Albinetz, Constantin et al.: Catalogul expoziţiei Drumul Sării (Satu Mare, 2018)
Rezumat în limba engleză
determined the historical names of numerous settlements situated near the northern limit of Transylvania (e.g. Satu Mare, Zalnoc, Sălacea), as well as of some administrative districts such as the former counties of Middle Solnoc and Sătmar. This is far from surprising considering that the medieval sources emphasize clearly the major role played by the salt commerce in the regional economy. The exhibition includes the new discoveries from the area of Beclean which illustrate in a spectacular fashion the intense salt extraction activities using ingenious technologies that sought the production of surplus destined for the market. These discoveries corroborate the data provided by older research which suggested a link between the deposition of bronze hoards and the existence of certain fortifications on one hand and the extraction and marketing of salt in prehistory on the other. The research carried out by the esteemed archaeologist from Cluj, Mircea Rusu has raised the possibility of a connection between the bronze hoards and the prehistoric salt mines, showing that in eifect the Transylvanian salt mines can be found at the very end of the route of the deposited bronze objects, which often came from long distances. The new archaeological discoveries from northern Transylvania provided the certainty regarding prehistoric salt extraction, offering a new and surprising perspective on the archaeological and historical realities of the region. The rich salt resources and their marketing have led to the development of a specific way of life for the people of the Someş Basin reflected in their culinary culture and various branches of the local economy detectable even today. Along with the role played by intense animal husbandry, especially pig farming, the economy was based on the salt commerce which determined in effect the demographic profile of the region. Salt was marketed together with other goods such as wood and cattle, and the trading flow had a major role in the founding and development of the settlements found in present-day eastern Hungary and western Romania, all of them situated on commercial nodal points. The case of Satu Mare and Szolnok are indicative in this regard, both being cardinal points in the salt route, and while both are situated on the plain, they developed into timber processing centres as well as manufacturing complexes providing equipment for the mining industry. From the perspective of longue durée i.e. that of the history expressed in the evolution of collective mentalities and in the role played by the market in shaping identities the present exhibition also establishes a close connection with the centenary of the Unification of 1918. The exhibition highlights the role of the economic flow in North-Western Romania as a coagulator. Through the creation of an interregional market, the Salt Road enabled the formation of a collective conscience based on the idea of interdependence between the communities, thus in effect becoming a Country’ Road. The geographical and chronological environment The area under scrutiny is centred around the drainage basin of the Someş Rivers. The basins of the Someşul Mic and Someşul Mare Rivers are extremely 61
