Journal Analele Banatului N.S. Archaeology-History

Florin Gogâltan

Chihlimbarul preistoric de la frontiera estică a Bazinului Carpatic / Prehistoric Amber Artifacts at the Eastern Frontier of the Carpathian Basin

Jan. 1, 2016

Abstract

About fifteen years ago, starting from a discussion concerning the analysis results of the amber artefacts from Romania, N. Boroffka made a synthesis of all the prehistoric discoveries of this nature. Along with the previous information about amber exploitation in the extra-Carpathian region (Colţi, Buzău County), some other possible occurrences are introduced, such as those from Southern Transylvania, or Northern Oltenia and Moldavia. Until 2000, only 17 prehistoric sites with amber discoveries were known in Romania, yielding a total of over 1500 amber pieces. However, 98% were recovered from a single site – Cioclovina cave, and were assigned to Late Bronze Age. Today, some new discoveries may be added to Boroffka’s catalogue. Therefore, the list of amber artefacts discovered in deposits is compleated by the beads found in Iernut and Zăgujeni II, and possibly by those recovered at Campulung pe Tisa. After a series of researches in the Unguru Mare cave from Şuncuiuş (Bihor County), C. Ghemiş unearthed, along with a bronze saltaleone, an amber bead. For this particular amber piece, C.W. Beck carried on an infrared spectroscopic analysis, which proved the Baltic origin of the raw material. Also, during the Fifth Symposium dedicated to amber in archaeology, held in 2006 in Belgrade, 60 new analyses of amber artefacts discovered on the territory of Romania were presented. Concerning the amber artefacts discovered in the Middle Bronze Age necropolis from Sărata Monteoru, it was established that for four artefacts the raw material is succinate, while for other two it was stated that the raw material is “Certainly not a fossil resin”. In the last few years, rescue excavations in Romania made important progress, which set a rhythm closer to the one appropriate for a country developing important infrastructure projects. These circumstances influenced also the state of researches regarding prehistoric amber. As a result, there are already published data with reference to some prehistoric beads in the necropolises attributed to the Late Bronze Age site in Pecica “Sit 14”, on the Lower Mureş Valley, and in the one in Campina. Also, more recent endeavours in the Romanian archaeological research should be mentioned, such as the ROMANIT project, which made possible the identification of local amber sources (rumanite sources from Buzău region), from which the amber beads discovered in the necropolis attributed to the end of the Middle Bronze Age (Pietroasa Mică) and Late Bronze Age (Campina), as well as the bead from Cioclovina cave were created. The article discussed the discovery context of prehistoric amber artefacts at the eastern frontier of the Carpathian Basin, and further debate their chronology and contemporaneous analogies. The earliest artefact of this type found its way inside an Early Bronze Age community at cca. 2500–2200 BC, at the settlement in Gligoreşti (Western Transylvania). This is an isolated discovery on the eastern frontier of the Carpathian Basin. The beads discovered in the tell-settlement from Pecica (Arad County), and those found in a deposit from the multilayered settlement from Satu Mare (Arad County) can be chronologically attributed to the Middle Bronze Age (cca. 2000–1600/1500 BC). For Transylvania, as well as for the entire extra-Carpathian region, there is no data regarding any amber beads in the metal deposits typical to the Middle Bronze Age. In the same manner, there were no amber items discovered yet in the settlements or necropolises corresponding to the Wietenberg, Costișa or Suciu de Sus communities. With the beginning of the Late Bronze Age (1600/1500 BC), amber adornments become a constant presence in the funerary inventory, even if their number is significantly lower (in the case of the necropolis from Pecica, Tape, Battonya, Tiszafured, Mezőcsat, Janoshida etc.). In Transylvania, no item of this kind is known for the entire region, although strong contacts were maintained with the neighbours inhabiting the western part of Romania. Towards the end of the Late Bronze Age (around 1200–1000 BC), the situation changes entirely. A significant number of amber items were gathered at this point and employed in deposits (Foieni, Pecica II, Alţana, Iernut, Zăgujeni II) or ritually deposited in caves. The most spectacular descoveries for this area were made in caves: 5 amber beeds were found in Igrița Cave, 42 in Șuncuiuș, and over 1400 pieces alone in Cioclovina. In the first Iron Age (cca. 1000–450 BC), in regards to amber artefacts, radical transformations are visible in the eastern part of the Carpathian Basin. Even if a large number of bronze deposits or settlements characteristic to the Ha B period are known, no amber artefacts can be associated with these finds, resulting in a hiatus of approximately 300 years without such amber discoveries in western Romania and Transylvania. However, the data regarding the funerary rites and rituals is, indeed, insufficient. Nevertheless, for this period, a significant drop in the number of amber pieces is noticeable in other neighbouring areas, such as eastern Hungary or central and western Balkans. Only with the emergence of the „Scythians” along the Tisa River and Transylvania in the 7th century BC, amber adornments become, once again, popular in the area. Regarding the use of local sources, recent analysis made on a series of artifacts (through sourcing methods) suggests that local amber was employed to some degree, but Baltic amber remained the main source. As I noticed, there is a lack of amber artifacts in Transylvania for about 1000 years (2200–1200 BC). For Late Bronze Age, considering the large number of amber artifacts, as well as some recent analysis, the possibility of more intensive exploitation of local sources is not excluded.