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ACTA MVSEI
NAPOCENSIS
50/I
MINISTRY OF CULTURE
NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF TRANSYLVANIA
CLUJ-NAPOCA
ACTA MVSEI
NAPOCENSIS
50/I
PREHISTORY-ANCIENT HISTORY-ARCHAEOLOGY
EDITORIAL BOARD:
Editor-in-chief: Carmen Ciongradi.
Editorial Board: Viorica Rusu-Bolindeţ, Eugenia Beu-Dachin, Viorica Crișan, Alexandru
Diaconescu, Sorin Cociș.
Assistant editors: Viorica Rusu-Bolindeţ, Eugenia Beu-Dachin.
Image processing: Cristina Ţopan.
Cover: Török Károly.
Technical editing and printing: MEGA Print SRL, Cluj-Napoca.
HONORARY SCIENTIFIC BOARD:
Mihai Bărbulescu (Rome, Italy); Werner Eck (Köln, Germany); Ian Haynes (London, United
Kingdom); William Hanson (Glasgow, United Kingdom); Marietta Horster (Mainz, Germany),
Rudolf Haensch (Munich, Germany).
is volume was printed with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture.
Founder: Constantin Daicoviciu
ACTA MVSEI NAPOCENSIS
Publicaţia Muzeului Naţional
de Istorie a Transilvaniei
Orice corespondenţă se va adresa:
Muzeului Naţional de Istorie
a Transilvaniei
Cluj-Napoca
Str. Constantin Daicoviciu nr.
Tel:
Fax:
email: secretariat@mnit.ro
ACTA MVSEI NAPOCENSIS
Publication of the National History Museum
of Transylvania
All correspondence will be sent to the address:
National History Museum
of Transylvania
Cluj-Napoca
Constantin Daicoviciu St. no.
Tel:
Fax:
email: secretariat@mnit.ro
Cover: Knobbed bow-plate brooch from Sacalasău Nou (© Muzeul Ţării Crișurilor, Oradea).
ISSN –
Copyright: © by Muzeul Naţional de Istorie a Transilvaniei
CONTENTS – INHALT
ARTICLES AND STUDIES
G G, R-A D
A Bolintineanu pot fragment discovered in the Neolithic settlement at Vădastra
(Romania)
D B, X P
e archaeozoological research of the Coţofeni settlement at Cheile Turului
(Cluj county)
T-T D
A Middle Bronze Age special gateway community in Eastern Transylvania
C T
Half-finished knobbed brooches within one of the hoards at Sacalasău Nou
(Bihor county)
A P
A silver Dacian bracelet in the Kemény Collection
C C
Goldene und silberne Votivbleche aus dem römischen Dakien
E T, M N
Civilians in the fort. Răcari case
D E
Evidence of bronze working at Durostorum
C B, V R-B, D-M S,
A B
Recent discoveries of bone artefacts at Histria, “Basilica extra muros” Sector
G T, C Ş
Enamelled bronzes discovered in the Roman-Byzantine quarter (south sector)
of Tropaeum Traiani
IN MEMORIAM
A D
Dr. Dorin Alicu (.. – ..)
A D
Conf. dr. Dan Isac (.. – ..)
V R-B
Prof. dr. Alexandru Suceveanu (.. – ..)
Abbreviations
Acta Musei Napocensis, /I, , p. –
A SILVER DACIAN BRACELET IN THE
KEMÉNY COLLECTION
AURORA PEțAN
Abstract: e antiquities collection of count Kemény József (–) at Luncani
(Cluj county) also included, at a certain point, a silver spiralled Dacian bracelet with terminal
plates and zoomorphic protomae, originating from Turda, of which though, nothing is known
at present. e manuscripts of the Hunedoara physician Fodor András Lugosi (?–) pre-
serve yet two sets of drawings and information related to this artifact, signed by Kemény József,
respectively J. F. Neigebaur. Based on such data, one may recompose the image of this precious
Dacian item, insofar unknown to the scientific world.
Keywords: Silver spiralled Dacian bracelet; the Dacian Kingdom period; Dacian metal-
working; antiquities collections; Kemény József; Fodor András Lugosi.
Rezumat: În colecţia de antichităţi a contelui Kemény József (–) din Luncani
(jud. Cluj) s-a aflat, la un moment dat, și o brăţară dacică spiralică de argint cu plăci terminale
și protome zoomorfe, ce provenea de la Turda și despre a cărei soartă astăzi nu se mai știe nimic.
În manuscrisele medicului hunedorean Fodor András Lugosi (?–) se păstrează însă două
seturi de desene și informaţii legate de acest artefact, semnate de Kemény József, respectiv de
J.F. Neigebaur. În baza acestor date se poate reconstitui imaginea acestei preţioase piese dacice,
rămasă necunoscută până acum lumii știinţifice.
Cuvinte-cheie: brăţară dacică spiralică de argint; orfevrărie dacică; epoca regatului dac;
colecţii de antichităţi; Kemény József; Fodor András Lugosi.
Famous at the time for his passion for history, count Kemény József (–)
gathered at his mansion at Luncani (Cluj county) a large number of ancient objects
discovered on the territory of Transylvania and copied hundreds of ancient docu-
ments from both the archives of the Transylvanian government and private archives.
By early fourth decade of the th century, the count donated his impressive collec-
tion of documents, manuscripts and minerals in order to establish a Transylvanian
museum, preserving though the collection of artifacts, which included inscriptions,
coins, statues, pottery and ancient objects of every sort, from metal items to tools and
weapons. During the dramatic events of , the mansion at Luncani was looted
and burnt¹, large part of his collection of artifacts being destroyed. e collection of
manuscripts, housed today at the Academy Library, Cluj-Napoca branch (the Kemény
Fund) includes a catalogue of inscriptions and one of coins, which the count collected
over time, however none comprising the other artifacts.
Fortunately, the sheets in which some of these items were drawn and described,
either by the count himself or by other individuals who have seen the collection, were
¹ Veres , note ; Bajusz , I/, , note .
Aurora Peţan
gathered in a manuscript together with materials from various other sources by the
physician Fodor András Lugosi (?–) based in Hunedoara, also an antiquities pas-
sionate and friend of the count². Most likely, Fodor also intended to publish them,
however he did not succeed either. All the material he collected, originally preserved
within the Erdélyi Nemzeti Múzeum under the title Utmutató a három Dáciakban,
was later transferred to “Lucian Blaga” Central University Library of Cluj-Napoca
in the “Special collections” department, where today it is grouped in eight tomes
under no. with the generic title András Fodor Lugosi Kézirata [Archaeological
data from Transylvania]. Tomes I-III, draed in Hungarian, are titled Panoráma az
archeológiai nevezetességekkel, tomes IV and V are in German and titled Führer durch
Siebenbürgen für Freunde vaterländischer Alterthümer in verschiedenen Teilen und
Ortschaen, resuming part of the information of the first tomes, while tomes VI-VIII
include illustrations (Abbildungen zum “Führer durch Siebenbürgen” I-III). Among
the latter, tome VIII unifies sheets and original drawings belonging to J.F. Neigebaur,
M.Ackner, Fodor A., Kemény J. and others, and tomes VI-VII comprise plates drawn
by certain professional drawers, who redrew the original materials in tome VIII.
Dacian period information in this manuscript is much less known and used³.
Among the items drawn and described within the sheets gathered by Fodor
counts a silver Dacian bracelet, multi-spiralled, with terminal plates and zoomor-
phic protomae, belonging to the well-known series of spiralled Dacian bracelets that
today counts silver specimens and possibly of gold (of which only retrieved)⁴.
e item was inventoried in the Kemény collection, however it remained novel until
present, lacking from the specialty catalogues draed over time⁵. Nonetheless, today
nothing is known of its fate.
Fodor saved two drawings of this bracelet. e first is included in tome VIII, page
, beside other objects discovered at Turda. e drawing is at a small scale, made in
crayon in a realistic manner. e helix shape of the object is accurately represented
in perspective and the piece length is mentioned. e count’s writing is recognizable
on the plate (Pl.I; hereinaer, drawing no. 1). e second drawing, included in tome
VIII, page , is at large scale and was drawn in crayon, later in ink. e spiral is repre-
sented poorly and asymmetrically by a sine curve. Based on the writing style, the sheet
belonged to Consul J.F. Neigebaur (Pl.II; hereinaer, drawing no. 2)⁶. Both drawings
record the origin of the object at Turda (“orda”) and mention their storage in count
Kemény József’s collection, under the inventory number . e two sketches were re-
² See the correspondence between the two in Ferenczi .
³ Among the Dacian period researchers, only Al. Ferenczi quoted this manuscript, (Ferenczi ;
Daicoviciu, Ferenczi ), which he examined in the Museum of Transylvania; two plates with drawings
were firstly published by V. Wollmann in the monograph dedicated to M. Ackner (Wollmann ) and
later taken over by Daicoviciu et alii .
⁴ Spânu , –. ree and a half decades before, Fl. Medeleţ counted only sure silver speci-
mens (Medeleţ , ).
⁵ Horedt ; Medeleţ ; Mărghitan ; Medeleţ ; Medeleţ ; Mărghitan ; Spânu
.
⁶ Both the count’s elegant writing and that irregular of the consul are unmistakable. Kemény and
Neigebaur had close relations; the latter copied several inscriptions from the count’s collection and even
wrote together with him, see IDR I, .
A silver Dacian bracelet in the Kemény Collection
drawn and included in tome VII, the first at page , Tab. XLI, e (Pl.III), the other at
page , Tab. XLVII, a (Pl.IV). ough less artistic, the original drawings are much
more accurate, which is natural since they were made by individuals who have seen
the object. e copies included in tome VII deform certain significant details like the
shape of the flattened, decorated segment at the end of the bracelet, the shape and
details of the zoomorphic protoma, the decoration of the top panel, the number of
buttons on the palmettes’ mid rib etc. and overlook the size noted by the count on the
original drawing. erefore, we shall make references only to the original drawings.
e two drawings clearly show that the object in the count’s collection was a
multi-spiralled Dacian bracelet with flattened ends decorated with zoomorphic motifs,
complete by all appearances. e object had, at least in Kemény’s representation (draw-
ing no. ), five and a half coils. e protoma, less visible in the small scale drawing, is
depicted from the front in drawing no. , where the elongated nose of the animal and
the cap with the two eyes and arcades marked by two curved lines are distinguishable.
e “crest” is rendered by five rows of curved lines one on top of the other, oriented
alternately, so to suggest the wavy fur of an animal. e edges of this register are deco-
rated with the “fish back” motif.
e number of palmettes is unclear. In drawing no. , the representation in per-
spective hinders the identification of the palmettes’ number; nevertheless, in the lower
part one may count five. In drawing no. , where the ends of bracelets are represented
from the front, there are five palmettes at one end and three at the other. e end with
three palmettes is obviously rendered inaccurately, because the drawing space was not
carefully considered from the very beginning. e drawing is disproportionate, as the
drawer, who seems to have started the sketch from the page bottom⁷, drawing equally
the first sine curves, made the last much wider than the others so to be able to figure
on the next segment five palmettes instead of three.
e outline of the palmettes is heart-shaped and one may distinguish a mid rib
decorated with five knobs. Knobs are also depicted between the palmettes. Other
details are not distinguishable in the fields of palmettes, however the spiral’s state of
preservation was unknown at the time when the drawing was made.
e explanations for the two drawings are found in tome I, f. recto and
verso (in Hungarian)⁸ and in tome IV, f. verso and verso (in German) and refer-
ence to the plates redrawn in tome VII⁹. e information is confined to only – text
lines, which however brings together several significant data. e two text sets, in the
⁷ It is possible that the drawing sheet was reversed when the identification data were written on it,
so the drawer might have still started the drawing from top down; in the re-drawn version, the image is
reversed, like the original must have been as well.
⁸ I wish to thank this way too lecturer Dr. Bajusz István for the transcription and translation of the
Hungarian texts.
⁹ e first text: „e) Ezüstből csinált fél font nehézségű, mindkét végén kígyófejű oly karperetz milyenekel
önmagukat kitüntették, lovas vitézeket szokták a rómaiak megjutalmaztatni.” = „Aus Silber gemachte halb
pfund Schwer, auf beiden ende mit Schlangen Koepfe dergestalt verfertigte Arm Ring, mit welche die Roemer
ihre ausgezeichnete Ritters zu belohnen pflegten”. “Bracelet made of silver, weighing half a pound, with
both ends ending in snake heads, with which the Romans used to reward the knights who distinguished
themselves”. e second text: „a) Egy ezüstből csinált egy sing hosszuságu kígyó.” = „In Seiner große
abgezeichnete ein ellen Lange, aus Silber gemachte Schlange”. “A snake made of silver, with a length of
one ell”.
Aurora Peţan
two languages, reproduce the same information. e first text transcribed by Fodor,
very likely belonging to Kemény, as it references his drawing, informs us it is a silver
bracelet with both ends in the shape of snakes, weighing half of pound (= ca. gr)¹⁰,
and that such bracelets were offered to Roman knights as award for their valour¹¹. e
second text, shorter, written by Neigebaur to accompany his drawing, mentions it is
a “silver snake” of one ell in length (= .cm – the equivalent for the Viennese ell
“Elle”). Kemény’s drawing contained the indication of the piece length, namely feet
(= ca. cm).
e spiral seems to belong to type A – Orăștie¹². e number of palmettes is
smaller than commonly, yet not singular, another specimen with palmettes exist-
ing at Velika Vrbica¹³, while the other known specimens have or palmettes. It is
not excluded that their number is rendered correctly, however we cannot necessarily
count on the accuracy of the two drawings. Closest analogies for the overall decoration
are the silver spirals at Dârlos and Orăștie, as well as three of the golden bracelets at
Grădiștea de Munte¹⁴. Regarding the execution of details, the item similarities with
those at Oradea and Vălişoara include the mid rib decorated with knobs (detail also
found on most golden spirals at Grădiștea de Munte), and with those at Orăștie and
Gliganul de Jos, the circular motif (most likely punched) separating the palmettes,
also found on some of the gold spirals¹⁵.
e gr weight is plausible and ranks it by the lower limit of this class¹⁶. e
size provided by Kemény, of ca. cm, which must refer to the uncoiled length of
the spiral, is within the known limits¹⁷. Instead, the ell number given by Neigebaur
doesn’t seem to mirror a real size of the item, neither uncoiled, nor twisted¹⁸. e
number of five and a half coils is frequently found with the series of multi-spiralled
silver bracelets.
e item seems to come from Turda, as recorded within the sheets, however one
cannot be certain that this is the real find place. e text provides no details concern-
ing the find place and context and there is no information on how the object ended
up in Kemény’s possession. Still, it is not excluded that it might have been discovered
precisely in Turda area, where finds of Dacian items and even similar bracelets¹⁹ are
also recorded.
¹⁰ e Austrian pound was equivalent to . gr.
¹¹ Kemény was not familiar with the material culture of the Dacians; M. Ackner also assigned to
the Romans two same type bracelets discovered by mid th century at Hetiur and Orăștie (Vaidei), see
Wollmann , –.
¹² According to Fl. Medeleţ’s classification. It is likely that incised decoration also existed beside the
stamped one, however it must have been no longer visible in order to be rendered by the drawer.
¹³ Garašanin , , no. , Pls. XLIV/, LIX/; Spânu , , no. and Pl., no. .
¹⁴ Spânu , –, no. and Fig., and .
¹⁵ I am indebted to Dr. Daniel Spânu (“Vasile Pârvan” Archaeology Institute of the Romanian Academy,
Bucharest), for the valuable suggestions provided in relation to determining the item and its analogies.
¹⁶ e bracelet at Bălănești has gr and has an uncoiled length of cm, see Spânu , .
¹⁷ All completely preserved spirals measure around meters long, see Spânu , .
¹⁸ e maximum height of such a bracelet is cm, see Spânu , . Neigebaur was more negligent
in noting details, which is also mirrored in the transcription of the numismatic and epigraphic materials,
see IDR I, .
¹⁹ RepCluj, , no. g, where are recorded at Turda a silver torques, scyphate Dacian coins and
A silver Dacian bracelet in the Kemény Collection
Nothing is known on the fate of this item; however it likely disappeared during
– among large part of the collection, when the Luncani castle was ransacked.
We may wonder whether the item at Turda had entered other collection, whilst
information on its place of origin was lost. Still, none of the silver Dacian spirals
with unknown find spot exhibit the decoration like that in the Kemény collection²⁰.
erefore, one may argue this item is novel.
In conclusion, it is safe to say that the number of known specimens in the
category of multi-spiralled silver Dacian bracelets with terminal plates and zoomor-
phic protomae has risen, insofar, to . In the event that the location of this item at
Turda is accurate, then it sheds new light on the issue of the Dacian finds in the area.
Concurrently, it proves that the use of information concerning the Dacians from th
century documents is far from complete, able still of much surprise.
Bibliography
Bajusz Bajusz I. (ed.), Téglás István jegyzetei. I. Régészeti feljegyzések
(Însemnările lui Téglás István. Notiţe arheologice), Cluj-Napoca
.
Daicoviciu, Ferenczi
C. Daicoviciu, Al. Ferenczi, Aşezările dacice din Munţii Orăştiei,
București .
Daicoviciu et alii H. Daicoviciu, I. Glodariu, Șt. Ferenczi, Cetăţi și așezări dacice în
sud-vestul Transilvaniei, vol. I, București .
Ferenczi Ferenczi S., Lugosi dr. Fodor András levelei, HTRTÉ, , –.
Ferenczi Al. Ferenczi, Relieful de la Grădiștea Muncelului păstrat în Muzeul
din Deva, Sargetia, I, , –.
Fodor mss. Lugosi Fodor András Kézirata [Date arheologice din Transilvania],
vol. I–VIII, BCU Cluj-Napoca, Colecţii Speciale, cota .
Garašanin Dr. Garašanin, Katalog Metala Narodni Muzej, Belgrade .
Horedt K. Horedt, Die dakischen Silberfunde, Dacia, XVII, , –.
Mărghitan L. Mărghitan, Tezaure dacice de argint, București .
Mărghitan L. Mărghitan, Arta argintului la geto-daci. Repertoriu, Ziridava
XXV/, Arad .
Medeleţ Fl. Medeleţ, Brățările spirale dacice de argint (o schiță tipologică).
In: H. Daicoviciu (ed.), In memoriam Constantini Daicoviciu, Cluj
, –.
Medeleţ Fl. Medeleţ, Tipologia brățărilor spiralice dacice din argint, Studii şi
comunicări de etnografie-istorie, II, Caransebeş , –.
Medeleţ Fl. Medeleţ, În legătură cu o mare spirală dacică din argint aflată în
Muzeul Național din Belgrad, Analele Banatului, , , –.
Dacian tetradrachms; to these adds a possible bronze Dacian bracelet deemed Roman by Téglás I. (Bajusz
, I/, , Fig./). Not far from Turda, on the territory of Vălișoara village, was discovered a sil-
ver Dacian spiral in the same category like the one in the Kemény collection (Spânu , – and
Pl.). A hoard discovered at Cojocna, also at small distance from Turda, includes a silver Dacian spiral,
yet without terminal plates, deemed either in the same type, yet with broken ends (Popescu , ) or
included in the category of simple spiral bracelets, undecorated (Spânu , and Pl.).
²⁰ According to Spânu , two are now at the Museum in Belgrade (Romania no. and ), three
are at the Museum in Budapest (Transylvania no. , and ), one at MNIT (Transylvania no. ), and
another in the Severeanu collection (Romania no. ).
Aurora Peţan
Popescu D. Popescu, Objet de parure géto-dace en argent, Dacia, VII–VIII,
– (), –.
Spânu D. Spânu, Tezaurele dacice. Creaţia în metale preţioase din Dacia
preromană, București .
Veres Veres E., Gróf Kemény József (1795 -1855). In: Erdélyi Múzeum-
Egyesület -es Emlékkönyvében, Cluj ,
http://www.eme.ro/servlet/eme/template/eme,tortenet,regi_
emberei,kemeny_jozsef.vm;jsessionid=BECCBEBFA
ECE( December ).
Wollmann V. Wollmann, Johann Michael Ackner (–). Leben und
Werk, Cluj-Napoca .
Aurora Peţan
“Babeş-Bolyai” University, Cluj-Napoca
apetan@gmail.com
A silver Dacian bracelet in the Kemény Collection
Pl. I. 1. Items discovered at Turda, drawing by Kemény József; 2. Detail of the multi-spiralled
bracelet (Source: Fodor mss, tome VIII, ).
1
2
Aurora Peţan
Pl. II. Bracelet drawn by J. F. Neigebaur (Source: Fodor mss, tom VIII, ).
A silver Dacian bracelet in the Kemény Collection
Pl. III. 1. Items from Turda, redrawn; 2. Detail of the multi-spiralled bracelet (Source: Fodor mss, tome VII, ).
12
Aurora Peţan
Pl. IV. Neigebaur’s sketch, redrawn, on the same plate with other objects coming from Turda
(Source: Fodor mss, tome VII, ).