January 1, 2024

A figurine with bell-shaped skirt discovered in the Cruceni-Belegiš type settlement from Moșnița Veche-Dealul Sălaș (Timiș County, Romania)

Key Points

The discovery of a Bronze Age figurine highlights cultural ties within the Late Bronze Age in the region.
Excavations in the Moșnița Veche site revealed notable artefacts, including ceramic vessels and a grinding stone.
Research indicates this archaeological site features structures from the Neolithic to the Middle Ages, showcasing its historical significance.
Findings point to a chronological context spanning the transition between the first and second stages of the Late Bronze Age.

Abstract

The archaeological site Moșnița Veche-Dealu Sălaș, situated in the Timișoara Plain, has been extensively researched since 2014 due to real estate development. This site occupies a ridge characterized by alluvial deposits from the secondary courses of the Bega and Timiș rivers. The research has revealed structures dating from the Neolithic to the Middle Ages. A 2019 excavation uncovered significant finds, including a fragment of a Bronze Age anthropomorphic figurine. Artefacts include ceramic vessels, a basalt grinding stone fragment, an obsidian core and a polished animal phalanx. The figurine features a bell-shaped skirt with detailed incised patterns and the ceramic vessels, found together with it, are part of the table service category : vessels for drinking and serving food. Some of these vessels are benchmarks for the chronological framing of the discoveries. The fragment of the truncated-cone cup with a short neck is particularly significant, as its body and base are decorated with incisions, those on the base being star-shaped. It is known that this type of ornament appeared at the end of the seventeenth century BC and remained in use until the transition between the fifteenth and fourteenth centuries BC. The shape of the cup finds its most analogies in contexts that can be dated to the second stage of the Late Bronze Age (LBA). The plate with an inward-arched rim indicates the same chronological horizon. Similar figurines, like the one from Moşniţa, are found in the Middle and Lower Danube Basin. Even so, the only satisfactory analogy for the figurine we discussed is identified at Mošorin-Štubarlija in Bačka (SRB). The archaeological context from which it originates has been dated to the transition period between the first and second stages of the LBA. Given the broader context in which our discovery falls, we consider it likely that the archaeological materials from Moşniţa date somewhere between LBA I and II.

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