Dacian bracelets
Encyclopedia
The Dacian bracelets are bracelets associated with the ancient peoples known as the Dacians
, a particularly individualized branch of the Thracians
. These bracelets were used as ornaments, currency
, high rank insignia
and votive offerings Their ornamentations consist of many elaborate regionally distinct styles. Bracelets of various types were worn by Dacians, but the most characteristic piece of their jewelry was the large multi-spiral bracelets; engraved with palmette
s towards the ends and terminating in the shape of an animal head, usually that of a snake.
The Dacians
lived in a very large territory, stretching from the Balkans
to the northern Carpathians and from the Black Sea
and the Tyras River (Dniester)
to the Tisa
plain, and at times as far as the Middle Danube.
Dacian civilization went through several stages of development, from the Thracian stage in the Bronze Age to the Geto-Dacian stage in the classical period that lasted from the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD. The Thracian stage is associated with the emergence of Thracian populations from the fusion of the local Chalcolithic stock with the incoming peoples of the transitional Indo-Europeanization Period. By the time of Bronze Age
, and during the transitional period to the Iron Age
, the cultures of this Carpathian area may be attributed to proto-Thracian and even Thracian populations—ancestors of the peoples known to Herodotus as the Agathyrsae and the Getae, and to the Romans as the Dacians
(by Iron Age II). The culture of these nuclear groups were typified by military aristocracies.
In these early times the most specific motifs of the bracelets are the spiral and the horn, used to provide the warrior with both physical and deistic protection.
The 5th century BC is associated with the Dacian stage of art and it is the time of the La Tène period (Iron Age II) when Dacian culture flourished, especially in Transylvanian citadels. The Dacian art of Iron Age II has all the characteristics of a mixed style, with its roots in the Hallstatt culture
(1200–500 BC). It is characterized by an accentuated geometry, a curvilinear style and plant-based motifs. At this time, besides their older local types, Dacians made all kind of bracelets that were common in the Roman Empire
. But, there was a constant preference of Dacians for decorating the silver spiral bracelets with animals protome
such as snakes and wolves.
The period of time between the 2nd century BC and 1st century AD is termed "Classic Dacian". At this time the Dacians developed the art of silverworking, and a style which may be described specifically as the Dacian style. It consists of older traditional local elements, dating back to Iron Age I, but also of elements of Celtic, Scythian, Thracian, and especially Greek origins. The bracelets of this art-form include silver arm rings, with ends in the shape of stylized heads of animals, and heavy spiral-shaped armlets with gilded ends adorned with palm-leaves, and ending in animal-heads.
The Classic Dacian period ends when parts of the Dacian State were reduced to a Roman province by the Roman Empire
under Trajan
, partly in order to seize its gold mines. After the Second Dacian War
(105–106 AD) Romans claimed they had looted 165,000 kilograms (363,762 pounds) of gold and 300,000 kilograms (661,386 pounds) of silver in a single haul, as estimated by modern historians. This amount seems credible in terms of the Dacian exploitation of precious metals in the Apuseni Mountains
along with trade payments and tributes from abroad. Its existence in only one spot (at Sarmizegethusa), suggests that there was a central control of precious metal circulation. According to the majority of historians this sort of monopoly of precious metals, and the Roman's forcible collection of Dacian gold objects, explains the scarcity of archaeological discoveries consisting of golden ornaments for the period between the 3rd century BC – 1st century AD; however, the existence of the "Treasures of Dacian kings" has been confirmed by the latest archaeological finds of large gold spiral-shaped bracelets from Sarmizegetusa. It seems that the Romans did not find the entire royal treasure.
Some bronze bracelet types of the Bronze Age (i.e. incised solid bracelets) continue throughout all the Late Bronze Age and Hallstatt phases.
. The open cuff found at Hinova
, and dated to the 12th century BC, is one of the largest gold bracelets of the proto-Dacians found to date. It is made of large gold sheet of 580 grams (1.27 pounds) in weight and decorated with ten buttons fixed into holes, five on each end.
Bracelets from Băleni, Galaţi
(Late Romanian Bronze Age, Noua Culture) are particularly interesting because of their geometric décor, bands of right or oblique lines. They all have a green patina ranging from dark green to dull green, bluish green, bluish gloss.
The fragmentary iron bracelet from the cremation cemetery found at Bobda is among the few unequivocally dated iron objects equivalent to Hallstatt A 1–2
in this region.
A bracelet with snake-shape endings had been found at the Hallstattian
necropolis in Ferigile (Vâlcea County
).
are dated to Bronze Age IV (Iron Age I) and have decorations of geometric characters. Although not directly influenced by the Hallstatt styles, the objects from Spalnaca pre-date the later tendencies for geometric surface decoration of chiseled or engraved lines. Such discoveries at Spalnaca, Guterita and Dipsa show that bronze craftsmanship still flourished in the North Thracians from the Carpathian-Black Sea and Danube areas at the beginning of the Iron Age.
includes two such bracelets. Multi-spiral types can be dated to the early Hallstatt periodand comprises also open and closed-end bracelets. One of the spiral bracelets from Hinova weighed 261.55 grams and the other 497.13 grams. The former, made of a thinner and narrower gold leaf, had a decoration consisting of two furrows cut along the edges and separated by a median crest. A similar decoration, of a furrow along the median line, decorates a metal bracelet from the deposit found at Sânnicolau Român
, dated to the second period of the Bronze Age.
Finds from Dacia include spiral bracelets made of double gold wire, the largest of which weighed nearly a hundred grams. Gold spiral bracelets of this type have been discovered in Transylvania and Banat
, spanning a long period which begins with the very late phase of the Bronze Age and ends with the middle Hallstatt. Similar pieces made of bronze were discovered in the deposit of bronze objects at Sacot-Slatioara
.
The multi-spiral bracelet type spans a long period of time that includes all Hallstattian stages.
Shaft Graves. It is found in both the Aegean
and east-central Europe from the Neolithic onwards.
Scholars opinions are divided on the source of these comparable traits. One opinion states that the North Thracian spiral motifs originate from the local Eneolithic (Chalcolithic) antecedents rather than from any imported influence. There are specific forms widespread in northern Thrace that are unlikely inspired by the Mycenaeans. It is also argued that these motifs apparently did not appear in the intervening territory of South Thrace. With North Thracians, the spiral motif appears prominently in the form of massive armguard (armlet) terminals, offering physical as well as apotropaic protection. Hoddinott states that the twin spiral terminals, as on the bowl from Biia
, would have been a natural development; either from a local single armlet type or from an Unetice spectacle pendant.
The other opinion attributes the spiral motif to a northward spread of Mycenaean influence. It is argued that the spiral of the Neolithic period disappeared during the transitional period towards the Bronze Age, and even during the Early Bronze Age; therefore, starting from the Middle Bronze Age the spiral would occur because of a Mycenaean sway to the north of the Danube. These comparable features might have been occurred because of commercial relations between the Mycenaeans and Dacians relating to the gold mines of Transylvania.
Whatever may have been the origin of the spiral motif, the craftsmen of the late Carpatho-Danubian Bronze Age IV
and Hallstatt A
had a marked preference for bracelets with a spiral ending, as found at Sacosu Mare. The same décor featuring the coiled disk endings of the single- or double-spiral bracelets is found on contemporary ceramics. There is also a striking resemblance between the gold bracelets from Sacoșu Mare, from Firighiaz (or Firiteaz)
, and from other locations in Transylvania that suggest a spiritual affinity in the proto-Dacian world.
The hoard from Sacoşu Mare consists of bracelets and jewelry dated to the 13th – 12th century BC (Late Bronze Age and Hallstatt I). The golden bracelets, around 74.15 grams (2.6 ounces), have open ends of approximately 6.6 cm (2.6 inches) in diameter. Some terminate with convex volute ends, while others have double convex volute ends. The bracelet's bar is decorated with engraved rows of diamonds flanked by dotted lines.
The finds from Firighiaz (Firiteaz)
, Timiş County
, on left bank of the Lower Mureş River
, are representative of the spiral motif bracelets of this period. The Firiteaz's treasure contains twenty-three bracelets made of gold bar, each weighing 0.2 kg (0.44 pounds), and the hoard is housed in the Vienna Museum. Bracelets made of bronze, similar to the Firiteaz ones made of gold, had been found in Transylvanian deposits dated to the Early Iron Age.
The Firighiaz treasure comprises three types of bracelets:
The earliest type one bracelets did not have ornamentations, while the later ones are engraved with groups of lines and angles or group of lines that alternate with lozenges (i.e. those from Sălaj). This type is also common to the sites in: Domanesti (Sălaj County
), Tăuteni (Bihor County
) and Şpălnaca (Alba County
). Bracelets with quadrangular cross-section had previously been made of bronze, such as those at the beginning of the Hallstatt period. The gold ones are numerous, but are mostly of small dimensions; these smaller ones are considered to have been used as currency.
The type two bracelets coil into spiral discs at only one end (terminal). At a later time, between the 8th and 7th century BC, they coiled at both terminals similar to the type three bracelets.
The designs in type 3 bracelets, double-coiled (one at each of the two terminals), have also been found in bracelets from Biia
(Alba County
Romania), Fokoru (Heves, Hungary) and Bilje
(Croatia).
Spiral types similar to the Firighiaz type two have been found in a large area of Central and North-Western Europe: Bohemia
, North-East Hungary, Moravia
, Silesia
, Poznan
, West Poland, Pomerania
, Lithuania
, North Galicia, Germany (Bavaria
, Wurttemberg
, Turing
, Mecklenburg
) and Romania
. Their prototypes may have been provided by the Lusatian Culture
. Some scholars believe that these bracelets were a kind of defensive weapon. This view is supported by the fact that this type was found usually on weapons deposits in Germany, and that they appear to have been worn on the upper arm, as the traces of wear indicate.
These locally-made bracelets from Firighiaz (Firiteaz), and from other Transylvanian finds, are half the size of the armlets of the similar style found in Germany and they could not be worn. It seems they were simple ornamental objects, a common trait to many similar items found in Romania
. Transylvanian bracelets of this type are described as nearly circular with 57 and 63 mm diameter. Their rods are of a circular cross-section (max. 10 mm thickness) gradually tapering towards the ends, where the cross-section becomes quadrangular and begins to curl in a spiral. The diameter of the spiral discs is 30–35 mm. Each of these discs are made from four spirals.
Acâş
According to Pârvan (1928), the style of Firighiaz artifacts evolved over a considerable period of time into the later form styles of the Dacian Hallstatt
ian bracelets as found at Săcueni
(Bihor County
), Pipea (Mureș County
) and Biia
(Alba County
).
Bracelets with double-volute ends like with Firighiaz type two, but with a different style, have been found at Acâş
and Săcueni
. These are made of lozenge bar with a décor made of relief globule (similar to bracelets found at Saint-Babel
) with double-coiled terminals. The gold bracelets from Săcueni
, as well as those from Acâş
(Satu Mare County
) and Hajdúszoboszló
(Hungary) are typical Dacian bracelets of the Hallstatt period.
Bronze bracelets of this type had previously been found in deposits belonging to the first Hallstatt period. Their ornamentation and groups of motifs is similar to the Firighiaz (Firiteaz) type. Analogous bracelets had also been found at Oradea
. Two bracelets with spiral ends, dated to the Iron Age, have also been found in Dacian tombs of the Lower Danube.
and Pipea, found in 19th century, have an unclear chronology. This series comprises a find from Abrud
and another from an unknown Transylvania
n location. Some archaeologists are reporting them as dating to the Hallstatt, though Márton (1933) dated them to the early La Tene period. Popescu (1956) estimates these can be dated to the Hallstat phase B (1000–800 BC), but no later than C (800–650 BC). whereas Mozsolics (1970) dates them to 1,500 BC. The so-called Biia bracelet was found with the Biia gold "kantharos
" that can be dated between 1,500 and 1,000 BC. The handles of this goblet are also coiled into a double-spiral motif similar to other types of bracelets from the Carpathian area (i.e. Firigiaz 3, or Acas-Sacueni).
There, specimens are made of bronze and are prototypes of the Pipea–Biia–Boarta series of bracelets; therefore, scholars agree these bracelets had been made locally, in the Transylvanian goldsmith workshops. This opinion is supported by metal analysis.
These types of bracelets are possibly votive offering
s, reminiscent of the cult of the bull
. Their common trait is the stylized motif of "horns". All of them have large C-shaped "horns" as terminals. As with the spiral, Hoddinott purports that the east-central European bronzesmiths used this horn symbol to provide the warrior with both physical and deistic protection. In the Aegean Shaft Graves it occurs only on a stele, a gold bowl and three pairs of gold earrings, which Hoddinott considers to be possibly of central European origin. This thematic motif of the Carpathian peoples is confirmed by other archaeological finds from Transylvania that include three large rings weighing between 0.20 kilograms (0.44 pounds) and 0.60 kilograms (1.32 pounds). Their terminals are animal heads facing each other, depicting the heads of horses in two cases and bulls-heads in the third. Eluere (1987) identifies the endings of the Pipea-Biia bracelets with the cultic and religious powerful horns of the bull, and estimates that this myth was perpetuated for centuries.
According to Hoddinott (1989), the horned animal cults
that are attested with these horns motifs were brought by the transitional Indo-Europeanization period immigrants who adopted these stylized motifs as their main apotropaic symbol; however, the symbols of the horned animal replaced the local ones but were later associated with the sun-fire symbols of the earlier culture.
The bracelet from Bilje
(Croatia) belongs to the same Biia-Pipea type. Hartmann noted that the percentage of silver and tin in the bracelets from Belly (Croatia) and Pipea (Romania) is almost identical. This suggests both bracelets had been made in the same region. According to Marton, the armlets with semi-moon ends are part of an evolutionary series that terminates with the later silver snake-headed bracelets of the Classical Dacian times.
) was discovered in 1891 and is dated to 600 BC. It might be an example of the last phases in the evolution of the Biia-Pipea gold artifacts (For the photo of Boarta bracelet see the gallery of links ) A very similar copy of the Boarta type has been found with the treasure from Dalj
, Slavonia
.
Unlike the Biia-Pipe type bracelets, the Boarta bracelet is flat, band-shaped, and has three raised ribs resembling the body of two other bracelets from Oradea
. Its semi moon-shape terminals are smaller than the Biia-Pipea terminals; thus, some scholars derive the type of the Boarta bracelet to be from some earlier bronze bracelets whose ends widen and whose bodies have more ridges.
It seems that some other bracelets found at Bihor
, Oradea, Targu Mures and Faget
could possibly belong to the Boarta type, and not to the Biia-Pipea type.
(Hungarian Nagygáj, Romanian Gaiu Mare) in Serbia.
Zoomorphic bracelets
In the past, on the basis of a relatively small selection of archaeological finds, some scholars considered that the art of Geto-Dacians was geometrical and non-iconic. This led to the zoomorphic representations of Dacian bracelets being seen as an expression of the art of the steppes people, and Scythian art in particular. The majority of archaeological finds to date show that the main aspect of Geto-Dacian toreutics
is in fact a zoomorphic motif style of its own. This Dacian style of animal art occurs at the time when various ancient historical sources begin to record the Geto-Dacians as an ethnic entity of the larger Thracian family; therefore, this artistic expression might be considered as specific to the Dacian society of the last centuries BC.
Some scholars sustain that the zoomorphic motifs of that particular time do not represent any kind of zoolatry of the Geto-Dacians. These would be iconographic motifs highlighting and multiplying certain attributes of the deities or of the kings.
(Braşov County) and one from an unknown Transylvanian find. The bracelet from Apoldu de Sus seems to have an ox head at one terminus and a ram's head at the other end.
The ox-head bracelets have been associated with the clay Hallstatian’s Moon idol, with which they undoubtedly share a similarity.
The wires of these series of bracelets are thick, and decorated with ornamental protrusions. Their characteristic decor consists of relief
or incised circles, while there are also those with cuts or incisions that form a fir-tree motif.
A bracelet with ox-heads discovered in 19th century at Târgu Mureş (see picture) had been dated by some scholars to La Tene. Others such as Popescu (1956) dated this particular one to the last period of the Hallstatt, since it might have been deposited together with a semi-moon type bracelet of that period. As for the technique, it is noted that the bracelet from Targu Mures show a control of three-dimensional modeling, with silver inlays. There are two other bracelets of a similar type in the Transylvania Museum, though they are known to be discovered in Transylvania the original site is unknown.
The religious meaning of the sacred horn had been lost over time, the circlets keeping this shape can only be described as decorative ornamentation. The bracelet found in 1817 at Vad–Fagaras (Brasov County) terminating with horse heads depicted as wearing a bridle, is part of the general trend of bracelets replacing the sacred horn as a motif.
. They are dated to the end of the Iron Age I and are found in the context of a hidden treasure of a Dacian nobleman. The treasure comprised 2 kilograms of gold ornaments; a helmet, necklace, appliqués, harness, and buttons for vestments. They were ceremonial ensemble for kings or noblemen and their horses. The bracelets and necklace terminate with protome
s of horse heads and exhibit strong Thracian roots.
The heads have also been interpreted as goat-heads (ibex). Each head is very made of embossed gold foil with a filigree composition, and had sun-symbols on the middle of the forehead. They also have what may be seen as ram's- or goats-horns (see picture "Head 1" on the right). These Băiceni gold artworks of the 4th century BC are viewed as one of the links transferring the Thracian and North Thracian Art forms and motifs across to the Dacian silversmiths.
Iron Age II (La Tene)
Dacians replaced gold, the popular Transylvanian metal during the Iron Age I period, with silver during Iron Age II. The types of ornaments also changed, perhaps due to new social structures and hierarchy or due to changes of the preferences of the populous and sacerdotal aristocracy.
Dacians absorbed influences from the western Celts and eastern Scythians, but also proved their artistic originality. The bracelet style of the former is more individual, as they synthesized the older local elements originating from the Bronze Age into a new combination adapted to include the contemporary decorative forms and motifs.
Objects specific to warriors (armors, harnesses etc.) became preponderant from the 5th century BC onwards, in contrast to the decorative objects (bracelets, torques and pendants) that predominated in the Bronze Age, and in the transition period leading up to the Iron Age. In the 2nd and 1st century BC gold and silver military objects are replaced so that the treasures of the late Dacian La Tene comprise ceremonial ensembles of silver ornaments and clothing accessories, bracelets along with some mastos or footed cup
vases .
The geometrical and spiral motif ornamentation of earlier bracelets is more often replaced with zoomorphic and vegetal representations. The decorations of bracelets that have been found, across the whole territory inhabited by Dacians, consist of lines cut into fir-tree shapes, dots, circlets, palmette
s, waves, and bead motifs.
in Hunedoara County
. The head is geometrically stylized but clearly defined by decorative details. This artifact belongs to the so-called "Classic Dacian" period and described as a "primitive work done by a not skilful hand". It was noted that the snake head is realistically depicted by the representation of the eyes, ears and other elements of the vipera ammodytes
that is so commonly found in the area. The same scholars related these gold circlets to the later silver multi-spirals snake protome
and palmette bracelets from Vaidei-Romos
, Senereuş
, Hetur, Marca
and Oradea Mare. Other scholars consider that Toteşti
snake-headed ornaments should be interpreted on the basis of an abstract contemporary stylistic type, and not as an imitation of reality. In this interpretation Toteşti
bracelets are not connected with the snakes from the region of Deva, but they are a tradition that began in Hallstatt times with the "Scythian rings" and continued into the La Tène period.
In the Scythian tombs of Northern Hungary that are related to the Scythian invasions from around 700 BC, as well as in those of central Romania, spiral-shaped rings known as the "Scythian rings" have been found; with one end forming a fantastic animal, such as a dragon or serpent. These apotropaic creatures, themselves Turano-Siberian varieties of old Mesopotamian monsters, might have provided the model for the Dacian protome bracelet from Toteşti
—but neither the Scythian animals nor the Greek decorations appear to have had great success in Dacia, since the native geometric style continued to predominate.
Analogies to the Totesti bracelets can be found not only to the multi-spiral bracelets, but also in the overlapping-end bracelets whose ends sometimes terminate with stylized animal heads.
Bracelets in the "Classical Dacian" period of the Dacian State
The Dacian silver bracelet is one of the characteristic artworks of this period, and the most representative ornament on them is the snake protome. Dacian bracelets have mainly been thought of as women's adornments but it can not be excluded that some types of bracelets, especially the multi-spirals ones, represented insignia of politico-military and sacerdotal functions and therefore worn by men.
Bracelets became part of the objects that Dacians selected as votive offerings deposited outside settlements. Such offerings have been found in a fountain at Ciolanestii din Deal, Teleorman County, where silver bracelets and vases dated to 2nd–1st century BC were found, and finds beside a lake in a forest at Contesti
, Argeş County, where bracelets, pearls, and a drachma were found.
Types of the La Tene II period (150 BC – 100 AD) include:
. In the contact zone between them the artifacts are common to both zones. In this classification the silver multi-spiral bracelets that are ornamented with palmettes and snake protomes would belong to the southern group.
The characteristic metals used for bracelets found in the area of the Siret River
valley are bronze and iron, though silver was also probably used; a silver bracelet was found with a treasure of coins buried after 119–122 AD.
In the Prut-Dniester region sub-types have been identified such as:
, Bare (Serbia)
, Veliko Središte
and Paraćin
.
The style and type of the bracelets from Tekija and Bare are similar to the Dacian silver types; i.e. bracelets made of twisted wire and bracelets with overlapped ends that are coiled around the wire itself. Even though the origins of this type should not necessarily be located in Dacia itself, since bracelets of this type are scattered throughout the entire Balkan-Danube area, the earliest dated bracelets from Tekija and Bare are very large, as were those typical of the Dacian cultural complex. Bracelets with ends shaped as a head of, or tail of, a serpent are well represented in the Dacian deposits that are found at the Bare.
The Dacian bracelets that are decorated with spiral end-pieces, i.e. Belgrad—Guberevac (Leskovac)
, along with thin Dacian silver necklaces found in East Serbia, characterize the presence of a Dacian La Tene culture at Paraćin
in Serbia.
s had been discovered at Ardeu, Cuciulata (Brasov), Costesti (Hunedoara), Ocnita (Valcea), Pecica (Arad), Simleul Silvaniei (Sălaj), Tilisca (Sibiu) and in the Orăstie Mountains. These ornaments do not seem to be specific to pre-Roman Dacia, as they were widely spread in contemporary Germany, Poland, Czech, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia—all during the La Tene period. Since their diameter is around 10 cm, apart from those found in Simleul Silvaniei and Orăstie which are 6 cm and 7.5 cm, they were probably worn on the arm or as anklets. They have been found mainly in fortresses or important centers of pre-Roman Dacia, and appear to have been prestige items of the local aristocracy.
(Bihor County), Oradea-Sere (Bihor County), Saracsău (Alba County), and Tilişca
(Sibiu County). The bracelets are made of wire turned two or three times to form a semicircular terminal. The three-turns style is seen only with a single bracelet from Cerbăl. These terminals are always decorated with stamped-dotted lines and are dated to the 1st century BC.
This type was designed and preferred by the intra-Carpathian regions. Only one presence occurs in the Danube area, at Iron Gates. Since this bracelet appears to have been a prestige ornament, its presence south of the Carpathians is seen as a component of the relationships between the elites of the two neighboring regions.
The golden Dacian bracelets, and indeed most of the jewelry, that has been found so far are made of unrefined gold from the Apuseni Mountains
.
The silver of the Dacian bracelets and other ornaments of the time always contain between 0.63 and 6.35 % gold. In some scholars opinions, such as Oberländer-Târnoveanu, it was obtained by melting Greek and Roman coins as well as importing from Balkan sources. Others, Popescu for example, support the thesis of a local extraction of silver from the Apuseni Mountains.
The work and typology of the silver multi-spirals snake-headed bracelets suggests the existence of a large manufacturing center, located most probably near the Dacian cites of the Orastie Mountains. From there silver artifacts spread throughout the entire area of modern-day Transylvania; and, as archaeological finds prove, these art works become later known in areas that encompass the modern regions of Moldavia
, Muntenia
and Oltenia
.
In the second phase of La Tène, reasoned on the basis of finds, Dacia appears to have experienced a temporary "silver crisis", probably related to an increase in the minting of silver denarii; therefore, bracelets dated to that time had been made of mild alloy and only plated with a silver layer about 0.1 mm (0.004 inch) thick. The layer was so well welded that the welding can not be identified by the naked eye, even in cross sections. Specimens of the group include finds from Sarmasag
(Salaj County) and Dersca (Botosani County). Ther were also similar finds at Slimnic
(Sibiu County) and Herastrau Bucuresti.
, depicts a feminine divinity wearing some circlets on her arms. Some scholars identified these with a representation of the Dacian bracelet types.
In 1820 at Cioara (today Săliştea a fragmentary gilded silver plaque was discovered, dated to La Tène III, and primitively decorated au repousse ("by embossing"), with representations of two human characters, probably warriors. Hatched bands are visible on the arms and wrists that resemble regular bracelets. Even though the motifs of the plaque do not seem to be local, since it differs in some respects from those depicted on Trajan's Column
, the silver-work itself seems to be Dacian. Other than the Dacians, no-one was working in this style at that time. The silversmith who made it is probably the same one who made the well known Dacian snake-headed bracelets from Hunedoara County.
A fragment from the Forum of Roman Emperor Trajan (2nd century AD) in Rome has a relief of a seated female, probably a Dacian (Dacia Capta – "the conquered Dacia"). She is depicted wearing a bracelet on each arm below the shoulder.
s. They are exhibited or kept in repositories and museums in Bucharest (Romania), Budapest (Hungary) and Belgrade (Serbia). Additionally the Kunsthistorisches Museum
holds Dacian silver bracelets such as the one found at Orastie
(Hunedoara County) and the one from Feldioara (Brasov County).
All of these silver works are characterized by their large size. For example, the one found at Senereuş
, now in the Brukenthal Museum weights aropund 0.4 kilograms (0.88 pounds). The wire used is 206 cm (6 feet 9 inches) long and 0.4 cm (0.157 inches) thick, while the heads are 21 cm each (8.26 inches). The inside diameter of the coils is 12.5 cm (4.92 inches) with an outside diamter of 13.3 cm (5.2 inches). These large diameters and the heavy weight of these armlets would suggest wearing them on the upper arm or on the leg. The coils of the specimen from Cluj Napoca have an even bigger outside diameter at 16 cm (6.3 inches); therefore, it is supposed that it was worn on the thigh or forearm over clothes
The specimen from the Transylvanian Museum at Cluj weighs 0.358 kilograms (0.79 pounds). It has been made by hammering a silver bar of a circular cross-section. It has 4 spirals and the ends are flattened, decorated with seven palmettes made by punching. The surfaces of the palmettes, and their extremities, are decorated with the "fir-tree" motif and incised circles.
The multi-spiral from Belgrad Museum has an interesting particularity in that the impression of the palmette motif has two puncheon
s of different dimensions. This might have been done in order to avoid the stereotypy of models.
Snakes are depicted in Dacian toreutics from the 6th–5th century BC, and also in the later period. Both types of bracelets with snake protomes, those of simple and multiple spirals, show an ancient Thracian tradition from the Hallstatt period (the Geto-Thracian period) of Geto-Dacian art evolution. Snake-shaped bracelets, and other ornaments of the same kind, speak not only of the spread of the decorative motif but also of a symbol and significance of this motif in the Dacian period.
Some scholars suppose that the Scythians provided the model of the snake décor found in the Classical Dacian bracelets, on the basis that the semi-spiraled Scythian snake type rings, were common in Dacia after the Hallstatt period. Those rings might have been continuously used until the La Tène period, or perhaps until the Roman era, as can be seen with a necropolis from Caşolţ
, Sibiu County.. If this was the case, Shchukin suggests it was a matter of transferred ideas rather than of imports.
These bracelets types can be explained by the typology of the local tradition of the Hallstattian period; and there were similar bracelets in the Thracian world of today's Romania and Bulgaria. Such examples include a mid 3rd century BC spiral dragon-headed ring; a spiral snake-headed ring from Nesebar (Messembria)
; 4th century BC spiraled bracelets from Aitos; and a 3rd century BC snake-headed ring of unknown origin in the British Museum.
The manufacture of the spirals, by wrapping the silver wire several times, belongs to the traditions of the Bronze Age; but those with their ends flattened, and decorated on the outside with intaglio palmettes, belong to a more modern style according to Popescu. The way in which these dragon patterned bracelets were developed by the Dacians was new, while its resemblance to the workmanship and style of other countries are so few, that these bracelets might very well be considered as specifically Dacian. It can be distinguished as a Dacian style since they remained faithful to their own geometric representations, and the palmette motif is not found in the neighboring areas.
The bracelet discovered around 1856 at Orăștie
consists of a single silver wire, with a circular cross-section, coiled into eight equal spirals terminating in a dragon head at both ends. It is analogous to the bracelet from Feldioara but its head is different in that the head is almost triangular. It has been made in a richer figurative manner than others.
The multi-spiral bracelet with zoomorphic (snake?) ends, found in 1859 with a treasure from Feldioara
, is different because of the widened muzzle of the protome
terminals. In the middle of the snake head the Dacian silversmith engraved braids, by the use of puncheons, consisting of two rows of small, oblique, divergent traits. The snake's eyes are depicted as two circles. A strong profile separates the head from a relatively rectangular plaque with rounded corners, and slightly arched edges representing the mane of the Dacian dragon
. The profiled relief edges of the bracelet's rectangular plaque and its decoration with two rows of divergent slashes are suggestive of the mane of a dragon or wolf.
The bracelets from the Museum of Transylvania found in Cluj, Hetiur (Mureș County
) and Ghelința
are characterized by a more trenchant cutting and a more prominent relief for modeling the head. These traits are unlikely to represent a specific ophidian form and the longitudinal axis is marked by a stylistically different means.
The zoomorphic motif of the bracelets depicts a fantastic animal with the head and body of a serpent but the muzzle of a mammal, pointed or square, with a thick mane flowing on its back prolonged by a poly-lobed (multiple palmettes) body. The analysis of these Dacian symbols, performed by scholars—such as Florescu (1979), Parvan (1926), and Bichir (1984)—conclude that the symbol of the snake or dragon appears on the Geto-Dacian La Tene bracelets and on the Dacian standard (flag)
that can be seen on Trajan's Column
. The Dacians dragon probably combines two meanings: the agility and redoubtable ferocity of the wolf with the protective role of the snake. It was supposed to encourage the Getae
and to scare their enemies. It also appeared to have been the only one known representation of the religious character of the Dacians of the time. Scholastic interpretations vary between considering this a representation of a "flying dragon", related to a Sky God, or a chthonic
symbol.
Some bracelets from south of the Carpathians, such as those from Coada Malului, Bălăneşti
and Rociu
; and some from north of the Carpathians such as those from Dârlos
and Vaidei (Romos)
) do not have decorative elements to mark the median line on the rectangular plaque (the wider and flat portion coming next to the head). They instead have wavy lines, finely engraved, suggesting a mane or ridge. A similar style is seen in specimens from Senereuş
, Dupuş (Sibiu County) and from the unknown Transylvanian site, the fragment of which is kept at the Budapest Museum. On the latter, the beam of wavy lines has been replaced by horizontal, short and dense, finely engraved lines.
The rectangular portion of the bracelets from Bălăneşti and Transylvania show a tendency to split into two teardrop-shaped lobes. On the subgroup of bracelets from Coada Malului, the fir-tree is depicted only schematically.
It was also noted that the snakes from the Agighiol artifacts of the 4th century BC, especially the depicted heads of snakes, have a stylization similar to that of the Dacian bracelet protomes; they have the same triangular form, and the same distribution of the decorations that mark the eye of the snake.
site. Scholars, such as Popescu, related the chain of successive palmettes of the Dacian bracelets to the decoration of the borders on the Scythian Melgunov dagger sheath from the 6th century BC. Others consider that several multi-spiral bracelets, i.e. from Balanesti
(Olt), have the same palmette motif as the typical decorations of the 4th century BC Thracian-Getic helmet from Agighiol (com. Valea Nucarilor)
, Tulcea
. In the opinion of Berciu, the palmette motif was adopted from the Greeks of the Black Sea coast during the Geto-Thracian Art period.
Dacian bracelets exhibit four decorative types of leaf-like triangular lobes: first is the most complex is of oval or triangular palmettes; the second is interpreted as representing fern leaves (e.g. the Orastie bracelet); the third is the fir-tree motif, where the rounded lobes become straight lines resembling a fir-tree branch; and the fourth whose shape preserves only the medial vein and the circles, suggesting the spiral arching of the lobes (e.g. the Feldioara bracelet).
The palmettes are more precisely outlined and more faithfully preserve the original lobes and palmette character, with several bracelets such as those from the Cluj Museum, Hetiur and Ghelinta. They are farthest away from a schematic fir-tree motif. A stylized ivy leaf-like style is common to the group of bracelets from Coada Malului, Rociu and Bălăneşti (Arges County
), and Dupuş. It is formed using carved lines doubled with a fine series of dots.
The decorative snake style has been adopted in other types of ornaments, such as earrings from Răcătău and spiral rings from Sprâncenata
and Popeşti-Novaci
.
The silver ring from Măgura, Teleorman
has four-and-a-half multi-spirals with snake-head terminals and a chain of five palmettes. It belongs to a small silver treasure—comprising three denarii that could be dated between 148–106 BC, and one ornament (the ring)—fortuitously discovered in 2005 and 2006 in a spot 330 m from Măgura village. The ring is considered by some, e.g. Mirea (2009), to be a miniaturized representation of the typical multi-spiral bracelets terminating with palmettes and snake protomes. There are particular analogies with the bracelets from Bălăneşti–Olt and Rociu–Argeş; as well as analogies with the spiral rings from Sprâncenata and Popeşti. The decorations are similar to a motif of the gold multi-spiral bracelets discovered in 1999–2001 at Sarmizegetusa Regia.
Bulgaria) and one Dacian silver bracelet from Velika Vrbica
(Serbia), belong to the same typology. Some of this type of bracelets, such as the one in the Cluj-Napoca Transilvanias History Museum and the two others in the National Museum Budapet (Hungary), are from unknown Transylvanian sites.
It is possible the big silver multi-spirals were used with clothes worn for special celebrations, though they do not seem to have a simply decorative use. The context of burying these prestige aristocratic insignia suggests that the treasures they compound were rather votive deposits than funeral offerings (cenotaph
?).
The silver snake-headed multi-spiral bracelets are found in the context of the so-called Dacian silver treasures. A significant fact regarding these treasures is the specificity of the time frame, from around 125 BC – 25 AD (one century). In historical terms, they are contemporary to the reigns of Burebista
, Deceneus
and Comosicus
. It is probable that the hoards of silver bracelets and ornaments of the late Geto-Dacian began to be produced just prior to the reign of Burebista
, a possible example being the one from Sâncrăieni. The manufacturing of silver ornaments continued during his reign, although to a lesser extent (perhaps due to his authoritarian, despotic and purist nature), and mostly after his suppression of the manufacture (44 BC – 46 AD); therefore the silver hoard production lasted almost a century. The burying of these Dacian silver jewelry items and bracelets (those made between 44 BC and 46 AD) occurred in the same period of time that was characterized by a scarcity of silver due to the turbulent situation in Dacia.
This particular type of design has an unitary typology and a highly standardized character. It does not contain goods that had been accumulated over years, but only sets of certain objects. Also, they have not been found in the context of settlements but outside them, on carefully prepared deposits. These objects had not been temporarily concealed or hidden, because of some exposure to dangerous situations, but they were rather supposed to preserve the symbolic attributes of the social status in the afterlife.
Several Dacian bracelets reached the collections of the Kunsthistorisches Vienna Museum through various channels: administrative, auctions, purchases, and donations. Though they were found in Transylvania, and belong to the similar archaeological context of the other Dacian silver treasures, they are rather accidental discoveries from the west and south of the Transylvanian plateau—both in the areas of the greatest concentration of Dacian culture in the Orăştie and Apuseni Mountains
, where precious metal mineral deposits were, and are, to be found.
Gold multi-spiraled dragon-headed and animal protome bracelets
Gold artifacts in general, and gold bracelets in particular, have been scarce archaeological finds during excavations. An explanation could be that the Romans collected all gold objects by force after conquering Dacia. Some, including Manaila, explained the scarcity of these kinds of archaeological finds as due to Dacian religious reasons, all gold being collected by the priests and given to the Dacian king. Numerous researchers, including Rustoiu, argued the existence of a royal monopoly of the gold and silver exploitation in Dacia; and that after the Roman conquest, this monopoly passed to the Roman Emperor.
(Prahova County), Senereuş (Hunedoara County), Orăştie
(Hunedoara County) and Herăstrău-Bucureşti. Most of them exhibit similar design and artistic themes, but there are no two identical bracelets.
The decorations on these bracelets is similar to the style of the ring from Magura (Teleorman County
).
One such bracelet recovered in 2007 has both terminals depicting a stylized animal head, which represents a snake with a long muzzle, and is decorated with arched lines. The rectangular plaque's surface is decorated with transverse rows of arched incisions, grouped in four and a half metopes
. The body is composed of seven palmettes, consisting of a fir tree-shape, and a dotted line in the middle, while the terminals oppose each other.
The number of spirals varies from six to eight. When uncoiled, some bracelets measure 2.30 m and others 2.80 m. The outside diameters range from 91 to 123 mm. The spirals consist of flat rectangular strips with richly incised decorations and stylized palmettes. In most of them, seven palmettes decorate both ends of the bracelets. The bracelets terminate with a decorative protoma
, a beast-head motif which looks like the head of an animal (a wolf, a snake or a dog). The goldsmith
technique, used for manufacturing all of these gold armlets, was the cold hammering of a rectangular-shaped gold ingot, followed by punching and engraving for their decorations. This was a typical method used by Dacians from the 4th century BC – 1st century AD.
A bracelet recovered in 2009 has ten spirals. The terminals depict a stylized snake protome. The long muzzle is straight cut and the eyes and eyebrows are represented by curved lines. The head continues onto a rectangular plaque of 3.4 cm in length whose relief edges are decorated with incised oblique lines in a "V" shape, separated by a medial line. This is followed by a series of six triangular-oval palmettes, made by three puncheons, and with a length of 14.3 cm. The first puncheon made the first two palmettes, the second made the next two palmettes, and the third was used for the last—which is also the smallest palmette. The palmettes have a foliage design and their edges are raised and decorated with small incised oblique lines.
Some two dozen of the gold multi-spiral zoomorphic-headed bracelets were discovered by archaeological looting in different spots in the area of Sarmisegetusa Regia, in the Orăștie Mountains. By 2011, twelve out of the twenty-four looted gold bracelets had been recovered and are housed at the Romanian National History Museum in Bucharest.
An archaeological context has been reconstituted on the basis of a forensic science approach, technical description, and archaeological interpretation. The multi-spiral bracelets had been uncovered from pits near to the "Sacred area" of the Dacian capital at Sarmizegetusa Regia (Hunedoara County), around 600 m from the sacred enclosure. The pits are located on the steep rocky slopes outside the ancient settlements, in a narrow valley. The bracelets site is located on a very steep and rocky area that involves a difficult climb and hinders "classical" archaeological approaches and research.
The treasure hunters discovered a spot where they found ten golden bracelets in a pit dug into natural rock on a 70° slope. The pit had two distinct overlapped cavities of triangular shape made of slabs, one containing six gold multi-spiral bracelets and the other four, that had each been deposited in pairs; the smaller bracelets were inserted into the larger ones. The finding of bracelets on such steep sloping cliffs, and at the outer limits (eastern) of the settlements, provides a new perspective regarding the ancient sites used for depositing artifacts with special religious significance. These deposits are composed of the same type of ornaments that have identical function and significance.
The general circumstances of the placement of these bracelets, deposited by the ancient populous, in these specially constructed pits and covered with uncut slabs imply that these artifacts were components of votive offerings. It seems as if these bracelets were used during initiations, or occult ceremonies, restricted to a certain category of people that had very important positions in the state: the king; the leaders of cities; the nobles from the royal entourage; and the priests. This explains the existence of similar pieces made of silver for the leading nobles and rulers of the cities, and the lack of similar specimens made of bronze, iron or other metals. It also explains why these types of bracelet do not appear in written sources, nor the figurative representations of the time.
The chronology of these bracelets corresponds to the emergence of the building of religious sanctuaries, digging and arranging pits with a religious purpose where deposits of offerings to the chthonian
gods had been made.
In 2007 a compositional analysis of these gold objects was performed using a non-destructive method, particle-induced X-ray emission (micro-PIXE measurements) and synchrotron X-Ray fluorescence
(SR-XRF) analysis. More studies were performed in 2008 and 2009 by a team consisting of members from the National Institute for Nuclear Physics and Engineering, Romania, the National History Museum of Romania, and the BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Germany. Researchers compared the gold composition, examining the trace platinum group
elements, Tin
, Tellurium, Antimony
, Mercury
, and Lead
and comparing them with the corresponding elements of natural gold from Transylvania
. This was done since these trace-elements are more significant for provenancing archaeological metallic-artifacts than the main element components. For these studies, several small fragments of natural Transylvanian gold – placer and primary – were analyzed using: the micro-PIXE technique at the Legnaro National Laboratory AN2000 micro-beam facility, Italy, and at the AGLAE accelerator, C2RMF, Paris, France; and by using micro-synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence (micro-SR-XRF) at the BESSY synchrotron, Berlin, Germany. The studies of the teams concluded that the gold multi-spiral bracelets found between 1999–2001 at Sarmizegethusa had been made of native Transylvanian gold and not refined gold.
Because of the adverse conditions surrounding the hoard's discovery, their origins may never be authenticated to the full satisfaction of archaeologists and scientists. Sceptics suggest that the bracelets could have been produced in modern times from metal obtained by melting ancient gold coins, Dacian coins of the KOSON type or Greek Lysimachus coins; however, the analyses performed so far do not confirm the use of gold from these coins in the bracelets' manufacture.
It is most likely that no other group of ancient goldwork has been more thoroughly examined by scientists, technologists and scholars in various countries and various institutions than the Dacian gold spirals with dragon terminals found between 1999–2001 at Sarmizegethusa. In each case-study, and completely independent from each other, their examinations led to the same conclusion.
External links
Gallery / External links to bracelets and other ornaments mentioned in the article
Dacians' bracelets
Dacians
The Dacians were an Indo-European people, very close or part of the Thracians. Dacians were the ancient inhabitants of Dacia...
, a particularly individualized branch of the Thracians
Thracians
The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
. These bracelets were used as ornaments, currency
Currency
In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
, high rank insignia
Insignia
Insignia or insigne pl -nia or -nias : a symbol or token of personal power, status or office, or of an official body of government or jurisdiction...
and votive offerings Their ornamentations consist of many elaborate regionally distinct styles. Bracelets of various types were worn by Dacians, but the most characteristic piece of their jewelry was the large multi-spiral bracelets; engraved with palmette
Palmette
The palmette is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. It has an extremely long history, originating in Ancient Egypt with a subsequent development through the art of most of Eurasia, often in forms that bear...
s towards the ends and terminating in the shape of an animal head, usually that of a snake.
Dacians background
Dacians
The Dacians were an Indo-European people, very close or part of the Thracians. Dacians were the ancient inhabitants of Dacia...
lived in a very large territory, stretching from the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
to the northern Carpathians and from the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
and the Tyras River (Dniester)
Dniester
The Dniester is a river in Eastern Europe. It runs through Ukraine and Moldova and separates most of Moldova's territory from the breakaway de facto state of Transnistria.-Names:...
to the Tisa
Tisá
Tisá is a village and municipality in Ústí nad Labem District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 786 ....
plain, and at times as far as the Middle Danube.
Dacian civilization went through several stages of development, from the Thracian stage in the Bronze Age to the Geto-Dacian stage in the classical period that lasted from the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD. The Thracian stage is associated with the emergence of Thracian populations from the fusion of the local Chalcolithic stock with the incoming peoples of the transitional Indo-Europeanization Period. By the time of Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
, and during the transitional period to the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
, the cultures of this Carpathian area may be attributed to proto-Thracian and even Thracian populations—ancestors of the peoples known to Herodotus as the Agathyrsae and the Getae, and to the Romans as the Dacians
Dacians
The Dacians were an Indo-European people, very close or part of the Thracians. Dacians were the ancient inhabitants of Dacia...
(by Iron Age II). The culture of these nuclear groups were typified by military aristocracies.
In these early times the most specific motifs of the bracelets are the spiral and the horn, used to provide the warrior with both physical and deistic protection.
- The spiral motif (i.e. bracelets from Sacosu Mare, Firighiaz (now Firiteaz)SaguSagu or SAGU may refer to:*Sagu, actual Swedish name of Sauvo, Sweden*Şagu, a commune in Arad County, Romania*Sagu, Burma, town*Sagu, an alternative spelling of sago *Sagu, Korean four-ball billiards...
, SăcueniSacueniSăcueni is a town in Romania. It administers five villages: Cadea, Ciocaia, Cubulcut, Olosig and Sânnicolau de Munte.-Geography:It is located around 42 km north-east of Oradea, in the proximity of the Hungarian border in Bihor County, western Transylvania, Romania.-History:The first written...
) is associated with solar cults. It might have been an inheritance of the local Chalcolithic culture, or an accentuated Mycenian influence to the north of the Danube. - The horn motifs (i.e. bracelets from Pipea, Biia (Şona)SonaSona may refer to:* a female name in Armenian* a male name in Bafaw,a tribe from the southwest region of Cameroon* a name in Hindi, in Urdu, and all other Indo-Iranian languages meaning "Gold"...
, Boarta (Şeica Mare)Seica MareŞeica Mare is a commune located in Sibiu County, Romania. It is composed of six villages: Boarta, Buia, Mighindoala, Petiş, Şeica Mare and Ştenea...
) might have been brought by the intrusive stockbreeders (Proto-Indo-Europeans)Proto-Indo-EuropeansThe Proto-Indo-Europeans were the speakers of the Proto-Indo-European language , a reconstructed prehistoric language of Eurasia.Knowledge of them comes chiefly from the linguistic reconstruction, along with material evidence from archaeology and archaeogenetics...
.
The 5th century BC is associated with the Dacian stage of art and it is the time of the La Tène period (Iron Age II) when Dacian culture flourished, especially in Transylvanian citadels. The Dacian art of Iron Age II has all the characteristics of a mixed style, with its roots in the Hallstatt culture
Hallstatt culture
The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Central European culture from the 8th to 6th centuries BC , developing out of the Urnfield culture of the 12th century BC and followed in much of Central Europe by the La Tène culture.By the 6th century BC, the Hallstatt culture extended for some...
(1200–500 BC). It is characterized by an accentuated geometry, a curvilinear style and plant-based motifs. At this time, besides their older local types, Dacians made all kind of bracelets that were common in the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. But, there was a constant preference of Dacians for decorating the silver spiral bracelets with animals protome
Protome
Protome is an adornment on utensils or works of art in the form of a frontal view of an animal head or bust of a human. Protomes are often featured in ancient art....
such as snakes and wolves.
The period of time between the 2nd century BC and 1st century AD is termed "Classic Dacian". At this time the Dacians developed the art of silverworking, and a style which may be described specifically as the Dacian style. It consists of older traditional local elements, dating back to Iron Age I, but also of elements of Celtic, Scythian, Thracian, and especially Greek origins. The bracelets of this art-form include silver arm rings, with ends in the shape of stylized heads of animals, and heavy spiral-shaped armlets with gilded ends adorned with palm-leaves, and ending in animal-heads.
The Classic Dacian period ends when parts of the Dacian State were reduced to a Roman province by the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
under Trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
, partly in order to seize its gold mines. After the Second Dacian War
Second Dacian War
The Second Dacian War was fought in 105 to 106 because the Dacian king Decebalus had broken his peace terms with the Roman emperor Trajan from the First Dacian War...
(105–106 AD) Romans claimed they had looted 165,000 kilograms (363,762 pounds) of gold and 300,000 kilograms (661,386 pounds) of silver in a single haul, as estimated by modern historians. This amount seems credible in terms of the Dacian exploitation of precious metals in the Apuseni Mountains
Apuseni Mountains
The Apuseni Mountains is a mountain range in Transylvania, Romania, which belongs to the Western Carpathians, also called Occidentali in Romanian. Their name translates from Romanian as Mountains "of the sunset" i.e. "western". The highest peak is "Cucurbăta Mare" - 1849 metres, also called Bihor...
along with trade payments and tributes from abroad. Its existence in only one spot (at Sarmizegethusa), suggests that there was a central control of precious metal circulation. According to the majority of historians this sort of monopoly of precious metals, and the Roman's forcible collection of Dacian gold objects, explains the scarcity of archaeological discoveries consisting of golden ornaments for the period between the 3rd century BC – 1st century AD; however, the existence of the "Treasures of Dacian kings" has been confirmed by the latest archaeological finds of large gold spiral-shaped bracelets from Sarmizegetusa. It seems that the Romans did not find the entire royal treasure.
Types of bracelets in the Bronze Age and First Iron Age
Numerous bracelets were made of bronze and gold and many of them have been found in Transylvania, near the sources of the ores used in their manufacture. They include the following types:- unequally spiraled armlet made of bronze, worn on the forearm that is also called “arm guard” i.e. those found at Apa (Satu Mare CountySatu Mare CountySatu Mare County is a county of Romania. The capital city is Satu Mare. Besides Romanians , Satu Mare features a significant ethnic minority of Hungarians .-Demographics:...
) - equally spiraled bracelet, used frequently in the early Hallstatt i.e. PecicaPecicaPecica is a town in Arad County, Romania. In ancient times it was a Dacian fortress called Ziridava and today it is an important archeological site. Situated at from Arad, it was declared a town in 2004. Its administrative territory extends into the Aradului Plateau...
. - open bracelet with widened ends, made of double gold wire i.e. Ostrovu Mare (Gogoşu).
- bracelet with spiralled or volutes endings i.e. Firighiaz/FiriteazSaguSagu or SAGU may refer to:*Sagu, actual Swedish name of Sauvo, Sweden*Şagu, a commune in Arad County, Romania*Sagu, Burma, town*Sagu, an alternative spelling of sago *Sagu, Korean four-ball billiards...
, Sacoșu MareDarovaDarova is a commune and town in Timiş County, Banat, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Darova, Hodoş and Sacoşu Mare....
. - open bracelet decorated with incisions, with each end coiled in double opposed volutes i.e. Sacoșu MareDarovaDarova is a commune and town in Timiş County, Banat, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Darova, Hodoş and Sacoşu Mare....
and Hodiş (Bihor CountyBihor CountyBihor is a county of Romania, in Crişana, with capital city at Oradea. Together with Hajdú-Bihar County in Hungary it constitutes the Biharia Euroregion.-Demographics:...
). - overlapped ends, rhombic cross section i.e. Sacoșu MareDarovaDarova is a commune and town in Timiş County, Banat, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Darova, Hodoş and Sacoşu Mare....
and Şmig. The treasures from Şmig Sibiu CountySibiu CountySibiu is a county of Romania, in the historical region Transylvania, with the capital city Sibiu.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 421,724 and the population density was 78/km²....
and from Ţufalău (Boroşneu Mare)Borosneu MareBoroşneu Mare is a commune in Covasna County, Romania composed of six villages:* Boroşneu Mare* Boroşneu Mic / Kisborosnyó* Dobolii de Sus / Feldoboly* Leţ / Lécfalva* Ţufalău / Cófalva* Valea Mică / Kispatak-Demographics:...
contained also raw gold, thus suggesting the bracelets had been locally made.
Some bronze bracelet types of the Bronze Age (i.e. incised solid bracelets) continue throughout all the Late Bronze Age and Hallstatt phases.
Various bracelets
Archaeological finds include two gold cylindrical muffs, a characteristic type of the middle and late Bronze Age and widespread throughout Central Europe. Two bronze specimens, both similar to the gold ones, have been discovered at CehăluţCehal
Cehal is a commune of 1,942 inhabitants situated in Satu Mare County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Cehal, Cehăluţ and Orbău villages.-Demographics:Ethnic groups :...
. The open cuff found at Hinova
Hinova
Hinova is a commune located in Mehedinţi County, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Bistriţa, Cârjei, Hinova and Ostrovu Corbului....
, and dated to the 12th century BC, is one of the largest gold bracelets of the proto-Dacians found to date. It is made of large gold sheet of 580 grams (1.27 pounds) in weight and decorated with ten buttons fixed into holes, five on each end.
Bracelets from Băleni, Galaţi
Baleni, Galati
Băleni is a commune in Galaţi County, Romania with a population of 2,675 people. It is composed of a single village, Băleni....
(Late Romanian Bronze Age, Noua Culture) are particularly interesting because of their geometric décor, bands of right or oblique lines. They all have a green patina ranging from dark green to dull green, bluish green, bluish gloss.
The fragmentary iron bracelet from the cremation cemetery found at Bobda is among the few unequivocally dated iron objects equivalent to Hallstatt A 1–2
Hallstatt
Hallstatt, Upper Austria is a village in the Salzkammergut, a region in Austria. It is located near the Hallstätter See . At the 2001 census it had 946 inhabitants...
in this region.
A bracelet with snake-shape endings had been found at the Hallstattian
Hallstatt culture
The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Central European culture from the 8th to 6th centuries BC , developing out of the Urnfield culture of the 12th century BC and followed in much of Central Europe by the La Tène culture.By the 6th century BC, the Hallstatt culture extended for some...
necropolis in Ferigile (Vâlcea County
Vâlcea County
Vâlcea is a county of Romania, in the historical regions of Oltenia and Muntenia...
).
Spălnaca (Hopârta)
The bracelets from Spălnaca (Hopârta)Hopârta
Hopârta is a commune located in Alba County, Romania. It has a population of 1372 . It is composed of five villages: Hopârta, Silivaş, Şpălnaca, Turdaş and Vama Seacă.-References:...
are dated to Bronze Age IV (Iron Age I) and have decorations of geometric characters. Although not directly influenced by the Hallstatt styles, the objects from Spalnaca pre-date the later tendencies for geometric surface decoration of chiseled or engraved lines. Such discoveries at Spalnaca, Guterita and Dipsa show that bronze craftsmanship still flourished in the North Thracians from the Carpathian-Black Sea and Danube areas at the beginning of the Iron Age.
Multi-spiral types
This type of Dacian bracelet originated in the Bronze Age. The hoard found in 1980 at HinovaHinova
Hinova is a commune located in Mehedinţi County, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Bistriţa, Cârjei, Hinova and Ostrovu Corbului....
includes two such bracelets. Multi-spiral types can be dated to the early Hallstatt periodand comprises also open and closed-end bracelets. One of the spiral bracelets from Hinova weighed 261.55 grams and the other 497.13 grams. The former, made of a thinner and narrower gold leaf, had a decoration consisting of two furrows cut along the edges and separated by a median crest. A similar decoration, of a furrow along the median line, decorates a metal bracelet from the deposit found at Sânnicolau Român
Sânnicolau Român
Sânnicolau Român is a commune located in Bihor County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Berechiu, Roit and Sânnicolau Român. These were part of Cefa Commune until 2003, when they were split off.-References:...
, dated to the second period of the Bronze Age.
Finds from Dacia include spiral bracelets made of double gold wire, the largest of which weighed nearly a hundred grams. Gold spiral bracelets of this type have been discovered in Transylvania and Banat
Banat
The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
, spanning a long period which begins with the very late phase of the Bronze Age and ends with the middle Hallstatt. Similar pieces made of bronze were discovered in the deposit of bronze objects at Sacot-Slatioara
Slatioara
Slătioara may refer to several places in Romania:* Slătioara, a commune in Olt County* Slătioara, a commune in Vâlcea County* Slătioara, a village in Strâmtura Commune, Maramureş County* Slătioara, a village in Râşca Commune, Suceava County...
.
The multi-spiral bracelet type spans a long period of time that includes all Hallstattian stages.
Spiral motif
The traditional ornamental motifs of bracelets, the meander and the "whirling" spiral (i.e. Oradea, Firiteaz and Sacosul mare), are thought to follow the spread of a cult of the sun, their decorations suggesting the rotation of the sun on the heavenly vault. This motif is recognized as one of the parallels between the artifact decorations of this North Thracian group and the ornamentations from the MycenaeanMycenaean Greece
Mycenaean Greece was a cultural period of Bronze Age Greece taking its name from the archaeological site of Mycenae in northeastern Argolis, in the Peloponnese of southern Greece. Athens, Pylos, Thebes, and Tiryns are also important Mycenaean sites...
Shaft Graves. It is found in both the Aegean
Aegean Islands
The Aegean Islands are the group of islands in the Aegean Sea, with mainland Greece to the west and north and Turkey to the east; the island of Crete delimits the sea to the south, those of Rhodes, Karpathos and Kasos to the southeast...
and east-central Europe from the Neolithic onwards.
Scholars opinions are divided on the source of these comparable traits. One opinion states that the North Thracian spiral motifs originate from the local Eneolithic (Chalcolithic) antecedents rather than from any imported influence. There are specific forms widespread in northern Thrace that are unlikely inspired by the Mycenaeans. It is also argued that these motifs apparently did not appear in the intervening territory of South Thrace. With North Thracians, the spiral motif appears prominently in the form of massive armguard (armlet) terminals, offering physical as well as apotropaic protection. Hoddinott states that the twin spiral terminals, as on the bowl from Biia
Sona
Sona may refer to:* a female name in Armenian* a male name in Bafaw,a tribe from the southwest region of Cameroon* a name in Hindi, in Urdu, and all other Indo-Iranian languages meaning "Gold"...
, would have been a natural development; either from a local single armlet type or from an Unetice spectacle pendant.
The other opinion attributes the spiral motif to a northward spread of Mycenaean influence. It is argued that the spiral of the Neolithic period disappeared during the transitional period towards the Bronze Age, and even during the Early Bronze Age; therefore, starting from the Middle Bronze Age the spiral would occur because of a Mycenaean sway to the north of the Danube. These comparable features might have been occurred because of commercial relations between the Mycenaeans and Dacians relating to the gold mines of Transylvania.
Sacoşu Mare
Whatever may have been the origin of the spiral motif, the craftsmen of the late Carpatho-Danubian Bronze Age IV
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
and Hallstatt A
Hallstatt
Hallstatt, Upper Austria is a village in the Salzkammergut, a region in Austria. It is located near the Hallstätter See . At the 2001 census it had 946 inhabitants...
had a marked preference for bracelets with a spiral ending, as found at Sacosu Mare. The same décor featuring the coiled disk endings of the single- or double-spiral bracelets is found on contemporary ceramics. There is also a striking resemblance between the gold bracelets from Sacoșu Mare, from Firighiaz (or Firiteaz)
Sagu
Sagu or SAGU may refer to:*Sagu, actual Swedish name of Sauvo, Sweden*Şagu, a commune in Arad County, Romania*Sagu, Burma, town*Sagu, an alternative spelling of sago *Sagu, Korean four-ball billiards...
, and from other locations in Transylvania that suggest a spiritual affinity in the proto-Dacian world.
The hoard from Sacoşu Mare consists of bracelets and jewelry dated to the 13th – 12th century BC (Late Bronze Age and Hallstatt I). The golden bracelets, around 74.15 grams (2.6 ounces), have open ends of approximately 6.6 cm (2.6 inches) in diameter. Some terminate with convex volute ends, while others have double convex volute ends. The bracelet's bar is decorated with engraved rows of diamonds flanked by dotted lines.
Firighiaz (Firiteaz)
The finds from Firighiaz (Firiteaz)
Sagu
Sagu or SAGU may refer to:*Sagu, actual Swedish name of Sauvo, Sweden*Şagu, a commune in Arad County, Romania*Sagu, Burma, town*Sagu, an alternative spelling of sago *Sagu, Korean four-ball billiards...
, Timiş County
Timis County
Timiș , , Banat Bulgarian: ) is a county of western Romania, in the historical region Banat, with the county seat at Timișoara. It is the largest county in Romania in terms of land area....
, on left bank of the Lower Mureş River
Mures River
The Mureș is an approximately 761 km long river in Eastern Europe. It originates in the Hășmașu Mare Range in the Eastern Carpathian Mountains, Romania, and joins the Tisza river at Szeged in southeastern Hungary....
, are representative of the spiral motif bracelets of this period. The Firiteaz's treasure contains twenty-three bracelets made of gold bar, each weighing 0.2 kg (0.44 pounds), and the hoard is housed in the Vienna Museum. Bracelets made of bronze, similar to the Firiteaz ones made of gold, had been found in Transylvanian deposits dated to the Early Iron Age.
The Firighiaz treasure comprises three types of bracelets:
- made of quadrangular cross-section bar; they are tapered at both ends (Type 1, dated to Late Bronze Age)
- made of quadrangular cross-section bar; inverted spirals ends (Type 2)
- made of semi-round cross section bar; these terminate with double volute spirals at each end (Type 3, dated to the 8th–7th c. BC)
The earliest type one bracelets did not have ornamentations, while the later ones are engraved with groups of lines and angles or group of lines that alternate with lozenges (i.e. those from Sălaj). This type is also common to the sites in: Domanesti (Sălaj County
Salaj County
Sălaj is a county of Romania, in the historical regions of Crișana and Transylvania, with the capital city at Zalău.-Geography:Sălaj county has a total area of ....
), Tăuteni (Bihor County
Bihor County
Bihor is a county of Romania, in Crişana, with capital city at Oradea. Together with Hajdú-Bihar County in Hungary it constitutes the Biharia Euroregion.-Demographics:...
) and Şpălnaca (Alba County
Alba County
Alba is a county of Romania, in Transylvania, its capital city being Alba-Iulia with a population of 66,406.- Demographics :In 2002, it had a population of 382,747 and the population density was 61/km².* Romanians - 90.4%* Hungarians - 5.4%...
). Bracelets with quadrangular cross-section had previously been made of bronze, such as those at the beginning of the Hallstatt period. The gold ones are numerous, but are mostly of small dimensions; these smaller ones are considered to have been used as currency.
The type two bracelets coil into spiral discs at only one end (terminal). At a later time, between the 8th and 7th century BC, they coiled at both terminals similar to the type three bracelets.
The designs in type 3 bracelets, double-coiled (one at each of the two terminals), have also been found in bracelets from Biia
Sona
Sona may refer to:* a female name in Armenian* a male name in Bafaw,a tribe from the southwest region of Cameroon* a name in Hindi, in Urdu, and all other Indo-Iranian languages meaning "Gold"...
(Alba County
Alba County
Alba is a county of Romania, in Transylvania, its capital city being Alba-Iulia with a population of 66,406.- Demographics :In 2002, it had a population of 382,747 and the population density was 61/km².* Romanians - 90.4%* Hungarians - 5.4%...
Romania), Fokoru (Heves, Hungary) and Bilje
Bilje
Bilje is a village and municipality on the outskirts of nature park Kopački Rit in the region of Baranja, Osijek-Baranja County, Croatia, situated 8 km northeast of Osijek.-Geography:...
(Croatia).
Spiral types similar to the Firighiaz type two have been found in a large area of Central and North-Western Europe: Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, North-East Hungary, Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
, Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
, Poznan
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
, West Poland, Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, North Galicia, Germany (Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Wurttemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
, Turing
Turing
Alan Turing was a British mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist.Turing may also refer to:*Turing machine, a basic, abstract symbol-manipulating device...
, Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
) and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. Their prototypes may have been provided by the Lusatian Culture
Lusatian culture
The Lusatian culture existed in the later Bronze Age and early Iron Age in most of today's Poland, parts of Czech Republic and Slovakia, parts of eastern Germany and parts of Ukraine...
. Some scholars believe that these bracelets were a kind of defensive weapon. This view is supported by the fact that this type was found usually on weapons deposits in Germany, and that they appear to have been worn on the upper arm, as the traces of wear indicate.
These locally-made bracelets from Firighiaz (Firiteaz), and from other Transylvanian finds, are half the size of the armlets of the similar style found in Germany and they could not be worn. It seems they were simple ornamental objects, a common trait to many similar items found in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. Transylvanian bracelets of this type are described as nearly circular with 57 and 63 mm diameter. Their rods are of a circular cross-section (max. 10 mm thickness) gradually tapering towards the ends, where the cross-section becomes quadrangular and begins to curl in a spiral. The diameter of the spiral discs is 30–35 mm. Each of these discs are made from four spirals.
AcâşAcasThe Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service is a Crown non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom. Its purpose is to improve organisations and working life through the promotion and facilitation of strong industrial relations practice...
and SăcueniSacueniSăcueni is a town in Romania. It administers five villages: Cadea, Ciocaia, Cubulcut, Olosig and Sânnicolau de Munte.-Geography:It is located around 42 km north-east of Oradea, in the proximity of the Hungarian border in Bihor County, western Transylvania, Romania.-History:The first written...
According to Pârvan (1928), the style of Firighiaz artifacts evolved over a considerable period of time into the later form styles of the Dacian Hallstatt
Hallstatt
Hallstatt, Upper Austria is a village in the Salzkammergut, a region in Austria. It is located near the Hallstätter See . At the 2001 census it had 946 inhabitants...
ian bracelets as found at Săcueni
Sacueni
Săcueni is a town in Romania. It administers five villages: Cadea, Ciocaia, Cubulcut, Olosig and Sânnicolau de Munte.-Geography:It is located around 42 km north-east of Oradea, in the proximity of the Hungarian border in Bihor County, western Transylvania, Romania.-History:The first written...
(Bihor County
Bihor County
Bihor is a county of Romania, in Crişana, with capital city at Oradea. Together with Hajdú-Bihar County in Hungary it constitutes the Biharia Euroregion.-Demographics:...
), Pipea (Mureș County
Mures County
Mureș is a county of Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania, with the administrative centre in Târgu Mureș.-Geography:The county has a total area of 6,714 km²....
) and Biia
Sona
Sona may refer to:* a female name in Armenian* a male name in Bafaw,a tribe from the southwest region of Cameroon* a name in Hindi, in Urdu, and all other Indo-Iranian languages meaning "Gold"...
(Alba County
Alba County
Alba is a county of Romania, in Transylvania, its capital city being Alba-Iulia with a population of 66,406.- Demographics :In 2002, it had a population of 382,747 and the population density was 61/km².* Romanians - 90.4%* Hungarians - 5.4%...
).
Bracelets with double-volute ends like with Firighiaz type two, but with a different style, have been found at Acâş
Acas
The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service is a Crown non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom. Its purpose is to improve organisations and working life through the promotion and facilitation of strong industrial relations practice...
and Săcueni
Sacueni
Săcueni is a town in Romania. It administers five villages: Cadea, Ciocaia, Cubulcut, Olosig and Sânnicolau de Munte.-Geography:It is located around 42 km north-east of Oradea, in the proximity of the Hungarian border in Bihor County, western Transylvania, Romania.-History:The first written...
. These are made of lozenge bar with a décor made of relief globule (similar to bracelets found at Saint-Babel
Saint-Babel
Saint-Babel is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.-References:*...
) with double-coiled terminals. The gold bracelets from Săcueni
Sacueni
Săcueni is a town in Romania. It administers five villages: Cadea, Ciocaia, Cubulcut, Olosig and Sânnicolau de Munte.-Geography:It is located around 42 km north-east of Oradea, in the proximity of the Hungarian border in Bihor County, western Transylvania, Romania.-History:The first written...
, as well as those from Acâş
Acas
The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service is a Crown non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom. Its purpose is to improve organisations and working life through the promotion and facilitation of strong industrial relations practice...
(Satu Mare County
Satu Mare County
Satu Mare County is a county of Romania. The capital city is Satu Mare. Besides Romanians , Satu Mare features a significant ethnic minority of Hungarians .-Demographics:...
) and Hajdúszoboszló
Hajdúszoboszló
Hajdúszoboszló is a town in Hajdú-Bihar county, Hungary, 19 kilometres southwest of county seat Debrecen. It is the third largest town in Hajdú-Bihar county.-Location:The town is located in the northeastern part of the Great Hungarian Plain...
(Hungary) are typical Dacian bracelets of the Hallstatt period.
Bronze bracelets of this type had previously been found in deposits belonging to the first Hallstatt period. Their ornamentation and groups of motifs is similar to the Firighiaz (Firiteaz) type. Analogous bracelets had also been found at Oradea
Oradea
Oradea is the capital city of Bihor County, in the Crișana region of north-western Romania. The city has a population of 204,477, according to the 2009 estimates. The wider Oradea metropolitan area has a total population of 245,832.-Geography:...
. Two bracelets with spiral ends, dated to the Iron Age, have also been found in Dacian tombs of the Lower Danube.
"Horn motif" from Pipea, Biia and Boarta
Bracelets from BiiaSona
Sona may refer to:* a female name in Armenian* a male name in Bafaw,a tribe from the southwest region of Cameroon* a name in Hindi, in Urdu, and all other Indo-Iranian languages meaning "Gold"...
and Pipea, found in 19th century, have an unclear chronology. This series comprises a find from Abrud
Abrud
Abrud is a town in the north-western part of Alba County, Transylvania, Romania, located on the river Abrud. It administers three villages: Abrud-Sat, Gura Cornei and Soharu.-Population:...
and another from an unknown Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
n location. Some archaeologists are reporting them as dating to the Hallstatt, though Márton (1933) dated them to the early La Tene period. Popescu (1956) estimates these can be dated to the Hallstat phase B (1000–800 BC), but no later than C (800–650 BC). whereas Mozsolics (1970) dates them to 1,500 BC. The so-called Biia bracelet was found with the Biia gold "kantharos
Kantharos
A kantharos or cantharus is a type of Greek pottery used for drinking. It is characterized by its high swung handles which extend above the lip of the pot.The god Dionysus had a kantharos which was never empty....
" that can be dated between 1,500 and 1,000 BC. The handles of this goblet are also coiled into a double-spiral motif similar to other types of bracelets from the Carpathian area (i.e. Firigiaz 3, or Acas-Sacueni).
There, specimens are made of bronze and are prototypes of the Pipea–Biia–Boarta series of bracelets; therefore, scholars agree these bracelets had been made locally, in the Transylvanian goldsmith workshops. This opinion is supported by metal analysis.
These types of bracelets are possibly votive offering
Votive offering
A votive deposit or votive offering is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for broadly religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally made in order to gain favor with supernatural...
s, reminiscent of the cult of the bull
Bull (mythology)
The worship of the Sacred Bull throughout the ancient world is most familiar to the Western world in the biblical episode of the idol of the Golden Calf. The Golden Calf after being made by the Hebrew people in the wilderness of Sinai, were rejected and destroyed by Moses and his tribe after his...
. Their common trait is the stylized motif of "horns". All of them have large C-shaped "horns" as terminals. As with the spiral, Hoddinott purports that the east-central European bronzesmiths used this horn symbol to provide the warrior with both physical and deistic protection. In the Aegean Shaft Graves it occurs only on a stele, a gold bowl and three pairs of gold earrings, which Hoddinott considers to be possibly of central European origin. This thematic motif of the Carpathian peoples is confirmed by other archaeological finds from Transylvania that include three large rings weighing between 0.20 kilograms (0.44 pounds) and 0.60 kilograms (1.32 pounds). Their terminals are animal heads facing each other, depicting the heads of horses in two cases and bulls-heads in the third. Eluere (1987) identifies the endings of the Pipea-Biia bracelets with the cultic and religious powerful horns of the bull, and estimates that this myth was perpetuated for centuries.
According to Hoddinott (1989), the horned animal cults
Horned deity
A horned deity or, Horned God in mythology represents a solar god often associated with vegetation, that's honored as the Holly King or Oak King in Neopagan rituals. Most often, the Horned God is considered a male fertility god. The use of horns as a symbol for power dates back to the ancient world...
that are attested with these horns motifs were brought by the transitional Indo-Europeanization period immigrants who adopted these stylized motifs as their main apotropaic symbol; however, the symbols of the horned animal replaced the local ones but were later associated with the sun-fire symbols of the earlier culture.
The bracelet from Bilje
Bilje
Bilje is a village and municipality on the outskirts of nature park Kopački Rit in the region of Baranja, Osijek-Baranja County, Croatia, situated 8 km northeast of Osijek.-Geography:...
(Croatia) belongs to the same Biia-Pipea type. Hartmann noted that the percentage of silver and tin in the bracelets from Belly (Croatia) and Pipea (Romania) is almost identical. This suggests both bracelets had been made in the same region. According to Marton, the armlets with semi-moon ends are part of an evolutionary series that terminates with the later silver snake-headed bracelets of the Classical Dacian times.
Boarta type
The bracelet from Boarta (Şeica Mare-Sibiu CountySeica Mare
Şeica Mare is a commune located in Sibiu County, Romania. It is composed of six villages: Boarta, Buia, Mighindoala, Petiş, Şeica Mare and Ştenea...
) was discovered in 1891 and is dated to 600 BC. It might be an example of the last phases in the evolution of the Biia-Pipea gold artifacts (For the photo of Boarta bracelet see the gallery of links ) A very similar copy of the Boarta type has been found with the treasure from Dalj
Dalj
Dalj is a village on the Danube in eastern Croatia, near the confluence of the Drava and Danube, on the border with Serbia. It is connected with the D519 highway and administratively located in the municipality of Erdut, Osijek-Baranja County.-References:...
, Slavonia
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
.
Unlike the Biia-Pipe type bracelets, the Boarta bracelet is flat, band-shaped, and has three raised ribs resembling the body of two other bracelets from Oradea
Oradea
Oradea is the capital city of Bihor County, in the Crișana region of north-western Romania. The city has a population of 204,477, according to the 2009 estimates. The wider Oradea metropolitan area has a total population of 245,832.-Geography:...
. Its semi moon-shape terminals are smaller than the Biia-Pipea terminals; thus, some scholars derive the type of the Boarta bracelet to be from some earlier bronze bracelets whose ends widen and whose bodies have more ridges.
It seems that some other bracelets found at Bihor
Bihor
Bihor may mean:* Bihor County, in Romania* Bihor Mountains, in Romania* Bihor, Montenegro* Bihor , in Montenegro...
, Oradea, Targu Mures and Faget
Făget (disambiguation)
Făget may refer to several places in Romania:*Făget, a town in Timiş County* Făget, a village in Valea Lungă Commune, Alba County* Făget, a village in Ghimeş-Făget Commune, Bacău County* Făget, a village in Breasta Commune, Dolj County...
could possibly belong to the Boarta type, and not to the Biia-Pipea type.
Mosna, Sibiu County
The terminal adornments of this gold bracelet look like animals' heads, but the zoomorphic motif almost disappeared because of the geometric stylization (see picture Mosna 1 above). It is dated to the Hallstatt period. This is not an isolated item, since it is stylistically connected to the geometric and zoomorphism of a collar and two bracelets from Veliki GajVeliki Gaj
Veliki Gaj is a village located in the Plandište municipality, in the South Banat District of Serbia. It is situated in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina...
(Hungarian Nagygáj, Romanian Gaiu Mare) in Serbia.
Zoomorphic bracelets
In the past, on the basis of a relatively small selection of archaeological finds, some scholars considered that the art of Geto-Dacians was geometrical and non-iconic. This led to the zoomorphic representations of Dacian bracelets being seen as an expression of the art of the steppes people, and Scythian art in particular. The majority of archaeological finds to date show that the main aspect of Geto-Dacian toreutics
Toreutics
Toreutics is a term, relatively rare in English, for artistic metalworking, by hammering gold or silver , engraving, Repoussé and chasing to form minute detailed reliefs or small engraved patterns. Toreutics can include metal-engraving - forward-pressure linear metal removal with a...
is in fact a zoomorphic motif style of its own. This Dacian style of animal art occurs at the time when various ancient historical sources begin to record the Geto-Dacians as an ethnic entity of the larger Thracian family; therefore, this artistic expression might be considered as specific to the Dacian society of the last centuries BC.
Some scholars sustain that the zoomorphic motifs of that particular time do not represent any kind of zoolatry of the Geto-Dacians. These would be iconographic motifs highlighting and multiplying certain attributes of the deities or of the kings.
Ox-headed bracelets (Târgu Mureş, Apoldu de Sus, Vad)
The tendency towards the apotropaic zoomorphism that crystallized at the end of the Iron Age I (i.e. bracelets from Biia, Pipea, Boarta etc.) is clearly manifested with the bracelets possessing ornamented ox heads of the Iron Age II (La Tene) from Târgu Mureş (Mureş County), Apoldu de Sus (Sibiu County), VadȘercaia
Șercaia is a commune in Brașov County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Hălmeag , Șercaia and Vad .- Natives :* Augustin Bunea , priest and historian...
(Braşov County) and one from an unknown Transylvanian find. The bracelet from Apoldu de Sus seems to have an ox head at one terminus and a ram's head at the other end.
The ox-head bracelets have been associated with the clay Hallstatian’s Moon idol, with which they undoubtedly share a similarity.
The wires of these series of bracelets are thick, and decorated with ornamental protrusions. Their characteristic decor consists of relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
or incised circles, while there are also those with cuts or incisions that form a fir-tree motif.
A bracelet with ox-heads discovered in 19th century at Târgu Mureş (see picture) had been dated by some scholars to La Tene. Others such as Popescu (1956) dated this particular one to the last period of the Hallstatt, since it might have been deposited together with a semi-moon type bracelet of that period. As for the technique, it is noted that the bracelet from Targu Mures show a control of three-dimensional modeling, with silver inlays. There are two other bracelets of a similar type in the Transylvania Museum, though they are known to be discovered in Transylvania the original site is unknown.
The religious meaning of the sacred horn had been lost over time, the circlets keeping this shape can only be described as decorative ornamentation. The bracelet found in 1817 at Vad–Fagaras (Brasov County) terminating with horse heads depicted as wearing a bridle, is part of the general trend of bracelets replacing the sacred horn as a motif.
Băiceni bracelets
In 1959 two bracelets terminating with "horned-horses", were found at Băiceni (Cucuteni)Cucuteni
Cucuteni is a commune in Iaşi County, Romania, with a population of 1,446 as of 2002. It is located 45 km from the city of Iaşi and 10 km from the town of Târgu Frumos. Neighbouring villages and communes are Todireşti , Târgu Frumos and Cotnari and Ruginoasa...
. They are dated to the end of the Iron Age I and are found in the context of a hidden treasure of a Dacian nobleman. The treasure comprised 2 kilograms of gold ornaments; a helmet, necklace, appliqués, harness, and buttons for vestments. They were ceremonial ensemble for kings or noblemen and their horses. The bracelets and necklace terminate with protome
Protome
Protome is an adornment on utensils or works of art in the form of a frontal view of an animal head or bust of a human. Protomes are often featured in ancient art....
s of horse heads and exhibit strong Thracian roots.
The heads have also been interpreted as goat-heads (ibex). Each head is very made of embossed gold foil with a filigree composition, and had sun-symbols on the middle of the forehead. They also have what may be seen as ram's- or goats-horns (see picture "Head 1" on the right). These Băiceni gold artworks of the 4th century BC are viewed as one of the links transferring the Thracian and North Thracian Art forms and motifs across to the Dacian silversmiths.
Iron Age II (La Tene)
Dacians replaced gold, the popular Transylvanian metal during the Iron Age I period, with silver during Iron Age II. The types of ornaments also changed, perhaps due to new social structures and hierarchy or due to changes of the preferences of the populous and sacerdotal aristocracy.
Dacians absorbed influences from the western Celts and eastern Scythians, but also proved their artistic originality. The bracelet style of the former is more individual, as they synthesized the older local elements originating from the Bronze Age into a new combination adapted to include the contemporary decorative forms and motifs.
Objects specific to warriors (armors, harnesses etc.) became preponderant from the 5th century BC onwards, in contrast to the decorative objects (bracelets, torques and pendants) that predominated in the Bronze Age, and in the transition period leading up to the Iron Age. In the 2nd and 1st century BC gold and silver military objects are replaced so that the treasures of the late Dacian La Tene comprise ceremonial ensembles of silver ornaments and clothing accessories, bracelets along with some mastos or footed cup
Typology of Greek Vase Shapes
Pottery in Greece has a long history and the form of Greek Vase Shapes has had a continuous evolution from the Minoan period down to the Hellenistic era...
vases .
The geometrical and spiral motif ornamentation of earlier bracelets is more often replaced with zoomorphic and vegetal representations. The decorations of bracelets that have been found, across the whole territory inhabited by Dacians, consist of lines cut into fir-tree shapes, dots, circlets, palmette
Palmette
The palmette is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. It has an extremely long history, originating in Ancient Egypt with a subsequent development through the art of most of Eurasia, often in forms that bear...
s, waves, and bead motifs.
Toteşti bracelet
Various single-spiral bracelets made of solid quadrangular (rhombic) gold bars, whose overlapping ends represent the head of a snake, were found in 1889 at ToteştiTotesti
Toteşti is a commune in Hunedoara County, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Cârneşti, Copaci, Păclişa , Reea and Toteşti.-References:...
in Hunedoara County
Hunedoara County
Hunedoara is a county of Romania, in Transylvania, with its capital city at Deva.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 485,712 and the population density was 69/km².*Romanians - 92%*Hungarians - 5%*Romas - 2%*Germans under 1%....
. The head is geometrically stylized but clearly defined by decorative details. This artifact belongs to the so-called "Classic Dacian" period and described as a "primitive work done by a not skilful hand". It was noted that the snake head is realistically depicted by the representation of the eyes, ears and other elements of the vipera ammodytes
Vipera ammodytes
Vipera ammodytes is a venomous viper species found in southern Europe through to the Balkans and parts of the Middle East. It is reputed to be the most dangerous of the European vipers due to its large size, long fangs and high venom toxicity...
that is so commonly found in the area. The same scholars related these gold circlets to the later silver multi-spirals snake protome
Protome
Protome is an adornment on utensils or works of art in the form of a frontal view of an animal head or bust of a human. Protomes are often featured in ancient art....
and palmette bracelets from Vaidei-Romos
Romos
Romos is a commune in Hunedoara County, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Ciungu Mare, Pişchinţi, Romos, Romoşel and Vaidei.-References:...
, Senereuş
Balauseri
Bălăuşeri is a commune in Mureş County, Romania composed of six villages:*Agrişteu / Egrestő*Bălăuşeri*Chendu / Nagykend*Dumitreni / Szentdemeter*Filitelnic / Fületelke*Senereuş / Szénaverős- History :...
, Hetur, Marca
Marca, Salaj
Marca is a commune located in Sălaj County, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Leşmir, Marca, Marca-Huta, Porţ and Şumal....
and Oradea Mare. Other scholars consider that Toteşti
Totesti
Toteşti is a commune in Hunedoara County, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Cârneşti, Copaci, Păclişa , Reea and Toteşti.-References:...
snake-headed ornaments should be interpreted on the basis of an abstract contemporary stylistic type, and not as an imitation of reality. In this interpretation Toteşti
Totesti
Toteşti is a commune in Hunedoara County, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Cârneşti, Copaci, Păclişa , Reea and Toteşti.-References:...
bracelets are not connected with the snakes from the region of Deva, but they are a tradition that began in Hallstatt times with the "Scythian rings" and continued into the La Tène period.
In the Scythian tombs of Northern Hungary that are related to the Scythian invasions from around 700 BC, as well as in those of central Romania, spiral-shaped rings known as the "Scythian rings" have been found; with one end forming a fantastic animal, such as a dragon or serpent. These apotropaic creatures, themselves Turano-Siberian varieties of old Mesopotamian monsters, might have provided the model for the Dacian protome bracelet from Toteşti
Totesti
Toteşti is a commune in Hunedoara County, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Cârneşti, Copaci, Păclişa , Reea and Toteşti.-References:...
—but neither the Scythian animals nor the Greek decorations appear to have had great success in Dacia, since the native geometric style continued to predominate.
Analogies to the Totesti bracelets can be found not only to the multi-spiral bracelets, but also in the overlapping-end bracelets whose ends sometimes terminate with stylized animal heads.
Common Dacian types of the La Tene IB (250–150 BC)
The archaeological findings dated to this period of time comprise the following types:- One-spiral bracelet made of bar with engraved ends (mostly HatchingHatchingHatching is an artistic technique used to create tonal or shading effects by drawing closely spaced parallel lines...
and ZigzagZigzagA zigzag is a pattern made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular....
) - Bracelets with non-joined ends. It originates from Bronze Age i.e. from Spalnaca type
- Bracelet made of bar having a plastic decoration of a Celtic type "S", i.e. Gyoma
- Bracelets with overlapped ends (i.e. SlimnicSlimnicSlimnic is a commune located in Sibiu County, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Albi, Pădureni, Ruşi, Slimnic and Veseud. Slimnic and Ruşi villages have fortified churches. Slimnic village also has a medieval citadel....
(Sibiu County) and SâncrăieniSâncraieniSâncrăieni is a commune in Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania. The former Romanian name was Ciuc-Sâncraiu.- Geography :...
(Harghita County). These are artifacts of local Hallstattian tradition originating from the first period of the Iron Age, and preserved until the late La Tene period. Analogous models dated to the late Hallstatt period have been found at Balta VerdeBalta VerdeBalta Verde may refer to several villages in Romania:* Balta Verde, a village in Podari Commune, Dolj County* Balta Verde, a village in the commune of Gogoşu, Mehedinţi...
and GogosuGogosu, MehedintiGogoşu is a commune located in Mehedinţi County, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Balta Verde, Burila Mică, Gogoşu and Ostrovu Mare.-References:...
(both in Mehedinti County). - Bracelets with slightly widened or thickened ends.
- Multi-spirals bracelet found with SlimnicSlimnicSlimnic is a commune located in Sibiu County, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Albi, Pădureni, Ruşi, Slimnic and Veseud. Slimnic and Ruşi villages have fortified churches. Slimnic village also has a medieval citadel....
treasure. This is a re-adaptation of the older Carpathian spiral bracelet, earlier forms of it have been found in Bronze Age deposits at Balta VerdeBalta VerdeBalta Verde may refer to several villages in Romania:* Balta Verde, a village in Podari Commune, Dolj County* Balta Verde, a village in the commune of Gogoşu, Mehedinţi...
and GogoşuGogosu, MehedintiGogoşu is a commune located in Mehedinţi County, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Balta Verde, Burila Mică, Gogoşu and Ostrovu Mare.-References:...
(Mehedinti County). This type could be considered as being just a simple form of the multi-spiral with protomes and palmettes.
Bracelets in the "Classical Dacian" period of the Dacian State
The Dacian silver bracelet is one of the characteristic artworks of this period, and the most representative ornament on them is the snake protome. Dacian bracelets have mainly been thought of as women's adornments but it can not be excluded that some types of bracelets, especially the multi-spirals ones, represented insignia of politico-military and sacerdotal functions and therefore worn by men.
Bracelets became part of the objects that Dacians selected as votive offerings deposited outside settlements. Such offerings have been found in a fountain at Ciolanestii din Deal, Teleorman County, where silver bracelets and vases dated to 2nd–1st century BC were found, and finds beside a lake in a forest at Contesti
Contesti
Conţeşti may refer to several places in Romania:* Conţeşti, a commune in Dâmboviţa County* Conţeşti, a commune in Teleorman County* Conţeşti, a village in Davideşti Commune, Argeş County* Conţeşti, a village in Sascut Commune, Bacău County...
, Argeş County, where bracelets, pearls, and a drachma were found.
Types of the La Tene II period (150 BC – 100 AD) include:
- Bracelets with the ends curled back around the bracelet's wire i.e. CerbalCerbalCerbăl is a commune in Hunedoara County, Romania. It is composed of eight villages: Arănieş, Cerbăl, Feregi, Merişoru de Munte, Poieniţa Tomii, Poiana Răchiţelii, Socet and Ulm.-References:...
(Hunedoara County) and Remetea (Timis County) - Bracelets made of multiple twisted wires i.e. at CerbălCerbalCerbăl is a commune in Hunedoara County, Romania. It is composed of eight villages: Arănieş, Cerbăl, Feregi, Merişoru de Munte, Poieniţa Tomii, Poiana Răchiţelii, Socet and Ulm.-References:...
In the La Tène Age, this type appears to have been developed from the twisted types of the Bronze Age IV from Spalnaca. - Bracelets with double torsade i.e. CerbălCerbalCerbăl is a commune in Hunedoara County, Romania. It is composed of eight villages: Arănieş, Cerbăl, Feregi, Merişoru de Munte, Poieniţa Tomii, Poiana Răchiţelii, Socet and Ulm.-References:...
- Bracelets made of decorated band with circles and dotted lines i.e. CerbălCerbalCerbăl is a commune in Hunedoara County, Romania. It is composed of eight villages: Arănieş, Cerbăl, Feregi, Merişoru de Munte, Poieniţa Tomii, Poiana Răchiţelii, Socet and Ulm.-References:...
- Bracelets made of ribbed bar
- Bracelets with single- or multi-spirals terminating with snake heads
Regional finds
According to Horedt (1973), silver Dacian treasure finds can be typologically categorized into north and south groups, divided by the Târnava RiverTârnava River
The Târnava is a river in Romania. It is formed by the confluence of the Târnava Mare and Târnava Mică in the town of Blaj. The Târnava flows into the Mureş River after 28 km, near the town of Teiuş.- Etymology :...
. In the contact zone between them the artifacts are common to both zones. In this classification the silver multi-spiral bracelets that are ornamented with palmettes and snake protomes would belong to the southern group.
East of the Carpathian Mountains
The Dacian bracelets that have been found East of the Carpathians can be categorized into two main types:- Non-joined ends i.e. those found at PoianaPoiana, GalatiPoiana is a commune in Galaţi County, Romania with a population of 2,150 people. It is composed of two villages, Poiana and Vişina. These were part of Nicoreşti Commune until 2004, when they were split off....
(Galati County) and Gradistea (Brăila CountyBraila CountyBrăila is a county of Romania, in Muntenia, with the capital city at Brăila.- Demographics :In 2002, Brăila had a population of 373,174 and the population density was 78/km².*Romanians – 98%*Romas, Russians, Lipovans, Aromanians and others....
). Numerous specimens are made of bronze, such as those found at Brad, Racatau and Poiana. - Overlapped ends that are coiled onto the wire itself. This type has ornamentation consisting of geometrical motifs and sometimes of snake protomes.
The characteristic metals used for bracelets found in the area of the Siret River
Siret River
The Siret or Sireth is a river that rises from the Carpathians in the Northern Bukovina region of Ukraine, and flows southward into Romania for 470 km before it joins the Danube...
valley are bronze and iron, though silver was also probably used; a silver bracelet was found with a treasure of coins buried after 119–122 AD.
In the Prut-Dniester region sub-types have been identified such as:
- Bronze bracelets such as those found at TrebujeniTrebujeniTrebujeni is a commune in Orhei district, Moldova. It is composed of three villages: Trebujeni, Butuceni and Morovaia .Situated at 30 km from Orhei and 60 km from Chisinau, the commune is situated on the banks of Raut river on the gorges formed by the withdrawal of the Sarmatian Sea.- History :The...
, MaşcăuţiMaşcăuţiMaşcăuţi is a commune in Criuleni district, Moldova. It is composed of a single village, Maşcăuţi....
and HanscaHanscaHansca is a commune in Ialoveni district, Moldova. It is composed of a single village, Hansca.... - Non-joined ends, bar with vegetal décor such as those from Palanca-TudoraTudora, Ştefan VodăTudora is a commune in Ştefan Vodă district, Moldova. It is composed of a single village, Tudora.A border crossing into Ukraine is located here. The crossing on the Ukrainian side is called Starokozache....
- Bracelets made of 3–6 twisted bronze wires with flattened ornaments in the middle.
- Multi-spiral types, such as the bracelets from the treasure found at MateuţiMateuţiMateuţi is a commune in Rezina district, Moldova. It is composed of a single village, Mateuţi....
(Rezina District) dated to the 4th century BC. This treasure includes two silver bracelets, one with five spirals and one with three.
Moesia Superior
Dacian bracelets have been found in deposits from TekijaTekija
Tekija can refer to:*Khanqah or tekke, type of Islamic religious building*Tekija , village in Serbia on the Danube*Tekija , village in Serbia near Kruševac...
, Bare (Serbia)
Bare (Serbia)
Sadie Bare is a village in Serbia located in the municipality of Knić, district of Šumadija. In 2002, it had 390 inhabitants....
, Veliko Središte
Veliko Središte
Veliko Središte is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 1,269 people...
and Paraćin
Paracin
Paraćin is a town and municipality in Serbia, located in the valley of the Velika Morava river, north of Kruševac and southeast of Kragujevac. In 2011 the town has total population of 24,573 and it has a civil airport, also known as Davidovac Airport....
.
The style and type of the bracelets from Tekija and Bare are similar to the Dacian silver types; i.e. bracelets made of twisted wire and bracelets with overlapped ends that are coiled around the wire itself. Even though the origins of this type should not necessarily be located in Dacia itself, since bracelets of this type are scattered throughout the entire Balkan-Danube area, the earliest dated bracelets from Tekija and Bare are very large, as were those typical of the Dacian cultural complex. Bracelets with ends shaped as a head of, or tail of, a serpent are well represented in the Dacian deposits that are found at the Bare.
The Dacian bracelets that are decorated with spiral end-pieces, i.e. Belgrad—Guberevac (Leskovac)
Guberevac (Leskovac)
Guberevac is a town in the municipality of Leskovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 1875 people....
, along with thin Dacian silver necklaces found in East Serbia, characterize the presence of a Dacian La Tene culture at Paraćin
Paracin
Paraćin is a town and municipality in Serbia, located in the valley of the Velika Morava river, north of Kruševac and southeast of Kragujevac. In 2011 the town has total population of 24,573 and it has a civil airport, also known as Davidovac Airport....
in Serbia.
Bracelets with cord ornaments
An important category of the jewelry in the Daco-Getic environment are bronze bracelets with cord ornaments, whose typology consists of three types held in the Blaj Museum and in Simleul Silvaniei. Such circletCirclet
A circlet is a crown with neither arches nor a cap ....
s had been discovered at Ardeu, Cuciulata (Brasov), Costesti (Hunedoara), Ocnita (Valcea), Pecica (Arad), Simleul Silvaniei (Sălaj), Tilisca (Sibiu) and in the Orăstie Mountains. These ornaments do not seem to be specific to pre-Roman Dacia, as they were widely spread in contemporary Germany, Poland, Czech, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia—all during the La Tene period. Since their diameter is around 10 cm, apart from those found in Simleul Silvaniei and Orăstie which are 6 cm and 7.5 cm, they were probably worn on the arm or as anklets. They have been found mainly in fortresses or important centers of pre-Roman Dacia, and appear to have been prestige items of the local aristocracy.
Bracelets with a double torsade
This type have been found with treasures from Cerbăl (Hunedoara County), Bistrita (Bistriţa-Năsăud County), DrăgeştiDragesti
Drăgeşti is a commune in Bihor County, northwestern Romania with a population of 2,487 people. It is composed of five villages: Dicăneşti, Drăgeşti, Stracoş, Tăşad and Topeşti.- References :...
(Bihor County), Oradea-Sere (Bihor County), Saracsău (Alba County), and Tilişca
Tilisca
Tilişca is a commune in Sibiu County, Transylvania, Romania, in the Cindrel Mountains, 26 km west of the county capital Sibiu, in the Mărginimea Sibiului ethnographic area. It is composed of two villages, Rod and Tilişca....
(Sibiu County). The bracelets are made of wire turned two or three times to form a semicircular terminal. The three-turns style is seen only with a single bracelet from Cerbăl. These terminals are always decorated with stamped-dotted lines and are dated to the 1st century BC.
This type was designed and preferred by the intra-Carpathian regions. Only one presence occurs in the Danube area, at Iron Gates. Since this bracelet appears to have been a prestige ornament, its presence south of the Carpathians is seen as a component of the relationships between the elites of the two neighboring regions.
The material of bracelets
In the Bronze Age IV and Hallstatt periods Dacia was characterized by gold treasures and by a particular gold art, whereas archaeological finds dated to the La Tene period are mostly made of silver. This is a common characteristic of the Illyrian and Eastern Alps regions of the time, and not limited to the Dacian area. Some scholars, such as Glodariu, explain the scarcity of gold ornaments and bracelets in Dacian treasures by a custom of the Dacians, Celts, Germans and Romans in reserving golden ornaments for the king alone. Other scholars, such as Florescu, put forth the hypothesis of religious restrictions regarding the use of gold in the period of the Dacian state.The golden Dacian bracelets, and indeed most of the jewelry, that has been found so far are made of unrefined gold from the Apuseni Mountains
Apuseni Mountains
The Apuseni Mountains is a mountain range in Transylvania, Romania, which belongs to the Western Carpathians, also called Occidentali in Romanian. Their name translates from Romanian as Mountains "of the sunset" i.e. "western". The highest peak is "Cucurbăta Mare" - 1849 metres, also called Bihor...
.
The silver of the Dacian bracelets and other ornaments of the time always contain between 0.63 and 6.35 % gold. In some scholars opinions, such as Oberländer-Târnoveanu, it was obtained by melting Greek and Roman coins as well as importing from Balkan sources. Others, Popescu for example, support the thesis of a local extraction of silver from the Apuseni Mountains.
The work and typology of the silver multi-spirals snake-headed bracelets suggests the existence of a large manufacturing center, located most probably near the Dacian cites of the Orastie Mountains. From there silver artifacts spread throughout the entire area of modern-day Transylvania; and, as archaeological finds prove, these art works become later known in areas that encompass the modern regions of Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
, Muntenia
Muntenia
Muntenia is a historical province of Romania, usually considered Wallachia-proper . It is situated between the Danube , the Carpathian Mountains and Moldavia , and the Olt River to the west...
and Oltenia
Oltenia
Oltenia is a historical province and geographical region of Romania, in western Wallachia. It is situated between the Danube, the Southern Carpathians and the Olt river ....
.
In the second phase of La Tène, reasoned on the basis of finds, Dacia appears to have experienced a temporary "silver crisis", probably related to an increase in the minting of silver denarii; therefore, bracelets dated to that time had been made of mild alloy and only plated with a silver layer about 0.1 mm (0.004 inch) thick. The layer was so well welded that the welding can not be identified by the naked eye, even in cross sections. Specimens of the group include finds from Sarmasag
Sarmasag
Sărmăşag or Sarmaság is a commune in Sălaj County, Transylvania, Romania.-Geography and climate:The commune's altitude is low, between 160m and 379m. The climate is continental, the average temperature in January is -3 °C, in July 21.1 °C. The average annually precipitation is about 627mm. The...
(Salaj County) and Dersca (Botosani County). Ther were also similar finds at Slimnic
Slimnic
Slimnic is a commune located in Sibiu County, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Albi, Pădureni, Ruşi, Slimnic and Veseud. Slimnic and Ruşi villages have fortified churches. Slimnic village also has a medieval citadel....
(Sibiu County) and Herastrau Bucuresti.
Representations depicting the wearing of Dacian bracelets
The Dacian phalera from Lupu-Cergău, Alba CountyCergau
Cergău is a commune located in Alba County, Romania. It has a population of 1,747 and is composed of three villages: Cergău Mare , Cergău Mic and Lupu.-References:...
, depicts a feminine divinity wearing some circlets on her arms. Some scholars identified these with a representation of the Dacian bracelet types.
In 1820 at Cioara (today Săliştea a fragmentary gilded silver plaque was discovered, dated to La Tène III, and primitively decorated au repousse ("by embossing"), with representations of two human characters, probably warriors. Hatched bands are visible on the arms and wrists that resemble regular bracelets. Even though the motifs of the plaque do not seem to be local, since it differs in some respects from those depicted on Trajan's Column
Trajan's Column
Trajan's Column is a Roman triumphal column in Rome, Italy, which commemorates Roman emperor Trajan's victory in the Dacian Wars. It was probably constructed under the supervision of the architect Apollodorus of Damascus at the order of the Roman Senate. It is located in Trajan's Forum, built near...
, the silver-work itself seems to be Dacian. Other than the Dacians, no-one was working in this style at that time. The silversmith who made it is probably the same one who made the well known Dacian snake-headed bracelets from Hunedoara County.
A fragment from the Forum of Roman Emperor Trajan (2nd century AD) in Rome has a relief of a seated female, probably a Dacian (Dacia Capta – "the conquered Dacia"). She is depicted wearing a bracelet on each arm below the shoulder.
Bracelets with a snake-motif
This motif is found with both the multi-spiral bracelets and also with the simple bracelets.- Multi-spiral silver bracelets terminating with portions of palmettePalmetteThe palmette is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. It has an extremely long history, originating in Ancient Egypt with a subsequent development through the art of most of Eurasia, often in forms that bear...
s and snake protomeProtomeProtome is an adornment on utensils or works of art in the form of a frontal view of an animal head or bust of a human. Protomes are often featured in ancient art....
terminals at each end, i.e. those found at CojocnaCojocnaCojocna is a commune in Cluj County, Romania. It is composed of eight villages: Boj-Cătun, Boju, Cara, Cojocna, Huci, Iuriu de Câmpie, Morişti and Straja.- Demographics :...
, Bălăneşti (Mărunţei)MarunteiMărunţei is a commune in Olt County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Bălăneşti, Malu Roşu and Mărunţei....
, RociuRociuRociu is a commune in Argeş County, in southern central Romania. It is composed of four villages: Gliganu de Jos, Gliganu de Sus, Rociu and Şerbăneşti.-History:...
, Coada Malului Drauseni (Caţa)CATACATA may refer to:*Cape Ann Transportation Authority in Gloucester, Massachusetts*Capital Area Transportation Authority in Lansing, Michigan*Centre Area Transportation Authority in State College, Pennsylvania*CATA Línea Aérea an Argentinian airline...
(destroyed by 1941), FeldioaraFeldioaraFeldioara is a Romanian commune located in Transylvania, very close to Braşov . It is composed of three villages: Colonia Reconstrucţia , Feldioara and Rotbav ....
and OrastieOrastieOrăștie is a city in Hunedoara County, south-western Transylvania, Romania.-History:7th–9th century – on the site of an old swamp , which today is the old center of town, it was a human settlement whose traces have been scattered into the X-th century by the construction of the first...
. The endings of some of the bracelets were gilded: i.e. Coada Malului and OrastieOrastieOrăștie is a city in Hunedoara County, south-western Transylvania, Romania.-History:7th–9th century – on the site of an old swamp , which today is the old center of town, it was a human settlement whose traces have been scattered into the X-th century by the construction of the first...
.
- Multi-spiral bracelets with snake-heads at each terminal, but whose terminals do not have the palmettes, that are plaques decorated with large scales, i.e. those from Herastrau (Bucuresti) dated to the 1st century BC. A bracelet from BunestiBunestiBuneşti may refer to several places in Romania:* Buneşti, a commune in Braşov County* Buneşti, a commune in Suceava County* Buneşti, a commune in Vâlcea County* Buneşti, a village in Cotmeana Commune, Argeş County...
(Vaslui CountyVaslui CountyVaslui is a county of Romania, in the historical region Moldavia, with the seat at Vaslui.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 455,049 and the population density was 86/km².*Romanians - over 98%*Romas, other-Geography:...
) is similar to the one from Herastrau, but it is dated earlier than the 1st century BC.
- Simple bracelets, where stylized snake heads terminate the ends. The ends are either in the shape of an animal’s head summarily but adroitly stylized, as in the case of the SlimnicSlimnicSlimnic is a commune located in Sibiu County, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Albi, Pădureni, Ruşi, Slimnic and Veseud. Slimnic and Ruşi villages have fortified churches. Slimnic village also has a medieval citadel....
bracelets, or in other cases the animal's head is suggested by a few engraved lines, and the decorated ends were gilded. Finds include those from: OcnitaOcnitaOcniţa is the name of several places in Romania:*Ocniţa, Dâmboviţa County*Ocniţa, a village in Teaca Commune, Bistriţa-Năsăud County*Ocniţa, a village in Ocnele Mari town, Vâlcea Countyand in Moldova:*Ocniţa district*Ocniţa, the seat of Ocniţa district...
(Valcea County), PoianaPoianaPoiana may refer to:* Poiana , commonly known as Oyans or African Linsangs, a genus of the mammalian family Viverridae** African Linsang , a species of linsang...
(Tecuci), Săcălăsău Nou (Bihor County), in Romania; and also from JakabszállásJakabszállásJakabszállás is a village in Bács-Kiskun county, in the Southern Great Plain region of Hungary.-Geography:It covers an area of and has a population of 2634 people ....
in Hungary.
- Bronze bracelets cast and incised with snake protomeProtomeProtome is an adornment on utensils or works of art in the form of a frontal view of an animal head or bust of a human. Protomes are often featured in ancient art....
s, i.e. those found in RâşnovRâsnovRâşnov is a town in Braşov County, Romania with a population of under 16,000.It is located at about 15 km from the city of Braşov and about the same distance from Bran, on the road that links Wallachia and Transylvania....
, Braşov CountyBrasov CountyBrașov ; ) is a county of Romania, in Transylvania, with the capital city at Brașov. The county incorporates within its boundaries most of the Medieval "lands" Burzenland and Făgăraș Land.-Demographics:...
, and dated to the 2nd–1st century AD.
Description of the silver multi-spiral bracelets with palmettes and protomes at both terminals
There are about 27 known Dacian silver or silver-gilt multi-spiral bracelets terminating with rectangular plaques and snake head protomeProtome
Protome is an adornment on utensils or works of art in the form of a frontal view of an animal head or bust of a human. Protomes are often featured in ancient art....
s. They are exhibited or kept in repositories and museums in Bucharest (Romania), Budapest (Hungary) and Belgrade (Serbia). Additionally the Kunsthistorisches Museum
Kunsthistorisches Museum
The Kunsthistorisches Museum is an art museum in Vienna, Austria. Housed in its festive palatial building on Ringstraße, it is crowned with an octagonal dome...
holds Dacian silver bracelets such as the one found at Orastie
Orastie
Orăștie is a city in Hunedoara County, south-western Transylvania, Romania.-History:7th–9th century – on the site of an old swamp , which today is the old center of town, it was a human settlement whose traces have been scattered into the X-th century by the construction of the first...
(Hunedoara County) and the one from Feldioara (Brasov County).
All of these silver works are characterized by their large size. For example, the one found at Senereuş
Balauseri
Bălăuşeri is a commune in Mureş County, Romania composed of six villages:*Agrişteu / Egrestő*Bălăuşeri*Chendu / Nagykend*Dumitreni / Szentdemeter*Filitelnic / Fületelke*Senereuş / Szénaverős- History :...
, now in the Brukenthal Museum weights aropund 0.4 kilograms (0.88 pounds). The wire used is 206 cm (6 feet 9 inches) long and 0.4 cm (0.157 inches) thick, while the heads are 21 cm each (8.26 inches). The inside diameter of the coils is 12.5 cm (4.92 inches) with an outside diamter of 13.3 cm (5.2 inches). These large diameters and the heavy weight of these armlets would suggest wearing them on the upper arm or on the leg. The coils of the specimen from Cluj Napoca have an even bigger outside diameter at 16 cm (6.3 inches); therefore, it is supposed that it was worn on the thigh or forearm over clothes
The specimen from the Transylvanian Museum at Cluj weighs 0.358 kilograms (0.79 pounds). It has been made by hammering a silver bar of a circular cross-section. It has 4 spirals and the ends are flattened, decorated with seven palmettes made by punching. The surfaces of the palmettes, and their extremities, are decorated with the "fir-tree" motif and incised circles.
The multi-spiral from Belgrad Museum has an interesting particularity in that the impression of the palmette motif has two puncheon
Puncheon
Puncheon is a tool or instrument for piercing or punching, such as those used for impressing designs onto coin dies. The "barrel" meaning is thought to derive from the fact that it would have been marked by use of a punch to denote its contents....
s of different dimensions. This might have been done in order to avoid the stereotypy of models.
Origins
Snakes are depicted in Dacian toreutics from the 6th–5th century BC, and also in the later period. Both types of bracelets with snake protomes, those of simple and multiple spirals, show an ancient Thracian tradition from the Hallstatt period (the Geto-Thracian period) of Geto-Dacian art evolution. Snake-shaped bracelets, and other ornaments of the same kind, speak not only of the spread of the decorative motif but also of a symbol and significance of this motif in the Dacian period.
Some scholars suppose that the Scythians provided the model of the snake décor found in the Classical Dacian bracelets, on the basis that the semi-spiraled Scythian snake type rings, were common in Dacia after the Hallstatt period. Those rings might have been continuously used until the La Tène period, or perhaps until the Roman era, as can be seen with a necropolis from Caşolţ
Rosia, Sibiu
Roşia is a commune located in Sibiu County, Romania. It is composed of six villages: Caşolţ, Cornăţel, Daia, Nou, Nucet and Roşia.-References:...
, Sibiu County.. If this was the case, Shchukin suggests it was a matter of transferred ideas rather than of imports.
These bracelets types can be explained by the typology of the local tradition of the Hallstattian period; and there were similar bracelets in the Thracian world of today's Romania and Bulgaria. Such examples include a mid 3rd century BC spiral dragon-headed ring; a spiral snake-headed ring from Nesebar (Messembria)
Nesebar
Nesebar is an ancient town and one of the major seaside resorts on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, located in Burgas Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Nesebar Municipality...
; 4th century BC spiraled bracelets from Aitos; and a 3rd century BC snake-headed ring of unknown origin in the British Museum.
The manufacture of the spirals, by wrapping the silver wire several times, belongs to the traditions of the Bronze Age; but those with their ends flattened, and decorated on the outside with intaglio palmettes, belong to a more modern style according to Popescu. The way in which these dragon patterned bracelets were developed by the Dacians was new, while its resemblance to the workmanship and style of other countries are so few, that these bracelets might very well be considered as specifically Dacian. It can be distinguished as a Dacian style since they remained faithful to their own geometric representations, and the palmette motif is not found in the neighboring areas.
The dragon and snake-head motif
Within the multi-spiral group of bracelets with palmette scales, two sub-groups can be stylistically identified – one represented by the Feldioara find and the other by the Orastie find. These sub-groups show that the snake and dragon types were not absolutely immutable in the imagination of the Dacian silversmiths. Two variants were introduced: mammal head – snake head and crest – mane, as well as some transitional versions.The bracelet discovered around 1856 at Orăștie
Orastie
Orăștie is a city in Hunedoara County, south-western Transylvania, Romania.-History:7th–9th century – on the site of an old swamp , which today is the old center of town, it was a human settlement whose traces have been scattered into the X-th century by the construction of the first...
consists of a single silver wire, with a circular cross-section, coiled into eight equal spirals terminating in a dragon head at both ends. It is analogous to the bracelet from Feldioara but its head is different in that the head is almost triangular. It has been made in a richer figurative manner than others.
The multi-spiral bracelet with zoomorphic (snake?) ends, found in 1859 with a treasure from Feldioara
Feldioara
Feldioara is a Romanian commune located in Transylvania, very close to Braşov . It is composed of three villages: Colonia Reconstrucţia , Feldioara and Rotbav ....
, is different because of the widened muzzle of the protome
Protome
Protome is an adornment on utensils or works of art in the form of a frontal view of an animal head or bust of a human. Protomes are often featured in ancient art....
terminals. In the middle of the snake head the Dacian silversmith engraved braids, by the use of puncheons, consisting of two rows of small, oblique, divergent traits. The snake's eyes are depicted as two circles. A strong profile separates the head from a relatively rectangular plaque with rounded corners, and slightly arched edges representing the mane of the Dacian dragon
Dacian Draco
The Dacian Draco was the standard and ensign of troops of the ancient Eastern European Dacian people, which can be seen in the hands of the soldiers of Decebalus in several scenes depicted on Trajan's Column in Rome, Italy. It has the form of a dragon with open wolf-like jaws containing several...
. The profiled relief edges of the bracelet's rectangular plaque and its decoration with two rows of divergent slashes are suggestive of the mane of a dragon or wolf.
The bracelets from the Museum of Transylvania found in Cluj, Hetiur (Mureș County
Mures County
Mureș is a county of Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania, with the administrative centre in Târgu Mureș.-Geography:The county has a total area of 6,714 km²....
) and Ghelința
Ghelinta
Ghelinţa is a commune in Covasna County, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Ghelinţa and Harale .It formed part of the Székely Land, ethno-cultural region of the historical Transylvania province.-Demographics:...
are characterized by a more trenchant cutting and a more prominent relief for modeling the head. These traits are unlikely to represent a specific ophidian form and the longitudinal axis is marked by a stylistically different means.
The zoomorphic motif of the bracelets depicts a fantastic animal with the head and body of a serpent but the muzzle of a mammal, pointed or square, with a thick mane flowing on its back prolonged by a poly-lobed (multiple palmettes) body. The analysis of these Dacian symbols, performed by scholars—such as Florescu (1979), Parvan (1926), and Bichir (1984)—conclude that the symbol of the snake or dragon appears on the Geto-Dacian La Tene bracelets and on the Dacian standard (flag)
Dacian Draco
The Dacian Draco was the standard and ensign of troops of the ancient Eastern European Dacian people, which can be seen in the hands of the soldiers of Decebalus in several scenes depicted on Trajan's Column in Rome, Italy. It has the form of a dragon with open wolf-like jaws containing several...
that can be seen on Trajan's Column
Trajan's Column
Trajan's Column is a Roman triumphal column in Rome, Italy, which commemorates Roman emperor Trajan's victory in the Dacian Wars. It was probably constructed under the supervision of the architect Apollodorus of Damascus at the order of the Roman Senate. It is located in Trajan's Forum, built near...
. The Dacians dragon probably combines two meanings: the agility and redoubtable ferocity of the wolf with the protective role of the snake. It was supposed to encourage the Getae
Getae
The Getae was the name given by the Greeks to several Thracian tribes that occupied the regions south of the Lower Danube, in what is today northern Bulgaria, and north of the Lower Danube, in Romania...
and to scare their enemies. It also appeared to have been the only one known representation of the religious character of the Dacians of the time. Scholastic interpretations vary between considering this a representation of a "flying dragon", related to a Sky God, or a chthonic
Chthonic
Chthonic designates, or pertains to, deities or spirits of the underworld, especially in relation to Greek religion. The Greek word khthon is one of several for "earth"; it typically refers to the interior of the soil, rather than the living surface of the land or the land as territory...
symbol.
Some bracelets from south of the Carpathians, such as those from Coada Malului, Bălăneşti
Balanesti
Bălăneşti may refer to:* several places in Romania:** Bălăneşti, a commune in Gorj County** Bălăneşti, a village in Dealu Morii Commune, Bacău County** Bălăneşti, a village in Podu Turcului Commune, Bacău County...
and Rociu
Rociu
Rociu is a commune in Argeş County, in southern central Romania. It is composed of four villages: Gliganu de Jos, Gliganu de Sus, Rociu and Şerbăneşti.-History:...
; and some from north of the Carpathians such as those from Dârlos
Dârlos
Dârlos is a commune located in Sibiu County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Curciu, Dârlos and Valea Lungă.-References:...
and Vaidei (Romos)
Romos
Romos is a commune in Hunedoara County, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Ciungu Mare, Pişchinţi, Romos, Romoşel and Vaidei.-References:...
) do not have decorative elements to mark the median line on the rectangular plaque (the wider and flat portion coming next to the head). They instead have wavy lines, finely engraved, suggesting a mane or ridge. A similar style is seen in specimens from Senereuş
Balauseri
Bălăuşeri is a commune in Mureş County, Romania composed of six villages:*Agrişteu / Egrestő*Bălăuşeri*Chendu / Nagykend*Dumitreni / Szentdemeter*Filitelnic / Fületelke*Senereuş / Szénaverős- History :...
, Dupuş (Sibiu County) and from the unknown Transylvanian site, the fragment of which is kept at the Budapest Museum. On the latter, the beam of wavy lines has been replaced by horizontal, short and dense, finely engraved lines.
The rectangular portion of the bracelets from Bălăneşti and Transylvania show a tendency to split into two teardrop-shaped lobes. On the subgroup of bracelets from Coada Malului, the fir-tree is depicted only schematically.
It was also noted that the snakes from the Agighiol artifacts of the 4th century BC, especially the depicted heads of snakes, have a stylization similar to that of the Dacian bracelet protomes; they have the same triangular form, and the same distribution of the decorations that mark the eye of the snake.
The leaf motifs of the multi-spiral bracelets
The flattened bands of the bracelets are decorated externally with a chain of geometrized palmettes that have been struck in much the same way as coins. It seems that the leaf-like ornaments have been made by impression, using ready-made moulds, as used in the manufacture of Dacian cups from the La Tène Crasani (com. Balaciu)Balaciu
Balaciu is a commune located in Ialomiţa County, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Balaciu, Copuzu, Crăsanii de Jos and Crăsanii de Sus. It also included Sărăţeni village until 2005, when it was split off to form Sărăţeni Commune....
site. Scholars, such as Popescu, related the chain of successive palmettes of the Dacian bracelets to the decoration of the borders on the Scythian Melgunov dagger sheath from the 6th century BC. Others consider that several multi-spiral bracelets, i.e. from Balanesti
Balanesti
Bălăneşti may refer to:* several places in Romania:** Bălăneşti, a commune in Gorj County** Bălăneşti, a village in Dealu Morii Commune, Bacău County** Bălăneşti, a village in Podu Turcului Commune, Bacău County...
(Olt), have the same palmette motif as the typical decorations of the 4th century BC Thracian-Getic helmet from Agighiol (com. Valea Nucarilor)
Valea Nucarilor
Valea Nucarilor is a commune in Tulcea County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Aghighiol, Iazurile and Valea Nucarilor ....
, Tulcea
Tulcea
Tulcea is a city in Dobrogea, Romania. It is the administrative center of Tulcea county, and has a population of 92,379 as of 2007. One village, Tudor Vladimirescu, is administered by the city.- History :...
. In the opinion of Berciu, the palmette motif was adopted from the Greeks of the Black Sea coast during the Geto-Thracian Art period.
Dacian bracelets exhibit four decorative types of leaf-like triangular lobes: first is the most complex is of oval or triangular palmettes; the second is interpreted as representing fern leaves (e.g. the Orastie bracelet); the third is the fir-tree motif, where the rounded lobes become straight lines resembling a fir-tree branch; and the fourth whose shape preserves only the medial vein and the circles, suggesting the spiral arching of the lobes (e.g. the Feldioara bracelet).
The palmettes are more precisely outlined and more faithfully preserve the original lobes and palmette character, with several bracelets such as those from the Cluj Museum, Hetiur and Ghelinta. They are farthest away from a schematic fir-tree motif. A stylized ivy leaf-like style is common to the group of bracelets from Coada Malului, Rociu and Bălăneşti (Arges County
Arges County
Argeș is a county of Romania, in Wallachia, with the capital city at Pitești.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 652,625 and the population density was 95/km².*Romanians – 96%*Roma , and other.-Geography:...
), and Dupuş. It is formed using carved lines doubled with a fine series of dots.
The same motif seen in other ornaments
The decorative snake style has been adopted in other types of ornaments, such as earrings from Răcătău and spiral rings from Sprâncenata
Sprâncenata
-Position:Sprâncenata is situated in the Romanian Plain, on the left bank of the Olt river, and has a surface area of 62 km². It is composed of four villages: Sprâncenata and Bârseştii de Sus, which are located along the county road DJ 546 , between km 47 and 54, and Frunzaru and Uria, which...
and Popeşti-Novaci
Mihailesti
Mihăileşti is a town located in Giurgiu County, Romania. It administers three villages: Drăgănescu, Novaci and Popeşti.Popeşti village is the location of an important archeological discovery: a large Dacian settlement believed by some historians such as Vasile Pârvan and professor Radu Vulpe to be...
.
The silver ring from Măgura, Teleorman
Magura, Teleorman
Măgura is a commune in Teleorman County, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Guruieni and Măgura....
has four-and-a-half multi-spirals with snake-head terminals and a chain of five palmettes. It belongs to a small silver treasure—comprising three denarii that could be dated between 148–106 BC, and one ornament (the ring)—fortuitously discovered in 2005 and 2006 in a spot 330 m from Măgura village. The ring is considered by some, e.g. Mirea (2009), to be a miniaturized representation of the typical multi-spiral bracelets terminating with palmettes and snake protomes. There are particular analogies with the bracelets from Bălăneşti–Olt and Rociu–Argeş; as well as analogies with the spiral rings from Sprâncenata and Popeşti. The decorations are similar to a motif of the gold multi-spiral bracelets discovered in 1999–2001 at Sarmizegetusa Regia.
Significance and archaeology of the silver multi-spiral bracelets with palmettes and protomes
The multi-spiral bracelets made of plates with zoomorphic extremities, all of them made of silver and sometimes gilded, are characteristic of the north-Danubian Dacian elite, in particular ones from Transylvania. Also, according to Medelet (1976), one Dacian silver bracelet from Malak Porovets (Isperih MunicipalityIsperih Municipality
Isperih Municipality is a municipality in Razgrad Province, Northeastern Bulgaria, located in the Ludogorie geographical region part of the Danubian Plain...
Bulgaria) and one Dacian silver bracelet from Velika Vrbica
Velika Vrbica
Velika Vrbica is a village in the municipality of Kladovo, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 996 people....
(Serbia), belong to the same typology. Some of this type of bracelets, such as the one in the Cluj-Napoca Transilvanias History Museum and the two others in the National Museum Budapet (Hungary), are from unknown Transylvanian sites.
It is possible the big silver multi-spirals were used with clothes worn for special celebrations, though they do not seem to have a simply decorative use. The context of burying these prestige aristocratic insignia suggests that the treasures they compound were rather votive deposits than funeral offerings (cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
?).
The silver snake-headed multi-spiral bracelets are found in the context of the so-called Dacian silver treasures. A significant fact regarding these treasures is the specificity of the time frame, from around 125 BC – 25 AD (one century). In historical terms, they are contemporary to the reigns of Burebista
Burebista
Burebista was a king of the Getae and Dacians, who unified for the first time their tribes and ruled them between 82 BC and 44 BC. He led plunder and conquest raids across Central and Southeastern Europe, subjugating most of the neighbouring tribes...
, Deceneus
Deceneus
Deceneus refers in The Origin and Deeds of the Goths by Jordanes to two different men in Dacia:* Deceneus, the predecessor of Zalmoxis in the distant past ....
and Comosicus
Comosicus
Comosicus was a Dacian king and high priest who lived in the 1st century BC....
. It is probable that the hoards of silver bracelets and ornaments of the late Geto-Dacian began to be produced just prior to the reign of Burebista
Burebista
Burebista was a king of the Getae and Dacians, who unified for the first time their tribes and ruled them between 82 BC and 44 BC. He led plunder and conquest raids across Central and Southeastern Europe, subjugating most of the neighbouring tribes...
, a possible example being the one from Sâncrăieni. The manufacturing of silver ornaments continued during his reign, although to a lesser extent (perhaps due to his authoritarian, despotic and purist nature), and mostly after his suppression of the manufacture (44 BC – 46 AD); therefore the silver hoard production lasted almost a century. The burying of these Dacian silver jewelry items and bracelets (those made between 44 BC and 46 AD) occurred in the same period of time that was characterized by a scarcity of silver due to the turbulent situation in Dacia.
This particular type of design has an unitary typology and a highly standardized character. It does not contain goods that had been accumulated over years, but only sets of certain objects. Also, they have not been found in the context of settlements but outside them, on carefully prepared deposits. These objects had not been temporarily concealed or hidden, because of some exposure to dangerous situations, but they were rather supposed to preserve the symbolic attributes of the social status in the afterlife.
Several Dacian bracelets reached the collections of the Kunsthistorisches Vienna Museum through various channels: administrative, auctions, purchases, and donations. Though they were found in Transylvania, and belong to the similar archaeological context of the other Dacian silver treasures, they are rather accidental discoveries from the west and south of the Transylvanian plateau—both in the areas of the greatest concentration of Dacian culture in the Orăştie and Apuseni Mountains
Apuseni Mountains
The Apuseni Mountains is a mountain range in Transylvania, Romania, which belongs to the Western Carpathians, also called Occidentali in Romanian. Their name translates from Romanian as Mountains "of the sunset" i.e. "western". The highest peak is "Cucurbăta Mare" - 1849 metres, also called Bihor...
, where precious metal mineral deposits were, and are, to be found.
Gold multi-spiraled dragon-headed and animal protome bracelets
Gold artifacts in general, and gold bracelets in particular, have been scarce archaeological finds during excavations. An explanation could be that the Romans collected all gold objects by force after conquering Dacia. Some, including Manaila, explained the scarcity of these kinds of archaeological finds as due to Dacian religious reasons, all gold being collected by the priests and given to the Dacian king. Numerous researchers, including Rustoiu, argued the existence of a royal monopoly of the gold and silver exploitation in Dacia; and that after the Roman conquest, this monopoly passed to the Roman Emperor.
Description
These gold bracelets, adorned with leaves and snake heads, weigh around 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) each. There are remarkable analogies between the gold armlets and those made of silver from Coada MaluluiMagurele, Prahova
Măgurele is a commune in Prahova County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Coada Malului, Iazu and Măgurele....
(Prahova County), Senereuş (Hunedoara County), Orăştie
Orastie
Orăștie is a city in Hunedoara County, south-western Transylvania, Romania.-History:7th–9th century – on the site of an old swamp , which today is the old center of town, it was a human settlement whose traces have been scattered into the X-th century by the construction of the first...
(Hunedoara County) and Herăstrău-Bucureşti. Most of them exhibit similar design and artistic themes, but there are no two identical bracelets.
The decorations on these bracelets is similar to the style of the ring from Magura (Teleorman County
Teleorman County
Teleorman is a county of Romania, in the historical region Muntenia, with its capital city at Alexandria.The name Teleorman is of Cumanic origin. It literally means crazy forest and, by extension, "thick and shadowy forest" in the Cuman language...
).
One such bracelet recovered in 2007 has both terminals depicting a stylized animal head, which represents a snake with a long muzzle, and is decorated with arched lines. The rectangular plaque's surface is decorated with transverse rows of arched incisions, grouped in four and a half metopes
Metope (architecture)
In classical architecture, a metope is a rectangular architectural element that fills the space between two triglyphs in a Doric frieze, which is a decorative band of alternating triglyphs and metopes above the architrave of a building of the Doric order...
. The body is composed of seven palmettes, consisting of a fir tree-shape, and a dotted line in the middle, while the terminals oppose each other.
The number of spirals varies from six to eight. When uncoiled, some bracelets measure 2.30 m and others 2.80 m. The outside diameters range from 91 to 123 mm. The spirals consist of flat rectangular strips with richly incised decorations and stylized palmettes. In most of them, seven palmettes decorate both ends of the bracelets. The bracelets terminate with a decorative protoma
Protoma
Protoma is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Turritellidae....
, a beast-head motif which looks like the head of an animal (a wolf, a snake or a dog). The goldsmith
Goldsmith
A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Since ancient times the techniques of a goldsmith have evolved very little in order to produce items of jewelry of quality standards. In modern times actual goldsmiths are rare...
technique, used for manufacturing all of these gold armlets, was the cold hammering of a rectangular-shaped gold ingot, followed by punching and engraving for their decorations. This was a typical method used by Dacians from the 4th century BC – 1st century AD.
A bracelet recovered in 2009 has ten spirals. The terminals depict a stylized snake protome. The long muzzle is straight cut and the eyes and eyebrows are represented by curved lines. The head continues onto a rectangular plaque of 3.4 cm in length whose relief edges are decorated with incised oblique lines in a "V" shape, separated by a medial line. This is followed by a series of six triangular-oval palmettes, made by three puncheons, and with a length of 14.3 cm. The first puncheon made the first two palmettes, the second made the next two palmettes, and the third was used for the last—which is also the smallest palmette. The palmettes have a foliage design and their edges are raised and decorated with small incised oblique lines.
Context
An archaeological context has been reconstituted on the basis of a forensic science approach, technical description, and archaeological interpretation. The multi-spiral bracelets had been uncovered from pits near to the "Sacred area" of the Dacian capital at Sarmizegetusa Regia (Hunedoara County), around 600 m from the sacred enclosure. The pits are located on the steep rocky slopes outside the ancient settlements, in a narrow valley. The bracelets site is located on a very steep and rocky area that involves a difficult climb and hinders "classical" archaeological approaches and research.
The treasure hunters discovered a spot where they found ten golden bracelets in a pit dug into natural rock on a 70° slope. The pit had two distinct overlapped cavities of triangular shape made of slabs, one containing six gold multi-spiral bracelets and the other four, that had each been deposited in pairs; the smaller bracelets were inserted into the larger ones. The finding of bracelets on such steep sloping cliffs, and at the outer limits (eastern) of the settlements, provides a new perspective regarding the ancient sites used for depositing artifacts with special religious significance. These deposits are composed of the same type of ornaments that have identical function and significance.
The general circumstances of the placement of these bracelets, deposited by the ancient populous, in these specially constructed pits and covered with uncut slabs imply that these artifacts were components of votive offerings. It seems as if these bracelets were used during initiations, or occult ceremonies, restricted to a certain category of people that had very important positions in the state: the king; the leaders of cities; the nobles from the royal entourage; and the priests. This explains the existence of similar pieces made of silver for the leading nobles and rulers of the cities, and the lack of similar specimens made of bronze, iron or other metals. It also explains why these types of bracelet do not appear in written sources, nor the figurative representations of the time.
Chronology and authentication
Based on typological analogy and stylistic analysis, historians believe that these bracelets are authentic Dacian artifacts. Some chronological evidence is provided by dark blotches that indicate a long period of time underground, and also by the ancient coins that were found along with bracelets. These coins point to the late 2nd century BC and the first decades of the 1st century BC. It appears that the bracelets were buried, if not necessarily crafted, during a time frame between 100–70 BC.The chronology of these bracelets corresponds to the emergence of the building of religious sanctuaries, digging and arranging pits with a religious purpose where deposits of offerings to the chthonian
Chthonic
Chthonic designates, or pertains to, deities or spirits of the underworld, especially in relation to Greek religion. The Greek word khthon is one of several for "earth"; it typically refers to the interior of the soil, rather than the living surface of the land or the land as territory...
gods had been made.
In 2007 a compositional analysis of these gold objects was performed using a non-destructive method, particle-induced X-ray emission (micro-PIXE measurements) and synchrotron X-Ray fluorescence
X-ray fluorescence
X-ray fluorescence is the emission of characteristic "secondary" X-rays from a material that has been excited by bombarding with high-energy X-rays or gamma rays...
(SR-XRF) analysis. More studies were performed in 2008 and 2009 by a team consisting of members from the National Institute for Nuclear Physics and Engineering, Romania, the National History Museum of Romania, and the BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Germany. Researchers compared the gold composition, examining the trace platinum group
Platinum group
The platinum group metals is a term used sometimes to collectively refer to six metallic elements clustered together in the periodic table.These elements are all transition metals, lying in the d-block .The six...
elements, Tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
, Tellurium, Antimony
Antimony
Antimony is a toxic chemical element with the symbol Sb and an atomic number of 51. A lustrous grey metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite...
, Mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
, and Lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
and comparing them with the corresponding elements of natural gold from Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
. This was done since these trace-elements are more significant for provenancing archaeological metallic-artifacts than the main element components. For these studies, several small fragments of natural Transylvanian gold – placer and primary – were analyzed using: the micro-PIXE technique at the Legnaro National Laboratory AN2000 micro-beam facility, Italy, and at the AGLAE accelerator, C2RMF, Paris, France; and by using micro-synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence (micro-SR-XRF) at the BESSY synchrotron, Berlin, Germany. The studies of the teams concluded that the gold multi-spiral bracelets found between 1999–2001 at Sarmizegethusa had been made of native Transylvanian gold and not refined gold.
Because of the adverse conditions surrounding the hoard's discovery, their origins may never be authenticated to the full satisfaction of archaeologists and scientists. Sceptics suggest that the bracelets could have been produced in modern times from metal obtained by melting ancient gold coins, Dacian coins of the KOSON type or Greek Lysimachus coins; however, the analyses performed so far do not confirm the use of gold from these coins in the bracelets' manufacture.
It is most likely that no other group of ancient goldwork has been more thoroughly examined by scientists, technologists and scholars in various countries and various institutions than the Dacian gold spirals with dragon terminals found between 1999–2001 at Sarmizegethusa. In each case-study, and completely independent from each other, their examinations led to the same conclusion.
External links
- http://www.ccm.ro/muzeu/podoabe_htm/bracelets.htm
- http://www.artline.ro/1_585_Dacian_gold_bracelets_at_the_National_Museum_of_History_in_Bucharest_11510.html
Gallery / External links to bracelets and other ornaments mentioned in the article
- Thracian bracelet snake-shaped
- An example of Persian bracelet from Susa, Iran, gold, with lions' heads
- Spiral snake-headed ring from Magura Teleorman County
- Helmet from Agighiol Tulcea County
- Dacian bracelet -Hellenistic (Dacia) 3rd century BC
Dacians' bracelets
- Dacian ox-headed bracelet found in 19th century at Targu Mures (Transylvania) Romania repository National Museum, Budapest, Hungary
- Multi-spirals bracelet Bronze Age
- Bracelet from Boarta (Sibiu County)
- Fragment of Dacian multi-spirals snake-headed and palmettes bracelet found at Rociu – Argeş County (dated to La Tene) Repository Piteşti Museum of Argeş County
- Dacian silver multi-spiral snake-headed and palmettes found at Rociu- Argeş County (dated to La Tene) Repository Piteşti Museum of Argeş County
- Dacian silver multi-spiral snake-headed and palmettes bracelet from Balanesti-Maruntei (Olt County) (dated to La Tene) Repository Piteşti Museum of Argeş County
- Dacian silver multi-spiral snake-headed and palmettes bracelet from Coada Malului-Magurele (Prahova County)
- Silver bracelet (animal figurine) 1st century BC found at Banita repository Deva Museum Romania
- Multi-spirals silver snake-headed and palmettes bracelet from Orastie, Romania, Diameter 10 cm, weight 536.19 g at Kunsthistorisches Museum, Antikensammlung, Vienna, Austria
- Herastrau bracelet