"...NUMQVID DE DACIS AVDISTI?"
(Horatius, Satire, II, 6, 53.)
 

 

„In none of the other country sides of ancient Dacia, so many and so important monuments are to be found as in the Șureanu Mountains. Scattered in the lowlands but, mainly hanging on their peaks and long ridges, the Dacian villages and forts are amazing both the visitor and the archaeologist, either local or foreign, by their judicious emplacement, their diversity, richness and monumentality...”

Ioan Glodariu (1940-2017)
 

The multianual archaeological research program called The Dacian Fortresses of the Orastie Mountains is coordinated by the National Museum of Transylvanian History (MNIT) in Cluj and financed by the Ministry of Culture, the results of which will be constantly presented to the public on this portal.

MNIT

Recent blog posts

Bronze objects

The bronze items discovered in the Dacian settlements from the Orăștie Mountains impress both by their quantity and by the quality of craftsmanship, revealing the high level of technical knowledge, combined with artistic sense and refinement, held by the masters who made them. At the same time, they indicate the existence of clients who desired such objects and show the taste of Dacians for certain categories of trendy products. In this context, these are the evidence for a series of activities and practices, quite often going beyond the ordinary sphere.

Ceramics

The Dacian pottery from the Orăștie Mountains is individualized in the ceramic repertoire from pre-Roman Dacia both by the selection of shapes, and by the production  technique. Thus, as we approach the capital of the Dacian Kingdom, the pottery is characterized especially by a “classical” elegance, of Mediterranean inspiration. 

Ceramic pots with graffiti

The custom of marking the ceramic containers with micro-inscriptions was quite often during the antiquity. Whether it is about potter markings, capacity measurements, indication of price, content or owner, these small notations are important for archaeology, offering additional information about various aspects of daily life.