Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 29/3. (2009)

Bordi Zsigmond Lóránd: Roman Age Discoveries from Tărnăveni (Mureş County)

ROMAN AGE DISCOVERIES FROM TARNAVENI

(MURE§ COUNTY)1

BORDI ZSIGMOND LÓRÁND

Sekler National Museum, Sfäntu Gheorghe

This study presents the results of several field researches that were made in 1994-1995 in the area of Tärnäveni (Mure? county). The existence of some Roman age vestiges in the territory of the town was formerly known in the archaeological literature due to the fact that in one unknown place a few stamped bricks (with the seals LEG XIII G2 and CIVRB3) were found, and also a Roman oil lamp was discovered during the building of the Catholic Church. Based on these discoveries the scholars presumed the existence of a Roman age settlement in the area of the town4, but they could never localize it. The first information about the existence of some ancient remains in the researched area was brought to me by my father. In 1967, while planting the vine, he discovered a great number of potsherds, a grey oil lamp as well as the remains of a foundation made of sandstone. Based on this information, we started investigating that area. The results of our researches are the following:

I. The area called “Pe rät” is situated in the space between the 9 Mai Street, Crängului Street and the Blaj-Praid railroad (Fig. 1/1). From a 1.5 hectare surface a great number of potsherds from the Roman age were collected. Because this area was used for a long time as farming land, the superior levels are disturbed by the ploughing and the archaeological material collected is very fragmentary, even if the shape of the pots is recognizable, none of the parts can be joined together.

1. Luxury pottery

From this category two fragments of stamped pottery were found. The first one is a potsherd of a red fired bowl, with right, thickened rim and decorated with a stamped pinewood branch (Pl. 1/1). The same decoration was found on the pottery discovered at Släveni5, Porolissum6

1 This is the English version of a study published in Romanian with the title “Descoperiri de epocä romanä din óraiul Tärnäveni” in Anuarul Institutului de Studii Socio-Umane Sibiu, III, Sibiu, 1996, 31-41. The archaeological materials presented in this study, are now in the Tärnäveni Municipal Museum.

2 CIL III, 8065, 1.

3 CIL III, 8074, 25.

4 Lazár 1995, 261-262, with further bibliography.

5 Popilian 1975, 81, pl. XXXI-XXXII.

6 Gudea 1980, 155.

MARISIA XXIX.p. 131-144