geomagnetic investigations by the team headed by Gh. Postic and Al. Popa (Postic et alii 2010; Popa et alii 2010, p. 145-157).

The study from 2011 was focused on non-invasive research methods, namely GIS analysis of Sobari site and corroboration of obtained results with the situation on the filed. Using Global Mapper application was performed 3D Path Profile operation on a layer which contained the Elevation Digital Model of interested area on N-S and W-E axis, the result being the profile of site location area. Even if the files Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) for Dniester valley dont have a good resolution for picturing small details, some elements of the micro-region can however be identified. First, both profiles highlighted the existence of some depressions in the place where the ditch was found, without indicating the existence of an adjacent wall (Fig. 2). This is absolutely normal situation as the terrain where the ditch was found is intensely subject to agricultural works. The filed research confirmed the existence of a ditch at elevation and pedological points on its total length, the soil being characterized by a big quantity of clay making it yellowish (Fig. 5B).

At the second stage was conducted a visibility analysis (Line of Sight) (Fig. 3) which showed clearly that the visual supervision territories (microzone A) were located towards west and south from Sobari site covering a not very big distance of 5 to 8 km. This microzone can be considered as a space for daily activities of the site inhabitants characterized by agriculture and/ or breeding cattle (Jarman et alii 1982, p. 33-34). It is a distance that could be daily covered roundtrip by a human being, without the physical effort to influence on work capacities. The visibility analysis highlighted the well thought location of the site in space as dwellings were well protected by direct winds from north and west, while

1

http://geoportal.md/ro/default/map#lat=345060.871853&lon=172519.915359&zoom=6&layers=_base1 2 On the archaeological map presented in this album, the site Sobari appears under number 194. The

respective site is under number 2769 in the Registry of Monuments of Republic of Moldova protected by the state, published at Chiinu in Monitorul Oficial, no. 15-17 (3548-3550) from 2nd February, 2010.


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the entire site is very little exposed to observation from all sides, especially from Dniester. However it is remarked the presence of microzone B which has visual contact from microzone A and were the topographic map indicates to the existence of a spring with drinking water. Microzone B has a big territory for visual supervision upon Dniester valley and territories on the left bank (Fig. 4). The space reserved for living remained outside visibility area, including from microzone B. So, the visibility analysis conducted on the Elevation Digital Model demonstrated that Dniester valley was a region of interest for the inhabitants of Sobari site, preferring, however, not being exposed to it.

Elements of predictive modeling based on correlative model of integration, analysis and visualization indicates to a high probability existence of an observation point in the form of a tower or settlement of reduced dimensions in microzone B. This hypothetical scenario needs to be verified on the ground.

GIS research in the area of Sobari Roman period site confirmed the existence of a ditch on Cetuia headland without performing a cultural-chronologic analysis due to a high number of archaeological sites situated in this region dated with various historical periods. There was delimited the territory of site inhabitants direct activity and there was highlighted the hidden character of the site especially from territories on Dniester banks, meanwhile leaving possibilities for their visual supervision.

The next stage was the research of the pedological situation from microzone Sobari (Fig. 6). The method used was based on the analysis of pedological information from SSRM Soil Map and digital maps (of pedoclimatic areas, soil types, soil sub-types, soil texture and soil erosion) available on www.geoportal.md, based on a technical-scientific collaboration agreement between the Agency for Land Relations and Cadastre and the Institute of Pedology, Agrochemistry and Soil Protection Nicolae Dimo, submitted to the National Fund of Geospatial Data (responsible dr. Iu. Rozloga).

The time necessary for a soil type to form its own distinct profile depends on many independent factors such as: climate, parental matter nature, organisms and landscape. The soils tend to form more rapidly in warm conditions with rainy forests, where is sufficient water for colloid migration and enough quantity of organic matter to be decomposed. In ideal conditions, an easily recognizable soil can be formed in 200 years; it can take up to several thousand years in less favorable conditions for soil to form, while under ordinary conditions the formation of soils on compact rocks takes somewhere between 200 and 1000 years. Therefore, soil formation takes place under processes of alteration and leaching at speeds which reflects the combination of clime intensity effects and living organisms conditioned by landscape and nature of parental matter, factors which are impacted more intensely and on larger scales by social-economical activity of man.

The Soil textural classes are also important for research of these issues. Sand, dust and clay determine to a greater of lesser degree properties of respective soils, depending on properties we interfere results in what is known as the textural class.

Characteristic of soils by texture. Depending on the textural class soils have certain properties, differing from each other. The biggest differences are found in the extreme textured soils (sand and clay).

Sand soils have properties similar to sand, are very permeable to air and water; have good aeration but low water retention capacity; easy to lose water through seepage and evaporation, cant form water reserves, are not cohesive and adhesive, dont have plasticity, are worked easily and well, are subject to dissipation, get warm easily, are poor in nutrients and have low capacity to retain them; they have generally low fertility.

Clay soils have similar properties, are less permeable to water and air; have high water retention capacity; can form large reserves of water, but in this case, are poorly aerated; are very plastic and sticky under high humidity conditions; are worked difficult as furrows form belts; when drying have very high cohesion; are rich in nutrients and are highly capable of retaining them, but crops dont find proper growing conditions due, especially, to deficient agrohydrologic system.

Therefore, extreme textured soils have properties less favorable for cultivating crops. The best soils, textually speaking, are clay-loam soils which have properties intermediate between sandy soils and clay loam soils with medium texture. Some cultures grow very well or even prefer sandy (e.g.


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potatoes) or clay soils (e.g. wheat). Therefore, knowing the soil texture and properties and plant requirements can be determined the most appropriate ways of land use.

The remaining soils have properties similar to sandy soils (sandy-clay soils), clay (clay-sandy soils, clay-sandy-loam soils, clay-silty soils) and loam soils (clay-loam soil, clay-loam-silty and silty-clay soils).

Texture is one of the most important and stable characteristics of the soil and is determined largely by the parent material or parent rock, meaning that, for example, on loamy rocks are generally formed heavy soils on loess and medium soils, while easy soil form on sands.

Sobari site La cetuie is located in the forest steppe. The soil is of the following types: chernozem, chernozem-like soil, gray soil, delluvial soil, alluvial soil and degraded soil. The Sobari sites is situated in the area of leached chernozem which is being formed in conditions of mesophilic steppes of the forest steppe zone, but are also found in oak forests with grassy cover. The profile has a general soft character, leached, that is completely devoid of carbonates. Clearing forests and grasslands grubbing often led to increased erosion on sloping land due to abnormalities in both rain water retention and upper soil mobilization through agricultural work which is more easily subject to movement because of water flow on the slope. Another effect of deforestation is the emergence of stagnant excess moisture on horizontal land.

The third stage of research was focused on elements which were visible on the ground in a certain period of time but can be recovered today archaeologically only. The site name was given by archaeologists after the toponym Sobari because of the ruins of a stone premise which was still visible on the surface of the soil up to 1m at the beginning of the 20th century and in the interwar period according the information offered by local inhabitants. The visual study undertaken by . Rikman in the 60ies of the 20th century revealed three sectors of the premises (west, north and east) forming the Russian letter , oriented after the cardinal points with approximate dimensions of 38-90-45m. It was not possible to identify the southern sector neither visually nor by the four surveys in the area which assumed its existence: three surveys conducted by . Rikman and one survey by prof. I. Niculi in 1994 (fig. 7) (Rikman 1975b, p. 205-214; Niculi and Bnaru 1995, p. 492-507). Given the lack of information, . Rikman thought that the southern sector was never properly built, the site ending its existence violently in the second half of the 4th century AD before the fortification line was to be defined. However, the premises had a lot more to suffer in the modern period when the population from surrounding villages extracted enormous quantities of stone from the site to use it for their houses foundations.

. Rikman made only one survey on the premises line in the central part of the northern sector and discovered the remains of a complex wall made from big stones covering the inner and outer sides, whereas the emplecton was filled with small stones banded with mortar made of debris, small stones and fragments of burned clay. The width of the wall was 4.7 m and the height was 0,6m (Rikman 1970, p. 190, 192; Rikman 1975b, p. 205).

In what concerns the cultural attribution of the premises and stone construction, . Rikman assumed they were built by persons which came from Roman provincial environment (Rikman 1975b, p. 214), while A. Kropotkin considered the Sobari site as the centre of a tribe, the premises being an attempt to fortify the local leader seat (Kropotkin 1984, p. 35-47) and B. Magomedov attributed Sobari site to the category of Roman commercial-craft factories (Magomedov 2001, p. 20, 107).

In 2009 were conducted geophysical research in order to identify the remains of the stone premises and some built constructions using stone and clay. The results of non-invasive research did not find the southern sector of the premises as well (Popa et alii 2010, p. 145-157; Popa et alii 2012, p. 102-108) (Fig. 9), while their interpretation published the same year evokes reserves regarding the location of the eastern sector too (Postic et alii 2010, p. 12-14) (Fig. 10).

The intensification of farming activities within the site limit in the last years in addition to deforestation in its southern sector, highlighted big quantities of grey ceramic fragments made on the potters wheel which are characteristic to Sntana de Mure ernjachov culture. This fact and the increased interest for this unique site from the north-west Black Sea barbaricum called for re-opening archaeological excavations on the site. The archaeological investigations conducted in 2013 had as one of main objectives the identification of premises in the eastern sector and finding the elements of fortification.


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The section was established in the eastern part of the non-farmed terrain. At the depth of 0.15-0.18 m was identified an array of big stones disposed in line with the height of 0.9-1.0 m (Fig. 11), on some sections were also identified agglomerations of mortar (Fig. 12) identical to the one found by . Rikman on the northern sector and to the one used as cement for the construction of stone and brick with wooden columns where big quantities of mortar formed nests around column bases. Some stones had tool traces used for detaching and/or processing stones often having rectangular shapes (Fig. 13). A mortar agglomeration with stones ranging up to 0.150.20.3 m (Fig. 14) was identified within the stone wall (towards west in the researched sector) at 0.2-0.25 m depth and on 1,8 m width. The agglomeration deepened into the ground to 0,7m from the ancient stepping level, it had profile trapeze shape and formed the inner part and foundation of the fortification system (Fig. 16). The mortar agglomeration continued flat inside the fortification, but with a higher elevation on a sector of 0.8 m wide, along which 7 cylindrical pits from the palisade pillars have been identified (Fig. 15). The width of the entire complex covered with fallen construction stones is 4.4 m, which corresponds to . Rikmans research results.

Therefore, the sector researched from 2013 revealed the stone premises from Sobari which represents a complex structure with pavement made of big stone blocks on the outside and a wooden palisade inside, the emplecton being formed of a thick mortar layer with small stones. A pavement on the inner side similar to the one on the outside has not identified on the investigated sector. This makes us assume the palisade was temporarily used until the pavement would have been built. This hypothesis will be confirmed or infirmed by future research. The archaeological material form cultural layer and complexes contains inventory objects and ceramic fragments which can be attributed, without exceptions, to the category of pieces characteristic to Sntana de Mure ernjachov archeological culture.

The elements of fortification are a rarity in the area of Sntana de Mure ernjachov culture, which covers a vast territory from Romania, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, from Transilvania up to the left bank of Dnieper River.

Three Sntana de Mure ernjachov culture sites can be attributed with high certainty to category of fortified sites: Bamaka (on Dnieper), Alexandrovka (on Ingulec) and Gorodok (on Southern Bug), all on Ukraine territory (Fig. 17).

The Bamaka fortification is situated on a hill which dominates the valley of a creek and had the dimension of 4060 m; it was built initially as a wall made of two wooden walls with 1m space between them filled with earth and surrounded by two ditches - an adjacent ditch and another one at around 24 m from the first. At the second stage, the fortification was built from big pieces of granite disposed in two pavements, inside and outside, the emplecton being filled with earth and the upper part being probably covered with wood. Certain wall sectors have been strengthened with stone walls, transversal to their pavement lines (Smilenko, Mizin 1979, p. 48-66; Smilenko 1992).

The fortification from Alexandrovka (on Ingulec), situated on a headland with steep slopes near a navigable river and Dnieper thresholds, had a surface of 190190 m, stone walls, ditch, scarp, round towers (one of them having a diameter of 11 m, other three 5m in diameter) (Magomedov 1987a, p. 26-41; Magomedov 1987b).

In the case of Gorodok fortification (on Southern Bug), situated on a headland with steep slopes near a navigable river, the defense line outlined a hill top of 150500 m, made of stone wall, ditch and wallum (Magomedov 1979, p. 105-114; Magomedov 1987b; Magomedov 2001, p. 20, 107; Popa 2001, p. 42-43, 125).

The location of these sites in strategic positions along commercial roads connecting Asia and Eastern Europe indicates they were built to offer protection against migratory or the Huns. A particular case in the context of fortifications represents the castrum ruins from Pietroasele (Buzu County) which was re-used on certain sectors in Sntana de Mure ernjachov period (Diaconu 1976, p. 1055-1072; Diaconu and Tzony 1983, p. 69-77; Diaconu et alii 1977, p. 212-220). B. Magomedov investigated this issue and identified it as centers of tribe leaders (Magomedov 1980, p. 133-134), while Al. Popa concluded later the artifacts attributed to Sntana de Mure ernjachov archaeological culture identified at these sites did not demonstrate clearly the fortifications were built precisely by the carriers of this culture, most probably these communities re-used earlier fortifications (Popa 2001, p. 128). Indeed, earlier living layer were discovered in the case of the three fortifications from Ukraine.


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Without fueling the debate about the authorship of fortifications used in the 3rd-4th centuries AD on the territory of Ukraine, we conclude that the corroboration of fortification elements identified at Sobari with other cased from the area where the carriers of Sntana de Mure ernjachov archeological culture used citadels reveals the lack of a unique model. The builders were guided by individual topographic conditions of the area and few general principles which find analogies, such as pavement of citadels, use of palisade, building walls. Therefore, models similar to Sobari constructions should be found in Roman provincial environment.

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Sergiu Mateev State University of Moldova

E-mail: [email protected]


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Documents

S. Matveev, Multidisciplinary Research in the Prut-Dniester interfluve Barbaricum, In: The Thracians and their Neighbors in the Bronze and Iron Ages, „Settlements, Fortresses, Artifacts”,