14 DAY TRIAL // Speaking at a recent meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists in Glasgow, Scotland, researcher Corina Borş with the National History Museum of Romania detailed the discovery of dozens of artifacts at an archaeological site in Alba, southern Transylvania.
The archaeological site, known to researchers as Tărtăria - Podu Tărtăriei vest, was discovered back in 2012. It covers an area of about 25 acres (10 hectares).
The artifacts are millennia old, researchers say
According to senior archaeologist Corina Borş, the weapons, the tools and the pieces of jewelry recovered from this site in southern Transylvania appear to date back to the 8th century BC.
The brooches, the bracelets, the pendants, the beads, the hairpins and the other pieces of jewelry so far discovered by researchers are all made of bronze. Of the weapons and other tools, however, some are made of iron.
“The majority of the objects are made of bronze, yet there are also weapons and tools made of iron,” explained senior archaeologist Corina Borş in a report detailing the team's findings.
Live Science tells us the dozens of artifacts were recovered from two stashes, of which one held about 300 and the other some 50 items. The stashes were found in a ravine on the southern edge of the archaeological site.
Bits and pieces of pottery, parts of horse harnasses and even millennia-old skeletal remains were also found in the area. Come 2016, researchers plan to return to the site and resume excavation work.
It could be the artifacts were gifts for the gods
Specialist Corina Borş and fellow researchers don't yet know how these artifacts ended up in the ravine in which they were discovered. Nonetheless, they suspect that they might have been left there by a chieftain who offered them to the gods.
“Such bronze hoards might be seen as votive depositions, or, in other words, gifts to the deities of that time. It's plausible to believe that this offering was made by somebody with high social status,” the archaeologist said in an interview.
Over the years, similar hoards have been found by archaeologists in Europe hidden in caves, marshes, springs and even rivers. This shows that, centuries ago, offering gifts to the gods was common practice in this corner of the world.
