Books by Radu Bajenaru
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Volumul pune la dispoziția cercetătorilor și publicului interesat artefactele preistorice adunate... more Volumul pune la dispoziția cercetătorilor și publicului interesat artefactele preistorice adunate de familia Severeanu, multe dintre ele inedite, contextualizate în două trecuturi asupra cărora și-au lăsat amprenta: unul îndepărtat, întins pe mai multe milenii, când au fost create și utilizate cu funcțiile inițial atribuite, și unul recent, în care au fost scoase din pământ, tranzacționate, colecționate și transformate în simboluri ale continuității, prestigiului și cunoașterii.
Colecția „Maria și dr. George Severeanu” este parte integrantă din patrimoniul administrat de Muzeul Municipiului București (MMB). În actul de donație al colecției din anul 1939 a fost specificată, printre altele, o condiție care prevedea publicarea obiectelor donate într-un catalog ilustrat. Implementarea acestui demers a fost însă pierdută din vedere, din diferite motive, timp de circa opt decenii, fiind nevoie de o schimbare de generații și paradigme pentru ca primele rezultate să apară. Un prim pas a fost înființarea seriei Colecția „Maria și dr. George Severeanu” în care să fie cuprinse apariții editoriale care să valorifice materialul arheologic și numismatic din cadrul colecției. Primul volum din serie a fost publicat în anul 2016, deschizând astfel calea unora viitoare, printre care se numără și cel de față.
Ideea grupării tuturor artefactelor preistorice din colecție între coperțile unui singur volum a fost enunțată pentru prima dată acum șase ani, după vernisajul expoziției tematice intitulată „Obiecte preistorice din colecția Severeanu”, deschisă la Muzeul Geroge Severeanu în perioada 3 februarie-2 aprilie 2017. Atunci, specialiști în perioada preistoriei de la Muzeul Municipiului București, Institutul de Arheologie „Vasile Pârvan” și Muzeul Național de Istorie a României au purtat discuții despre potențialul arheologic și documentar al bogatului ansamblu de obiecte preistorice din colecția Severeanu, expus publicului parțial și efemer după câteva decenii. De asemenea, s-a propus publicarea lui printr-o colaborare inter-instituțională și s-a discutat ce rol își poate asuma fiecare în ducerea la bun sfârșit a acestui demers.
Ținând cont de valoarea artefactelor preistorice din colecție, de diversitatea remarcabilă și mai ales de statutul de piese inedite pentru cea mai mare parte a lor, a fost decisă gruparea lor într-un proiect editorial care să arate ca un catalog de muzeu dar care să corespundă totodată exigențelor științifice actuale: împărțirea pe capitole realizate de cercetători specializați în diverse epoci și categorii de artefacte, apelarea la analize arheometrice pentru determinarea compoziției chimice a materiilor prime din care au fost realizate artefactele din metal și silex, ilustrarea prin tehnica desenului arheologic dar și prin tehnica fotografiei de ansamblu și de detaliu.
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Alexandru Vulpe, Protoistoria Romaniei (2020)
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Universitätsforschungen zur prähistorischen Archäologie, Band 350, 2020
For more than 150 years, the prehistoric civilizations of the East Mediterranean have fascinated... more For more than 150 years, the prehistoric civilizations of the East Mediterranean have fascinated and attracted numerous scholars interested both in the various manifestations of the respective social order within this geographical zone, and by the role and impact these civilizations may have had on the neighbouring regions.
As one would expect, our knowledge is growing continuously, triggered by new archaeological research, the progress of interdisciplinary investigations of archaeological science, and the diversification of theoretical approaches interpreting material culture from an anthropological perspective. The speed of these accumulations is increasing rapidly, while the number of studies and the variety and complexity of the themes is also continuously growing. That is why the periodic organization of conferences on welldefined themes and the publication of the respective volumes are absolutely necessary, not only in order to be able to integrate the new data into the broader picture, but also for the redefinition of the state of research within certain working areas and to show the experimental investigation of new research directions.
The present volume is the outcome of a conference with the same title organized at Tulcea, Romania, between the 10th and the 13th of November 2017, dedicated to the memory of Professor Alexandru Vulpe. Four prestigious institutions, two from Romania (the Gavrilă Simion Eco-Museum Research Institute, Tulcea and the Vasile Pârvan Institute of Archaeology, Bucharest) and two from Germany (the Institut für und Frühgeschichte und Vorderasiatische Archäologie, Heidelberg and the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Eurasien Abteilung, Berlin), with the generous support of the Mayor’s Office in Tulcea, managed to bring together over 50 scholars, most of them friends, colleagues, collaborators, students or simply acquaintances of Professor Vulpe. The intention of the organizers was to provide a suitable environment for sharing opinions and experience, and for an open and positive discussion, to recognize the current state of research on the topic, and to establish stronger connections for future collaboration in this field.
Contacts among human communities from various cultural areas, the circulation of people, ideas and objects, or the identification of the main communication routes as well as their role in shaping prehistoric societies are likely to remain forever topics of intense discussion within archaeology. The relations between the Carpathian-Balkan area and the Aegean during the Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age was one of the main themes of study for Alexandru Vulpe. As a supporter of the idea of Ex oriente lux, Vulpe always argued for the major role played by the Helladic civilization in the cultural development of the Carpathian Balkan area. The lectures delivered at the Tulcea conference and the papers published in the present volume highlight once again the complexity of these connections and the multitude of perspectives revealed when approaching such a theme.
Although the title of the volume indicates the main geographic areas in question, contributions from other cultural areas (i.e. Central Europe, the Middle Danube, Northern Pontic area, etc.), whose societies were in close contact with those of the Balkans, were also welcome. The four sections grouping the studies in the volume had not been established from the very beginning; they are the result of the subjects approached by the authors. Reading the papers attentively, one notices the diversity of the subjects and approaches and, in most cases, the novelty of the ideas expressed. We hope that the publication will provide research with a reference volume, opening new perspectives on the matters discussed. The present work is the result of the common effort of all authors, spanning a period of over three years. We wish to thank all contributors for their promptness and seriousness in answering our invitation to the volume, as well as for the openness and patience showed during the entire editing process. We are very much indebted to the Mayor’s Office of the community of Tulcea for the financial help and for the hospitality provided to the participants of the conference. Special thanks go to Douglas Fear (Heidelberg) for the careful language editing of the contributions to this volume.
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Papers by Radu Bajenaru
Reinhard Jung – Hristo Popov (Eds.): Searching for Gold Resources and Networks in the Bronze Age of the Eastern Balkans, 2024
Shaft-hole axes are both one of the most characteristic heavy metal items,
and the most importa... more Shaft-hole axes are both one of the most characteristic heavy metal items,
and the most important innovation in metallurgy during the Early Bronze Age in the Carpathian-Balkan area. The first artefacts here probably appeared during the second half of the 4th millennium BC, originating from the northern Caucasus and North Pontic areas, as the Baniabic type indicates. But the further development of this kind of axe during the whole 3rd millennium BC is a local one. Considering their number, their particular typological traits and the availability of copper ores in the area, we can assume the presence of several centres of production of such objects in the northeastern Balkan Peninsula. It is generally accepted that shaft-hole metal axes range among the items with high social value, triggered by certain events they were used in (i.e. battles, duels, ceremonies, ownership
change, social identity negotiations etc.). The intentional fragmentation of metal items is part of the biography of certain objects. The present author highlights the evolution of the casting technologies of these items and exemplifies some cases of their fragmentation in the northeastern Balkan area.
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Litua, 2024
The authors present a flat metal axe discovered in Prigoria (Gorj County), using a metal detector... more The authors present a flat metal axe discovered in Prigoria (Gorj County), using a metal detector. From a typological point of view, the axe belongs to the series of flat axes characteristic of the 4th millennium BC in the Oltenia area, with a higher probability for a dating towards the middle of this millennium, or even in a period corresponding to the Coțofeni culture. Some technological peculiarities of the item, observed both macroscopically and by X-ray Computed Tomography examination, allow a more detailed discussion on the casting and forging techniques of flat axes in the early Bronze Age in the Lower Danube.
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Buridava, 2021
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Materiale si Cercetari Arheologice, Supp. 1, 2021
The Glina-type flanged axes were acknowledged as such in 1975 by Alexandru Vulpe. Seventeen artef... more The Glina-type flanged axes were acknowledged as such in 1975 by Alexandru Vulpe. Seventeen artefacts of this type exist up to the present moment, distributed in south-eastern Transylvania and south of the Carpathians, mainly in the Olt and Argeş basins. The finds here suggest the presence of several typological variants, while their inclusion in one main type is indicated by their general aspect and proportions. All are cast in closed bivalve moulds with the metal poured through the butt. Some were subjected to compositional analyses, such as the axe from Râşnov (cat. no. 14) with 5% Sn. In the case of two artefacts, the conditions of discovery are unknown, three are isolated finds, two are part of a hoard alongside a shaft-hole axe, and the remaining nine originate from various occupation contexts. Geographically-wise, two finds from south-eastern Transylvania come from Schneckenberg or Jigodin-type contexts and seven artefacts recovered south of the Carpathians originate from Glina-type settlements. We may thus conclude that the Glina-type flanged axes represent a consistent group, well individualised in time and space. They constitute one of the arguments (alongside the Dumbrăvioara-type shaft-hole axes, the Runcuri-type pottery etc.) for the very close links between the Glina-type communities and those on the Upper Olt Basin, within a chronological horizon dated, most probably, between 2700 and 2500 BC.
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Pontica, 2021
The authors present a shaft-hole axe of Izvoarele type recently found at Băile Olăneşti (Vâlcea c... more The authors present a shaft-hole axe of Izvoarele type recently found at Băile Olăneşti (Vâlcea county), discovered by metal detection. The main typological and technological features of the axe allow more detailed observations regarding the casting technology of these kind of axes in the Lower Danube area during the early Bronze Age. One may thus establish several main classes: 1. shaft-hole axes cast in bivalve moulds open at the lower edge of the axe (Baniabic, Corbasca and Veselinovo I type axes); 2. shaft-hole axes cast in bivalve moulds open at the upper edge of the axe (Dumbrăvioara type axe); 3. shaft-hole axes cast in closed bivalve moulds with the sprue on the lower edge of the axe (Veselinovo II type axe); 4. shaft-hole axes cast in closed bivalve moulds with the sprue on the upper edge of the axe (Veselinovo II, Izvoarele and Kolontaevo type axes); 5. shaft-hole axes cast in closed bivalve moulds with the sprue on the lower end of the butt (Veselinovo II, Izvoarele and Pătulele type axes); 6. shaft -hole axes cast in closed bivalve moulds with the sprue on the lower end of the prolonged butt (Pătulele, Pădureni and Balşa type axes). Within each main class there are several casting variants, which indicates more metallurgical centres of production for the shaft-hole axes in the Lower Danube area, with their own traditions and skills. This also results from the fact that the same type of shaft-hole axe was cast by different technological methods (especially the Veselinovo II, Izvoarele and Pătulele type axes). Although some of the identified technological classes and variants were used in parallel, they also have a certain value in the chronological distribution of the shaft-hole axes in the Lower Danube area.
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Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica, 2021
The author discusses the problem of prehistoric metal daggers discovered in the Carpathian-Danubi... more The author discusses the problem of prehistoric metal daggers discovered in the Carpathian-Danubian area. Particular attention is paid to the contexts from which these daggers come, observing a certain differentiation during the Chalcolithic, Bronze and early Iron Age. Thus, in the Chalcolithic, early and middle Bronze Age, most daggers come from settlements and graves, a very small number being found in hoards and single depositions. On the contrary, in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age, the ratio changes significantly, with most daggers being found in hoards and single finds. It is very likely that this differentiation will also reflect changes in the meaning and functionality of daggers within those prehistoric societies.
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Litua, 2021
The paper presents four flat axes recently discovered in Oltenia by detectorists. AII four items ... more The paper presents four flat axes recently discovered in Oltenia by detectorists. AII four items are made of copper, two of them with a small amount of arsenic. Considering their technological and typological features, the axes could be dated in the early Bronze Age (ca. 3500-2500 BC). The authors discuss several topics concerning the copper ores and metallurgical activities in the western Lower Danube area during the early Bronze Age.
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Dacia N.S., 2020
The debate focuses on two complete socketed axes recovered by metal detecting from a forest nearb... more The debate focuses on two complete socketed axes recovered by metal detecting from a forest nearby Preajba Mare, Gorj County. The artefacts are typologically different, but they both date from the Late Bronze Age or the beginning of the Iron Age (Bz D–Ha A1). One of the socketed axes has a bronze rod twisted around it and the interior of the socket is stuffed with bronze items. X-ray computed tomography provided diverse information of technological nature and allowed visualizing inside the socket of the respective axe. Wedging metal fragments or even complete items made of other raw materials inside socketed axes were highlighted by Svend Hansen over 20 years ago. There are few finds of blocked socketed axes compared to the total number of such artefacts. In south‑-east Europe such artefacts occur in hoards consisting usually of both complete and fragmented items and dated mainly to the Bz D–Ha A1 period. The paper reviews the main opinions regarding the motivations that might have triggered such a practice – stuffing the area where the handle was inserted when the piece was functional. The final part of the paper discusses the particular case of Preajba Mare where within the same area with the socketed axes were also found fragmented bronze implements, deposited most likely during the Ha A1 period. Whether the complete artefacts represent a hoard on itself, separate from that of the fragmented implements or the two categories of artefacts – complete and fragmented – represent a single hoard are two different hypotheses, in their own right.
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SCIVA, 2020
The author considers several Bronze Age tanged daggers from the collection of the Lower Danube Mu... more The author considers several Bronze Age tanged daggers from the collection of the Lower Danube Museum, discovered by chance in various places from Călărași County. The first is a dagger from Vâlcelele with a rhomboid guard, having good analogies in the north‑Pontic area in Srubnaya and early Sabatinovka contexts. It is the only known dagger of this type from the west‑Pontic area to date, being in connection with the Coslogeni‑type discoveries from the Lower Danube. Other three daggers found at Grădiştea, Roseţi and Coslogeni are typologically earlier, dated during the second half of the 3rd millennium – first half of the 2nd millennium BC. Their context (chance finds/single depositions) differs from that of the typologically similar items from the Carpatho‑Danubian and north‑Pontic areas, usually found in settlements, or as grave‑goods. Therefore, a transmission and use of the three daggers until the late Bronze Age in the communities with Coslogeni‑type ceramics can be assumed, which would also explain their different context.
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A.-D. Popescu (ed.), Costisa. O perspectiva interdisciplinara, Targoviste, 2017
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Colecția „Maria și dr. George Severeanu” este parte integrantă din patrimoniul administrat de Muzeul Municipiului București (MMB). În actul de donație al colecției din anul 1939 a fost specificată, printre altele, o condiție care prevedea publicarea obiectelor donate într-un catalog ilustrat. Implementarea acestui demers a fost însă pierdută din vedere, din diferite motive, timp de circa opt decenii, fiind nevoie de o schimbare de generații și paradigme pentru ca primele rezultate să apară. Un prim pas a fost înființarea seriei Colecția „Maria și dr. George Severeanu” în care să fie cuprinse apariții editoriale care să valorifice materialul arheologic și numismatic din cadrul colecției. Primul volum din serie a fost publicat în anul 2016, deschizând astfel calea unora viitoare, printre care se numără și cel de față.
Ideea grupării tuturor artefactelor preistorice din colecție între coperțile unui singur volum a fost enunțată pentru prima dată acum șase ani, după vernisajul expoziției tematice intitulată „Obiecte preistorice din colecția Severeanu”, deschisă la Muzeul Geroge Severeanu în perioada 3 februarie-2 aprilie 2017. Atunci, specialiști în perioada preistoriei de la Muzeul Municipiului București, Institutul de Arheologie „Vasile Pârvan” și Muzeul Național de Istorie a României au purtat discuții despre potențialul arheologic și documentar al bogatului ansamblu de obiecte preistorice din colecția Severeanu, expus publicului parțial și efemer după câteva decenii. De asemenea, s-a propus publicarea lui printr-o colaborare inter-instituțională și s-a discutat ce rol își poate asuma fiecare în ducerea la bun sfârșit a acestui demers.
Ținând cont de valoarea artefactelor preistorice din colecție, de diversitatea remarcabilă și mai ales de statutul de piese inedite pentru cea mai mare parte a lor, a fost decisă gruparea lor într-un proiect editorial care să arate ca un catalog de muzeu dar care să corespundă totodată exigențelor științifice actuale: împărțirea pe capitole realizate de cercetători specializați în diverse epoci și categorii de artefacte, apelarea la analize arheometrice pentru determinarea compoziției chimice a materiilor prime din care au fost realizate artefactele din metal și silex, ilustrarea prin tehnica desenului arheologic dar și prin tehnica fotografiei de ansamblu și de detaliu.
As one would expect, our knowledge is growing continuously, triggered by new archaeological research, the progress of interdisciplinary investigations of archaeological science, and the diversification of theoretical approaches interpreting material culture from an anthropological perspective. The speed of these accumulations is increasing rapidly, while the number of studies and the variety and complexity of the themes is also continuously growing. That is why the periodic organization of conferences on welldefined themes and the publication of the respective volumes are absolutely necessary, not only in order to be able to integrate the new data into the broader picture, but also for the redefinition of the state of research within certain working areas and to show the experimental investigation of new research directions.
The present volume is the outcome of a conference with the same title organized at Tulcea, Romania, between the 10th and the 13th of November 2017, dedicated to the memory of Professor Alexandru Vulpe. Four prestigious institutions, two from Romania (the Gavrilă Simion Eco-Museum Research Institute, Tulcea and the Vasile Pârvan Institute of Archaeology, Bucharest) and two from Germany (the Institut für und Frühgeschichte und Vorderasiatische Archäologie, Heidelberg and the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Eurasien Abteilung, Berlin), with the generous support of the Mayor’s Office in Tulcea, managed to bring together over 50 scholars, most of them friends, colleagues, collaborators, students or simply acquaintances of Professor Vulpe. The intention of the organizers was to provide a suitable environment for sharing opinions and experience, and for an open and positive discussion, to recognize the current state of research on the topic, and to establish stronger connections for future collaboration in this field.
Contacts among human communities from various cultural areas, the circulation of people, ideas and objects, or the identification of the main communication routes as well as their role in shaping prehistoric societies are likely to remain forever topics of intense discussion within archaeology. The relations between the Carpathian-Balkan area and the Aegean during the Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age was one of the main themes of study for Alexandru Vulpe. As a supporter of the idea of Ex oriente lux, Vulpe always argued for the major role played by the Helladic civilization in the cultural development of the Carpathian Balkan area. The lectures delivered at the Tulcea conference and the papers published in the present volume highlight once again the complexity of these connections and the multitude of perspectives revealed when approaching such a theme.
Although the title of the volume indicates the main geographic areas in question, contributions from other cultural areas (i.e. Central Europe, the Middle Danube, Northern Pontic area, etc.), whose societies were in close contact with those of the Balkans, were also welcome. The four sections grouping the studies in the volume had not been established from the very beginning; they are the result of the subjects approached by the authors. Reading the papers attentively, one notices the diversity of the subjects and approaches and, in most cases, the novelty of the ideas expressed. We hope that the publication will provide research with a reference volume, opening new perspectives on the matters discussed. The present work is the result of the common effort of all authors, spanning a period of over three years. We wish to thank all contributors for their promptness and seriousness in answering our invitation to the volume, as well as for the openness and patience showed during the entire editing process. We are very much indebted to the Mayor’s Office of the community of Tulcea for the financial help and for the hospitality provided to the participants of the conference. Special thanks go to Douglas Fear (Heidelberg) for the careful language editing of the contributions to this volume.
Papers by Radu Bajenaru
and the most important innovation in metallurgy during the Early Bronze Age in the Carpathian-Balkan area. The first artefacts here probably appeared during the second half of the 4th millennium BC, originating from the northern Caucasus and North Pontic areas, as the Baniabic type indicates. But the further development of this kind of axe during the whole 3rd millennium BC is a local one. Considering their number, their particular typological traits and the availability of copper ores in the area, we can assume the presence of several centres of production of such objects in the northeastern Balkan Peninsula. It is generally accepted that shaft-hole metal axes range among the items with high social value, triggered by certain events they were used in (i.e. battles, duels, ceremonies, ownership
change, social identity negotiations etc.). The intentional fragmentation of metal items is part of the biography of certain objects. The present author highlights the evolution of the casting technologies of these items and exemplifies some cases of their fragmentation in the northeastern Balkan area.
Colecția „Maria și dr. George Severeanu” este parte integrantă din patrimoniul administrat de Muzeul Municipiului București (MMB). În actul de donație al colecției din anul 1939 a fost specificată, printre altele, o condiție care prevedea publicarea obiectelor donate într-un catalog ilustrat. Implementarea acestui demers a fost însă pierdută din vedere, din diferite motive, timp de circa opt decenii, fiind nevoie de o schimbare de generații și paradigme pentru ca primele rezultate să apară. Un prim pas a fost înființarea seriei Colecția „Maria și dr. George Severeanu” în care să fie cuprinse apariții editoriale care să valorifice materialul arheologic și numismatic din cadrul colecției. Primul volum din serie a fost publicat în anul 2016, deschizând astfel calea unora viitoare, printre care se numără și cel de față.
Ideea grupării tuturor artefactelor preistorice din colecție între coperțile unui singur volum a fost enunțată pentru prima dată acum șase ani, după vernisajul expoziției tematice intitulată „Obiecte preistorice din colecția Severeanu”, deschisă la Muzeul Geroge Severeanu în perioada 3 februarie-2 aprilie 2017. Atunci, specialiști în perioada preistoriei de la Muzeul Municipiului București, Institutul de Arheologie „Vasile Pârvan” și Muzeul Național de Istorie a României au purtat discuții despre potențialul arheologic și documentar al bogatului ansamblu de obiecte preistorice din colecția Severeanu, expus publicului parțial și efemer după câteva decenii. De asemenea, s-a propus publicarea lui printr-o colaborare inter-instituțională și s-a discutat ce rol își poate asuma fiecare în ducerea la bun sfârșit a acestui demers.
Ținând cont de valoarea artefactelor preistorice din colecție, de diversitatea remarcabilă și mai ales de statutul de piese inedite pentru cea mai mare parte a lor, a fost decisă gruparea lor într-un proiect editorial care să arate ca un catalog de muzeu dar care să corespundă totodată exigențelor științifice actuale: împărțirea pe capitole realizate de cercetători specializați în diverse epoci și categorii de artefacte, apelarea la analize arheometrice pentru determinarea compoziției chimice a materiilor prime din care au fost realizate artefactele din metal și silex, ilustrarea prin tehnica desenului arheologic dar și prin tehnica fotografiei de ansamblu și de detaliu.
As one would expect, our knowledge is growing continuously, triggered by new archaeological research, the progress of interdisciplinary investigations of archaeological science, and the diversification of theoretical approaches interpreting material culture from an anthropological perspective. The speed of these accumulations is increasing rapidly, while the number of studies and the variety and complexity of the themes is also continuously growing. That is why the periodic organization of conferences on welldefined themes and the publication of the respective volumes are absolutely necessary, not only in order to be able to integrate the new data into the broader picture, but also for the redefinition of the state of research within certain working areas and to show the experimental investigation of new research directions.
The present volume is the outcome of a conference with the same title organized at Tulcea, Romania, between the 10th and the 13th of November 2017, dedicated to the memory of Professor Alexandru Vulpe. Four prestigious institutions, two from Romania (the Gavrilă Simion Eco-Museum Research Institute, Tulcea and the Vasile Pârvan Institute of Archaeology, Bucharest) and two from Germany (the Institut für und Frühgeschichte und Vorderasiatische Archäologie, Heidelberg and the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Eurasien Abteilung, Berlin), with the generous support of the Mayor’s Office in Tulcea, managed to bring together over 50 scholars, most of them friends, colleagues, collaborators, students or simply acquaintances of Professor Vulpe. The intention of the organizers was to provide a suitable environment for sharing opinions and experience, and for an open and positive discussion, to recognize the current state of research on the topic, and to establish stronger connections for future collaboration in this field.
Contacts among human communities from various cultural areas, the circulation of people, ideas and objects, or the identification of the main communication routes as well as their role in shaping prehistoric societies are likely to remain forever topics of intense discussion within archaeology. The relations between the Carpathian-Balkan area and the Aegean during the Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age was one of the main themes of study for Alexandru Vulpe. As a supporter of the idea of Ex oriente lux, Vulpe always argued for the major role played by the Helladic civilization in the cultural development of the Carpathian Balkan area. The lectures delivered at the Tulcea conference and the papers published in the present volume highlight once again the complexity of these connections and the multitude of perspectives revealed when approaching such a theme.
Although the title of the volume indicates the main geographic areas in question, contributions from other cultural areas (i.e. Central Europe, the Middle Danube, Northern Pontic area, etc.), whose societies were in close contact with those of the Balkans, were also welcome. The four sections grouping the studies in the volume had not been established from the very beginning; they are the result of the subjects approached by the authors. Reading the papers attentively, one notices the diversity of the subjects and approaches and, in most cases, the novelty of the ideas expressed. We hope that the publication will provide research with a reference volume, opening new perspectives on the matters discussed. The present work is the result of the common effort of all authors, spanning a period of over three years. We wish to thank all contributors for their promptness and seriousness in answering our invitation to the volume, as well as for the openness and patience showed during the entire editing process. We are very much indebted to the Mayor’s Office of the community of Tulcea for the financial help and for the hospitality provided to the participants of the conference. Special thanks go to Douglas Fear (Heidelberg) for the careful language editing of the contributions to this volume.
and the most important innovation in metallurgy during the Early Bronze Age in the Carpathian-Balkan area. The first artefacts here probably appeared during the second half of the 4th millennium BC, originating from the northern Caucasus and North Pontic areas, as the Baniabic type indicates. But the further development of this kind of axe during the whole 3rd millennium BC is a local one. Considering their number, their particular typological traits and the availability of copper ores in the area, we can assume the presence of several centres of production of such objects in the northeastern Balkan Peninsula. It is generally accepted that shaft-hole metal axes range among the items with high social value, triggered by certain events they were used in (i.e. battles, duels, ceremonies, ownership
change, social identity negotiations etc.). The intentional fragmentation of metal items is part of the biography of certain objects. The present author highlights the evolution of the casting technologies of these items and exemplifies some cases of their fragmentation in the northeastern Balkan area.