Papers by paul scrobota
Annales Universitatis Apulensis Series Historica 27, 2023
This paper is part of a research project aiming at revealing and reconstructing the icon painting... more This paper is part of a research project aiming at revealing and reconstructing the icon painting techniques of the eighteenth century and early nineteenth century in Transylvania, as well as identifying and characterising the materials used, their provenance and preparation methods. The series of studies already published within this project cover different aspects: identification and characterisation of earth pigments in the colour palette of Transylvanian icons, as well as their provenance and reproduction from local raw material sources, the study of varnishes, and a brief presentation of the materials identified with the aim to reconstruct the painting techniques using similar materials prepared from local sources. This paper focuses on documenting the origin and preparation methods of some of the pigments commonly identified in the icons painted in eighteenth- to early–nineteenth-century Transylvania, such as cinnabar, orpiment and lead- and copper-based pigments. We expect to better understand and contextualise the technique of wooden icon painting in Transylvania by correlating data collected through an integrated approach.
Apulum: Arheologie. Istorie. Etnografie, 1999
Materiale şi cercetãri arheologice (Serie nouã)
La începutul secolului al XXI‑lea, în cetatea din orașul Aiud se aflau două biserici, una mai mar... more La începutul secolului al XXI‑lea, în cetatea din orașul Aiud se aflau două biserici, una mai mare, reformată, cu un aspect gotic de secol XV, cealaltă mai mică, evanghelică, reclădită în secolul al XIX‑lea peste structura demolată a uneia mai vechi, ce data probabil din secolul al XIII‑lea. Biserica mare suferise și ea modificări pe parcursul îndelungatei ei istorii, îndeosebi în stil baroc, dar originile și vechimea ei adevărată erau necunoscute. Săpăturile arheologice de la biserica mare a Cetății Aiudului au început în 2008, pentru a fi reluate abia în 2018, în contextul unui program de restaurare. Continuând și în ziua de astăzi, investigațiile au furnizat o multitudine de noi date despre evoluția istorică a sitului, îndeosebi prin descoperirea ruinelor unei biserici mai vechi sub cea de secol XV. În interiorul corului actual, șanțuri de demantelare și rămășite de fundații retrasau conturul unui sanctuar încheiat spre est într‑o absidă poligonală, cu contraforturi pe colțuri. M...
PATRIMONIUM APULENSE, 2003
Apulum Arheologie Istorie Etnografie, 1999
Apulum Arheologie Istorie Etnografie, 2001
church archaeology by paul scrobota
Materiale și cercetări Arheologice, 2022
At the start of the 21th century, the fortress in the city of Aiud housed two churches, one large... more At the start of the 21th century, the fortress in the city of Aiud housed two churches, one larger, of Calvinist Rite, with a 15th‑century Gothic aspect, the other one smaller, of Lutheran Rite, rebuilt in the 19th‑century over the demolished structure of an older one, which was likely dating back to the 14th century. The large church had also suffered modifications over its long history, mostly in Baroque style, but its origins and actual age were unknown.
Archaeological excavations at the large church of the Aiud Fortress first started in 2008, and were then resumed in 2018, in the context of a restoration project. Continuing to this day, the investigations brought to light a plethora of new data about the historical development of the site, foremost amongst them being the discovery of the ruins of an earlier church underneath the 15th century one. Inside the present‑day choir, robber trenches and remnants of foundation masonry retraced the outline of a sanctuary which ended eastwards in a polygonal apse, propped on the corners by buttresses. Further west, in the first bay of the present‑day southern side‑aisle, were brought to light the ruins of the interlocking between the old nave and its sanctuary. Nevertheless, this older church, already showing a Gothic layout, had not been the first Christian cult building of Aiud, as rather conclusively proved by the fact that its apse overlapped a grave. However, at this time, it cannot be concluded if this burial should be connected with the original small church, or with an even older structure on the site of the large one.
Regarding the present‑day large church, the excavations evinced a multistage evolution, with the sanctuary being built at first as an expansion of the older cult building. The construction of the sanctuary actually involved two distinct phases, the second one being effectively a rebuilding from foundation up, on an only slightly different trajectory. The erection of the new naves, and the demolition of the older one, came only at a later time. After this, there were a series of small scale interventions, and then the 18th‑century brought major transformations. The church was burned down at the start of the century, and remnants of historical pavement still covered in soot and ashes could still be found during the excavations, underneath elements of fallen vaults. After functioning for a long while in improvised circumstances, the interior of the church was refurbished in the Baroque style at the end of the century, only the sanctuary retaining its historical Gothic looks. As part of the renewal, the inner ground level was raised with almost 1 m of rubble and various backfills, and, during the current renovation, the top layer of this re‑levelling has produced about 400 coins, spread over the 19th and 20th century, with only a few pieces from the second part of the 18th one. The newest major makeover of the interior took place in 2019, when, stirred by the archaeological results, the renovation team lowered the ground level of the sanctuary back to its original pre‑18th‑century one.
Besides the data regarding the evolution of the built structures of the church, the archaeological excavations also brought to light a number of burials, both predating the present‑day cult built and performed inside it, a myriad of fragmented architectonical elements, and archaeological materials, mostly of ceramic nature, spread over a time frame ranging from Roman times to the early modern and contemporary periods.
Due to the huge amount of data, this paper presents only a brief look on the results of the archaeological excavations undertaken inside the church. The results of the investigations carried out outside the church will be presented at a later date.
Articles by paul scrobota
Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt, 2022
The study focuses on one of the wax tablets from the Roman mines of Alburnus Maior (TC XV = TabCe... more The study focuses on one of the wax tablets from the Roman mines of Alburnus Maior (TC XV = TabCerD XVI) recently
rediscovered in the collection of the Museum of Aiud (Romania) and digitised by the authors. The article presents
the context of the discovery and its complex history from 1855 until the rediscovery of the object in 2018, a detailed
analysis of the physical features and the current state of the wax tablet, as well as a complete reinterpretation and
digital reconstruction of the epigraphic field, the first since the reading of Theodor Mommsen. We question the old
interpretation of the fragmentarily preserved text of the wax tablet, suggesting that it needs to be contextualised as a
type of adversaria. The authors also present the importance of the H-RTI technique in the digitisation of fragile, rarely
accessible archaeological heritage, especially in the case of Alburnus Maior, which was inscribed in 2021 as a UNESCO
World Heritage site.
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Papers by paul scrobota
church archaeology by paul scrobota
Archaeological excavations at the large church of the Aiud Fortress first started in 2008, and were then resumed in 2018, in the context of a restoration project. Continuing to this day, the investigations brought to light a plethora of new data about the historical development of the site, foremost amongst them being the discovery of the ruins of an earlier church underneath the 15th century one. Inside the present‑day choir, robber trenches and remnants of foundation masonry retraced the outline of a sanctuary which ended eastwards in a polygonal apse, propped on the corners by buttresses. Further west, in the first bay of the present‑day southern side‑aisle, were brought to light the ruins of the interlocking between the old nave and its sanctuary. Nevertheless, this older church, already showing a Gothic layout, had not been the first Christian cult building of Aiud, as rather conclusively proved by the fact that its apse overlapped a grave. However, at this time, it cannot be concluded if this burial should be connected with the original small church, or with an even older structure on the site of the large one.
Regarding the present‑day large church, the excavations evinced a multistage evolution, with the sanctuary being built at first as an expansion of the older cult building. The construction of the sanctuary actually involved two distinct phases, the second one being effectively a rebuilding from foundation up, on an only slightly different trajectory. The erection of the new naves, and the demolition of the older one, came only at a later time. After this, there were a series of small scale interventions, and then the 18th‑century brought major transformations. The church was burned down at the start of the century, and remnants of historical pavement still covered in soot and ashes could still be found during the excavations, underneath elements of fallen vaults. After functioning for a long while in improvised circumstances, the interior of the church was refurbished in the Baroque style at the end of the century, only the sanctuary retaining its historical Gothic looks. As part of the renewal, the inner ground level was raised with almost 1 m of rubble and various backfills, and, during the current renovation, the top layer of this re‑levelling has produced about 400 coins, spread over the 19th and 20th century, with only a few pieces from the second part of the 18th one. The newest major makeover of the interior took place in 2019, when, stirred by the archaeological results, the renovation team lowered the ground level of the sanctuary back to its original pre‑18th‑century one.
Besides the data regarding the evolution of the built structures of the church, the archaeological excavations also brought to light a number of burials, both predating the present‑day cult built and performed inside it, a myriad of fragmented architectonical elements, and archaeological materials, mostly of ceramic nature, spread over a time frame ranging from Roman times to the early modern and contemporary periods.
Due to the huge amount of data, this paper presents only a brief look on the results of the archaeological excavations undertaken inside the church. The results of the investigations carried out outside the church will be presented at a later date.
Articles by paul scrobota
rediscovered in the collection of the Museum of Aiud (Romania) and digitised by the authors. The article presents
the context of the discovery and its complex history from 1855 until the rediscovery of the object in 2018, a detailed
analysis of the physical features and the current state of the wax tablet, as well as a complete reinterpretation and
digital reconstruction of the epigraphic field, the first since the reading of Theodor Mommsen. We question the old
interpretation of the fragmentarily preserved text of the wax tablet, suggesting that it needs to be contextualised as a
type of adversaria. The authors also present the importance of the H-RTI technique in the digitisation of fragile, rarely
accessible archaeological heritage, especially in the case of Alburnus Maior, which was inscribed in 2021 as a UNESCO
World Heritage site.
Archaeological excavations at the large church of the Aiud Fortress first started in 2008, and were then resumed in 2018, in the context of a restoration project. Continuing to this day, the investigations brought to light a plethora of new data about the historical development of the site, foremost amongst them being the discovery of the ruins of an earlier church underneath the 15th century one. Inside the present‑day choir, robber trenches and remnants of foundation masonry retraced the outline of a sanctuary which ended eastwards in a polygonal apse, propped on the corners by buttresses. Further west, in the first bay of the present‑day southern side‑aisle, were brought to light the ruins of the interlocking between the old nave and its sanctuary. Nevertheless, this older church, already showing a Gothic layout, had not been the first Christian cult building of Aiud, as rather conclusively proved by the fact that its apse overlapped a grave. However, at this time, it cannot be concluded if this burial should be connected with the original small church, or with an even older structure on the site of the large one.
Regarding the present‑day large church, the excavations evinced a multistage evolution, with the sanctuary being built at first as an expansion of the older cult building. The construction of the sanctuary actually involved two distinct phases, the second one being effectively a rebuilding from foundation up, on an only slightly different trajectory. The erection of the new naves, and the demolition of the older one, came only at a later time. After this, there were a series of small scale interventions, and then the 18th‑century brought major transformations. The church was burned down at the start of the century, and remnants of historical pavement still covered in soot and ashes could still be found during the excavations, underneath elements of fallen vaults. After functioning for a long while in improvised circumstances, the interior of the church was refurbished in the Baroque style at the end of the century, only the sanctuary retaining its historical Gothic looks. As part of the renewal, the inner ground level was raised with almost 1 m of rubble and various backfills, and, during the current renovation, the top layer of this re‑levelling has produced about 400 coins, spread over the 19th and 20th century, with only a few pieces from the second part of the 18th one. The newest major makeover of the interior took place in 2019, when, stirred by the archaeological results, the renovation team lowered the ground level of the sanctuary back to its original pre‑18th‑century one.
Besides the data regarding the evolution of the built structures of the church, the archaeological excavations also brought to light a number of burials, both predating the present‑day cult built and performed inside it, a myriad of fragmented architectonical elements, and archaeological materials, mostly of ceramic nature, spread over a time frame ranging from Roman times to the early modern and contemporary periods.
Due to the huge amount of data, this paper presents only a brief look on the results of the archaeological excavations undertaken inside the church. The results of the investigations carried out outside the church will be presented at a later date.
rediscovered in the collection of the Museum of Aiud (Romania) and digitised by the authors. The article presents
the context of the discovery and its complex history from 1855 until the rediscovery of the object in 2018, a detailed
analysis of the physical features and the current state of the wax tablet, as well as a complete reinterpretation and
digital reconstruction of the epigraphic field, the first since the reading of Theodor Mommsen. We question the old
interpretation of the fragmentarily preserved text of the wax tablet, suggesting that it needs to be contextualised as a
type of adversaria. The authors also present the importance of the H-RTI technique in the digitisation of fragile, rarely
accessible archaeological heritage, especially in the case of Alburnus Maior, which was inscribed in 2021 as a UNESCO
World Heritage site.