Pars pro toto—Remote Sensing Data for the Reconstruction of a Rounded Chalcolithic Site from NE Romania: The Case of Ripiceni–Holm Settlement (Cucuteni Culture)

Prehistoric sites in NE Romania are facing major threats more than ever, both from natural and human-induced hazards. One of the main reasons are the climate change determined natural disasters, but human-induced activities should also not be neglected. The situation is critical for Chalcolithic sites, with a very high density in the region and minimal traces at the surface, that are greatly affected by one or more natural hazards and/or anthropic interventions. The case study, Ripiceni–Holm, belonging to Cucuteni culture, is one of the most important Chalcolithic discoveries in the region. It is also the first evidence from Romania of a concentric arrangement of buildings in the proto-urban mega-sites tradition in Cucuteni-Trypillia cultural complex, and a solid piece of evidence in terms of irreversible natural and anthropic destruction. Using archival cartographic material, alongside non-destructive and high-resolution airborne sensing and ground-based geophysical techniques (LiDAR, total field and vertical gradient magnetometry), we managed to detect diachronic erosion processes for 31 years, to identify a complex internal spatial organization of the actual site and to outline a possible layout of the initial extent of the settlement. The erosion was determined with the help of the DSAS tool and highlighted an average erosion rate of 0.96 m/year. The main results argue a high percent of site destruction (approximately 45%) and the presence of an active shoreline affecting the integrity of the cultural layer

Tools, means of transportation and recipients used for the extraction, storage and consumption of rock salt and brine in the extra-Carpathian areas (Romania)

International audienceThe extensive investigation conducted by the French-Romanian team from 2011 onwards around the salt mountains and brine springs from the extra-Carpathian areas of Romania (more accurately in the south-eastern parts), identified several genuine practices of non-industrial extraction, transportation, storage and use of this mineral. These activities imply the use of specific tools (sometimes true tool kits), means of transport, storage faciliti es, etc. In some cases, the whole process is deeply influenced by the contemporary lifestyle with all its features (mechanization, plastic and so on), but usually we were able to identi fy several elements (objects, skills, specialization), preserved almost unaltered for centuries, which could provide hints in understanding artefacts, contexts and human behaviours determined by the need for salt from the historical and even the prehistoric past. This paper deals with such aspects mostly in an ethnographic manner, but without losing sight of the archaeological issues related to the ancient exploitati on of naturally occurring salt resources

Ovine pastoralism and mobility systems in Romania. An ethnoarchaeological approach

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Istros (Black Sea coast, Romania) - A geoarchaeological perspective regarding the harbour(s) location

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