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The Land of the Wolves
The Alexis team wants to begin a new project, called "The Land of the Wolves" in the Farcas Village area. Farcas/Farcasu means, from the Magyar language, in Romanian "Lup" and in English "Wolf".
The first step of this project is to search the entire area around Farcasu Village to find all important sites, in terms of history, ethnography and environment, and to make a map with all of these important areas of interest.
After this the Alexis Project will make the first steps towards the creation of information for tourists, a freely available map and a book, perhaps.
Fossiliferous site, Farcas village
Adrian was in Farcas village with a young biologist, Carstea Danutz, to check the fossiliferous site there.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 25th May 2014
The task was difficult, because it was raining the whole time, and the forest is deep and wild, and the hills are high between the wild valleys.
The site has only a few small pieces of bone there, a large part of the hill was washed away by winter snow and spring rains.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 25th May 2014
After the evaluation, there is no more to be seen here. The artefacts were given to the Oltenia Museum, to the palaeontologist Aurel Popescu, and there are other sites in the area still to be discovered.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 25th May 2014
List of sites in the Farcas area.
Map of the region with discoveries at this point.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 30th October 2010
Meeting
Adrian, Alina, Alexandru and a reporter from the local newspaper Editie Speciala were at Farcas village to meet the Mayor of the village, in connection with the Alexis Project Land of the Wolves, as well as to see how local authorities are involved in protection and promotion of culture and history of their areas.
The Mayor received the group enthusiastically, and reported his activities in the village, including building new schools, the repair of the old church from Golumbelu, protection and research at the Jidovi sites, together with the Alexis Project during the application of the Land of the Wolf Project.
Very soon, a special number of the local newspaper will show everyone the visit of ALexis to Farcas and the Goiesti area, in connection with future projects there and the work of local authorities in this matter.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 27th November 2010
Monument for the soldiers from the 1877 War of Independence
This is a concrete monument for the soldiers from the 1877 War of Independence, also for 1913 and the WW1 period, when many people from Farcas, formerly known as Amaristi, and the rest of Romania died in battle.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 25th November 2010
The monument is near Farcas school, at GPS point 44.60812°N, 23.74557°E ALT 179 and is a real monument for this village.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 25th November 2010
Plopu Ghost Church
Adrian went to the village of Plopu, part of the village of Farcasu, to search for a ghost 19th Century church in the area.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 14th November 2010
He found the church, on top of a hill, near the village valley, covered by vegetation and trees, with just a few bricks lying around to show where the church had been. Many of the bricks have already been taken by the local people to rebuild their houses.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 14th November 2010
Documentation.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 14th November 2010
Search for Bronze Age artefacts
Adrian was in the small village of Plopu, searching for an ancient site where a specialist has found a few bronze age artefacts.
The area is on a small cultivated plot of private land, near hills, in the village valley, and near houses.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 14th November 2010
Adrian found a few modern artefacts, from the 19th and 20th century.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 14th November 2010
Documentation.
GPS: 44.60841°N, 23.72589°E
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 14th November 2010
Plopu Ghost House
This is a beautiful and artistic image of the door to the Plopu Ghost House.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 14th November 2010
In the small village of Plopu, placed between hills on the right bank of the Plosca River, as part of Farcasu village, Adrian found a very old wooden house, as we may see in Mecea village.
The house was the property of an old woman, who died some time ago, so the house is empty and ready to be destroyed by rain, wind, snow, time itself.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 14th November 2010
Inside the house can still be seen a wooden bed, doors, a fireplace, a few iron tools and so on. The entire property is overgrown with wild plants and weeds.
The GPS points are: 44.60881 N, 23.72647 E
If the specialists in ethnography from Oltenia Museum, such as Dr Cornel Balosu, are interested in the furniture and artefacts from this ghost wooden house from Plopu village, it is time to hurry to save them for the museum, at least a few of them.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 14th November 2010
Mongol Cemetery
The project is known as The Land of the Wolves, having as a target the Oltenian village Farcasu, and was started by Arch. Dr. Florin Ridiche from Oltenia Museum, who is looking for a 13th Century kingdom in the area of the king Farkas which means wolf in the Magyar or Hungarian language.
This kingdom is presumed to be placed somewhere in the northern part of the Oltenia area, so there is no reason why it could not be in this place.
At Jidovi Point, a Middle Ages site has been discovered, with contribution from the Alexis Project.
This day Adrian and Alina went with a local forester, Iulian Cojoaca and his son, also a good source for facts, to a point about 600 metres north-west from Farcas village, on the right bank of the Plosca River, at a point where there is an electricity pole, at 44.59882°N, 23.72888°E ALT 172 m.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 13th November 2010
From this electricity pole, going to the hills to the northwest of the village, is a small field, just under the hills' protection, with dimensions about 50x50 metres, where, as good sources from the local people have said, 50 years ago, while digging an orchard, a lot of human bones were discovered.
It is known as the Cimitirul Tatarilor, or Tatar or Mongol Cemetery, in connection with the fights between the Romanian army, the Magyar army and the Tatars during the 12th Century.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 13th November 2010
The corners of the cemetery area are:
44.59911°N, 23.72866°E ALT 173
44.59956°N, 23.72779°E ALT 183
44.29832°N, 23.72872°E ALT 167
44.59882°N, 23.72888°E ALT 172
So, we have a large number of targets for the area of Farcasu village to justify to the general manager of the Oltenia Museum, Prof. Dr. Mihai Fifor the necessity of new searches and digs in the Farcasu area next summer, conducted by Arch. Dr. Florin Ridiche and with Alexis contribution to the project.
Documentation.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 13th November 2010
Ancient Water Mill Site
Alina and Adrian, together with the young son of one of the foresters from Farcasu village, found a former left branch of the small river Plosca, just inside the Farcas village, where a ghost Water Mill was, on the left bank of the former river branch.
It is covered by clay today, so few remains of the wooden structures of the mill remain, but the millstones were placed in other locations in the village, so this ancient site from 200 years ago, is now lost forever.
The GPS points for this site are 44.59625°N, 23.73173°E ALT 156m.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 13th November 2010
New fossiliferous site at Farcas
During a large search in the Farcas village area, together with Alina and a young son of one of one of the foresters, Adrian found a new fossil site with shells. Adrian believes it comes from the period known as Romanian II, about 2 million years ago, as Aurelian Popescu, specialist in paleontology from Oltenia Museum said about the fossiliferous site at Bilta.
The entire Oltenia area seems to have been a huge lake at this time, full of shells, as can be seen everywhere in the area.
This new site is an entire huge hill, not far from the right bank of the Plosca River, not far from Farcas village, at the GPS points 44.59371°N, 23.72245°E ALT 172 m.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 13th November 2010
19th Century Site at Farcas
Adrian and Alexandru were in the Farcas area to search for new sites in the area.
There they made a search with the help of two foresters from the area, and with the help of a few local children on bicycles.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 7th November 2010
A new site was found, just near the right bank of the small river Plosca, where a few artefacts were found, possibly from the 19th Century, in a bed of burned pottery artefacts.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 7th November 2010
Very soon, Arch. Dr. Florin Ridiche,from Oltenia Museum will be back in the area with Adrian to search deeper in the area for more datas about the history of this village.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 7th November 2010
It was very hard work, so Alexandru needed to rest for a minute!
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 7th November 2010
A week later, the young son of one of the foresters gave Adrian some more artefacts from the site, which will help in the placement of the site in a historical context.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 13th November 2010
Documentation of the site.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 7th November 2010
Diploma Cavalerilor Ioaniţi 1247
Charter of the Knights of Saint John 1247
From Wikipedia:
The Knights Hospitaller, also known as the Order of Hospitallers or simply Hospitallers, and known at various points in their history as the Order of St John, Knights of Rhodes and Knights of Malta, were a major Western Christian military order that originated during the Middle Ages.
The Order arose around the work of an Amalfitan hospital located at the Muristan site in Jerusalem, founded around 1023 to provide care for poor, sick or injured pilgrims to the Holy Land. After the Western Christian conquest of Jerusalem in 1099 during the First Crusade, the organisation became a religious and military order under its own charter, and was charged with the care and defence of the Holy Land. Following the conquest of the Holy Land by Islamic forces, the Order operated from Rhodes, over which it was sovereign, and later from Malta where it administered a vassal state under the Spanish viceroy of Sicily.
In 1247, the Hungarian Kingdom brought the Knights of St. John to the country, giving them Severin as a residence, where they built the medieval castle of Severin (this is the Castrul Zeurini mentioned in Diploma Cavalerilor Ioaniti in 1247). Inside the strong fort a Gothic church was erected. This was presumably the headquarters of the Catholic episcopate of Severin that was there until 1502. The knights withdrew in 1259, while the fortress remained in the range of the cannons of Turks, Bulgarians and Tatars who wanted to cross the Danube. The Hungarians still wanted to attack Oltenia.
Severin fortress was the most important strategic redoubt on the Danube. Its conquest meant to gain an important bridgehead in the region. At the end of the 13th century, King Stephen of Hungary fought five wars with the Bulgarian Tsarsdom for the defense of Severin fortress.
Map Source: Română: Ovidiu Drimba - Istoria culturii şi civilizaţiei româneşti, Editura Ştiinţifică şi Pedagogică, Bucureşti, 1987, vol.2, pag.404
English: Ovidiu Drimba - History of Romanian culture and civilization, Editura Ştiinţifică şi Pedagogică, Bucureşti, 1987, vol.2, pg.404
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În numele Sfintei Treimi, una şi nedespărţită, amin. Bela, din mila lui Dumnezeu regele Ungariei, Dalmaţiei, Croaţiei, Ramei, Serbiei, Galiţiei, Lodomeriei şi Cumaniei de-a pururi.
Este o cerinţă a înălţimii regeşti să o datorie a mărimii celor de sus, mai presus de toate, să vegheze cu atât mai multă la sporirea numărului supuşilor, cu cât slava lor se înalţă mai ales prin mulţimea poporului supus, căci se ştie îndeosebi puterea, pacea şi siguranţa tuturor regilor şi regatelor se întemeiază pe tăria acestora. Şi încă se mai adaugă pentru o parte fără însemnătate din purtarea de grijă a regelui ca să-i privească cu mai multă blândeţe şi să-i dăruiască cu mai mari binefaceri pe aceştia prin care se nădăjduieşte că se va isca şi în lumea aceasta folos [mai bogat] şi că regele tuturor regilor va fi mai cucernic lăudat.
Aşadar, mânaţi de acest gând, după o îndelungă sfătuire cu fruntaşii şi baronii regatului nostru, ne-am oprit la această hotărâre, luată dimpreună cu venerabilul bărbat Rembald, marele perceptor al caselor ospitalierilor din Ierusalim, din părţile de dincolo de mare, cu privire la repopularea regatului, care prin năvălirea duşmănoasă a neamului numit tătari a îndurat mare pagubă, atât prin pierderea bunurilor cât şi prin uciderea locuitorilor, că deoarece acel perceptor, în numele casei ospitalierilor, s-a îndatorat de bună voie, pe sine şi casa ospitalierilor să ia arme pentru ajutorarea regatului nostru în vederea apărării credinţei creştine, potrivit cu actul scris mai jos, şi să se supună şi la celelalte îndatoriri ce se vor arăta îndată în această scrisoare, îi dăm şi îi dăruim lui, şi prin dânsul numitei case, întreaga ţară a Severinului împreună cu munţii ce ţin de ea şi cu toate celelalte ce atârnă de ea, precum şi cnezatele lui Ioan şi Farcaş până la râul Olt, afară de pământul cnezatului voievodului Litovoi, pe care îl lăsăm românilor aşa cum l-au stăpânit aceştia şi până acum.
Totuşi [le dăm] în aşa fel, încât jumătate din toate foloasele şi veniturile şi slujbele din întreaga ţară a Severinului, amintită mai sus, din cnezatele numite mai sus să o păstrăm pe seama noastră şi a urmaşilor noştri, cealaltă jumătate căzând în folosul casei pomenite mai sus, afară de bisericile clădite şi cele ce se vor clădi în toate ţările sus-zise, din veniturile cărora nu păstrăm nimic pe seama noastră – rămânând totuşi neatinse cinstea şi drepturile arhiepiscopilor şi episcopiilor, pe care ştie că le au – lăsând deoparte şi toate morile dintre hotarele ţărilor amintite, atât cele clădite cât şi ce se vor clădi – în afară de cele din ţara Litua – precum şi toate clădirile şi semănăturile făcute pe cheltuiala fraţilor zisei case, şi fâneţele şi păşunile pentru vitele şi oile lor, şi pescăriile de la Dunăre şi iazurile de la Celei, pe care le păstrăm împreună pe seama noastră şi a lor.
Şi mai îngăduim ca jumătate din veniturile şi foloasele ce se vor strânge pe seama regelui de la românii ce locuiesc în ţara Litua – în afară de ţara Haţegului cu cele ce ţin de dânsa – să le culeagă sus-zisa casă. Mai voim întru apărarea ţării şi înfrângerea şi pedepsirea atacurilor ce ni s-ar aduce de către străini, iar din partea lor sprijin şi ajutor, pe cât le va sta în putinţă. Pe lângă acestea, din sarea ce le-am îngăduit , să ducă în chip îndestulător spre folosinţa acestei ţării a părţilor dinspre Bulgaria, Grecia şi Cumania, din orice ocnă din Transilvania de unde vor putea mai uşor să o scoată cu cheltuială dimpreună a noastră şi a lor, fără atingerea întru nimic a dreptului episcopal; tot astfel şi din banii care vor umbla acolo din voinţa regelui şi hotărârea perceptorului acestei case, ce va fi în slujbă în acea vreme, jumătate o păstrăm pe seama noastră, precum s-a mai spus mai sus şi despre cealaltă jumătate având a fi îndreptată spre folosul zisei case, fără atingerea drepturilor bisericilor.
De asemenea rânduielile pe care ce va fi hărăzit zisa casă a nobililor şi altor venind din alte părţi să locuiască în ţinuturile amintite, atât în privinţa libertăţi lor cât şi a judecăţilor şi hotărârilor judecătoreşti pe care le vor rosti împotriva acelora, le vom încuviinţa şi întări – fără atingerea părţii noastre din folosinţele ieşind de acolo – cu acest adaos, că de se va rosti osândă [într-o pricină] vărsare de sânge împotriva mai marilor ţării [aceleia] şi se vor simţi nedreptăţiţi să poată face apel la curtea noastră. Mai adăugăm că dacă ar veni vreo oaste asupra regatului nostru – lucru de care că ne ferească Dumnezeu – a cincea parte din ostaşii ţării amintite să fie datori a veni în oastea noastră şi a porni la război pentru apărarea ţării noastre. Iar dacă vom îndrepta oastea spre Bulgaria, Grecia, şi Cumania, va purcede a treia din cei în stare a merge la război, prada de război, atât din cea mişcătoare cât şi din cea nemişcătoare, numita casă îşi va primi partea sa după numărul ostaşilor din ţara Severinului precum şi armele lor.
Pe lângă aceasta, am dăruit amintitului perceptor şi printr-însul casei ospitalierilor toată Cumania, de la râul Olt, şi munţii Transilvaniei, sub aceleaşi îndatoriri ce sunt arătate mai sus cu privire la ţara Severinului – în afară de ţara lui Seneslau, voievodul românilor, pe care le-am lăsat-o acelora, aşa cum au stăpânit-o şi până acum – şi întru totul sub toate acele îndatoriri ce sunt arătate mai sus cu privire la ţara Litua. Însă nu vrem să trecem cu vederea acest lucru, că de la intrarea [în stăpânire] a des-pomeniţilor fraţi, timp de douăzeci şi cinci de ani, numita casă va strânge toate veniturile ţării Cumaniei în întregime, afară de cele din sus-numita ţară a lui Seneslau, din care vor avea numai jumătate din venituri şi foloase. Iar de atunci încolo, jumătate din toate veniturile, foloasele, slujbele încuviinţate şi jurate de înălţimea regală vor fi plătite visteriei regale de către fraţii acelei case, aşa fel ca, din cinci în cinci ani, trimisul nostru osebit să fie dator a socotit veniturile, foloasele şi slujbele ce vin de acolo.
Iar cheltuielile ce se vor face cu paza cetăţilor sau întăriturilor trebuie să se poarte împreună cu noi şi acei fraţi, în afară de alte condiţii din partea noastră şi excepţii din partea ospitalierilor, privind ţara Cumaniei, ca de pildă cele privind biserici, mori şi toate celelalte care s-au arătat fiecare în parte în legătură cu Severinul. La ridicarea cetăţilor în amintita ţară a Cumaniei precum şi la apărarea Cumaniei împotriva oricăror duşmani, vom sta în ajutorul fraţilor cu sfatul şi cu privirea, când va fi nevoie şi când vom fi chemaţi de aceşti fraţi, mergând chiar în persoană dacă nu vom fi opriţi de alte piedici. Le mai dăruim lor un pământ de patru sute de pluguri în Feketig sau în alt loc în Transilvania şi vom împlini acest număr unde vor crede a fi mai de folos numiţilor fraţi, la intrarea în ţara Cumaniei sau în Severin, iar pentru această danie vom da scrisoare deosebită.
În sfârşit, pentru ca această casă a ospitalierilor să-şi poată aduce cu mai mare uşurinţă pe mare ceea ce îi va trebui spre folosul ţării noastre şi al ei, i-am dăruit cetatea Scandona, de la mare, cu toate cele ce ţin de ea şi folosinţele sale, aşa cum a stăpânit preaiubitul nostru frate de fericită amintire, regele Coloman, aşa cum se ştie că ţin de această moşie, fără a se atinge de drepturile bisericilor din ele. Pe lângă acestea, am dăruit sus-numiţilor fraţi pământul Woyla, ce se află lângă Dunăre, nu departe de Semlin, pământ pe care l-am scos de sub atârnarea cetăţii Caraş, împreună cu toate foloasele şi cele ce ţin de el, aşa cum l-a stăpânit ca bun de veci Nicolae, fratele lui Ugolin. Iar des-numitul perceptor, pentru daniile noastre pe care le facem sau le-am făcut din pricinile de mai jos amintite, s-a legat limpede şi desluşit în numele zisei case să ia armele împotriva tuturor păgânilor de orice neam ar fi, precum şi împotriva bulgarilor, şi chiar împotriva altor schismatici dacă ar încerca să năvălească în regat sau în hotarele regatului [şi] să aducă îndată în regatul nostru, spre slujba noastră şi a regatului nostru o sută de fraţi bine şi potrivit înzestraţi cu arme ostăşeşti şi cai.
Dar, împotriva unei oşti creştine, ce vor voi să pătrundă în regatul nostru, s-a legat în numele casei să dea cinci zeci de fraţi înarmaţi, spre paza şi apărarea cetăţilor şi întăriturilor de la hotare, precum sunt Pojon, Moson, Sopron, Cetatea de fier, Cetatea Nouă, şi chiar mai puţin, oriunde va voi regele, să-i aşeze, şi şaizeci [de fraţi înarmaţi] împotriva tătarilor, dacă s-ar întâmpla ca aceştia să intre în regatul nostru, de care lucru să ne ferească Dumnezeu; tuturor acestora, câtă vreme sunt în paza cetăţilor şi întăriturilor, li se vor plăti cele trebuincioase din veniturile regale. S-a mai adăugat în numele casei ca perceptorul sau magistrul, care va fi trimis de peste mare sau din alt loc pentru cârmuirea caselor în fiinţă atunci în regatul nostru, va fi dator la sosirea sa să făgăduiască, jurând după datina ordinului său, că pune să se păstreze întru totul credinţa regelui şi regatului, şi atât el cât şi ai săi vor ţine fără înşelăciune toate şi fiecare din cele spuse mai sus, şi că va avea grijă şi se va strădui să împoporeze nu numai ţinuturi, dar şi alte ţinuturi ale regatului nostru, şi că nu-i va primi pe ţăranii din regatul nostru de orice stare şi neam ar fi, şi pe saşii teutoni din regatul nostru, să se aşeze în ţinuturile sus-amintite, decât cu o îngăduinţă regească osebită.
S-a mai adăugat de noi, şi s-a primit de perceptor, în numele amintitei case că, dacă s-ar întâmpla ca cele de mai sus sau vreunele sau ceva din cele la care s-a legat şi s-a îndatorat casa sus –pomenitului perceptor sau magistrat să nu fie ţinute în seamă de aceasta sau de alt perceptor sau magistrat pe atunci în slujbă, şi după a treia punere în vedere solemnă nu s-ar îngriji de îndreptare – şi marele magistru de peste mare, încunoştinţat după cum se cuvine din partea regelui de acest lucru, încă s-ar îndrepta timp de un an de la facerea încunoştinţării ceea ce s-a trecut cu vederea sau nu s-a împlinit de către zisul perceptor sau magistru în slujbă în acel timp – atunci judecata regească va primi o despăgubire sau pedeapsă asupra acelora prin luarea din veniturile lor sau în alt chip, potrivit bunului plac al voinţei sale, după mărimea şi felul greşelii.
Aşadar, pentru ca toate şi fiecare din cele citite înaintea noastră şi a nobililor noştri – şi pe care noi, dându-le credinţa şi întinzând dreapta noastră regală, am făgăduit să le păzim neatinse şi să punem să se păzească cât timp vor dăinui îndatoririle luate din partea sus-zisei case – să dobândească puterea unei întăriri veşnice, întrucât ţine de noi, am dat scrisoarea de faţă întărită cu bula noastră de aur, şi am poruncit ca numitul perceptor, în numele amintitei case a ospitalierilor, să fie pus în stăpânirea de fapt a celor de mai sus, în temeiul autorităţii regale, de către iubitul şi credinciosul nostru Achile, prepozitul de Alba, vicecancelarul curţii noastre.
În anul de la Întruparea Domnului o mie două sute patruzeci şi şapte, în a patra zi înainte de nonele lui Iunie, în anul domniei noastre al doisprezecelea.
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Visit to the Jidovi Site
Adrian and his son Alexandru went to Farcasu village, to visit the Jidovu sites, Bronze Age and Middle Ages.
It is a wild site, deep in the forest, on the top of a hill, with deep valleys around it and with a water-source just nearby.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 5th November 2010
Alexandru is examining in this photo an ancient part of the clay-walls, hand-made with clay over a tree-branches texture, as well as pottery artefacts.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 5th November 2010
Alexandru took the opportunity to learn more about palaeontology, even though our friend, the specialist from Oltenia Museum, Aurelian Popescu, was not there.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 5th November 2010
At the site, Alexandru tried to remove a small piece of fossil bone, just for the exercise, after the most important bones were given by Aurelian Popescu to Oltenia Museum.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 5th November 2010
A very important conclusion of this execise, was that Alexandru was very happy to visit a fossil site, and as he told Adrian "It is of the same importance as an archaeological one!"
Perhaps this signals another important target for the Alexis Project.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 5th November 2010
Bandits at Farcasu Jidovi sites
When Adrian took his son Alexandru to the Jidovi sites to show him the discoveries there, they found the work of bandits or treasure hunters had already started.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 5th November 2010
They could have discovered very little, but that does not seem to bother them or stop them in their illegal activities.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 5th November 2010
If a bandit gets a signal on their (illegal) metal detection tool, he digs in that place, hoping to find treasure, but usually finding nothing.
This is a sad reality in many sites, even though the police make huge efforts to stop this theft of the inheritance of the country.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 5th November 2010
The Fossiliferous site at Farcasu
In Oltenia there are many fossiliferous sites called Jidovi, a word which means big bones. Every time when the Alexis Team finds this name applied to a hill, a valley and so on, it is usually productive to make a good search for fossils in the area.
Adrian was with Arch. Dr. Florin Ridiche from Oltenia Museum at Farcasu Village, Dolj County, to search for an archaeological site in the area. This was at Jidovi Point, deep within the forest, on a huge hill, with Bronze Age and Middle Ages artefacts in the area, and a few pieces of apparent fossils were found at the northern border of this site.
Adrian and Alina went again to Jidovi Point, at 44.59164°N, 23.74570°E to make a better search for fossils. A few very old bones were found, and were given to Aurelian Popescu, a specialist in Palaeontology at Oltenia Museum, who said that some quite old fossils had been found, some from a horse, and some from a huge animal, possibly a mammoth.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 31st October 2010
The Mayor of Farcasu Village is a very enthusiastic supporter of the "Land of the Wolves" project, in which we want to make in the village a tourist centre, with information about the important historical monuments and other points of interest in the area, such as the Church from Golumbelu Village, the archaeological sites from Jidovi Point, of the Bronze Age and the Middle Ages, as well as the Stanca area, which has sites from the Roman era was well as the 19th Century, as well as fossils from the Dam and Jidovi Point, as well as Tarnitz Point and many others.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 31st October 2010
It is important that the Alexis investigations should take place, as much as possible, with a specialist there for a better search, and we have a very good cooperation with the specialists from the Oltenia Museum as well as the Mayor from Farcas Village.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 31st October 2010
The following photos are from another visit on the following day:
At the Jidovi site, the two workers made a kind of platform at the site to make the search more productive.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 1st November 2010
The specialist in paleonthology, Aurelian Popescu from Oltenia Museum, and the Mayor from Farcasu, Ilie Nemtaru helped the Alexis Team with two local people to dig for fossils at the site.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 1st November 2010
Also, over several hours, Aurelian Popescu worked hard in the ground and stone to discover the fossil bones, as can be seen here.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 1st November 2010
The team found at the Jidovi site three kinds of bones from the Pleistocene, about 1 700 000 BP (Before the Present) including a horse, a deer, and a mammoth!
It is rare to find so easily in such sites such an association of animals, but it is often possible to find many animals of the same species in one place, put there by water flow in ancient times, and covered by later sediments.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 1st November 2010
A letter from Aurelian Popescu, the specialist in paleonthology, concerning the bone of the mammoth found at Farcasu.
In atas sunt doua imagini ale ulnei de Mammuthus meridionalis, osul pe care nu am reusit sa-l scoatem de la Farcasu. Arata ciudat, daca ar fi intreg ar arata si mai ciudat, cu acea extremitate proximala expandata (nu apare ea asa de bine in imagine, dar va invit la muzeu sa va arat originalul).
The attached are two images of the Mammuthus meridionalis ulna, the bone that I could not get out of the Farcaşu deposits. It looks strange, and it would look even stranger whole, with that expanded proximal end (not shown in the picture very well, but I invite you to the museum to show you the original).
Photo: Aurelian Popescu 3rd November 2010
Southern mammoth Elephas meridionalis
The Southern Mammoth lived in Europe and Asia in the late Pliocene from about 2.5 to 3 million years ago and migrated to North America in the early Pleistocene around 1.8 million years ago. It stood about 14 ft (426 cm) at the shoulder.
Photo: H. Osborn, 'Men of the Old Stone Age' (1916)
This media file is in the public domain in the United States. This applies to U.S. works where the copyright has expired, often because its first publication occurred prior to January 1, 1923.
Finally, we have an agreement from the General Manager of Oltenia Museum, Prof. Dr Mihai Fifor to help us in future digs at the Farcasu Site, at Jidovi Point, next year, where we have already found, in the same place, a palaentological site, as well as two historical sites, a Bronze Age site and a Middle Ages site.
Also, the Mayor of Farcasu, Ilie Nemtaru is ready to help the Alexis Team in our activities here. He has a cooperation with the Alexis Team for the future search of the entire area around the village in the project, already started, named "Land of the Wolves".
The Alexis Team has already found six important points for tourists in the area:
- The 19th Century Church from Golumbelu.
- The Mammoth site from the Dam, near the Plosca River.
- The fossiliferous site from the Jidovi Area.
- The two historical sites in the Jidovi Area.
- The Roman and the 19th Century sites from Stanca Point.
Stanca
On 30th October 2010 Adrian was again in the Farcasu area to search for more sites there, in accordance with a contract with the local officials there.This endeavour is now known as the Land of the Wolves Project.
Adrian went with a very old man from the village to a distant spot on top of the hills, in a place called Stanca. A single woman was living there in a small house.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 30th October 2010
In this area, Adrian found a lot of bricks, as well as other artefacts, and a few pieces of pottery.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 30th October 2010
In this area, Adrian found a lot of bricks, as well as other artefacts, and a few pieces of pottery.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 30th October 2010
In addition, Adrian found some silver Roman coins!
Adrian will now work on producing a good map of the area with all the sites found there, then try to obtain more datas about them, and finally, together with the authorities, to fund a project for tourists, a site, a book, and so on.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 30th October 2010
Google Earth map and documentation for the Stanca Site.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 30th October 2010
Tarnitza
This is a Tarnitza, a kind of hill, not so far from Farcasele Village, which the Alexis Project has yet to investigate. There is no data about this Tarnitza, except for a very old piece of paper from Oltenia Museum, found by Dr Florin Ridiche in the archives of the Museuem. The Tarnitza may be seen from a small road nearby, at 44.590153°N,23.712900°E.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 30th October 2010
Document of Cooperation between the Alexis Project and the local authorities.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 30th October 2010
Fortress Dolj Farcas
Raport Sit Farcas Dolj
Second Visit to the Fortress Dolj Farcas
In order to obtain better information, the Alexis Project went to Farcasu Village to meet local authorities, interested to formalise this area as an historical site, a monument as part of the National Historical Monument sites.
With the help of the local authorities, Dr Gheorghe and Dr. Florin Ridiche, helped by three local people, made ready to make a complete search of the site.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 23rd October 2010
We prepared to climb to the site from the local cemetery, in two teams. One was formed by Adrian and two local men who were to climb through the left hand valley which bordered the site, and the other team, formed by Florin and another local man, were to climb through the right hand valley on the other side of the site.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 23rd October 2010
Then, after each team had done a good search of their own area, it was necessary to then combine to make a good map with the GPS points of the site. Florin Ridiche is very skilled in this task, so it fell to him to make this very important document.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 23rd October 2010
To climb the valley, and then return, through the river of the Borthe Valley was a very hard job. It reminded Adrian of his years of army preparation, when recruits were required to climb, jump, be a snake, and try to pass through the middle of the vegetation.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 23rd October 2010
We found artefacts while coming down from the site area into a deep and wild valley, in both valleys, as Adrian had guessed when planning the project, and a good map was made of the site.
Very soon, in cooperation with the local authorities, we can start the process of classification of the site as an historical monument, since it needs better protection, and as information for tourists in the area.
A few artefacts were prepared to be stored at the Oltenia Museum as preparation for a better search. The site has both Middle Ages and Bronze Age artefacts.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 23rd October 2010
As Dr Gheorghe has said many times, the real number of sites on the Oltenia area must be more than twice the number officially recognised. All these locations must be found, and need to be more thoroughly searched, including GPS maps and with the contribution of specialists concerning the life of the people who lived there.
Documentation for the second visit.
Readers will note that there is another FIS document here which has been prepared, as constant updating of the records is required for this sort of venture.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 23rd October 2010
First Visit to the Fortress Dolj Farcas
Adrian Gheorghe, Alina Neagoe and Arch. Dr. Florin Ridiche were in the northern part of Dolj County to see, in Farcas village, a middle ages fortress deep in the forest.
From the centre of Farcas village, the route leads to the cemetery of the village at 44.59288°N, 23.73794°E.
From this point it is necessary to climb the hill to the south-east of the village, for about one kilometre, into deep forest along a very deep valley, until a water source at 44.59216°N, 23.74426°E is reached.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 16th October 2010
Just past this water source, on the right side of the valley, is to be found the middle age fortress, with a clay wall, at 44.59088°N, 23.74630°E
There are many trees over the area of the fortress, as well as a lot of bronze age and middle ages artefacts, but it is believed that there must be many artefacts in the deep valley nearby which have washed down from the fortress area.
It was very wet, cold and raining, with a lot of mud and wet clay around.
The fortress is built deep in the forest, and is protected by forest and the huge hills around, and with a water source nearby. The area of the fortress is small, and must be built as a place of refuge during times of trouble and war, rather than to live in.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 16th October 2010
It will be necessary to come back to search the deep valley for artefacts, to add to those already collected for study at the Museum by the Archaeologist and Specialist Dr Florin Ridiche.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 16th October 2010
Documentation of the site, as edited by Dr Ridiche.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 16th October 2010
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RC J/263/230/2007 CIF 21464151
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