Stage summary
Between January and December 2021, within the project PN-III-P1-1.1-PD 2019-0703, we fulfilled the objectives of stage II: The realization of extensive archaeological field research and the analysis of archaeological complexes and archaeological material discovered in the forts. Thus, we continued the field archeological research, the mapping and identification of new objectives, and at the same time the analysis of the archeological materials found in the collections of the museum deposits from Moldova. The survey stage is finished, at this time 39 hillforts were completely mapped, of which 36 benefited from plans made based on LIDAR scans. At the same time, we continued our research in the archives, which brought to light a series of the most valuable data for our topic of interest – including a manuscript considered lost, written by the archaeologistAdrian C. Florescu. The manuscript is currently being published in a critical edition.
We appreciate that we have managed to take the most important steps in achieving the main goal of our project – to write a monographic book on the hillforts from the early period of the Late Iron Age in the East Carpathian space, in English, to further the collaboration and the constructive dialogue both with the colleagues from Romania as well as with those from the neighboring states interested in the cultural-historical phenomena that affected the south-eastern European space between the centuries 5th-3rd BC.
We appreciate that by presenting the results of the project at several national and international conferences we have tried to increase the visibility at national and international level of the results of the interdisciplinary research we have carried out.
Scientific and technical description, highlighting the results of the stage and the degree of achievement of the objectives
Objective 1. Carrying out large-scale field research in the entire area in order to locate, in GPS and Stereo70 coordinate system, the hillforts already known in the literature but also to identify new points of interest. The aim will be to obtain detailed plans for each objective, with careful observations, recorded using standardized sheets.
We continued the field research from the previous stage, extending our research to the area of Vrancea County and Neamț County. If for Neamț County things went relatively simple, for the Vrancea area we could see that there is a discrepancy between the data mentioned in the literature and the situation on the field. Thus, the so-called fortress from Nereju (Titila point) does not exist, being the result of a confusion, and the fort from Căiata – Movila Mare (com. Sihla) represents an objective from a completely different chronological horizon. However, we were able to document what has been preserved from the hillfort of Odobești – Măgura Odobești as well as the complex site from Cândești – Coasta Nacului. We benefited, of course, from ample support from colleagues at the Vrancea Museum.
We also continued the analysis of the LIDAR scans provided by ABA Prut-Bârlad and which cover most of the interfluve between Siret and Prut. These continued to bring us new surprises, allowing us to map new objectives, little known or missing in the older literature such as the hillforts of Văculești and Șendriceni (Botoșani County) or Puiești (Vaslui County), with the support and collaboration of colleagues from the Botoșani County Museum and the “Vasile Pârvan” County Museum in Bârlad.
Today we have 39 objectives- hillforts from the 5th-3rd centuries BC. – in the area between the Carpathians and the Prut. At the time of writing, all have detailed plans, 36 of which are based on LIDAR scans.
At the moment, we consider this objective to be 100% complete.
Objective 2. Reanalyzing the results of older archaeological excavations; the scientific evaluation and capitalization of the remaining plans from these excavations as well as of the archaeological materials accessible in various local institutions and museums will be pursued.
Research conducted in the archives of the Institute of Archeology in Iasi in March 2021 led to a surprise, allowing the identification of the manuscript of the late researcher A. C. Florescu, entitled Thracian-Getic Fortresses on the territory of Moldova before the Burebista – Decebal era, previously considered lost in late 1980s. Since the manuscript contains important ideas and data for the subject of study, we decided to publish it in a critical edition, so that we could quote it in the book – repertoire with which our project will be completed. We managed to completely transcribe the manuscript and annotate it. To the paper I added an introductory study – about the author’s activity – and an Epilogue in which I discussed the fortress of Cotnari – Cătălina, with many new data. Currently the work – with us as the editor – is under press at the Mega Publishing House in Cluj-Napoca.
We continued the archeological documentation, carrying out in this sense two documentary visits, to Botoșani (11.06.2021 – 29.06.2021) respectively Bârlad (02.09.2021 -23.09.2021). On the occasion of the visit to Botoșani, we completed the processing of the materials discovered in the fortresses of Stâncești, Ibănești and Cotu-Copălău. While traveling to Bârlad, we fully processed the material discovered in the fortresses of Murgeni – Ciomaga and Fedești, as well as a part of the Ghenuță Coman collection. At this time we have processed almost all the archaeological material needed to complete the project in good condition.
In order to be able to understand, in all their complexity, the historical and cultural phenomena that took place at the level of the 5th-3rd centuries BC Ii the space east of the Carpathians, we undertook a documentary visit to Chisinau (Republic of Moldova) between 29.10.2021 – 26.11.2021. It must be said that if we currently know 39 fortifications from the 5-3 centuries BC in the Romanian East Carpathian area, east of the Prut River their number is over 120, many of them having been researched archaeologically. On this occasion, we were able to study the materials recovered from the fortresses such as those from Butuceni (Orhei district), Saharna Mare (Rezina district), but also from Rudi (Soroca district). We could see a resemblance in material culture, but in terms of military design and preferred type of location, a number of differences were also visible; thus, if the fortresses located west of the Prut are mostly located in high areas, mostly interfluves, those east of the Prut are located especially near the large watercourses (Dniester, Răutul, Botna); moreover, the fortresses east of the Prut tend to have somewhat more complex plans, with more enclosures and even “bastions”. We have established close collaboration relations with colleagues from Chisinau, from the State University of Moldova, the Institute of Cultural Heritage and the National Museum of History of Moldova.
We want to add one more issue. This year, we started two archeological sites in the Dobrovăț Fortress (Iași County) and in the Albești Fortress (Vaslui County), the latter in collaboration with the staff of the Vasile Pârvan County Museum in Bârlad. In Dobrovăț we discovered inside the fortification the traces of a burned surface dwelling; moreover, we managed to document the defensive system, which consists of a rampart with a wooden palisade and a defense ditch. In Albești we also managed to catch the traces of a large surface dwelling. The data obtained during these two campaigns provide us with a wealth of information about the civilian and military architecture of the time. And so, our project will also benefit from the contribution of its own archeological excavations.
The web page of the project was also updated (address: http://www.archaeoforts.com/) It also contains information about the project (title, acronym, code, financier, members, contact), a brief presentation of it, with specifying the objectives and estimated results.
Objective 3. Based on the information gathered in the field and from the archives and museum collections, at the end of this approach will result a book – an exhaustive repertoire of all the hillforts in the East Carpathian area, with discussions on the archaeological sites discovered (types of houses, pits, material culture, treasures).
We managed to complete the repertoire, as well as two of the chapters. We expect it to be in print by the end of May / June next year at the latest. In order to be accessible to specialists from other states, the paper is written entirely in English.
Dissemination of results
Regarding the dissemination of results, this activity was greatly hampered by the restrictions imposed by the health crisis generated by the COVID – 19 pandemic which led to the cancellation or postponement of many conferences where we were registered with papers. However, we have obtained a number of results which we will present below.
A.1. Papers at scientific events: The project director presented 10 papers on the objectives of the project. Of these, three were present at international communication sessions (two in the Republic of Moldova, one in the Republic of Northern Macedonia), five were presented at national communications and two were given as guest speakers.
1. International Conference Cultural Heritage: Research, Valorization, Promotion at the Institute of Cultural Patrimony in Chișinău (Republica Moldova), 27.05.2021 – 28.05.2021, we presented the following paper: Observații privind zidul de piatră al cetății de la Cotnari – Dealul Cătălina (sec. 5-3 î.Hr.).
2. International Conference Economie şi mediu în spaţiul tiso-nistrean în epoca fierului, Saharna (Republica Moldova), 29.07.2021 – 01.08.2021, we presented the following paper: Cetățile dintre Carpați și Prut în secolele 5-3 î.Hr.: centre economice.
3. International Conference Homo Creatus est per Instrumenta, at Museum of Strumica (Republica of North Macedonia), 03.11.2021 – 07.11.2021 we presented the following paper: Standing guard at the borders of the Great Steppe. Weapons and military accesories found in Late Iron Age forts from the East-Carpathian region of Romania (5th – 3rd centuries BC).
4. At The National Scientific Session of the Bârlad Museum, from Vasile Pârvan County Museum of Bârlad, 29.05.2021 – 30.05.2021, we presented the following paper: Contribuții privind topografia unor cetăți din perioada de început a celei de-a Doua Epoci a Fierului situate în sudul Podișului Moldovei (sec. 5‒3 î Hr).
5. At The National Simposium Arheologie în Pandemie. Rezultatele ale cercetărilor arheologice recente din România, 21.10.2021 – 23.10.2021, at Iași Institute of Archaeology we presented the following paper: Cercetările arheologice din punctele Dobrovăț – Cetățuie și Dobrovăț – La Livadă (2019-2021). Rezultate preliminare și perspective.
6. At The National Simposium Arheologie în Pandemie. Rezultatele ale cercetărilor arheologice recente din România, 21.10.2021 – 23.10.2021, at Iași Institute of Archaeology we presented the following paper: Cercetări arheologice în cetatea din a doua epocă a fierului de la Albești, jud. Vaslui
7. At the National Symposium of Archaeological Reports. 55th Edition, at the Sibiu University, 29.10.2021 – 31.10.2021, we presented the following paper: Cercetări arheologice în cetățuia de la Dobrovăț.
8. At the National Symposium of Archaeological Reports. 55th Edition, at the Sibiu University, 29.10.2021 – 31.10.2021, we presented the following paper: Cercetări arheologice în cetatea din a doua epocă a fierului de la Albești, jud. Vaslui.
9. At the Conferințele Fundației Dacica, at Dacica Foundation, Alun, we presented as invited speaker the conference La hotarele Marii Stepe. Cetățile de la începutul celei de-a doua epoci a fierului dintre Carpați și Prut (secolele 5-3 î.Hr.). The conference can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rZzXglc_XQ&t=1s
10. At the Rotary Club Conferences, Iași, at Rotary Club Iași, 15.11.2021, we presented as invited speaker the conference O “radiografie” arheologică a spațiului est-carpatic. Scanările LIDAR duc la iveală noi imagini despre istoria Moldovei.
A.2. Publications (dissemination).
1. A. Berzovan (Ed.) Adrian Constantin Florescu – Cetăți traco-getice pe teritoriul Moldovei anterioare epocii Burebista – Decebal, Ed. Mega, Cluj-Napoca, 2021 (under press).
2. A. Berzovan, M. Oancă, M. Mamalaucă, S. Honcu, C. Crăciun, Despre două posibile cetăți hallstattiene timpurii din Podișul Moldovei: Fundul Văii – Cetatea Zmeilor (com. Lipovăț) și Popeni – Valea Bujorani (com. Zorleni) în Acta Musei Tutovensis, XVII, 2021, p. 54-69 (on www.academia.edu)
3. A. Berzovan, A. Kovacs, Two Late Iron Age Hillforts in the Northern Moldavian Plateau: Văculești-Dealul Podiș and Șendriceni-Dealul Țiclău / Cetate (Botoșani County, Romania), în S. Forțiu, D. Micle (Ed.), In Honorem Valeriu Sîrbu, ArheoVest IX, Ed. Mega, Cluj-Napoca, ISBN: 978-606-020-407-7, p. 323-334. (after 13.12.2021 on www.academia.edu)
4. A. Berzovan, Un istoric al cercetării cetăților de la începutul celei de-a Doua Epoci a Fierului din spațiul est-carpatic românesc în S. Forțiu, D. Micle (Ed.), In Honorem Valeriu Sîrbu, ArheoVest IX, Ed. Mega, Cluj-Napoca, ISBN: 978-606-020-407-7, p. 671-740. (after 13.12.2021 on www.academia.edu)
5. B. Niculică, C. Aparaschivei, A. Berzovan, Some remarks on the fortification of Merești – Cetățuie (Vulturești Commune, Suceava County) în V. Diaconu (Ed.), Fortifications and Defensive Systems East from the Carpathians, Ed. Istros – Ed. Constantin Mătasă, Brăila – Piatra Neamț, ISBN: 978-606-654-453-5, p. 139-162. (after 20.12.2021 on www.academia.edu)
6. A. Berzovan, În loc de introducere. Adrian Constantin Florescu și marile cetăți de pământ ale Epocii Fierului din spațiul est-carpatic, în A. Berzovan (ed.), Adrian Constantin Florescu – Cetăți traco-getice pe teritoriul Moldovei anterioare epocii Burebista – Decebal, Ed. Mega, Cluj-Napoca, 2021 (under press).
7. A. Berzovan, Epilog. Cetatea Cotnari – Cătălina în lumina noilor cercetări, în A. Berzovan (ed.), Adrian Constantin Florescu – Cetăți traco-getice pe teritoriul Moldovei anterioare epocii Burebista – Decebal, Ed. Mega, Cluj-Napoca, 2021 (under press).
In all reported publications the name of the financier and the number of the financing contract according to the model are mentioned: This work was supported by a grant of Ministry of Education and Research, CNCS – UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P1-1.1–PD2019-0703, within PNCDI III.
Project Director
Dr. Alexandru Berzovan