Papers by Balint (Prociuc) Mariana
Annales d'Université "Valahia" Târgovişte. Section d'Archéologie et d'Histoire, 2014
The main purpose of the present discussion is the identification of the evidences that bring into... more The main purpose of the present discussion is the identification of the evidences that bring into light the theme of war in the chronological context of the disappearance of Bronze Age tells and the emergence of large fortified settlements on the Lower Mureș Valley. Recent researches carried out in this area (for instance the settlement from Șagu “Sit A1_1” and the Bronze Age cemetery from Pecica “Sit 14” allowed us to find out more things about the social identity of the warrior, than the usual norms established by researchers. Moreover, the identity of the individual as a warrior during lifetime could be demonstrated by a series of enthesopathies, identified at the level of the upper limbs muscles. The individual activity of the deceased as a warrior could be also suggested by a closer analysis of the combinations in which the object parts of its funerary inventory appear. In most of the cases the funerary inventory could give us proofs related with the transformations that took place in the field of warfare. A closer look given at the weapons discovered on the Lower Mureș Valley, allows some observations to be made.
Studii de Preistorie, 2018
Located in southwestern Romania in the Iron Gates Gorges, the Mesolithic site at Icoana was subme... more Located in southwestern Romania in the Iron Gates Gorges, the Mesolithic site at Icoana was submerged during construction of the Iron Gates I dam and hydro-power station. Vasile Boroneanț briefly investigated the site from 1967 until it was completely flooded, in 1969. Based on recent AMS 14 C dates, Icoana was occupied during the Middle Mesolithic (ca. 8500-7600 cal BC) and again during the Final Mesolithic ("Mesolithic/Early Neolithic transition period"-ca. 6300-5900 cal BC). The faunal assemblage from the site has been re-analyzed and the results for the mammal bone assemblage are presented briefly, in close connection with the study of 484 bone, antler and Sus scrofa tooth artefacts. Products and byproducts of the châine opératoire were identified, suggesting in situ manufacture of the finished items. The relatively small number of typological categories identified comprise well-defined tool series, the most numerous being antler bevelled tools, bone pointed tools and boar tusk side-scrapers. Our analysis of these tools was aimed at identifying the transformational patterns of both the raw materials and the use-wear and manufacturing marks, seen as an indicator of the function of the artefacts. The results of our combined studies suggest wood processing and hunting as the main activities performed with these tools, together with substantial fishing activities suggested by the presence of a FRE in the 14 C dates. Our findings provide no evidence to support previous suggestions of plant cultivation during the Mesolithic at Icoana.
Our study proposes to analyze a lot of osseous materials, which were transformed into tools, deri... more Our study proposes to analyze a lot of osseous materials, which were transformed into tools, deriving from the Stoicani-Aldeni site of Fruntișeni (Vaslui County). Although it is quantitatively reduced and comes from a domestic waste area, our intention is to establish whether such a context may provide data that can be helpful for reconstructing the economic activities carried out within the settlement. We analyzed the types of used raw materials, the sources of their acquisition and the items' techno-typological data. In the end we were able to conclude that the exploitation of raw materials concentrated around the activities of animal breeding and slaughtering, being also reflected by the domestic character of the assemblage's composition. Collaterally there were also used blanks deriving from wild animals. We are dealing with an industry processed in an ad-hoc manner with minimum technological and time investments. The pieces were abandoned in the moment of their fracture, even thou they were not completely worn out and they could have been fixed/recycled. Rezumat: Acest studiu își propune să analizeze un lot de materii osoase, transformate în unelte, provenind din situl Stoicani-Aldeni, de la Fruntișeni (jud. Vaslui). Deși este redus cantitativ și a fost găsit într-o groapă menajeră, ne-am propus să identificăm dacă un astfel de context poate să furnizeze date care pot ajuta la reconstituirea activităților economice desfășurate în sit. Am analizat atât tipurile de materii prime utilizate, sursele lor de achiziție, dar și datele tehno-tipologice ale pieselor. În final, am putut stabili că exploatarea materiilor prime se centrează în jurul activităților de creștere și sacrificare a animalelor, ea fiind reflectată și de caracterul domestic al compoziției ansamblului. Secundar, au fost utilizate și suporturi provenind de la animale sălbatice. Ne aflăm în fața unei industrii de economie, realizată cu o investiție tehnologică și de timp minime. Piesele au fost abandonate la momentul fracturării, chiar dacă nu erau încă total epuizate și ar fi putut fi reparate/reciclate.
The faunal remains presented in this paper originate from Suceag settlement date 4th – 5th centur... more The faunal remains presented in this paper originate from Suceag settlement date 4th – 5th centuries AD and Roman Period. The faunal assemblage consist of bone fragments assigned to domestic mammels (Bos taurus, Ovis aries, Capra hircus, Sus domesticus, Canis familiaris, Equus caballus) and wild mammals (Cervus elaphus, Capreolus capreolus, Sus ferus, Meles meles, Lepus europaeus, Ursus arctos). The cut marks observed on the bones surface shows that the animals were slaughtered for meat. This statement is supported by different burnt colours identified on the bones. The presence of the wild mammals in the site can be explained as result of hunting. The trend line set for 4th – 5th centuries AD and Roman Period shows that domestic mammals husbandry have the same economical importance.
The Neolithic site of Fruntișeni (Eastern Romania, Vaslui County) belongs to the Stoicani-Aldeni ... more The Neolithic site of Fruntișeni (Eastern Romania, Vaslui County) belongs to the Stoicani-Aldeni culture and it is
located on an important contact zone between neighbouring Neolithic cultures — Gumelnița, Cucuteni and
Petrești. Zooarchaeological evidence concerning this culture is scarce and consists of a small set of data represented
by identified taxa fromassemblages. In this paperwe present the classification of cut marks observed on bone
surfaces and their functionality. The bones bearing cut marks belong both to domestic mammals (Bos taurus, Ovis
aries, Capra hircus, Sus domesticus) and wild mammals (Bos primigenius, Cervus elaphus, Capreolus capreolus, Sus
ferus). Studying the bone surface modification produced bymeat supplying contributes to a better understanding
of the managing of carcass dismemberment, issues of nourishment, and knowledge about butchery techniques
from that period. When the studied material consists of food garbage, many cut marks are obscured by the
high fragmentation ratio. Thus, even without entire skeletons which can show us the exact butchery pattern
used, we can still claim as we illustrated in this paper that the butchery pattern can vary between species. This
study is the first of this kind for a faunal assemblage from Romania.
The logo of the colloquium is a pot-stand, realised in clay, called "Hora de la Frumușica". This ... more The logo of the colloquium is a pot-stand, realised in clay, called "Hora de la Frumușica". This masterpiece of the cucutenian art has been discovered in a Cucuteni A settlement from Bodeşti (the Moldavian sub-Carpathians) by the priest Constantin Matasă, the founder of the actually History and Archaeology Museum of Piatra-Neamț.
Conferences by Balint (Prociuc) Mariana
11.30 -13.35 6. Luminiţa BEJENARU, Angela SIMALCSIK, Ion TENTIUC, Valeriu BUBULICI Remains of bea... more 11.30 -13.35 6. Luminiţa BEJENARU, Angela SIMALCSIK, Ion TENTIUC, Valeriu BUBULICI Remains of bear-skin in a cremation burial of late Iron Age, discovered in Mana-Orhei (Republic of Moldova) 7. Andrei SOFICARU, Claudia RADU, Mariana PROCIUC, Ştefan HONCU Humans and animals in the same pit. Preliminary results regarding the burial M 141 from Slava Rusă 8. Charilaos Ev. GOUIDIS, Eirini K. TEKIDOU
Iron Gates Archaeology by Balint (Prociuc) Mariana
Located in southwestern Romania in the Iron Gates Gorges, the Mesolithic site at Icoana was subme... more Located in southwestern Romania in the Iron Gates Gorges, the Mesolithic site at Icoana was submerged during construction of the Iron Gates I dam and hydro‐power station. Vasile Boroneanț briefly investigated the site from 1967 until it was completely flooded, in 1969. Based on recent AMS 14 C dates, Icoana was occupied during the Middle Mesolithic (ca. 8500‒7600 cal BC) and again during the Final Mesolithic (" Mesolithic/Early Neolithic transition period " – ca. 6300–5900 cal BC). The faunal assemblage from the site has been re‐analyzed and the results for the mammal bone assemblage are presented briefly, in close connection with the study of 484 bone, antler and Sus scrofa tooth artefacts. Products and byproducts of the chaîne opératoire were identified, suggesting in situ manufacture of the finished items. The relatively small number of typological categories identified comprise well‐defined tool series, the most numerous being antler bevelled tools, bone pointed tools and boar tusk side‐scrapers. Our analysis of these tools was aimed at identifying the transformational patterns of both the raw materials and the use‐wear and manufacturing marks, seen as an indicator of the function of the artefacts. The results of our combined studies suggest wood processing and hunting as the main activities performed with these tools, together with substantial fishing activities suggested by the presence of a FRE in the 14 C dates. Our findings provide no evidence to support previous suggestions of plant cultivation during the Mesolithic at Icoana. Rezumat: Situl arheologic de la Icoana era situat în sud‐vestul României, în zona Porților de Fier. A fost acoperit de apele Dunării, la construirea barajului hidrocentralei Porțile de Fier I. Vasile Boroneanț a cercetat situl pe durata a trei scurte campanii din 1967 până în 1969 la inundarea sa completă. Datele 14 C AMS indică o locuire pe durata mezoliticului mijlociu (cca. 8500‐7600 cal BC) și o alta pe durata mezoliticului final/tranziției la neoliticul timpuriu (cca. 6300‐5900 cal BC). Au fost reanalizate resturile faunistice și prezentate pe scurt cele referitoare la mamifere, în strânsă legătură cu cele 484 de piese IMDA analizate. Acestea au fost confecționate din diafizele unor oase lungi de mamifere, coarne de Cervus elaphus și canini de Sus scrofa. Studiul IMDA și‐a propus să treacă de simpla clasificare tipologică a artefactelor și să identifice modelele de transformare ale materiilor prime și stigmatele funcționale ce oferă informații importante asupra funcționalității pieselor. Au fost identificate, în urma analizei morfologice atât produse, cât și sub‐produse ale lanțului operator, sugerând o prelucrare in situ a produselor finite. Categoriile tipologice identificate, puține ca număr, cuprind serii de unelte bine definite, dintre care cele mai reprezentative sunt așa‐zisele dălți din corn, vârfuri din os și racloire din dinte de Sus scrofa. Rezultatele studiului indică prelucrarea lemnului și vânătoarea drept principale activități efectuate utilizând
Located in southwestern Romania in the Iron Gates Gorges, the Mesolithic site at Icoana was subme... more Located in southwestern Romania in the Iron Gates Gorges, the Mesolithic site at Icoana was submerged during construction of the Iron Gates I dam and hydro‐power station. Vasile Boroneanț briefly investigated the site from 1967 until it was completely flooded, in 1969. Based on recent AMS 14 C dates, Icoana was occupied during the Middle Mesolithic (ca. 8500‒7600 cal BC) and again during the Final Mesolithic (" Mesolithic/Early Neolithic transition period " – ca. 6300–5900 cal BC). The faunal assemblage from the site has been re‐analyzed and the results for the mammal bone assemblage are presented briefly, in close connection with the study of 484 bone, antler and Sus scrofa tooth artefacts. Products and byproducts of the chaîne opératoire were identified, suggesting in situ manufacture of the finished items. The relatively small number of typological categories identified comprise well‐defined tool series, the most numerous being antler bevelled tools, bone pointed tools and boar tusk side‐scrapers. Our analysis of these tools was aimed at identifying the transformational patterns of both the raw materials and the use‐wear and manufacturing marks, seen as an indicator of the function of the artefacts. The results of our combined studies suggest wood processing and hunting as the main activities performed with these tools, together with substantial fishing activities suggested by the presence of a FRE in the 14 C dates. Our findings provide no evidence to support previous suggestions of plant cultivation during the Mesolithic at Icoana.
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Papers by Balint (Prociuc) Mariana
located on an important contact zone between neighbouring Neolithic cultures — Gumelnița, Cucuteni and
Petrești. Zooarchaeological evidence concerning this culture is scarce and consists of a small set of data represented
by identified taxa fromassemblages. In this paperwe present the classification of cut marks observed on bone
surfaces and their functionality. The bones bearing cut marks belong both to domestic mammals (Bos taurus, Ovis
aries, Capra hircus, Sus domesticus) and wild mammals (Bos primigenius, Cervus elaphus, Capreolus capreolus, Sus
ferus). Studying the bone surface modification produced bymeat supplying contributes to a better understanding
of the managing of carcass dismemberment, issues of nourishment, and knowledge about butchery techniques
from that period. When the studied material consists of food garbage, many cut marks are obscured by the
high fragmentation ratio. Thus, even without entire skeletons which can show us the exact butchery pattern
used, we can still claim as we illustrated in this paper that the butchery pattern can vary between species. This
study is the first of this kind for a faunal assemblage from Romania.
Conferences by Balint (Prociuc) Mariana
Iron Gates Archaeology by Balint (Prociuc) Mariana
located on an important contact zone between neighbouring Neolithic cultures — Gumelnița, Cucuteni and
Petrești. Zooarchaeological evidence concerning this culture is scarce and consists of a small set of data represented
by identified taxa fromassemblages. In this paperwe present the classification of cut marks observed on bone
surfaces and their functionality. The bones bearing cut marks belong both to domestic mammals (Bos taurus, Ovis
aries, Capra hircus, Sus domesticus) and wild mammals (Bos primigenius, Cervus elaphus, Capreolus capreolus, Sus
ferus). Studying the bone surface modification produced bymeat supplying contributes to a better understanding
of the managing of carcass dismemberment, issues of nourishment, and knowledge about butchery techniques
from that period. When the studied material consists of food garbage, many cut marks are obscured by the
high fragmentation ratio. Thus, even without entire skeletons which can show us the exact butchery pattern
used, we can still claim as we illustrated in this paper that the butchery pattern can vary between species. This
study is the first of this kind for a faunal assemblage from Romania.