ANALELE BANATULUI, S.N., ARHEOLOGIE – ISTORIE, XX, 2012 http://muzeulbanatului.ro/mbt/istorie/publicatii/ab.htm THE END OF THE ROMAN HABITATION AT BURIDAVA STOLNICENI, VÂLCEA COUNTY Silviu I. Purece* Cuvinte cheie: Buridava, Stolniceni, Gallienus, Valerianus, orizont de tezaure. Keywords: Buridava, Stolniceni, Gallienus, Valerianus, horizon of hoards. ! e End of the Roman Habitation at Buridava (Stolniceni, Vâlcea County) (Abstract) # e fi ve archaeological levels identifi ed in the Roman baths complex area at Stolniceni, dated in the period of the existence of Dacia Province, were chronologically dated as following: the 1 st level: Trajan- the fi rst part of Antoninus Pius’rule, the 2 nd level: the last part of Antoninus Pius’rule up to Commodus’rule, the 3 rd level: the Commodus – Caracalla period, the 4th level: the Caracalla – Philippus Arabs period and the 5 th level: the Philippus Arabs-Aurelian period. # e end of these fi ve levels mentioned above was brought about by fi re and destruction, the most powerful ones were characteristic to the 3 rd and 4 th levels. Even if the archaeological information is scarce, we believe that we can rely on the supposition that some phenomena that were identifi ed in the thermae area might have had a great impact on the whole settlement. # e diff erence between accidental destructions and intentional destructions can be established due to a vast array of information obtained not only form the site in question but also from a larger area. # us, we consider that this approach should rely entirely on the historical information obtained as a result of a thorough analysis of the hoards horizon. Every hoards horizons represented in the region are associated with one destruction moment from the Roman baths, with one exception the horizon from the year 260. # is situation determine us to reevaluate the chronological situation and to establish that is very possible to place the end of the Roman Buridava not in the time of Aurelian but at the beginning of Gallienus reign as sole emperor. entioned by Tabula Peutingeriana, Buridava buildings in the thermae area were set up during Mis located between Pons Aluti and Castra Phillipus Arabs’ rule 4. Traiana 1 on the Roman road along the Olt Valley # ere are fi ve archaeological levels identifi ed stream and identified with the settlement that in the baths complex area at Stolniceni that were was near Pârâul Sărat out fall into the Olt River. chronologically dated as following 5: Unfortunately, there is little information about the –the 1 st level: Trajan – the fi rst part of Antoninus role played by Buridava in the political, economical Pius’rule and demographic system of Dacia Inferior Province, –the 2 nd level: the last part of Antoninus Pius’ rule or Malvensis , although there are some clues that indi- up to Commodus’ rule cate that it really played a major role 2. –the 3 rd level: the Commodus – Caracalla period # e archaeological researches undergone in the –the 4 th level: the Caracalla – Philippus Arabs period area are not enough to allow us to have a global –the 5 th level: the Philippus Arabs – Aurelian period 6 perspective on the Roman habitation because they # e end of these fi ve levels mentioned above mainly focus on the baths complex that was identi- was brought about by fi re and destruction, the fi ed here. However, in the context of the researches most powerful ones were characteristic to the 3 rd made on this baths area, Gh. Bichir was able to and 4 th levels 7. # e last habitation level, namely the identify many moments of destruction followed 6th level, belongs to the post-Roman period. by reconstructions and alterations – with only Even if the archaeological information is scarce, one exception, that of the fi nal one 3. # e latest we believe that we can rely on the supposition that some phenomena that were identifi ed in the thermae * Lucian Blaga University from Sibiu, Romania, e-mail: [email protected]. 4 Bichir-Bardaşu 1983, 337. 1 Tabula Peutingeriana, segmentum VII . 5 Bichir-Bardaşu 1983, 336. 2 Tudor 1968, 20, Bichir 1982, 53, Ardevan 1998, 98–99. 6 Bichir 1982, 50. 3 Bichir 1988, 101–117. 7 Bichir 1982, 50. 91 ANALELE BANATULUI, S.N., ARHEOLOGIE – ISTORIE, XX, 2012 area might have had a great impact on the whole set- # e only horizon of hoards that must be left tlement. We are tempted to believe that all major out of this chronological analogy is the one that destructions were caused by some attacks coming emerged in the year 242. It was probably gener- from beyond the Roman border when, in fact, they ated by the hasty retreat of some Barbarian armies might have been caused by accidental causes. # e along the Roman road between Drobeta and diff erence between accidental destructions and Romula and later on, along the Olt Valley road intentional destructions can be established due to to Pons Aluti 14 , the Roman camp, where they pass a vast array of information obtained not only form through Muntenia. # e fact that the retreating the site in question but also from a larger area. # us, Barbarians were not heading North of Ioneştii we consider that this approach should rely entirely Govorii ( Pons Aluti ) can explain why there was on the historical information obtained as a result of no destruction at Stolniceni during Gordianus a thorough analysis of the hoards horizon. III’s rule. As result, we believe that this horizon Among the horizons of hoards that are charac- of hoards cannot give any chronological elements teristic to Oltenia region, there are fi ve of them that that can be associated with any level of destruc- belong to the North-Eastern region. Out of these tion at Buridava , and for this reason it will not be fi ve, four horizons of hoards emerged as a result of mentioned any more. important political and military events that took As mentioned above, there is a possibil- place at the beginning of Commodus’ rule, in the ity that two of the destructions identifi ed at context of the events that marked the years 242, Stolniceni were caused at the same time with 245 and 260 8. # e fi fth horizons of hoards that the emergence of two of the horizons of hoards. was identifi ed in the North-Eastern part of Oltenia # e fi rst destruction that marks the end of the contained coins issued by Elagabalus 9 and raises 2nd level dates back to Commodus’ rule and can some questions related to the possibility that the be chronologically associated with the hiding of two great published hoards from Pădureţu 10 and the hoard from Râmnicu Vâlcea 15 and possibly, Frânceşti 11 and the hoard fragment from Slăviteşti the hiding of the thesaurus from Flămânda- – Băbeni 12 were part of a single monetary deposit. Cremenari 16 , considering that the settlement # e rarity in Oltenia of the hoards ended with at Râmnicu Vâlcea was set on fi re and so was Elagabalus coins determined us to consider that is the settlement at Ocniţa – “Downstream the very strange to have three monetary deposits ended Dam” 17 . All these archaeological and coin- with the same kind of coins in the neighboring areas related evidence concentrated near the site indi- of Băbeni town 13 , and to accept this possibility. cate the fact that the destruction that took place If we have to report the chronological dates at the end of the 2 nd level was not just an isolated established for the destructions moments identi- phenomenon, in fact, it was caused by external fi ed at Stolniceni by Gh. Bichir and the emergence factors that aff ected a larger area. of the horizons of hoards we have this situation: # e second destruction that can be clearly asso- ciated with the emergence of a horizon of hoards ! e destructions of the took place during Philippus Arabs’ rule at the end Hoards horizons thermae at Buridava of the 4 th level. # e horizon of hoards emerged as # e fi rst part of – a consequence of the attacks of the Carpi in the Antoninus Pius’rule year 245 and also included the hoard from Ioneştii # e beginning of Commodus Govorii 18 . # e hoard was hidden in the Pons Aluti Commodus’rule thermae 19 , and soon after the Roman baths were Caracalla – # e year 242 set on fi re. # e fact that the Carpi crossed the Olt – (Gordianus III) River at Pons Aluti and headed North along the # e year 245 Roman road made Buridava the next site to have Philippus Arabs (Philippus Arabs) been aff ected by them, and the destruction that – # e year 260 (Gallienus) 14 Aurelian – Purece 2008, 97–100. 15 Dumitraşcu 1996, 101; Purece 2008, 94. 16 Purece 2008, 94; Purece 2011, 30. 8 Purece 2008, 91–113. 17 S. I. Purece, I. Tuţulescu, M. Iosifaru, Roman Coins 9 Purece 2008, 95–97. Discovered at Ocniţa – “Downstream the Dam”, lecture 10 Preda1996, 109–116. presented at the XXVII-th National Symposium of Numismatics, 11 Depeyrot – Moisil 2004. Râmnicu Vâlcea, 2010. 12 Purece 2007, 25–32. 18 Mitrea 1968, 209–222. 13 Purece 2008, 95–97. 19 Vlădescu 1983, 90. 92 took place during Philippus Arabs’ rule was the minted by Trabonianus Gallus 27 . Even though most powerful of all 20 . there was a small number of coins and only 1/3 of # e attacks of the Carpi in the year 245 had dev- it was recovered, the thesaurus from Râureni has astating eff ects in many regions of Roman Dacia. a great importance due to its emergence nearby # e Sub-Carpathian region was heavily aff ected the Roman settlement at Stolniceni, and the fact and as the living quality decreased; Philippus Arabs that it was hidden indicated a particular anxiety made numerous attempts to re-establish the pros- felt here.