SECȚIUNEA ARHEOLOGIE
Oana-Daniela Calancea
Arheologie și fizică nucleară. O perspectivă interdisciplinară
Abstract: This paper is a brief account of my doctoral project which aims to analyze a substantial batch of prehistoric fragments and vessels from the Iron Gates area with the help of computed tomography, their precise chronological contextualization by means of a significant set of 14C data (cca. 80). In finally, I propose, pertinent conclusions regarding the technology of modelling ceramic vessels (with direct references to the various studied ages) as well as the recipe of the clay mixture from which they were made. Both computed tomography and 14C will be performed at IFIN-HH. In the introduction, a brief review of the history of the latter institution, founded as an institute of the Romanian Academy, will be made. Numerous restructuring and name changes have led to the present institutional structure. The ceramic assemblage comes from archaeological sites investigated during the construction of the two hydropower plants at Iron Gates I and II (1964-1971, 1977-1984) and are part of the collections curated at the „Vasile Pârvan” Institute of Archaeology of the Romanian Academy, where I conduct my PhD. The periods of interest are the Early Neolithic, the Early Bronze Age, the Dacian period, the late medieval period. The present work represents an exemplification, on materials worked up to now, of the potential of using computed tomography (advantages and limitations of the method) in the study of prehistoric ceramics.
Keywords: prehistoric pottery, computed tomography, Early Neolithic,
Iron Gates.
Dragoș Nicolae Neagu
Potențialul preistoric al platoului vest-continental aparținând Mării Negre
Abstract: The western Black Sea shelf is remarkable by a series of underwater archaeological finds such as those along the Ukrainian coast, where a number of Palaeolithic remains dating between 25,000 and 10,000 BC have been discovered, and those along the Bulgarian seashore dating to the Neo-Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age.
Data on a submersed Palaeolithic site discovered in the territorial waters of Ukraine are limited. The is unlikely the case of the sites in the vicinity of Bulgaria at Shabla 1, Shabla 2, Atiya, Sozopol, Ropotamo, Stompolo and Urdoviza, which have received particular attention, and extensive
bibliographical references exist.
The situation is different in Romania, as there are no references on this issue, although Romanian archaeology in shows concern in this regard, making efforts to promote and support activities specific to underwater archaeological research.
Nevertheless, the existing material evidence is indicative of the prehistoric archaeological potential of the western Black Sea plateau and, at the same time, allows for discussions size, of the phenomenon, and the identification, on the basis of the features documented so far, of reference areas with high archaeological potential.
It is to be expected that in Romania’s marine waters, too, discoveries similar to those already acknowledged in the neighbouring countries will be made in the future, especially as there are a number of geomorphological similarities which, at least in terms of discourse, might have allowed such a
development.
Keywords: Keywords: Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neo-Eneolithic, Black
Sea, underwater archaeology.
Sava-Moise Mădălina
Așezări de tipul Chilia – Militari în centrul Munteniei
Abstract: The Dacian culture from Muntenia of the 2nd-3rd centuries is known as Chilia-Militari culture, and it was formed on the old La Tène traditions, and the influence of the Romans who ruled the west of Muntenia for a while. Most of the discoverd settlements are located on the low or high tarraces of the rivers, or on promontories, near water sources. Most of the settlements consist of pit houses, and less frequently surface dwellings, some with a step at the entrance or storage pits in the centre or on one side of the house, most without hearths or ovens inside. Among the most important settlements in the center of Muntenia is the one from Militari which, together with one from Chilia in Olt, gave the name to the above mentioned culture. The site of Mătăsaru has two occupational level. Udeni, Bucov, and Dulceanca were located only 15 km away from limes Transalutanus. In addition, many materials and settlements were discovered around Bucharest. Ovens were discovered among the house. Pits were used for storage while some had ritual, with skeletal remains of dogs. Numerous objects were discoverd in these settlements, including tools, craft and household items, ornaments and coins. The most numerous category of artefacts is represented by pottery, which is of two types: hand-made and on the wheel. The latter is also of two types: one is of the fine Dacian tradition and the second is coarse, of provincial Roman influence. The culture has been dated to the 2nd-3rd or even 4th centuries p. Chr. It is considered that it was greatly influenced by the Roman culture, something visible especially in the pottery.
Keywords: Chilia-Militari culture, centre of Muntenia, 2nd-3rd century p.
Chr., types of settlements, types of ceramics, provincial roman influence.
Anișoara Topârceanu
Despre semnificația unor instrumente din ceramică din colecția Muzeului Dunării de Jos, Călărași (jud. Călărași)
Abstract. In the following article I aim to present some instruments (tools) for modelling ceramic vessels that are part of the Lower Danube Museum of Calarași’s Collection. The following tools had been discovered in the Getic settlements of Crăsanii de Jos-Piscul Crăsani (Ialomița County) and Căscioarele (Călărași County).
These were common objects, typical of the classical phase of the Getic civilization. The main hypotheses regarding the utility of these tools are the following: they were either used to create ornamentations by polishing of the vessels (polishers), or, according to Mircea Babeș, they were moulds used in the modelling and finishing of the handmade ceramic vessels.
Keywords: Geto-Dacians, tools, 2nd century BC – 1st century AD, Crăsanii de Jos-Piscul Crăsani, Căscioarele, Lower Danube Museum.
SECȚIUNEA ISTORIE
Andrei Mirea
Gestiune comunitară și solidaritate fiscală în Moldova premodernă
Abstract: The study investigates the correlation between the collective activities of rural Moldavian communities and the fiscal requisites imposed by the government. It particularly delves into the strategies employed by the
premodern Moldavian state elites in leveraging the intra-community organisation of villages to facilitate access to both material and human resources. The notion of fiscal solidarity is considered here as a governmental policy aiming to institute collective accountability for fulfilling fiscal obligations. Before the 1550s, customary levies imposed by the Moldavian lordship, including tithes on grain, wine, beehives, or pigs, were determined in kind according to long-time established traditions, following predominantly a tithe-based system. This tax system did not entail a collective fiscal responsibility. Instead, individual households were taxed based on their respective levels of production capacity, whilst the local community played a role primarily in facilitating communication between tax collectors and taxpayers. During the medieval period, the sole customary fiscal duties fostering solidarity amongst villages encompassed local guard services, labour assignments at fortresses, military obligations, transportation assistance using oxen or horses, manual labour for public infrastructure or for princely courts and sites, such as mills, ponds, or vineyards. In such instances, the entire community bore collective responsibility, upheld through mechanisms of intra-community compensation, for appointing a specific number of individuals from within the community to fulfil the assigned obligations on behalf of the entire local community. It was only after the 1550s that the Moldavian lords started accentuating the collective nature of fiscal responsibility, expanding it to encompass the majority of taxes paid either in kind or in money. Prompted by Moldavia’s deepening political subordination to the Ottoman Empire, this notable expansion of fiscal solidarity was enabled by the implementation of
centralised population tax assessments and by the periodic establishment of taxpayers’ fiscal domiciles subsequent to tax evaluations.
Keywords: Moldavia, fiscal solidarity, rural communities, state taxation, collective responsibility, communal administration.
Marius Marinac
Moartea și Feciorul de Împărat – scene de dans macabru la bisericile Cotu şi Schitu Matei din judeţul Argeş
Abstract: The concept of Dance Macabre started first in the iconography of Death in Western Europe of the Middle Ages. The Macabre Dance depicts man’s personal confrontation with Death, sometimes because of epidemics. In Romanian popular mythology, there are numerous situations where human confrontations with Death are found. The macabre dances were also highlighted in the paintings on the exterior walls of some Orthodox churches in Wallachia. On the western facade of the church dedicated to the „Assumption of the Virgin Mary” in the village of Cotu, Uda commune, Argeş County, on one of the pillars, Death is painted with a scythe next to the Young Emperor. Emperor’s Son on the southern wall of the church in Schitul Matei, Ciofrângeni commune, Argeş County, a dialogue between Death and the Emperor’s Son is represented. These iconographic representations capitalize on man’s inescapable encounter with Death.
Keywords: Macabre dances, Cotu Church, Schitu Matei Church, „Death and the Young Emperor’s Son” painting, awareness of the Last Judgment.
Emilian-Alexandru Ciorogariu
Aromânii din podgoria Aradului – catalizator al dezvoltării valorilor
identitare româneşti în zonă
Abstract: The main exponents of the Aromanian communities in Arad Vineyard region had, throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, a decisive impact regarding the maintenance and, subsequently, the emancipation and cultivation of the Romanian national-identity consciousness in this area. The influence on this level of the Aromanian elites there reflected locally, at the scale of the microregion and proportionally to it, that of the great Macedonian families at the level of the Banat-Crişana region, respectively of the Danubian Monarchy in general. The values propagated by the Aromanian elite can be subsumed to the Enlightenment ideas and corresponded to the European ones at the time: national and religious tolerance, social integration without renouncing one’s own identity, respectively national- identity loyalty understood as a set of efforts made for the advancement of one’s own group, but without disregarding or obstructing other similar ethnic groups.
Keywords: Aromanians, Arad Vineyard region, Habsburg Monarchy, identity, Enlightenment.
Dana Elena Deaconu
România și Grecia de la Mica Înțelegere a Femeilor la Conferințele balcanice
Abstract: In the interwar period, women demonstrated that they could achieve success where the work of male politicians had failed.A landmark in the rapprochement policy between Romania and Greece in the period mentioned above, at a time when the right to vote had not yet been recognized for women, was the establishment of the Little Entente of Women.This organization gathered the women of Southern and Central Europe, making them accountable to history by their fight to maintain peace. Both Romania and Greece, as Balkan states, were represented at all the meetings of the Balkan Conferences, thus enhancing their common interests that inaugurated a foreign policy of increased understanding between the two states. They collaborated, conveying the socio-political problems of their countries and preventing possible misunderstandings between the two peoples, by peaceful means.
Keywords: Romania, Greece, Little Entente of Women, Balkan Conferences, Interwar Period.
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Paula Balhui
Congresele anuale ale Ligii Culturale rețea culturală, dezvoltată de Nicolae Iorga între anii 1908-1940
Abstract: The analysis of the documents mentioned in this study helped me to identify the Cultural League as a well-organized association with numerous collaborators and various cultural activities with great impact on the society. We cannot speak of the cultural successes of the Cultural League without mentioning Nicolae Iorga, who, unlike his illustrious predecessors at the head of the League, managed to keep interconnected a group of valuable people from all intellectual levels interconnected, all driven by the enthusiasm and vivacity of the esteemed opinion-maker. They all succeeded in imprinting a current of nationalism and civics in the Romanian society, which subsequently defined us as a nation.
In order to demonstrate this, I will briefly review the activities of the annual congresses of the Cultural League, pointing out various social, cultural, ethnic and financial issues debated and agreed on at the meetings organized at these congresses. The information presented is only a part of the vast cultural process that took place at these congresses. My personal conclusion is that these annual congresses of the Cultural League represented an important cultural and promotional support among the popular masses. The activities carried out year after year represented a valuable source of culturalization, which helped the communities to understand the social and cultural context of the time, the spirit of solidarity of the civil society and the civic initiatives, all supporting the process of cultural development of the Romanian society at the beginning of the 20 th century.
Keywords: culturalization of the masses, national promotion, League for the Cultural Unity of All Romanians, Nicolae Iorga, Romanian culture.
Aris Alexandru Zisopol
Dialog și solidaritate între minorități. Studiu de caz: ziarul „L’Echo Danubien”
Abstract: The aim of the following article is to highlight the relationships between the Greek and the Jewish minorities of Romania during the last decades of the 19th Century as reflected in a French language weekly published in the town of Galați. The precise moment in time is 1865-1867 when the Jewish problem went through in a very delicate moment as the Romanian State was in a full process of consolidation which went hand in hand with the strengthening of national feelings and hostility against the minorities.
Keywords: Jewish problem, consolidation of national consciousness, solidarity among ethnic minorities.
Cristina Barbu
Scrisorile unui orientalist. Alphonse Mingana într-un schimb epistolar
Abstract: An important personality of the Oriental and Syriac studies between the two World Wars period, Alphonse Mingana reveals himself as both a mysterious and controversial person. He was born in 1880 in the village of Šarāniš, district of Zakho, North of Iraq. He was born in a Christian family. He received his education at the Saint Jean Seminary in Mosul, where he graduated and was ordained priest. He continue his activity in the Seminary until 1913, when he embarked on a journey through the Ottoman Empire and Persia. There, in Mardin, he meets a Protestant missionary named Andrew and decided to move to the United Kingdom where he meets Harris Rendel.
Throughout his lifetime, Alphonse Mingana was involved in some controversies which captured the attention of various scholars, bringing him a certain reputation. Some of these controversies, such as the one around „Kitab ud-Din wa ad-Dawlah”, have been clarified during his life or after. Others, such as the Chronicle of Arbela, remained a mystery to this day.
Tijmen Baarda, in his article „Firmly established in early 20th-century orientalism: Alphonse Mingana among his fellow scholars” argues that although today Mingana is frequently mentioned today in connection with these controversies, during his life, he was rather a good source of information and expertise for a great number of scholars and students in Europe.
This article proposes, according to Tijmen Baarda’s opinion, to exemplify the nature of his relationship with other scholars and to emphasize the importance of Mingana’s contribution. It also aims to create a new perspective on his personality as it is revealed from his correspondence with three scholars of his time, curated at the Cadbury Research Library of the University of Birmingham.
Keywords: Alphonse Mingana, Woodbrooke, Syriac studies, Oriental studies, Irak, Birmingham, letters, library, Mingana collection, manuscripts
Bogdan Emanuel Răduţ
Vasile V. Moisescu: piramidologul evanghelic român
Abstract: Vasile V. Moisescu, best known as Vasilică Moisescu, was a Romanian evangelical intellectual, perhaps one of the best known of the 20th century, and a scholar with various fields of interests, especially the theological and pyramidological one. Appreciated by some, but challenged by others, between 1958 and 1964 he was a political prisoner for religious reasons, and then the rest of his life he was put under surveillance by the political police – Securitate, being considered an „enemy of the regime”. Around him, he coalesced a group of believers, who in time came to be known as „Moisişti”, most of whom were arrested and imprisoned with him. His biography reveals two realities of the era. On the one hand, the condition of the Evangelicals in the first decades of the communist regime, and on the other, the condition of intellectuals during the same period.
Keywords: Vasile Moisescu, Moisişti, dissidents, political prisoners, communism.
Adriana Dăscălescu (Vieru)
Mișcarea separatistă de la Iași (aprilie 1866): o perspectivă britanică
Abstract: This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the separatist uprising in Iași following the abdication of Alexandru Ioan Cuza in February 1866, relying significantly on an unpublished British diplomatic report. The report, dated April 26, 1866, and located in the British National Archives, was written by John Green and contains a significant dispatch from A.St. Clair, the British Consul in Iași at that time. St. Clair’s meticulous observations offer distinctive insights into the
political and social unrest in the Moldavian Principality during this transitional period, particularly emphasizing the separatist movement in Iași. St. Clair’s report emphasizes the international aspect of the conflict, notably the participation of foreign entities such as Russia, Austria, and Prussia, whose consuls were alleged to have aided the separatists. Notwithstanding the Bucharest government’s attempts to quell the rebellion, which included the designation of Cozadini as extraordinary
commissioner and the mobilization of armed forces, tensions persisted in their escalation. The separatists’ inability to obtain extensive public support resulted in their loss, albeit with significant carnage. St. Clair’s dispatch provides a direct description of the severe suppression of the rebellion, wherein unarmed civilians were assaulted by government soldiers, resulting in considerable casualties. The report presents a vivid portrayal of the violence, serving as both a documentation of the events and a condemnation of the Romanian government’s conduct. This article enhances historical study by revealing previously inaccessible primary sources that illuminate the separatist movement and the wider geopolitical issues of the time. St. Clair’s report is an essential document for comprehending the intricate political dynamics in 19th century Romania and the influence of foreign forces on its national development.
Keywords: consuls, activity, British Principalities, Iași, society, political crisis.
Sebastian Stoi
Scurt istoric al conceptului de Brand
Abstract: The term brand has evolved significantly over time, having a major impact in the economic field. Since ancient times, branding has been used
to promote products, even if it was not used concretely.
The origin of this concept can be dated to the medieval period, when the owners of cattle in the Scandinavian area, and later the Anglo-Saxon one, marked their cattle with a distinctive sign to make the owner known. Later, in the German space, the meaning of the term derives from the name from the Prussian colonel Heinrich von Brandt and in France appears the term branduit from the adjoining of the English brand and the French produit, as proposed by Jean-Louis Swiners in 1977.
In the United States, the first to use branding were tobacco and medicine manufacturers. They used symbols and graphic elements applied to packaging, posters or advertisements, all becoming over time objects sought by collectors. Since the 19th century significant chenges have emerged in the system of packaging and sale of products, most boxes or barrels having a symbol or a logo to highlight the source of the product, thus the product becoming more attractive to the general public. Through this branding process, a product or service is distinguished from others in the market.
The concept of brand wass used for the first time in marketing at the beginning of the 20th century, when it appeared in the compound form of brand name. In the first half of the 20th century, more and more specialists in the economic field emphasized the importance of branding, considering it an essential factor in promoting the product, reaching from the producer to the consumer.
Keywords: brand, branding, advertising, marketing, economy, industries.
Dorin Carabeț
Societatea Kandia din Timișoara înainte și după Primul Război Mondial. Procesul cu statul maghiar
Abstract: At the end of the 19th century the economy of Banat gained an ascending trajectory. In this favourable context, there were many financially powerful people willing to invest in the industrial field. Thus, new industrial units appeared in Timișoara but also in other cities, among them, „Kandia” vinegar and sugar factory. The foundations of the future factory took place on March 24th, 1890. The original owners of the factory were the brothers Látter Mihály and Mor, from Timișoara. In 1909, the factory was
transformed into a joint-stock company. In 1917, the vinegar and sugar factory officially received the name „Kandia”. After becoming a joint-stock company, „Kandia” began to develop at a more sustained pace, the number of employees increased, the factory was modernized and the range of products expanded. The outbreak of the First World War slowed the pace of development. Amid the worsening situation caused by the prolongation of the its war, starting in 1917, „Kandia”, as a food factory, was involved in the war effort. On October 11th, 1918, the „Kandia” company was effectively engaged in war production. According to the procedures, the factory concluded a trade convention with the Austro-Hungarian army. In November 1918, the Austro-Hungarian Empire fell apart, but the former empire remained with a large debt to the „Kandia” company.This dispute was the subject of several lawsuits between the „Kandia” factory and the Hungarian state that spanned the entire interwar period.
Keywords: Kandia, factory, industry, contract, process, First World War, compensation.
Ana Grimalschi
Dr. Vladimir Bogos unul dintre cei mai tineri deputați ai Sfatului Țării – descendent al unei vechi familii din elita moldovenească. Documente inedite din viața privată
Abstract: The personality and historical activity of Dr. Vladimir Bogos, one of the youngest deputies of the Sfatul Țării (National Council) with continuous presence and involvement in this Moldovan institution from its inception to its conclusion, have been scarcely presented in both Romanian and Moldovan historiography. Often, these presentations have been inaccurately portrayed. The life of Dr. Vladimir Bogos, silenced and forgotten by the communist regime along with the lives of all those who made possible the Union of Bessarabia with Romania possible, has begun to be rediscovered in recent years, thanks to the efforts of historians interested in the Bessarabia issue, the activities of the Sfatul Țării/Country’s Council, a unique institution in the Romanian context, and the Union of Bessarabia with Romania.
Nonetheless, the activity of Dr. Vladimir Bogos, prior to the establishment of the premises that made the „Union with the Mother Country of Bessarabia, arbitrarily transformed into a tsarist province” – his major aspiration – throughout the existence of the institution that made this aspiration possible, and especially after the fulfillment of the dream to which he dedicated his youth and energy, remains very little known and often inaccurately presented. Moreover, the activity and private life of one of the youngest deputies of the Sfatul Țării, both before and during the entire period of Bessarabia’s incorporation in the Romanian state, still remains insufficiently known.
My article will encompass aspects of Dr. Vladimir Bogos’ political, professional, and private life, shaped by these unique documentary materials
that will introduce a character of the Bessarabian elite to Romanian historiography, offering a different image and dimension of Dr. Vladimir Bogos’ contributions to one of the most remarkable Romanian historical events.
Keywords: Vladimir Bogos old Moldavian families, Bessarabian patriots, National Council, unpublished documents, private life.
Mariana Alecu
Învățământul minorităților la instalarea comunismului în România: cazul minorității grecești
Abstract: The present contribution focuses on the years immediately after the Second World War on Romania (fallen in the Soviet sphere) and in Greece, remaining in the democratic world. At a closer look thanks to some little known archival material, the realities appear less manichaeistic. Communism was not swift or easy to implement (as the country was under Russian occupation) in Romania (with a small-scale communist party) in which anything but a reductive and impoverishing scheme prevailed. In the same way, Greek democracy was not easily brought to a functional phase in a country with strong communist forces which had to be thwarted. The situation of the Greek schools in Romania is a case study which brings to light an exceptional instance, namely the arrival of the Greek political refugees in Romania which helped survive the pre-war privately owned Greek school it became state-owned as all private schools had been banned.
Keywords: Communism, Romania, reform in education, the Greek community, Greek schools.
Sergiu-Ștefan Poh
Comerțul și diplomația dintre Iugoslavia cu C.E.E. și România (1978-1980). Strategii economice și contexte politice
Abstract: This study analyzes the trade and diplomacy between the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) and the Socialist Republic of Romania (SRR) during the period 1978-1980, characterized by centralized economies and strict planning. Historical documents reveal the economic strategies and negotiation tactics of both states, highlighting the impact of trade agreements on bilateral relations. The political context, marked by the 12th Congress of the Romanian Communist Party (1979), reshaped Romania’s economic priorities, influencing regional stability and the geopolitics of Southeast Europe. The research includes the analysis of Croatian state archives and diplomatic documents, focusing on trade exchanges, particularly in the industrial and raw materials sectors. The study highlights the difficulties in bilateral trade and the economic and diplomatic adjustments in response to economic crises and political constraints.
The article provides insight into how centralized economies navigated between ideology and economic pragmatism, influencing trade relations and the treatment of minorities. The conclusions underscore the complexity of economic and political interactions between Yugoslavia and Romania, contributing to the understanding of diplomacy and trade in Southeast Europe during the Cold War.
Keywords: Yugoslavia, Romania, Diplomacy, Bilateral Trade, EEC, Inflation.