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Cult associations on the northern shore of the Black Sea: three centuries of research

The present article represents a survey of the literature concerning the cult associations from the northern shore of the Black Sea, from the early publications, to the most recent works. The endeavour attempts to draw not only on the evolution of the research, but also to bring up some of the inscriptions which have been edited. The need for such an approach lies in the rich bibliographical publications from the last decades, but also in the rich information they provide, and in the advantage of placing/ and contextualising it in the larger research.

Roman imperial coin finds from Tăcuta (Vaslui County, Romania)

The Roman coins discovered in various points across the commune of Tăcuta (Vaslui County, Romania) are presented: Tăcuta–“Dealul Miclea” (a possible coin hoard, of which four denarii were recovered: 1 AR Traianus, 3 AR Marcus Aurelius (1 AR Faustina)); Focșeasca–“Pietrăria”(?) (1 AR Traianus, 1 AR Hadrianus) and Cujba (?) (2 AE Constantius II, 1 AE Valens). No information was available for the rest of the coins (1 AR sub., 1 AE Gordianus III, 1 AE Constantius II, 1 AE Valens). They are part of private collections (Șt. Ciudin), public collections (The “Ștefan cel Mare” Museum of Vaslui) or their traces were lost. The monetary items are correlated with the numerous archaeological vestiges of the “Poienești” or “Sântana de Mureș-Chernyakhiv” type, known to have been found in this area. In addition, this work interprets the monetary finds of Tăcuta in the broader context of the presence of Roman coins in the “barbarian” territory east from the Carpathians, throughout the 2nd–4th centuries AD.

Late Roman tableware from Argamum

The late Roman fine pottery presented in this article was discovered after the archaeological research carried out in the late Roman fortress of Argamum between 1998 and 2001, in the Basilica 2 and Basilica 1 areas, by F. Topoleanu and I. Vizauer. A sample of 84 ceramic fragments was analysed, the typology being based on the geographical area of origin. The 84 shards were divided into three groups: North African pottery, wares made in Asia Minor and wares produced in the Black Sea Basin. The present article represents a first step in the knowledge of Argamum’s archaeological realities, both from the perspective of tableware and the historical evolution of the site, especially during the last two centuries of its existence.