Corina Ionescu

Babeş-Bolyai University | UBB · Department of Geology

This archaeometric research examined the structural elements of the three kilns found in the plain below the archaeological site of Rusellae, the ceramics found within this artisans’ quarter and the clayey materials on which the workshops were built. Twenty-one samples were investigated by bulk chemical and mineralogical analyses (ICP-MS, ICP-AES a...

Grey and cream ware were widely produced and traded in Roman towns in Northern France (a region known as Civitas Nerviorum). A large production centre of grey and cream ware in northern France was Famars, where 15 pottery kilns functioned between the 2nd and 4th centuries ad. In order to identify the raw materials and to reconstruct the technology...

Surface treatment techniques, that is, smoothing and burnishing, help to define the cultural, traditional, and economical state of an ancient society. They prove artistic feelings combined with practical skills were used to obtain more attractive and highly functional objects. This paper aims to prepare the reader to investigate ceramic surfaces an...

The Grosseto plain has undergone extensive morphological changes. The shoreline progression has been taking place during the last millennium and has deeply affected settlement, infrastructural, and socioeconomic dynamics. Consequently, this study aims to (a) localize the raw materials exploited during the Roman period for building materials product...

Early Copper Age pottery sherds discovered in a cave within the crystalline dolomites of the Southern Carpathians (Romania) were investigated by polarized light optical microscopy (OM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) to obtain information on the pottery production in the Copper Age in the territory of presen...

The present archaeometric study focuses on a set of archaeological siliceous lithic tools that are assigned to the early Vinča culture period (Vinča A and Vinča B1). They were found in several pit-houses at Limba-Oarda de Jos (SW Transylvania, Romania), an open settlement that has been dated to 5,405-5,310 cal. BCE, a period in the Middle Neolithic...

Twenty frescoes from “The Assumption” Cathedral located in the island town of Sviyazhsk (Tatarstan Republic, Russian Federation)—dated back to the times of Tsar Ivan IV “the Terrible”—were chemically analyzed in situ with a portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometer. The investigation focused on identifying the pigments and their combinations...

The Göksun (Kahramanmaraş) ophiolite (GKO), cropping out in a tectonic window bounded by the Malatya metamorphic unit on both the north and south, is located in the EW-trending lower nappe zone of the southeast Anatolian orogenic belt (Turkey). It exhibits a complete oceanic lithospheric section and overlies the Middle Eocene Maden Group/Complex wi...

Second-century CE (common era) household pottery sherds found in the city of Napoca (present day Cluj-Napoca, Romania) in Roman Dacia were investigated by polarized light optical microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and cold field emission scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spe...

https://www.geologica-balcanica.eu/sites/default/files/default/files/abstract-books/Geol_Balc_CBGA_2018%20%28eBook%29.pdf

Production of bricks by P. Cl(odius) D(onatus?) at Apulum (Roman Dacia province) Romania In the remnants of the Roman baths exhumed at Apulum (present day Alba Iulia, in Romania), bricks marked with stamps showing the letters P. Cl D and LEG XIII GE (XIII Gemina legion, headquartered at Apulum) have been found. The baths belonged to the governor (p...

Finishing techniques are significant markers of the technological ‘know‐how’ involved in the production of the traditional, clay‐based ceramic ware. In order to provide a reliable tool to discriminate among two main surface processing techniques—that is, smoothing and burnishing—vertical scanning interferometry (VSI), a recently developed non‐destr...

The Copper Age Coţofeni culture occupied a large territory which covers present day W Romania, NE Serbia, and NW Bulgaria. The Coțofeni people lived in settlements located on hill slopes and river terraces, as well as in caves. Their hand-modeled ceramic pottery is richly ornamented by incisions, incrustations, and lentil bean appliqués. Potsherds...

The Eo-Alpine orogeny segments of the Inner Western Carpathians (IWC) provide white mica 40Ar–39Ar plateau ages of ca. 115–80 Ma (less 50–45 Ma) in the Infratatric (IFTA, Putiš, 1992) zone, ca. 100–70 Ma (less 50–45 Ma) in the northern Tatric (TA) zone, or ca. 125–85 Ma in the Veporic and Gemeric zones (Dallmeyer et al., 1996, 2005; Putiš et al., 2...

Electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) provides information on the chemical composition of minerals and their relationships in archaeological ceramics by utilizing a narrow electron beam to stimulate the emission of X-rays. Among various signals produced, the most important are the back-scattered electrons (BSE), the secondary electrons (SE) and the c...

This paper focuses on Neolithic and Chalcolithic stone tools found at the Măgura ‘Buduiasca’ and Vităneşti ‘Măgurice’ sites in southern Romania, which might been involved in the chaîne opératoire of ceramic pottery production. To better understand how ceramic objects were made during this period, it is important to know what tools were available. R...

The archaeological excavations in the Great Cave of Cerișor, located in the Paleozoic crystalline limestones and dolomites of the Southern Carpathians (Romania), unveiled a complex stratigraphy, which starts in the Late Neolithic and ends in the Bronze Age. The Late Neolithic finds were assigned to the Turdaș culture, dated between 5000 and 4600 ca...

The production of ceramic pottery involves numerous steps, each of which requires different tools. Many studies focus on pottery, sometimes as tools from a functional point of view, sometimes as cultural markers used to date sites, and sometimes from the point of view of the raw material of which they are composed. The steps involved in pottery pro...

The Roman fortress of Porolissum is located near the city of Zalău, in the north-western part of present-day Romania. Established in 106 AD, after the conquest of Dacia, Porolissum was a military base intended to protect the NW border of the Roman Province of Dacia. Over the years, a wealth of finds has been excavated here, such as pottery, masonry...

Modern mineral deposits play an important role in evolutionary studies by providing clues to the formation of ancient lithified microbial communities. Here we report the presence of microbialite-forming microbial mats in different microenvironments at 32ºC, 49ºC and 65ºC around the geothermal spring from an abandoned oil drill in Ciocaia, Romania....

From the Neolithic up to the present, people have used various methods to improve the surface of ceramic objects. In this study, we look specifically at smoothing and pattern burnishing of ceramics produced today by traditional methods. Optical microscopy and SEM show specific surface changes. Smoothing results in an irregular surface, which causes...

Among the cultural layers excavated at Vlaha “Pad” site (Cluj county, NW Romania) there were settlements dated to the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. Pottery and other materials were recovered from a large variety of features (e.g., dwellings and pit) in these levels. It should be noted that the populations of the two phases from which the...

The production of ceramic pottery involves numerous steps, each of which requires different tools. Many studies focus on pottery, sometimes as tools from a functional point of view, sometimes as cultural markers used to date sites, and sometimes from the point of view of the raw material of which they are composed. The steps involved in pottery pro...

http://www.cbga2014.org/doc/PCBGASSAV1.pdf

The full volume with abstracts may be downloaded from: URL: www.fgjm.edu.al/cbga

The Sarmizegetusa Regia (Grădiştea de Munte) site is located in the Sebeş Mountains (Southern Carpathians, Romania). It functioned as the capital of Dacia till the Roman conquest in 106 C.E. The settlement consisted of a fortress, a religious area and several residential districts. Within the fortification, pits containing ceramic and glass fragmen...

The full volume with abstracts may be downloaded from: URL: www.fgjm.edu.al/cbga

The Neogene quartz andesites from the Oaş and Gutâi Mountains (Romania) are mid-K calc-alkaline rocks and contain plagioclase-orthopyroxene-clinopyroxene-amphibole-magnetite phenocrysts as well as quartz crystals. They are associated with a volcanic sequence ranging from basalts and basaltic andesites to dacites and rhyolites, but form a separate m...

A Bronze Age (13-12th century B.C.) necropolis and cult area in Lǎpuş (NW Romania) has been studied. The mound investigated during the present campaign covered a multi-phased wooden cult building containing bronze objects, ceramic potshards and slag pieces. The latter have a mammillary smooth surface, irregular shape and a high porosity. Optical mi...

The Gresten Klippen Zone is an individual geological unit, mainly outcropping at the northern rim of the Northern Calcareous Alps. It is best exposed between the Enns Valley in the west and the Vienna Forest in the east. It contains a rock sequence ranging from Early Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, including sandstones, various limestones, breccias a...

Sedimentology can shed light on the emplacement of oceanic lithosphere (i.e. ophiolites) onto continental crust and post-emplacement settings. An example chosen here is the well-exposed Jurassic Mirdita ophiolite in southern Albania. Successions studied in five different ophiolitic massifs (Voskopoja, Luniku, Shpati, Rehove and Morava) document var...

Sedimentology can shed light on the emplacement of oceanic lithosphere (i.e. ophiolites) onto continental crust and post-emplacement settings. An example chosen here is the well-exposed Jurassic Mirdita ophiolite in southern Albania. Successions studied in five different ophiolitic massifs (Voskopoja, Luniku, Shpati, Rehove and Morava) document var...

The Copper Age Cucuteni-Tripolye (Trypillian) Cultural Complex extended from central and northern present-day Romania to the east, into Moldavia and Ukraine. Elegant-shaped light red to orange pots, painted with white, dark red and brown-black geometric patterns are characteristic of this culture. We studied 46 potsherds fromRuginoasa, 60 km west o...

For the last 2000 years gold has been mined in the Southern Apuseni Mountains in Romania from both primary (hydrothermal) and secondary (river placer) deposits. The gold-bearing area covers about 900 km2 and represents the richest Au-Ag province in Europe. The ore originating from the Southern Apuseni Mountains is known as ‘‘Transylvanian gold’’. T...

During the last decade, the archaeometric community has matured, both in quantity and in quality. This is evidenced by the high impact-factor values reached by the most important archaeometric journals, comparable to those of some outstanding mineralogical and petrographical journals. In this community, the number of geoscientists, mostly mineralo...

Several coarse grained metasediment units with preserved primary sedimentary structures were investigated within and in the surroundings of the Penninic Tauern Window. In its NE part - the central area of the study, breccias and conglomerates form elongated lenses a few kilometres in length, composed of multiple layers separated by erosional bounda...

The Association of European Geological Societies (AEGS) connects geological societies all over Europe. In 2006, the AEGS Executive Committee established an award named for Prof. Percival Allen FRS, one of the AEGS's founders. This medal is given biennially to a geoscientist for outstanding achievements in the field of international relations in Ear...

Electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) is a widely applied technique in the geological sciences and can also be used successfully for archaeometric purposes, e.g. for the study of ceramics. The main advantage is that it allows the identification of components with a wide range of sizes, independent of their nature as primary minerals or firing product...

The study focuses on the effect of heating on the composition of an illite-rich clay used to produce black ceramic, by applying several distinct time intervals and temperature ranges. Density measurements and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) analysis were carried out on raw and thermally-treated clay samples. The density of the fired samples shows a...

Several coarse grained metasediment units with preserved primary sedimentary structures were investigated within and in the sur-roundings of the Penninic Tauern Window. In its NE part -the central area of the study, breccias and conglomerates form elongated lenses a few kilometres in length, composed of multiple layers separated by erosional bounda...

Several coarse grained metasediment units with preserved primary sedimentary structures were investigated within and in the surroundings of the Penninic Tauern Window. In its NE part - the central area of the study, breccias and conglomerates form elongated lenses a few kilometres in length, composed of multiple layers separated by erosional bounda...

The recovery of the Dacian gold bracelets was the most thrilling archaeological event of the last years in Romania. The artefacts are exhibited in the Historical Treasure section of the National History museum of Romania, Bucharest, being recovered from the international antique markets through a concerted effort of the Romanian, French, and German...

Based on their chemical composition ceramic shards from three Bronze Age sites in Transylvania, i.e., Copăceni, Derşida and Palatca respectively, were distinguished by major, trace, and RE elements. Within the Copăceni samples, two subgroups (A and B) showing different chemistry and mineralogy were additionally separated out. The link between chemi...

Romania was one of Europe's main gold-producing areas since the antiquity, especially through the ore deposits in the "Golden Quadrilateral" of the Western Carpathians. The Babeş-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca hosts a gold collection consisting of about 500 samples, most of them from Roşia Montană. The geochemical investigation of Romanian gold b...

Mesozoic ophiolitic and related rocks in the Eastern Carpathians occur in three areas, from north to south: Rarău, Hăghimaş and Perşani Mts. They are found as blocks ranging from few metres to a few kilometers in size and as centimetre-sized in breccias, most likely embedded in the Late Barremian–Early Albian Wildflysch formation. Compositionally,...

In the Transylvanian Depression (Romania) a number of deep wells were drilled to investigate and exploit methane gas fields. From these, only a few penetrated the Middle to Upper Jurassic volcanics in the basement. From three boreholes (Deleni, Cenade and Zoreni) rock samples were available for investigations. Deleni and Cenade show calc-alkaline b...

Mesozoic ophiolitic and related rocks in the Eastern Carpathians occur in three areas, from north to south: Rarău, Hăghimaş and Perşani Mts. They are found as blocks ranging from few metres to a few kilometers in size and as centimetre-sized in breccias, most likely embedded in the Late Barremian–Early Albian Wildflysch formation. Compositionally,...

Pristine clay samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis and gravimetric thermal analysis, as well as by nitrogen adsorption/desorption method for specific surface area determination. The samples were thermally treated at different temperatures, up to 1200 o C, and for different periods of time, up to 8 hours, in...

Mineralogical and petrographic studies of Early Medieval potshards exhumed in the Viile Tecii archaeological site (North Transylvania, Romania) show a ceramic body composed of a microcrystalline to amorphous matrix, various clasts and voids. The microscopical features and XRD patterns indicate that illitic-kaolinitic clays were used as raw material...

The western belt of the southern Albanian ophiolites consists of six major ophiolite massifs (Voskopoja, Rehove, Morava, Devolli, Vallamara, Shpati) and two smaller ones (Luniku and Stravaj). Each massif has a distinct sequence of mantle tectonites, ultramafic cumulates (plagioclase-bearing peridotites and wehrlites), cumulate gabbros, troctolites...

The western belt of the southern Albanian ophiolites consists of six major ophiolite massifs (Voskopoja, Rehove, Morava, Devolli, Vallamara, Shpati) and two smaller ones (Luniku and Stravaj). Each massif has a distinct sequence of mantle tectonites, ultramafic cumulates (plagioclase-bearing peridotites and wehrlites), cumulate gabbros, troctolites...

From a high number of bricks and tiles found at Alburnus Maior (Roşia Montană) and Apulum (Alba Iulia) (Romania), twenty two fragments were studied. The ceramics consists mainly of a matrix with crystalline and/or amorphous fabric, showing different degrees of sinterization and vitrification. In the matrix variable amounts of magmatic, metamorphic...