Varga Carving a Professional Identity Carving a Professional Identity: The occupational epigraphy... more Varga Carving a Professional Identity Carving a Professional Identity: The occupational epigraphy of the Roman Latin West presents the results of long-term research into the occupational epigraphy from the Latin-language provinces of the Roman Empire. It catalogues stone epigraphs of independent professionals (thus excluding state workers, imperial slaves, freedmen and military personnel), comprising some 690 people, providing quantitative as well as qualitative analyses of the raw data. A glossary translating the occupational titles is also included. The book reveals a very lively work market, where specialisation responded to demand and brought social and economic status to the worker. The coherence of epigraphic habits and manifestations within a professional group, along with all the other existing clues for a rather unitary use of symbols, endorse once more the existence of a Roman provincial, commercial, middle class. Rada Varga is a researcher at Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca (Romania) specialising in Latin epigraphy, digital classics, prosopography and provincial archaeology (co-directing the excavations at the fortress of ala I milliaria Batavorum from Dacia). Her main project is Romans1by1, a prosopographical database for people attested in ancient epigraphy. Currently, Dr Varga is a member of the executive committee of EADH (The European Association for Digital Humanities).
Festschrift dedicated to Professor Radu Ardevan, "Babes-Bolyai" University, Cluj-Napoca, at his 6... more Festschrift dedicated to Professor Radu Ardevan, "Babes-Bolyai" University, Cluj-Napoca, at his 60th anniversary; Mega Publishing House, Cluj-Napoca, 2011
The current book is intended to be an archaeological monograph of the village Războieni-Cetate (A... more The current book is intended to be an archaeological monograph of the village Războieni-Cetate (Alba County). The value and usefulness of this approach lies in the fact that a great quantity of unpublished archaeological material now becomes known to specialists. As well, the book is a work of synthesis, a comprehensive picture of the realities of this micro-area in ancient times. This monograph intends to cover a gap in historiography, but as well to open the way for appropriate conservation and historical and touristic recovery of the ancient vestiges from c. The title directly refers to an inscription (IDRE II 411) found at Apamea, in which a soldier says he was born Dacia ad Vatabos. The geographical clue most probably hints at the Batavian troop stationed in the area of the studied settlement and the novel lexical form (reversal of v and b, Batavos being the correct form), could be the indicative of a regional or provincial phonetic specificity. Regarding the prehistoric and protohistoric ages, the archaeological artifacts, mainly discovered and recovered by accident, highlight a continuous dwelling, starting from the Neolithic times. Except for an emergency survey from 1960, there were no actual archaeological excavations aiming at the pre- and protohistoric vestiges. This created considerable gaps in our knowledge, particularly regarding the details of habitat (the exact areas of housing, housing types etc.) and the exact sequence of cultural phases and sub-phases. The Petreşti, Wiettenberg and Coţofeni cultures are well represented by pottery and lithic material but there also are attested other cultural phases and cultures, that put more colour into picture of the settlement during prehistory. The Dacian period is not archaeologically attested at Războieni-Cetate, as it is in many villages around it. But after the conquest, here was the garrison of the most important auxiliary troop from Roman Dacia: Ala I Batavorum milliaria. The fortress, today mainly covered by crops, is well visible on aerial photographs. Due to these photos, the coordinates of the fortress were established and we were able cu place it on the map. As well, its size can now be correctly determined, the camp being of about 6 ha large. Our knowledge on the afferent civil settlement or settlements is still somehow lacunose. As no archaeological excavations have ever been made in the civil areas of the settlement, we can only remark – due to the same aerial photographs – the existence of two habitation cores, both situated rather close to the fortress’s walls. One of the areas might have been an “industrial” one, with workshops and craftsmen’s shops. The Roman necropolis was identified through I. H. Crişan’s excavations during the ‘60s. Its area is not clearly delimited, but the discoveries connected to it suggest a large burial place, with a series of complex funerary monuments. Establishing a nest of connections between the ethnic specificity of the troop and the material culture revealed by the existing artifacts appears at this point as challenging. Some archaeological pieces, such as the inscription of Hercules Magusanus, suggest a cultural and cult environment touched by the Batavian influences. On the other side, most of the artifacts show us no more than a Roman provincial society, mixed in essence and fundamentally unmarked by the ethnic specificity of the ala. Economically, the site must have been one of the most prominent non-urban settlements of Dacia. Its most obvious proof is the large quantity of Roman artifact, as well as the ease of their discovery inside the borders of the village. For the future, the main stake is finding the proper ways for understanding the internal structures of this community, of its society and spiritual life, as well as the real engines of its economical and commercial activity. For the post-Roman era, the archaeological discoveries made in Războieni-Cetate are scarce, almost absent. What we have are a few pottery fragments, dated during the migrations’ period. In the final chapter of the paper, we have offered a very succinct overview on the early medieval centuries as well. What we could draw are general considerations, as the history of the village for these years is practically unknown. The paper stops, chronologically, with the first written documentations of the medieval settlement – official Hungarian papers, dated 17th of September 1289 and 12th of March 1291, where the village of Feuldvar is mentioned. The name, slightly modified, will be conserved until modern times. Lastly, we draw attention once more on the complexity of the discoveries from Războieni-Cetate. As well, we express our strong belief that this monograph comes as a first step on the way of the proper fructification of all the archaeological data that this site has to offer.
C. de la Escosura Balbás, A. Kurilič, G. Eugenio Rallo (eds.), Name and identity. Selected studies on ancient anthroponymy through the Mediterranean, BAR Publishing, Oxford, 2024
Natives of the Low Rhine region, the Batavi were a community of ethnic soldiers engaged in a trea... more Natives of the Low Rhine region, the Batavi were a community of ethnic soldiers engaged in a treaty with Rome, overseeing a heavy supply of men to the Roman auxiliary units. The present article examines the pottery discovered at and retrieved from three sites associated with Batavian auxilia: Războieni, Adony, and Romita. Their status as military sites shaped around the consumption habits of Batavian auxiliary troops makes them comparable. The comprehensive examination of pottery consumption patterns provides valuable insights into the dynamics of material culture in Dacia and Pannonia, facilitating our understanding of supply networks, consumption preferences, and cultural interactions within these frontier regions. The quantitative analyses of fabric and form distributions reveal distinctive trends at each site, reflecting variations in local production, regional trade networks, and social practices. The qualitative interpretations highlight the significance of certain vessel types and their cultural associations. While in the overall perspective, they emphasise the similarity between pottery consumption at the three forts shaped by military presence and regional trade networks, they also highlight potential markers of Batavian identity within the auxiliary units stationed there. By contextualising pottery within broader historical and archaeological frameworks, this research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the cultural aspects of auxilia.
In this paper, we present and discuss a promising research avenue, that is the use of graphbased ... more In this paper, we present and discuss a promising research avenue, that is the use of graphbased models and software for prosopographical data sets. Our case study will be constituted by Romans 1by1 (http://romans1by1.com/), a digital-born prosopography focusing on people attested in classical era inscriptions; it presently hosts approximately 18,000 open access persons files. The project aimed at employing new techniques and methodologies that come from other fields (i.e. computer science), in order to approach the study of ancient population in an innovative way, to ease the research, and to create an open-access tool, available for the academic community. In the scope of this paper, we use Romans1by1 as an example to explore the perspectives of ingesting the information from a prosopographical relational database into a graph database.
This paper presents graffiti discovered on a few plates discovered in a barrack from the fort of ... more This paper presents graffiti discovered on a few plates discovered in a barrack from the fort of ala I Batavorum milliaria in Dacia. Typical for the Batavian troops, the onomastics is Latin and Greek. The instrumenta prove that the soldiers scribbled their names on everyday use vessels and offer us a glimpse of the very men that lived there together.
Varga Carving a Professional Identity Carving a Professional Identity: The occupational epigraphy... more Varga Carving a Professional Identity Carving a Professional Identity: The occupational epigraphy of the Roman Latin West presents the results of long-term research into the occupational epigraphy from the Latin-language provinces of the Roman Empire. It catalogues stone epigraphs of independent professionals (thus excluding state workers, imperial slaves, freedmen and military personnel), comprising some 690 people, providing quantitative as well as qualitative analyses of the raw data. A glossary translating the occupational titles is also included. The book reveals a very lively work market, where specialisation responded to demand and brought social and economic status to the worker. The coherence of epigraphic habits and manifestations within a professional group, along with all the other existing clues for a rather unitary use of symbols, endorse once more the existence of a Roman provincial, commercial, middle class. Rada Varga is a researcher at Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca (Romania) specialising in Latin epigraphy, digital classics, prosopography and provincial archaeology (co-directing the excavations at the fortress of ala I milliaria Batavorum from Dacia). Her main project is Romans1by1, a prosopographical database for people attested in ancient epigraphy. Currently, Dr Varga is a member of the executive committee of EADH (The European Association for Digital Humanities).
Festschrift dedicated to Professor Radu Ardevan, "Babes-Bolyai" University, Cluj-Napoca, at his 6... more Festschrift dedicated to Professor Radu Ardevan, "Babes-Bolyai" University, Cluj-Napoca, at his 60th anniversary; Mega Publishing House, Cluj-Napoca, 2011
The current book is intended to be an archaeological monograph of the village Războieni-Cetate (A... more The current book is intended to be an archaeological monograph of the village Războieni-Cetate (Alba County). The value and usefulness of this approach lies in the fact that a great quantity of unpublished archaeological material now becomes known to specialists. As well, the book is a work of synthesis, a comprehensive picture of the realities of this micro-area in ancient times. This monograph intends to cover a gap in historiography, but as well to open the way for appropriate conservation and historical and touristic recovery of the ancient vestiges from c. The title directly refers to an inscription (IDRE II 411) found at Apamea, in which a soldier says he was born Dacia ad Vatabos. The geographical clue most probably hints at the Batavian troop stationed in the area of the studied settlement and the novel lexical form (reversal of v and b, Batavos being the correct form), could be the indicative of a regional or provincial phonetic specificity. Regarding the prehistoric and protohistoric ages, the archaeological artifacts, mainly discovered and recovered by accident, highlight a continuous dwelling, starting from the Neolithic times. Except for an emergency survey from 1960, there were no actual archaeological excavations aiming at the pre- and protohistoric vestiges. This created considerable gaps in our knowledge, particularly regarding the details of habitat (the exact areas of housing, housing types etc.) and the exact sequence of cultural phases and sub-phases. The Petreşti, Wiettenberg and Coţofeni cultures are well represented by pottery and lithic material but there also are attested other cultural phases and cultures, that put more colour into picture of the settlement during prehistory. The Dacian period is not archaeologically attested at Războieni-Cetate, as it is in many villages around it. But after the conquest, here was the garrison of the most important auxiliary troop from Roman Dacia: Ala I Batavorum milliaria. The fortress, today mainly covered by crops, is well visible on aerial photographs. Due to these photos, the coordinates of the fortress were established and we were able cu place it on the map. As well, its size can now be correctly determined, the camp being of about 6 ha large. Our knowledge on the afferent civil settlement or settlements is still somehow lacunose. As no archaeological excavations have ever been made in the civil areas of the settlement, we can only remark – due to the same aerial photographs – the existence of two habitation cores, both situated rather close to the fortress’s walls. One of the areas might have been an “industrial” one, with workshops and craftsmen’s shops. The Roman necropolis was identified through I. H. Crişan’s excavations during the ‘60s. Its area is not clearly delimited, but the discoveries connected to it suggest a large burial place, with a series of complex funerary monuments. Establishing a nest of connections between the ethnic specificity of the troop and the material culture revealed by the existing artifacts appears at this point as challenging. Some archaeological pieces, such as the inscription of Hercules Magusanus, suggest a cultural and cult environment touched by the Batavian influences. On the other side, most of the artifacts show us no more than a Roman provincial society, mixed in essence and fundamentally unmarked by the ethnic specificity of the ala. Economically, the site must have been one of the most prominent non-urban settlements of Dacia. Its most obvious proof is the large quantity of Roman artifact, as well as the ease of their discovery inside the borders of the village. For the future, the main stake is finding the proper ways for understanding the internal structures of this community, of its society and spiritual life, as well as the real engines of its economical and commercial activity. For the post-Roman era, the archaeological discoveries made in Războieni-Cetate are scarce, almost absent. What we have are a few pottery fragments, dated during the migrations’ period. In the final chapter of the paper, we have offered a very succinct overview on the early medieval centuries as well. What we could draw are general considerations, as the history of the village for these years is practically unknown. The paper stops, chronologically, with the first written documentations of the medieval settlement – official Hungarian papers, dated 17th of September 1289 and 12th of March 1291, where the village of Feuldvar is mentioned. The name, slightly modified, will be conserved until modern times. Lastly, we draw attention once more on the complexity of the discoveries from Războieni-Cetate. As well, we express our strong belief that this monograph comes as a first step on the way of the proper fructification of all the archaeological data that this site has to offer.
C. de la Escosura Balbás, A. Kurilič, G. Eugenio Rallo (eds.), Name and identity. Selected studies on ancient anthroponymy through the Mediterranean, BAR Publishing, Oxford, 2024
Natives of the Low Rhine region, the Batavi were a community of ethnic soldiers engaged in a trea... more Natives of the Low Rhine region, the Batavi were a community of ethnic soldiers engaged in a treaty with Rome, overseeing a heavy supply of men to the Roman auxiliary units. The present article examines the pottery discovered at and retrieved from three sites associated with Batavian auxilia: Războieni, Adony, and Romita. Their status as military sites shaped around the consumption habits of Batavian auxiliary troops makes them comparable. The comprehensive examination of pottery consumption patterns provides valuable insights into the dynamics of material culture in Dacia and Pannonia, facilitating our understanding of supply networks, consumption preferences, and cultural interactions within these frontier regions. The quantitative analyses of fabric and form distributions reveal distinctive trends at each site, reflecting variations in local production, regional trade networks, and social practices. The qualitative interpretations highlight the significance of certain vessel types and their cultural associations. While in the overall perspective, they emphasise the similarity between pottery consumption at the three forts shaped by military presence and regional trade networks, they also highlight potential markers of Batavian identity within the auxiliary units stationed there. By contextualising pottery within broader historical and archaeological frameworks, this research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the cultural aspects of auxilia.
In this paper, we present and discuss a promising research avenue, that is the use of graphbased ... more In this paper, we present and discuss a promising research avenue, that is the use of graphbased models and software for prosopographical data sets. Our case study will be constituted by Romans 1by1 (http://romans1by1.com/), a digital-born prosopography focusing on people attested in classical era inscriptions; it presently hosts approximately 18,000 open access persons files. The project aimed at employing new techniques and methodologies that come from other fields (i.e. computer science), in order to approach the study of ancient population in an innovative way, to ease the research, and to create an open-access tool, available for the academic community. In the scope of this paper, we use Romans1by1 as an example to explore the perspectives of ingesting the information from a prosopographical relational database into a graph database.
This paper presents graffiti discovered on a few plates discovered in a barrack from the fort of ... more This paper presents graffiti discovered on a few plates discovered in a barrack from the fort of ala I Batavorum milliaria in Dacia. Typical for the Batavian troops, the onomastics is Latin and Greek. The instrumenta prove that the soldiers scribbled their names on everyday use vessels and offer us a glimpse of the very men that lived there together.
The current investigation focuses on the rare epigraphic attestations of negotiatorii allecarii. ... more The current investigation focuses on the rare epigraphic attestations of negotiatorii allecarii. Trying to distinguish why this occupational title is attested only in the context of Germania Inferior, we analyse the etymology of the word and its evolution into late antique and medieval Latin, the specificities of the allec trade, and the merchants' attestations within the context of the region's and the province's occupational epigraphy. The conclusions lead to placing the rare attestations of this trading specialization at the intersection of local consumption and epigraphic habits alike.
This article is about mapping the veterans' inscriptions from Upper Moesia using ArcGIS software.... more This article is about mapping the veterans' inscriptions from Upper Moesia using ArcGIS software. How can this be done and toward what aims? By applying GIS algorithms to these datasets, we can make various maps and queries that allow us to discuss distribution and spatiality from many different angles. Such an experiment provided us the possibility of a better visualization of data in geographic context and allowed us to identify the specific locations of inscriptions and thus draw conclusions about veteran's settlement.
Est modus in rebus. Essays presented to professor Mihai Bărbulescu at his 75th anniversary, 2022
Where the lightning strikes, when the gods intervene. Divine agency and space sacralisation in Ro... more Where the lightning strikes, when the gods intervene. Divine agency and space sacralisation in Roman Dacia. 183 Vassiliki Gaggadis-Robin Images du banquet à sigma sur les sarcophages d'époque impériale 195 Monica Gui, Horațiu Cociș Zeitgeist. Imperial portraiture on a breastplate from Porolissum 205 Irina Nemeti The Rider's Iconography on Gems from Roman Dacia 219 Jean-Charles Balty Parerga Cumontiana 2. Tombeau, sarcophage et épigramme d'Ostie (Porta Romana A 9b) 229
The current article focuses of an inscription dedicated to Hercules Magusanus. The epigraph
was d... more The current article focuses of an inscription dedicated to Hercules Magusanus. The epigraph was discovered at Războieni-Cetate (Alba County, RO), the site where the ala I Batavorum milliaria was stationed in Dacia between (approx.) 130–271 AD. The monument most probably dates from the first half of the 3rd century. Along with the ceramic imports coming from the Rhine area discovered on site, the presence of this deity indicates a Batavian cultural substratum of the settlement, preserved over time, even when the recruits of the ala were not generally coming from that given region anymore.
The current article presents the main scientific results extracted from the Romans 1by1 platform.... more The current article presents the main scientific results extracted from the Romans 1by1 platform. While the database has been technically documented before, the analyses, based on it, is introduced here for the first time. After gathering and structuring all the prosopographical information on all the people, attested epigraphically in Roman Moesia Inferior, Moesia Superior and Dacia, we are able now to present exhaustive statistics and a comprehensive overview, as well as to get relevant conclusions regarding the epigraphic habits of each province.
The current paper presents the main lines of an investigation into the Romanization/Latinization ... more The current paper presents the main lines of an investigation into the Romanization/Latinization of Dacia. The issues are mainly addressed from a social history point of view. What we have tried to find out is if talking about assimilation, acculturation and integration in the case of Dacia is really in accordance with what the realities of the province show us. These 'realities' that we took into consideration are the reflection of society in epigraphy/ epigraphic habits, with the occasional references to literary and archaeological sources. The following pages will raise many questions-and not all of them can be answered at the present time. Nonetheless, we hope they will enlarge perspectives and form a solid base for future, deeper investigations on the topic.
The current article focuses on defining 'Batavian material identity', on a theoretical level, as ... more The current article focuses on defining 'Batavian material identity', on a theoretical level, as well as based on the archaeological evidence and realities of province Dacia. The ala I Batavorum milliaria was the province’s most important auxiliary troop and its seat offers testimony on the provincial cultures of the Batavians, on imports and locally-produced artefacts and – most importantly – on intent. While the nature of recruitment is still under dispute, it is crucially important to interpret what the archaeological data tell us on the identity (ethnic, group and/or self-assumed) of the militaries and the community built and developed around the fortress.
This paper reassesses the reading of the Latin texts inscribed on two altars discovered in the th... more This paper reassesses the reading of the Latin texts inscribed on two altars discovered in the thermae of the legionary camp from Potaissa (Roman Dacia), the garrison of the legio V Macedonica. By using new digital techniques one can advance a new dating based on the new reading of the name of the emperor as well as settling once and for all the cognomen of the dedicator. The new reading of the name of the emperor – namely Philippus Arabs – forces us to re-contextualize the instant when these two monuments were erected and thus we offer a new interpretation of the hapax title agens vice praefecti legionis of the dedicator, named Marcus Publicianus Rhenus.
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Books by Rada Varga
Rada Varga is a researcher at Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca (Romania) specialising in Latin epigraphy, digital classics, prosopography and provincial archaeology (co-directing the excavations at the fortress of ala I milliaria Batavorum from Dacia). Her main project is Romans1by1, a prosopographical database for people attested in ancient epigraphy. Currently, Dr Varga is a member of the executive committee of EADH (The European Association for Digital Humanities).
This monograph intends to cover a gap in historiography, but as well to open the way for appropriate conservation and historical and touristic recovery of the ancient vestiges from c.
The title directly refers to an inscription (IDRE II 411) found at Apamea, in which a soldier says he was born Dacia ad Vatabos. The geographical clue most probably hints at the Batavian troop stationed in the area of the studied settlement and the novel lexical form (reversal of v and b, Batavos being the correct form), could be the indicative of a regional or provincial phonetic specificity.
Regarding the prehistoric and protohistoric ages, the archaeological artifacts, mainly discovered and recovered by accident, highlight a continuous dwelling, starting from the Neolithic times. Except for an emergency survey from 1960, there were no actual archaeological excavations aiming at the pre- and protohistoric vestiges. This created considerable gaps in our knowledge, particularly regarding the details of habitat (the exact areas of housing, housing types etc.) and the exact sequence of cultural phases and sub-phases. The Petreşti, Wiettenberg and Coţofeni cultures are well represented by pottery and lithic material but there also are attested other cultural phases and cultures, that put more colour into picture of the settlement during prehistory. The Dacian period is not archaeologically attested at Războieni-Cetate, as it is in many villages around it.
But after the conquest, here was the garrison of the most important auxiliary troop from Roman Dacia: Ala I Batavorum milliaria. The fortress, today mainly covered by crops, is well visible on aerial photographs. Due to these photos, the coordinates of the fortress were established and we were able cu place it on the map. As well, its size can now be correctly determined, the camp being of about 6 ha large.
Our knowledge on the afferent civil settlement or settlements is still somehow lacunose. As no archaeological excavations have ever been made in the civil areas of the settlement, we can only remark – due to the same aerial photographs – the existence of two habitation cores, both situated rather close to the fortress’s walls. One of the areas might have been an “industrial” one, with workshops and craftsmen’s shops.
The Roman necropolis was identified through I. H. Crişan’s excavations during the ‘60s. Its area is not clearly delimited, but the discoveries connected to it suggest a large burial place, with a series of complex funerary monuments.
Establishing a nest of connections between the ethnic specificity of the troop and the material culture revealed by the existing artifacts appears at this point as challenging. Some archaeological pieces, such as the inscription of Hercules Magusanus, suggest a cultural and cult environment touched by the Batavian influences. On the other side, most of the artifacts show us no more than a Roman provincial society, mixed in essence and fundamentally unmarked by the ethnic specificity of the ala.
Economically, the site must have been one of the most prominent non-urban settlements of Dacia. Its most obvious proof is the large quantity of Roman artifact, as well as the ease of their discovery inside the borders of the village. For the future, the main stake is finding the proper ways for understanding the internal structures of this community, of its society and spiritual life, as well as the real engines of its economical and commercial activity.
For the post-Roman era, the archaeological discoveries made in Războieni-Cetate are scarce, almost absent. What we have are a few pottery fragments, dated during the migrations’ period. In the final chapter of the paper, we have offered a very succinct overview on the early medieval centuries as well. What we could draw are general considerations, as the history of the village for these years is practically unknown. The paper stops, chronologically, with the first written documentations of the medieval settlement – official Hungarian papers, dated 17th of September 1289 and 12th of March 1291, where the village of Feuldvar is mentioned. The name, slightly modified, will be conserved until modern times.
Lastly, we draw attention once more on the complexity of the discoveries from Războieni-Cetate. As well, we express our strong belief that this monograph comes as a first step on the way of the proper fructification of all the archaeological data that this site has to offer.
Papers by Rada Varga
Rada Varga is a researcher at Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca (Romania) specialising in Latin epigraphy, digital classics, prosopography and provincial archaeology (co-directing the excavations at the fortress of ala I milliaria Batavorum from Dacia). Her main project is Romans1by1, a prosopographical database for people attested in ancient epigraphy. Currently, Dr Varga is a member of the executive committee of EADH (The European Association for Digital Humanities).
This monograph intends to cover a gap in historiography, but as well to open the way for appropriate conservation and historical and touristic recovery of the ancient vestiges from c.
The title directly refers to an inscription (IDRE II 411) found at Apamea, in which a soldier says he was born Dacia ad Vatabos. The geographical clue most probably hints at the Batavian troop stationed in the area of the studied settlement and the novel lexical form (reversal of v and b, Batavos being the correct form), could be the indicative of a regional or provincial phonetic specificity.
Regarding the prehistoric and protohistoric ages, the archaeological artifacts, mainly discovered and recovered by accident, highlight a continuous dwelling, starting from the Neolithic times. Except for an emergency survey from 1960, there were no actual archaeological excavations aiming at the pre- and protohistoric vestiges. This created considerable gaps in our knowledge, particularly regarding the details of habitat (the exact areas of housing, housing types etc.) and the exact sequence of cultural phases and sub-phases. The Petreşti, Wiettenberg and Coţofeni cultures are well represented by pottery and lithic material but there also are attested other cultural phases and cultures, that put more colour into picture of the settlement during prehistory. The Dacian period is not archaeologically attested at Războieni-Cetate, as it is in many villages around it.
But after the conquest, here was the garrison of the most important auxiliary troop from Roman Dacia: Ala I Batavorum milliaria. The fortress, today mainly covered by crops, is well visible on aerial photographs. Due to these photos, the coordinates of the fortress were established and we were able cu place it on the map. As well, its size can now be correctly determined, the camp being of about 6 ha large.
Our knowledge on the afferent civil settlement or settlements is still somehow lacunose. As no archaeological excavations have ever been made in the civil areas of the settlement, we can only remark – due to the same aerial photographs – the existence of two habitation cores, both situated rather close to the fortress’s walls. One of the areas might have been an “industrial” one, with workshops and craftsmen’s shops.
The Roman necropolis was identified through I. H. Crişan’s excavations during the ‘60s. Its area is not clearly delimited, but the discoveries connected to it suggest a large burial place, with a series of complex funerary monuments.
Establishing a nest of connections between the ethnic specificity of the troop and the material culture revealed by the existing artifacts appears at this point as challenging. Some archaeological pieces, such as the inscription of Hercules Magusanus, suggest a cultural and cult environment touched by the Batavian influences. On the other side, most of the artifacts show us no more than a Roman provincial society, mixed in essence and fundamentally unmarked by the ethnic specificity of the ala.
Economically, the site must have been one of the most prominent non-urban settlements of Dacia. Its most obvious proof is the large quantity of Roman artifact, as well as the ease of their discovery inside the borders of the village. For the future, the main stake is finding the proper ways for understanding the internal structures of this community, of its society and spiritual life, as well as the real engines of its economical and commercial activity.
For the post-Roman era, the archaeological discoveries made in Războieni-Cetate are scarce, almost absent. What we have are a few pottery fragments, dated during the migrations’ period. In the final chapter of the paper, we have offered a very succinct overview on the early medieval centuries as well. What we could draw are general considerations, as the history of the village for these years is practically unknown. The paper stops, chronologically, with the first written documentations of the medieval settlement – official Hungarian papers, dated 17th of September 1289 and 12th of March 1291, where the village of Feuldvar is mentioned. The name, slightly modified, will be conserved until modern times.
Lastly, we draw attention once more on the complexity of the discoveries from Războieni-Cetate. As well, we express our strong belief that this monograph comes as a first step on the way of the proper fructification of all the archaeological data that this site has to offer.
was discovered at Războieni-Cetate (Alba County, RO), the site where the ala I Batavorum
milliaria was stationed in Dacia between (approx.) 130–271 AD. The monument
most probably dates from the first half of the 3rd century. Along with the ceramic imports
coming from the Rhine area discovered on site, the presence of this deity indicates a Batavian
cultural substratum of the settlement, preserved over time, even when the recruits of
the ala were not generally coming from that given region anymore.