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Tumuls in Oltenia
Cross section of a typical Tumul.
This is an early reconstruction of the Bell Beaker tomb at Smolín (District Břeclav, south Moravia, after Novotný 1958, obr. 10).
Photo: Šmejda et al. (2006)
The Tumuls on the road between Bechet and Corabia towns, on the left bank of the Danube
There is a good road between Bechet (Dolj County) and Corabia (Olt County) following the left bank of the Danube. There are a lot of ancient tumuls on both sides of it.
In the entire Oltenia area, there may be 1000 tumuls, from Bronze Age to Roman Times, later, or mixed.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 24th February 2013
In Bulgaria, in the Kazarlak area, locals are promoting these historical monuments better than we are in Romania, so that they can be better protected from agricultural works, and can be designated as National Patrimony, under the protection of the Government from destruction and unauthorised digging.
The Romanian Mother Church already does this with regard to its property, so surely, and for better reasons, we should do the same with historical monuments to protect them from damage by private individuals.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 24th February 2013
The Tumul near the Village of Nedeia, Dolj County
Near the village of Nedeia, Dolj County, on the left bank of the Danube, there are a lot of tumuls, some of them with stones on top.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 6th October 2012
This stone may have been added long after the Tumul was built. The entire southern part of the Oltenia area is full of such ancient graves.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 6th October 2012
The strange site near Birca Village
Adrian Gheorghe and Dorel Bondoc were searching for tumuls, when they came across this strange site in the middle of a field.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2nd January 2012
The site is between Cioroiu Nou, Urzicuţa Village and Birca Village, where there is a huge Roman site.
The GPS reading is 43.57963° N 23.34996° E
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2nd January 2012
It is a very strange site, formed by what looks like a broken tumul with a lot of holes around it, and with stone artefacts around. It will be necessary to return to this site for deeper research into the area.
The entire area between Urzicuţa and Birca villlages is full of ancient graves, or tumuls, more than 25 altogether, as well as sites from the Bronze Age and ancient Roman times.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2nd January 2012
Urzicuţa 'Magurile Insirate' Sites, Tumuls strung together in a line
Adrian Gheorghe and Dorel Bondoc went to the southern part of Urzicuţa village, in the area of the huge line of 15 tumuls, along a line from east to west, to Birca village, another important ancient Roman site.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2nd January 2012
They were searching for new sites there, trying to find an answer to the reasons for this strange huge necropolis.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2nd January 2012
Even though it was cold, in the middle of winter, the pair searched the huge line of tumuls in the area, more than four kilometres long, covered by ancient graves, but with no artefacts yet found around them.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2nd January 2012
Tumuls between Orlea and Padina villages, Olt County
With the help of Exp. Arch. Dr Dorel Bondoc, from Oltenia Museum, the Alexis Project discovered today a lot of Tumuls in a huge area between Orlea and Padina villages, Olt County.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 8th December 2011
The Tumuls clustered around a GPS point on the main road between the two locations, at 43.75662°N 24.34414°E alt = 49m.
In the entire area, between Orlea - Padina - Grojdibodu, the team discovered more than ten Tumuls, a few of them seeming to be on an ancient Roman road to Sucidava, Corabia, another important Roman site.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 8th December 2011
Tumuls between Orlea and Corabia, Olt County
Under the direction of Exp. Arch. Dr Dorel Bondoc, from Oltenia Museum, the Alexis Project has found, at GPS point 43.76007°N 24.40262°E , alt=43 m, about 100 metres to the north of this point, located on the main road between Orlea village and Corabia town, a large area with Tumuls which seem to be built on a line from west to east.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 8th December 2011
This line connects Magurile Insirate and Urzicutza village, on the way to Barca, where there is a huge Roman site. Also, in Corabia town there is a huge Roman site, the Celei-Sucidave castrum. Perhaps this is an ancient Roman Imperial road, connecting the tumuls.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 8th December 2011
Urzica Mare Tumuls
Adrian and Alina Neagoe were at Urzica Mare village, with a good cooperation by phone with Arch. Dr. Florin Ridiche, from Oltenia Museum, who told them about an important artefact found in this area, about 500 metres to the east of Urzica Mare, on the main road between Urzica Mare and Urzicuta, then 100 metres to the north, where there are two tumuls.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 3rd October 2010
There were no artefacts in the region of the Tumuls.
The first Tumul, the eastern one, is about two metres height and diameter about 20 metres, and the other, to the west from T01 is about half a metre high and 20 metres in diameter.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 3rd October 2010
The land is covered with vegetation, and is used for agricultural activities by private people. where the two Tumuls are. No artefacts were found near the Tumuls.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 3rd October 2010
Documentation for the site.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 3rd October 2010
Urzicuţa Tumuls
Today, in a long trip, together with Exp.Dr.Arch. Dorel Petrus Bondoc, from Oltenia Museum, the Alexis Project went to search for an ancient Roman site, not far from Urzicuţa village.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2nd January 2012
There are two tumuls in the area, between the GPS points 43.59555°N 23.30914°E and 43.59521°N 23.31212°E over a large area of field, near the southern part of these two tumuls, which are about 50 metres wide and about 300 metres long.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2nd January 2012
A lot of artefacts from the Bronze Age were found, as well as some from ancient Roman times. There seems to have been a rural Roman village here.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2nd January 2012
South of Urzicuţa village are two Tumuls, at the GPS points:
43.99215°N 23.52066°E Diameter = 20 m Height = 2 m
43.99297°N 23.51705°E Diameter = 10 m Height = 1 m
These are situated 2.5 km NW from Baile Ionele Lake, and 2.5 km from Urzicuţa village.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 18th September 2010
Adrian, Alexandru, and Alexandra (a friend of Alexandru) were in the area of the Tumuls from Urzicutza village, where Adrian found a Roman site as well as another from the Bronze Age, as noted in the Alexis Aquae project. They made a new search in the area, not very far from Baile Ionele Lake.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 6th November 2010
Ancient pottery has been found here, but it is important to note that some are from Roman times.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 18th September 2010
Also, the entire field, starting from Getic Podis at the north until the Danube River to the south, is full of Tumuls and a lot of sites, many of them from the bronze / iron ages.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 18th September 2010
General plan of the Baile Ionele Lake, Urzicuta village, Dolj County.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 28th August 2011
GPS Points map for Tumuls and sites in the Afumati-Urzicutza-Giurgita-Barca/Dolj Area.
Photo: Adrain Gheorghe 28th August 2011
Urzicutza new site.
Photo: Google Earth 28th August 2011
Urzicutza Tombs Highway
Photo: Google Earth 28th August 2011
Tumuls in the Afumatzi area
There are a lot of Tumuls in the field between Getic Podis and the Danube River, from all ages.
These are another two Tumuls, between the eastern part of Afumatzi village and the right bank of the Baboia River.
There is still a lot of grass in the fields, so it is difficult to find artefacts in the area.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 18th September 2010
The Boureni area
This may be a Tumul. It is 1.5 km north of Boureni village, near the road between Boureni and Cioroiu Nou villages, also near the railroad from Craiova to Calafat.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 18th September 2010
Dr Dorel Bondoc is not very sure about this Tumul, but future searches will give us more data about it.
The location is at 44.030591°N 23.43141°E, and it is about 4 metres in height and more than 20 metres in diameter.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 18th September 2010
Documentation for the site.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 3rd October 2010
The Baile Ionele tumuls area
Dr Gheorghe, Alexandru Gheorghe, and Dr Alina Bologa went to the Baile Ionele tumuls area, to continue the AQUAE project. This huge area of tumuls, which we have not seen the like of before, may prove the existence of an archeological site nearby, other than Barca and Cioroiu Nou.
We have named the area AQUAE, because we have the geo-thermal lake Baile Ionele, the Baboia River, and many, many other lakes around the village of Urzicuta.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 11th September 2010
There was also discovered, to the south of the main line of tumuls, what may have been a dirt road, which may explain the position of the tumuls along it.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 11th September 2010
A few artefacts were found in the tumuls area, but all came from prehistory, not from the time of the Romans, which is what was expected.
Also, on this day was found four other new tumuls, placed to the north of the main line of tumuls, and perhaps between the two groups of tumuls may lie the archeological site which the AQUAE team have long searched for.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 11th September 2010
An annotated map from Google Earth.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 11th September 2010
GPS points for the area.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 11th September 2010
Adrian and Alexandru went to the Baile Ionele Lake region to visit the tumuls of this area.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 15th April 2011
The tumuls are a striking feature of the landscape, and are barrows, or huge earth mound graves from ancient times.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 15th April 2011
Under these tumuls or earth burial mounds are sleeping ancient warriors, slumbering still in the rich black earth of the region.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 15th April 2011
The tumuls are shown in this Google Earth image.
Photo: Google Earth 28th August 2011
The road from Radovan to Calafat Tumuls
There are a lot of ancient Tumuls in the Oltenia area, especially in the southern part of it.
On the road from Radovan to Calafat there are a few Tumuls, near the main road, placed here in order, using the GPS points, which are close to the Tumuls.
T 01 on the right side of the road to Calafat, 44.13295° N 23.43853° E, Alt 131 metres.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 23rd May 2010
T 02 and T 03 Tumuls are at 300 metres distance on each side of the main road.
44.02858° N 23.12875° E, Alt 70 metres.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 23rd May 2010
T 04, T 05 and T 06 Tumuls are more than 500 metres distance from the road, on the right side of the main road to Calafat.
GPS reading: 44.01510° N 23.07580° E, Alt 69 metres.
There must be a lot of these ancient tombs/graves/barrows in the Oltenia area, so a future problem for the Alexis team will be a list of those tumuls, even though they come from many periods, the bronze age, the Roman era, and so on.
There is no book about all the tumuls in Oltenia.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 23rd May 2010
References
- Šmejda L., Turek J., Thrane H., 2006: Archaeology of Burial Mounds, Publication of the Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Philosophy & Arts, University of West Bohemia, Univerzitní 8, 306 14 Plzeň, Czech Republic.
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Alexis Project Filiasi/Romania
RC J/263/230/2007 CIF 21464151
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