Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica 30(1): 5-36 Arturo SÁNCHEZ SANZ DOI: 10.47743/saa-2024-30-1-1 ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to address the colonisation of the Pontus in relation to the Amazon myths. An attempt will be made to clarify the difficulties in identifying both the initial contacts between the Greeks and the ancient steppe nomad peoples in that region and the origin of the Amazon myths on the basis of the apparently more egalitarian lifestyle of those societies. Similarly, the intention is to offer an explanation for the presence of iconographic pieces of an Amazon character in that liminal space. The Amazon kingdom, regardless of whether it has been located preferably in the southern Pontus or less frequently in its northern or eastern reaches, was undoubtedly connected with the Black Sea. Even though those myths are rooted in a time long before the period in which the region was colonised by(…)

Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica 29(2): 347-356 Daniel MALAXA DOI: 10.47743/saa-2023-29-2-9 ABSTRACT The studied fish remains come from the excavations carried out by the Ștefan Honcu archaeologist between 2017 and 2020 within the Argamum archaeological site. The study methodology consisted mainly of anatomical and taxonomic identifications based on archaeozoological atlases, quantification of the data, taphonomical evaluation, osteometry, size and weight estimation, and energy yield estimation. The archaeozoological material represents food waste. The only osteological remains registered with butchering marks was a fragment of a caudal vertebra from Silurus glanis (catfish). The studied material consists of 72 fish remains coming from carp – 28 fragments, catfish – 19 remains and the rest of 25 fragments couldn`t be identified up to species level. The faunal material is dated as follows: second half of the V century level – 9 remains, 4 remains from carp, a fragment from catfish and 4 fragments from unidentifiable(…)

Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica 29(2): 331-345 Milan KOSTREŠEVIĆ DOI: 10.47743/saa-2023-29-2-8 ABSTRACT The paper analyzes the stone inscription in the Asia Minor city of Aphrodisias in the context of the religious pluralism of this environment at the time of the creation of the inscription. Therefore, the questions of the cultural context of the origin of the inscription in Aphrodisias, its dating and linguistic specificities are analyzed in particular, and an attempt is made to find an answer to the question of who the Godfearers are in question here. REZUMAT Lucrarea analizează inscripția din piatră din orașul Afrodisias din Asia Mică în contextul pluralismului religios al acestui mediu cultural în momentul realizării inscripției. Prin urmare, sunt analizate în special întrebările legate de contextul cultural al originii inscripției din Afrodisia, datarea și specificitățile lingvistice ale acesteia și se încearcă găsirea unui răspuns la întrebarea legată de adoratorii de aici. KEYWORDS Aphrodisias, godfearers, syncretism,(…)

Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica 29(2): 267-330 Alex–Marian CORNEA DOI: 10.47743/saa-2023-29-2-7 ABSTRACT The sample of vassa po[ta]toria presented in this article was found in the Curtina G – Tower 8 sector of the (L)Ibida archaeological site, Slava Rusă, com. Slava Cercheză, county. Tulcea, during excavations, carried out between 2002 and 2014. With the processing and selection of the material, a pottery sample of 130 vessels was outlined. These are chronologically classified between the 2nd and 5th centuries p.Chr. REZUMAT Eșantionul de vassa po[ta]toria prezentat în acest articol a fost descoperit în sectorul Curtina G – Turnul 8 din situl arheologic de la (L)Ibida, Slava Rusă, com. Slava Cercheză, jud. Tulcea, în timpul săpăturilor, efectuate între anii 2002 și 2014. Odată cu prelucrarea și selecția materialului, s-a conturat un eșantion ceramic de 130 de vase. Acestea sunt încadrate cronologic între secolele II și V p.Chr. KEYWORDS vassa po[ta]toria; Late Antiquity; West Pontic(…)

Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica 29(2): 253-265 Cristina-Georgeta ALEXANDRESCU DOI: 10.47743/saa-2023-29-2-6 ABSTRACT Recent archival materials brought to attention a fragmentary marble votive relief found near Tulcea depicting the so-called Thracian horseman as a hunter with the prey in his raised right hand. This iconographic variant is very rare outside Thracia and the Balkans region. The evidence of the votive reliefs of the Thracian horseman in the northern Moesia Inferior is not rich but features a great iconographical variety, hinting at an intended choice from the part of the dedicants of the votives and great awareness of the iconographical composition. The material (imported marble) and the dimensions of several of the reliefs uncovered up to now in the region are quite large and make plausible the idea of votives intended for cult places/sanctuaries. The relief discussed is singular among the similar finds in the region, for it bears also an inscription on(…)

Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica 29(2): 247-252 Lucrețiu Mihailescu-BÎRLIBA DOI: 10.47743/saa-2023-29-2-5 ABSTRACT Even if the researches on salt exploitation and salt administration in Roman Dacia are scarce and the results are far from offering a coherent image on this economic activity, there are however some works which are important for this stage of our approach. These works are treating the aforementioned issues from historical, ethnographic and archaeological perspectives, both in synchronic and diachronic way. I shall briefly present the most important researches and their results. REZUMAT Chiar dacă cercetările asupra exploatării sării și administrației salinelor în Dacia romană sunt puțin numeroase și rezultatele sunt departe de a oferi o imagine coerentă asupra acestor activități, există totuși câteva lucrări care pot constitui puncte de reper pentru stadiul actual al cercetării. Acestea tratează problemele menționate mai sus din perspective istorice, etnografice și arheologice, atât sincronic, cât și diacronic. Voi prezenta pe scurt cele(…)

Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica 29(2): 235-245 Iulian MOGA DOI: 10.47743/saa-2023-29-2-4 ABSTRACT The question of the Most High God is very difficult to address from many points of view. First, because of the disproportionality of ancient sources. Most sources are epigraphic in nature, including simple dedications or those resulting from a covenant, and contain rather little information that can be addressed in detail. The literary sources are four in number and raise serious problems of interpretation. The numismatic ones are completely missing from the context in the case of Hypsistos. Moreover, the way the subject has been treated in modern historiography, especially in relation to pagan sympathisers or God-fearers orbiting around the synagogue environment, makes this sensitive issue even more cautious. Finally, the perception itself of the identity of this Most High god, as well as the typology of the cult, its potential unitary character is another thorny issue. Two of(…)

Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica 29(2): 221-233 Ciprian-Cătălin LAZANU DOI: 10.47743/saa-2023-29-2-3 ABSTRACT The present study presents the analysis of the elemental composition of four bronze sickles, three with hooked handle and one with holes on the handle, two from the deposit at Valea lui Darie, Vaslui county, one from the bronze deposit at Ciorani, and one discovered in a dwelling from the settlement belonging to the Noua culture from Dodești, following systematic archaeological research. The sickles from the Valea lui Darie deposit belong to the Ghermănești type, the Ghermănești variant, the Ciorani sickle to the Ilișești variant of the Ghermănești type, and the Dodești sickle to the Heleșteni type. These types of sickles are characteristic for the Late Bronze Age east of the Carpathians, being chronologically placed between XII – X BC. The elemental composition of the four pieces was identified by employing non-invasive analysis with a mobile spectrometer, Thermo Niton(…)

Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica 29(2): 207-219 Radu-Ștefan BALAUR DOI: 10.47743/saa-2023-29-2-2 ABSTRACT The archaeological research carried out at Dâmbul Morii settlement led to the discovery of 15 dwellings. In their inventory, 30 pieces identified were made of clay. All artifacts that were not plastic representations were included in this category. In this study, we want to make a presentation of these artifacts, and the context of the discovery, to give us a picture of their functionality. Unfortunately, this task is hampered by the low number and fragmented state of the pieces. The artefacts discovered at Dambul Morii can be classified in the category of household items (clay weights, spindle whorls, clay balls, clay tokens), as well as ornament items (beads, clay disc, en violon idol, amulets, etc.). Some of them can also be used in some ritual activities, such as amulets, or clay balls, or for other purposes. REZUMAT Cercetările arheologice(…)

Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica 29(2): 189-206 Alina PATRICHE, Felix-Adrian TENCARIU DOI: 10.47743/saa-2023-29-2-1 ABSTRACT The article brings to the attention of both specialists and the general public two clay artifacts, quasi-conical, provided with holes and perforations, discovered in the Precucuteni II-III settlement at Isaiia-Balta Popii, Iasi County. Although objects with similar characteristics are rather rare, the authors have managed to find a few nearly exact analogies. This is all the more surprising as the analogies come from various Neolithic and Eneolithic cultural contexts in Central and Southeastern Europe, giving this object an archetypal character. Establishing its functionality, however, proved to be much more challenging, leading many archaeologists who discovered or approached similar artifacts to easily place them in the somewhat ambiguous sphere of symbolism and cult. Although this interpretation cannot be categorically ruled out, there are arguments supporting a surprising utilitarian functionality, albeit situated, in a sense, within the realm of(…)