Fragmentarische Diplome aus der hadrianisch-antoninischen Regierungszeit

collection of 16 fragments of diplomas from the reigns of Hadrian and Antoninus Pius is published here. They are copies of constitutions for the armies of Dacia Porolissensis, Moesia inferior, Pannonia inferior and Syria as well as for unknown provinces. Some of the constitutions are already known, others are new. In any case, they intensify the records for the armies during the two periods of government.

Notices épigraphiques et onomastiques (Dacie romaine) (II)

The second series of 12 epigraphic and onomastic notes amends and comments several inscriptions on stone or on other supports from the province of Dacia or pertaining to Dacia, inscriptions concerning personal names (Latin, Greek, Illyrian, Microasiatic, Semitic), a toponymic epithet and a military rank.

A Roman funerary aedicula wall with an erotic (?) scene from Porolissum

During the archaeological research carried out in 1982 at the Roman auxiliary fort on the Pomăt Hill from Porolissum, in the walls near the area of the porta praetoria, several sculptural fragments belonging to a funerary construction of the aedicula type with two columns in front were reused. Although the fragments have been restored since their discovery, until recently, they were not considered as part of the same monument. The enquiry however clearly shows that the side walls do possess scenes that can be deciphered. On the inside the image of the two servants participating in the funeral banquet is revealed, while on the outside a typical scene of Roman funerary iconography is outlined, the god Attis, but also a special scene, involving two characters engaged in a scene with obvious erotic connotations. This last representation is also the one that raises the most interesting analyzes from the iconographic point of view, that scene being able to have both an erotic character, and a more likely mythological interpretation.

Forging the trowel, hammering the Dacians: Marxism and Late Iron Age Archaeology in Romania (1948–1989)

The aim of this paper is to make a critical evaluation of the Romanian historiography from 1948–1989 which had as a subject of study the social history of the northern Balkan communities in the Late Iron Age period. The two years that I have chosen have both a symbolical and a chronological value. The year 1948 marks the beginning of an extensive and radical process of political, economic, social, and cultural changes, while the year 1989 symbolizes the fall of the Romanian “communist” regime. I propose a contextual analysis, which takes into account the evolution of the “communist” regime, as well as some key events that shaped the discourse. Through this evaluation, I want to intervene in the symbolic struggles that had as a final stake the Late Iron Age archaeology from Romania. Without claiming an objective analysis, I want to offer an alternative to the distorted portrayals which had existed so far. Although labelled as a “Communist” or “Marxist” historiography, it never strayed too far from the nationalist ideology, creating massive distortions along its way. In almost 50 years, the Romanian Late Iron Age historiography has gone from a formal and superficial application of Marxist theories, to a relative liberalization, and finally returned to an almost right‑wing discourse over the Dacian past. Moreover, I will show, in contrast to the classical post‑Communist view that the Late Iron Age archaeology in Romania was in touch, at least at some point, to the contemporary historiographical debates.

Onachar from Apahida (> Onacharus < Aunacharus)

The first Germanic princely grave in Apahida (RO, Cluj County), dated to the second half of the 5th century based on the chronology of the objects placed near the skeleton, was discovered in 1889. Among the objects there were two gold finger rings, a namering and a crossring. On the namering a Latin cross and a male personal name were engraved. The crossring contains four engraved little Latin crosses. Taking into account the archaeological context, the possible Germanic name on the namering was first read OMHAR|VS, then OM^AHAR|VS (C. H. Opreanu, M. Schmauder), and later also OM^AHAR|VG (N. Gudea). The ending is certainly the Latin ‑VS and not ‑VG, nor the V G abreviation (C. H. Opreanu). The original name without the ‑us ending is a hapax and is uninterpretable. Among the Germanic names the OM beginning is unknown. But the M^A like ligature (nexus) is readable as N^A as well, which means that the reading of the name could be ON^AHAR too. The form ONAHAR contains a regular AU > O changing (W. Haubrichs as well), and the H represent the CH voice of the Germanic leanguages. The original form of this name sounds Aunachar, with the Latin ending Aunacharus, which appears in the Aunacharius and Aunarius forms as well. On the name ring the name was engraved phonetically, taking into account the pronunciation, that sounds Onachar, i.e. Onacharus [=On^a(c)har|us]. The existing name along with the similar names are known from the western Germanic area of the age. Considering the deposited objects and the name, Onachar could have been a western Germanic fugitive regulus, who was accepted by the local Gepid chief of that period, together with his escort.

New data on the Roman temporary camps in Șureanu Mountains

The conflict archaeology topic is a challenge all over the world, developing in the past ten years simultaneously with the new techniques in understanding the past and use of high‑resolution recordings of cultural heritage. Besides, in close relation with the topic of conflict archaeology is continuously improved the methodology of another sub‑domain, the landscape archaeology, with great results in the last couple of years, important here are the discovery of many new temporary camps in Germany and north west of the Iberian Peninsula. Especially the last ones are similar in shape and positioning with the Roman camps in Șureanu Mountains, though each has its own uniqueness. These reveal in a very special way the Roman army strategy in one of the most important conflicts of the Roman Empire in an alpine area.

The Roman epigraphic collection of 17th century antiquarian Ferenc Lugossy from Petreștii de Jos (Cluj County)

The question of Roman epigraphic and antiquities collections in Transylvania is typically associated with the antiquarian activity of the local aristocracy during the 19th century, especially the “ruin parks” set up on their country estates. The beginnings of these antiquarian endeavours however date back to much earlier times, being linked to the circle of humanist church intellectuals active in Alba Iulia/Gyulafehérvár starting with the 15th century. The collection founded by Ferenc Lugossy, prominent member of the Transylvanian princely court during the second half of the 17th century, can be regarded as a later manifestation of the aforementioned humanist tradition, even though it was established at his estate in Petreștii de Jos/Magyarpeterd, situated at the foot of the Turda Gorge (Cheile Turzii/Tordai‑hasadék), rather than the princely capital. The sources indicate that we are dealing with one of the most important, if not the most important local Roman stone monument collections of the time. Documents also inform us that following the death of its founder – probably in 1692 – the collection swiftly began to disintegrate, and by the beginning of the 20th century it had completely ceased to exist, the monuments being either taken away or used as construction material by the locals. The present paper is an attempt to reconstruct the history and original composition of this important collection.

A fish‑eyed misfit glaring back from antiquity. The peculiar face pot from the centuriae cohortis I milliariae at Potaissa

Between 1990–1992, as well as 2011, the archaeological campaigns within the Potaissa legionary fortress focused primarily on researching the centuriae cohortis I milliariae in latus praetorii dextrum. This endeavour lead to the discovery of a total of 928 individual wares. One of the most interesting finds comes in the form of a face pot, a unique discovery so far for this legionary fortress.

Provincia Valeria media?

One of the most problematic issues in the study of Roman Pannonia is the fifth‑century history of the province of Valeria and its abandonment, which is further aggravated by a passage in the Ravenna Cosmography (IV. 20), especially if combined with information provided by the Tabula Peutingeriana.1 One interpretation of this enigmatic passage, which has gained widespread currency, is that the Romans or, better said, Aetius, ceded Valeria to the Huns in accordance with the terms of the treaty concluded between them, and that following the province’s evacuation, a new province by the name of Valeria media was created in Italy and south‑western Pannonia.2 This interpretation is widely accepted despite the lack of the passage’s meticulous philological examination; moreover, the problems raised by the passage are manifold and several explanations seem equally feasible. Here, I shall cover the passage in question alongside a historical commentary and a separate discussion of the putative connection between the vita Corbiniani, Aethicus Ister and Pannonia/Valeria as well as the image of Valeria in the works of certain Humanist writers.