Chronology of Sântana De Mureș-Černjachov Type Necropolis from Brăviceni, Orhei District
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CHRONOLOGY OF SÂNTANA DE MUREȘ-ČERNJACHOV TYPE NECROPOLIS FROM BRĂVICENI, ORHEI DISTRICT Vlad Vornic Keywords: Sântana de Mureş-Černjachov cul- is the cemetery at Brăviceni (Orhei district), along ture, Brăviceni, necropolis, chronology, 4th cen- the lower course of the Răut river. Discovered tury AD. during some building work, the site was investi- gated in 1977, 1980 and 1981 by rescue excava- As proven by archaeological explorations con- tions coordinated by the late archaeologist Vasile ducted so far, Sântana de Mureş-Černjachov type Grosu. Following three archaeological campaigns, sites dating back to Goths migration have an ex- a large part of the necropolis was unveiled, exact- tremely high density between Prut and Dniester ly an area of 4588 m2, disclosing 173 (?) tombs rivers, their total number exceeding a thousand. and 53 pits (fi g. 1), along with about eight burial Accidental discoveries, especially systematic or graves destroyed by urban works. Of the 181 (?) rescue excavations undertaken over the past sev- discovered tombs, 180 (?) are burial and only one en decades in several settlements and cemeter- cremation, revealing the biritual character of this ies have provided extensive information to our cemetery. deeper knowledge of the content of the material culture of the region under consideration. Like other cemeteries of Sântana de Mureş- Černjachov type, the great majority of burial One of the important and much discussed prob- graves in the cemetery of Brăviceni are included lems in the literature is dating and periodization in two main ways of orientation, directions W-E of Sântana de Mureş-Černjachov culture. As we and respectively N-S, each having some devia- know, particularly valuable scientifi c data for de- tions. The ratio between the two types of tombs termining the chronology of this type complexes are quite diff erent, being in favor of those orient- of the central part between Prut and Dniester riv- ed W-E. Therefore, it was found that out of 160 ers, but also to elucidate other complicated sub- complexes with specifi ed orientation, 89 were jects as the origin and ethnicity of the respective placed on direction W-E and 56 on axis N-S, plus culture bearers, were obtained by large archaeo- six graves arranged NE-SW, six NW-SE, two SW- logical excavations executed in cemeteries from NE, two E-W and one S-N. Budeşti (Рикман 1967; Vornic 2006) and Dănceni (Рафалович 1986). Interesting material to be The only cremation grave (no. 96) found in the dated was also provided by other funerary sites in necropolis of Brăviceni contained burned human the region, such as those from Mălăieşti (Федоров bones fi led in a pot, wheel-made of rough paste, 1960а, 253-302), Hansca-Lutărie (Никулицэ, placed upside down. It is noteworthy, that the Рикман 1973, 116-123), Bălțata (Федоров 1960б, tomb was in the eastern edge of the cemetery, in 221-239; Федоров, Рошаль 1981, 89-93, Рикман an area that has not been fully researched (fi g. 1). 1988, 111-132), Petrești (Kurceatov, Bubulici In this context, it should be mentioned that due 2001, 33-37; Kurceatov, Vornic 2005, 87-95), to presented rite elements, the complex from Cealîc (Щербакова 1990, 141-162), Slobozia- Brăviceni fi nds great similarities with the synchro- Chişcăreni (Levinschi 1997, 117-130; Левинский nous necropolis from the Middle Dnieper basin at 1999, 121-166) Ciocîlteni (Levinschi 1994, 21) etc., Žuravka, of which one cremation grave, 71 burial cemeteries that have been scientifi cally explored graves oriented W-E, 52 placed N-S and one with and exploited only partially. E-W orientation were investigated (Сымонович, One important object of Sântana de Mureş- Кравченко 1983, 65). It is interesting to note, Černjachov type, investigated by extended exca- however, that unlike the cemetery at Žuravka, vation and about which we report in this article, where W-E oriented graves appear grouped in Tyragetia, s.n., vol. X [XXV], nr. 1, 2016, 285-301. 285 II. Materiale și cercetări Fig. 1. General plan of the necropolis. the western zone (Сымонович, Кравченко 1983, and 2.20×2.23 m and contained few archaeo- 134, табл. 8/I) at Brăviceni they are spread over logical remains (ceramic fragments and animal the entire surface of the necropolis, like burials bones) or lacked altogether inventory. It should with orientation N-S (fi g. 1). be noted that most burials were concentrated in the western edge and in the south sector of the Regarding the reported 53 graves from the men- cemetery (fi g. 1). tioned cemetery, they were of circular or oval form, with dimensions ranging from 0.32×0.70 286 V. Vornic, Chronology of Sântana de Mureş-Černjachov type necropolis from Brăviceni, Orhei district Table 1. Incidence of typological series in graves. Unlike other complexes of Sântana de Mureş- Complexes and various categories of inventory, Černjachov type, inventory found in the necropo- discovered in the necropolis of Brăviceni, were lis of Brăviceni is poorer, although is varied, com- analyzed more or less completely in several re- prising over 100 pottery, a glass and fragments cent publications (Grosu, Vornic, Ciobanu 2006, of a glass cup (?), four silver coins, 16 bronze or 104-127; Grosu, Vornic 2009, 20-28; Vornic, silver fi bulae, eight bronze, silver or iron buckles, Grosu 2009, 327-340; Vornic, Ciobanu 2010, 58- six bone combs, about 465 glass, coral or carne- 80; Vornic 2010a, 189-213, Vornic 2010b, 88-98; lian beads, 25 pendants-amulets of metal, glass, Vornic, Ciobanu, Kurceatov 2011, 95-117; Vornic, shell or bone, three silver or bronze temple rings, Ciobanu 2015, 337-344; Ворник, Чобану 2010, seven clay spindle-whorls and a glass one, seven 62-90), providing a basis for establishing the in- iron knives, two poultry bone tubes, a bronze ternal chronology of this important archaeologi- tweezers, a bronze scissors, an iron padlock (?) cal object. and an iron arrow head. Besides, some N-S ori- We mention, that for chronological ordering of ented graves contained animal bones and birds discoveries, we have used the method called “auto- eggshells from food off erings. matic change of matrix”, using the program PAST The distribution of pottery and other categories of (Palaeontological Statistics), version 2.17c1. For objects in tombs is far from uniform. Rich inven- determining the types of objects participating in tory was present only in few graves, most tombs the combinatorial analysis, two basic conditions being poor or completely lack of inventory. It is were respected simultaneously: the presumptive interesting to note, that of the nearly 100 graves type to be present in at least two closed complexes that did not report any item inventory, about 70 were oriented W-E. 1 When drawing the diagram we were helped by dr. Vasile Iar- muschi whom we thank in this way. 287 II. Materiale și cercetări 123 4 6 7 5 8 9 11 12 16 17 13 14 15 0 2 cm 1-8, 14-20 0 2 cm 18 19 20 9-13, 21-23 21 10 22 23 Fig. 2. Fibulae type 1 (1), 1b (2), 2a (3), 2b (5), and 3 (4), buckles tipe1 (6) 2 (7), and 3 (8), bone combs type 1 (9) and 2 (10), pendants-amulets type 5 (11), 5b (12) and 8 (13), beads type 1 (14), 2a (15), 2b (16), 3 (17), 7 (18), 9 (19) and 11 (20), clay spindle type 1 (21), poultry bone tube (22) and iron knife (23) of graves 1 ( 17), 14 (16), 19 (15, 20), 23 (3), 25 (18, 19), 39 (11, 13), 44 (2), 69 (23), 71 (5, 8) , 74 (15), 82 (10), 87 (4, 6, 12), 88 (10), 162 (22) and 165 (1). 288 V. Vornic, Chronology of Sântana de Mureş-Černjachov type necropolis from Brăviceni, Orhei district and simultaneously benefi t from the combination 11% of closed complexes discovered in the cem- of at least one of the remaining types of objects in etery at Brăviceni. We remind that about 100 the complexes occurs. We also note that to “save” graves are completely lack of inventory and other some types of objects for using in combinatorial complexes, graves or pits contain only one piece analysis, in some cases we used unifi cation of the or broken uncharacteristic ceramic vessel, which same form variants (especially pottery). did not allow their inclusion in the combinatorial diagram. It is interesting to note, that of 26 tombs As a result, the combinatorial diagram (table 1) contained in the combinatorial chart, 19 are ori- includes 26 graves (no. 1, 2, 14, 25, 34, 35, 39, ented on axis N-S, four have orientation W-E and 44, 49, 50, 65, 69, 74, 87, 88, 118, 135, 159, 160, three are placed on NE-SW direction. 162, 165 and 169) and 32 typological series of ob- jects, namely: bronze fi bulae with curved foot, According to the archaeologist O.L. Şovan, who band-shaped body and long spring worked of applied, systematically and with revealing results, two / three segments (type 1) (fi g. 2/1) or short methods of statistical and combinatorial analysis spring worked of a single piece of wire (type 1b) and the analysis of spread of types to establish the (fi g. 2/2), silver fi bulae with a plate and semi-disc internal chronology of the great cemetery of Sân- (type 3) (fi g. 2/4), bronze buckles with oval fra- tana de Mureş-Černjachov type from Mihălăşeni, me without gasket (type 1) (fi g. 2/6), bone com- the incidents succession of typological objects bs worked of three rows of plates fastened with series in the combinatorial diagram would indi- bronze rivets, with semicircular handle and strai- cate – from left to right – their development in ght or oblique wings (type 1) (fi g.