Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 30/1. (2010)
Articles
78 Sz. P. PÁNCZÉL The site is one of the best known Roman settlements from the eastern part of the province (Fig. 1). It is mainly located at the eastern extremity of the modern village in the area called Cetatea de pämäntlFöldvár on the left bank of the Mure? River (Fig. 2). The settlement also stretches to the right bank of the river, which led to the hypothesis that a bridge, or a river crossing was in this area. The site has been known since the second half of the 19th century and excavations have been undertaken in 1882 (F. Deák and F. Kovács), 1928 (A. Filimon and S. Ferenczi), 1950 (D. Popescu), 1961 (D. Protase, A. Zrínyi and Á. Dankanits), 1972 (A. Zrínyi) and 1994 (N. Man, A. Husar and D. Protase). There has been much debate about the nature of the settlement, whether it is civilian or military, due to the fact that many finds discovered at Criste?ti can be related to the military (mainly the Ala I Gallorum et Bosporanorum), but until now no military fort has been identified. During the excavations important structures (kilns, workshops) and large quantities of ceramic material has been unearthed, showing evidence of a large settlement specialising in pottery production.5 The mould6 (Fig. 3-4) from Criste?ti is known to the scientific community as one used to produce votive objects.7 The yellowish brown burnt clay mould was tempered with fine sand and fired in oxidant conditions.8 The piece is fragmentary (max. preserved width: 9.2 cm; max. preserved length: 13.4 cm; max. thickness: 2.53 cm), only the lower part and the left side is preserved, whereas the right side is completely broken and from the upper side only a small curvy part is preserved. The inner part of the mould (width: 6.2 cm; max. preserved length: 6.4 cm; max. thickness: 1.6 cm) had probably a rectangular shape and perhaps it was just the base bearing the inscription for a pair (?) of terracotta9 busts or figurines of the divinities mentioned in the inscription.10 11 The retrograde text of capital letters engraved before the firing appears in negative and the inscription’s field was framed by an astragal on the upper and on the left side. We can presume that the astragal was present on the right side as well. In the IDR11 the text was completed to: —] ina et/ —]nus prop(itii). 5 For the research history, the military unit and the character of the settlement see also: Popescu 1956; Tudor 1968, 272-273; Zrínyi 1977; Gudea-Zrinyi 1984, 54-57; IDR 1988, III/4, 101; Lazar 1995, 102-105; Husar-Man 1996, 6-87; Gudea 1997, 103; Man 2002, 5-23; Nemeth 2007, 195-196; Marcu 2009, 128-129. 6 Inventory number: MJM 548. 7 Floca 1937, 10, nr. 8; IDR 1988 III/4, 124, nr. 167; Man 2002, 162, nr. 3; Man 2003, 27, nr. 177; Man 2005, 20-21. 8 Due to the conservation work undertaken on the surface of the object a more detailed macroscopic description of the fabric is not possible. 9 Until we do not find any terracottas produced in this mould we can not exclude totally the possibility that this mould was used for the preparation of ritual cookies; in this sense see the discussion concerning the functionality of relief medallions with decorations in negative, heaving larger dimensions and a higher rim at: Coci$-Ruscu 1994, 121. 10 Several terracotta figurines are known from Apulum (Igna 1935, 70-71, fig. 31; Popa 1978, 153-158, fig. 18) and Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa (Alicu et al. 1979, 120-121, no. 270, 272) where a sitting divine couple (man and woman) are represented, these ones do not have any inscriptions and have been usually identified as Jupiter and Juno, Aesculapius and Hygeia or Dis Pater and Proserpine (see: Bärbulescu 1985,125; Nemeti 2003, 256-257). We do not have evidence that they have any link to the cult of Dominus and Domina but we have to consider them as possible parallels for the terracottas which might have been produced with the mould from Criste?ti. 11 IDR 1988 III/4, 124, nr. 167. Accepted also by: Man 2002, 162, nr. 3; Man 2003, 27, nr. 177; Man 2005, 20-21.
