The investigation conducted within the HERAS project allowed the extension of certain old investi... more The investigation conducted within the HERAS project allowed the extension of certain old investigations regarding the prehistoric dwellings located along the Constanța County coast (between Sinoe Lake and Vama Veche). The landscape changes developing in the fifth millennium BC along the West-Pontic coast had a major impact upon the inhabiting Eneolithic communities’ evolution. After a delayed and shy onset, the first farmers communities reach the littoral area around 6400 - 6300 cal BP. According to the palynological analysis conducted on samples taken from Varna, Durankulak and Șabla lakes, cereals and ruderal plants (associated to grazing) appeared starting with 6300 – 6200 cal BP. The oldest settlement – Hamangia II in the analysed space is the one from Techirghiol – Zarguzon. In the classic Hamangia III stage, but especially in the final Hamangia IV stage, the settlements clustered around certain older dwellings. In choosing the place for the new settlements, the Eneolithic communities preferred bays and estuaries protected against marine currents, plateaus and promontories protected from strong winds (especially on the North bank), springs that feed today’s lakes and marine lagoons. The Eneolithic communities flourished as they clustered along the fertile flooded valleys - Casimcea, Carasu, Urluchioi, Mangalia – representing true passages between the littoral area and Danube. The trade dynamics is highlighted by the exotic products’ circuit (pieces of Spondylus, Dentalium, marble, jade, copper), intensified and diversified beginning with the Hamangia IV - Gumelniţa A1 / Varna I metamorphosis moment. Starting with the second half of the fifth millennium BC, due to the marine transgression, the entire network of thriving centers disappeared. The flooded levels from Năvodari – La Ostrov Island, Taraschina, Durankulak, as well as the 14C dates from Varna, are included in the 4450 – 4320 cal BC interval. The sedimentological and palynological analysis confirm, for the same time interval, a severe landscape change – sedimentary deposits rich in marine shells, the disappearance of pollen grains. Therefore, the marine transgression from the final Eneolithic stage led to the disappearance of the thriving centers from the West – Pontic littoral area, the only enclave continuing its evolution being reported in the Sozopol bay area. Over the time, on the largest part of West – Pontic coast, the Eneolithic dwellings have already disappeared around 4300 cal BC, as the settlement located near the Patovska river estuary continued its evolution through the final Eneolithic stage (4100 – 4000 cal BC). After 130 – 140 years, the Early Bronze Age communities repopulated the West – Pontic coast.
Cuvânt înainte / Note from the editors Ideea acestui demers a apărut în urmă cu câțiva ani, când,... more Cuvânt înainte / Note from the editors Ideea acestui demers a apărut în urmă cu câțiva ani, când, căutând în Arhiva Institutului de Arheologie „Vasile Pârvan“ din București după alte informații, am găsit planurile, desenele, notele, rapoartele și însemnările de șantier ale lui Mihai Șimon. Primul lucru care ne-a frapat a fost deosebita lor acuratețe, calitatea și claritatea ideilor exprimate, precum și talentul evident ce reieșea din frumusețea artefactelor desenate. Noi nu l-am cunoscut personal pe Mihai Șimon. Putem spune că l-am „cunoscut” puțin prin prisma studiilor sale, scrise cu acribie și talent. Știm că și-a făcut ucenicia pe șantierele de la Miercurea Ciuc și Ostrovul Corbului, sub îndrumarea prof. dr. Petre Roman, în a doua jumătate a anilor ’70, ca student al Facultății de Istorie din București. Această ucenicie i-a fost cu siguranță de mare ajutor în săpăturile sale ulterioare, mai ales în complicatele așezări de tip tell de la Măriuța și Șeinoiu, ambele în jud. Călăraș...
In this article the authors present the results of the archaeological researches conducted by "De... more In this article the authors present the results of the archaeological researches conducted by "Delta du Danube” Franco-Romanian team at the tell-settlement in Lunca (Ceamurlia de Jos Village, Tulcea County). A preliminary analysis of the archaeological material discovered at the surface is realized and the stratigraphy of the site - as shown in surveys conducted by a core drill - is revealed.Based on a radiocarbon test performed on a piece of charcoal, sampled from a thermally converted horizon identified at -1,74 m depth, the beginning of the settlement can undoubtedly be placed sometime between 4500 and 4350 BC.
In the last decades, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has been successfully used in archaeological ... more In the last decades, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has been successfully used in archaeological and forensic anthropological applications to locate relatively shallow features, even though the technique can also probe deeper into the ground. GPR is a non‐destructive method based on the propagation of electromagnetic waves in soil, rocks or other media. This prospection method has rarely been used previously in Romanian archaeology and never for a necropolis. GPR surveys of the Măriuța ‐ La Movilă necropolis (Călăraşi county, southeastern Romania) led to the identification of several new structures: a prehistoric pit belonging to the Kodjadermen Gumelni a Karanovo VI culture (Complex 1/2008), a grave from the IVth century A.D. (Complex 2/2009) and a modern burrowing pit (Complex 1/2009).
The investigation conducted within the HERAS project allowed the extension of certain old investi... more The investigation conducted within the HERAS project allowed the extension of certain old investigations regarding the prehistoric dwellings located along the Constanța County coast (between Sinoe Lake and Vama Veche). The landscape changes developing in the fifth millennium BC along the West-Pontic coast had a major impact upon the inhabiting Eneolithic communities’ evolution. After a delayed and shy onset, the first farmers communities reach the littoral area around 6400 - 6300 cal BP. According to the palynological analysis conducted on samples taken from Varna, Durankulak and Șabla lakes, cereals and ruderal plants (associated to grazing) appeared starting with 6300 – 6200 cal BP. The oldest settlement – Hamangia II in the analysed space is the one from Techirghiol – Zarguzon. In the classic Hamangia III stage, but especially in the final Hamangia IV stage, the settlements clustered around certain older dwellings. In choosing the place for the new settlements, the Eneolithic communities preferred bays and estuaries protected against marine currents, plateaus and promontories protected from strong winds (especially on the North bank), springs that feed today’s lakes and marine lagoons. The Eneolithic communities flourished as they clustered along the fertile flooded valleys - Casimcea, Carasu, Urluchioi, Mangalia – representing true passages between the littoral area and Danube. The trade dynamics is highlighted by the exotic products’ circuit (pieces of Spondylus, Dentalium, marble, jade, copper), intensified and diversified beginning with the Hamangia IV - Gumelniţa A1 / Varna I metamorphosis moment. Starting with the second half of the fifth millennium BC, due to the marine transgression, the entire network of thriving centers disappeared. The flooded levels from Năvodari – La Ostrov Island, Taraschina, Durankulak, as well as the 14C dates from Varna, are included in the 4450 – 4320 cal BC interval. The sedimentological and palynological analysis confirm, for the same time interval, a severe landscape change – sedimentary deposits rich in marine shells, the disappearance of pollen grains. Therefore, the marine transgression from the final Eneolithic stage led to the disappearance of the thriving centers from the West – Pontic littoral area, the only enclave continuing its evolution being reported in the Sozopol bay area. Over the time, on the largest part of West – Pontic coast, the Eneolithic dwellings have already disappeared around 4300 cal BC, as the settlement located near the Patovska river estuary continued its evolution through the final Eneolithic stage (4100 – 4000 cal BC). After 130 – 140 years, the Early Bronze Age communities repopulated the West – Pontic coast.
Cuvânt înainte / Note from the editors Ideea acestui demers a apărut în urmă cu câțiva ani, când,... more Cuvânt înainte / Note from the editors Ideea acestui demers a apărut în urmă cu câțiva ani, când, căutând în Arhiva Institutului de Arheologie „Vasile Pârvan“ din București după alte informații, am găsit planurile, desenele, notele, rapoartele și însemnările de șantier ale lui Mihai Șimon. Primul lucru care ne-a frapat a fost deosebita lor acuratețe, calitatea și claritatea ideilor exprimate, precum și talentul evident ce reieșea din frumusețea artefactelor desenate. Noi nu l-am cunoscut personal pe Mihai Șimon. Putem spune că l-am „cunoscut” puțin prin prisma studiilor sale, scrise cu acribie și talent. Știm că și-a făcut ucenicia pe șantierele de la Miercurea Ciuc și Ostrovul Corbului, sub îndrumarea prof. dr. Petre Roman, în a doua jumătate a anilor ’70, ca student al Facultății de Istorie din București. Această ucenicie i-a fost cu siguranță de mare ajutor în săpăturile sale ulterioare, mai ales în complicatele așezări de tip tell de la Măriuța și Șeinoiu, ambele în jud. Călăraș...
In this article the authors present the results of the archaeological researches conducted by "De... more In this article the authors present the results of the archaeological researches conducted by "Delta du Danube” Franco-Romanian team at the tell-settlement in Lunca (Ceamurlia de Jos Village, Tulcea County). A preliminary analysis of the archaeological material discovered at the surface is realized and the stratigraphy of the site - as shown in surveys conducted by a core drill - is revealed.Based on a radiocarbon test performed on a piece of charcoal, sampled from a thermally converted horizon identified at -1,74 m depth, the beginning of the settlement can undoubtedly be placed sometime between 4500 and 4350 BC.
In the last decades, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has been successfully used in archaeological ... more In the last decades, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has been successfully used in archaeological and forensic anthropological applications to locate relatively shallow features, even though the technique can also probe deeper into the ground. GPR is a non‐destructive method based on the propagation of electromagnetic waves in soil, rocks or other media. This prospection method has rarely been used previously in Romanian archaeology and never for a necropolis. GPR surveys of the Măriuța ‐ La Movilă necropolis (Călăraşi county, southeastern Romania) led to the identification of several new structures: a prehistoric pit belonging to the Kodjadermen Gumelni a Karanovo VI culture (Complex 1/2008), a grave from the IVth century A.D. (Complex 2/2009) and a modern burrowing pit (Complex 1/2009).
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Papers by Mihai Florea
Starting with the second half of the fifth millennium BC, due to the marine transgression, the entire network of thriving centers disappeared. The flooded levels from Năvodari – La Ostrov Island, Taraschina, Durankulak, as well as the 14C dates from Varna, are included in the 4450 – 4320 cal BC interval. The sedimentological and palynological analysis confirm, for the same time interval, a severe landscape change – sedimentary deposits rich in marine shells, the disappearance of pollen grains. Therefore, the marine transgression from the final Eneolithic stage led to the disappearance of the thriving centers from the West – Pontic littoral area, the only enclave continuing its evolution being reported in the Sozopol bay area. Over the time, on the largest part of West – Pontic coast, the Eneolithic dwellings have already disappeared around 4300 cal BC, as the settlement located near the Patovska river estuary continued its evolution through the final Eneolithic stage (4100 – 4000 cal BC). After 130 – 140 years, the Early Bronze Age communities repopulated the West – Pontic coast.
Starting with the second half of the fifth millennium BC, due to the marine transgression, the entire network of thriving centers disappeared. The flooded levels from Năvodari – La Ostrov Island, Taraschina, Durankulak, as well as the 14C dates from Varna, are included in the 4450 – 4320 cal BC interval. The sedimentological and palynological analysis confirm, for the same time interval, a severe landscape change – sedimentary deposits rich in marine shells, the disappearance of pollen grains. Therefore, the marine transgression from the final Eneolithic stage led to the disappearance of the thriving centers from the West – Pontic littoral area, the only enclave continuing its evolution being reported in the Sozopol bay area. Over the time, on the largest part of West – Pontic coast, the Eneolithic dwellings have already disappeared around 4300 cal BC, as the settlement located near the Patovska river estuary continued its evolution through the final Eneolithic stage (4100 – 4000 cal BC). After 130 – 140 years, the Early Bronze Age communities repopulated the West – Pontic coast.