PRELIMINARY DATA ON THE RESCUE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS OF ALBA IULIA - REPUBLICII BLVD. NO. 3

Abstract

The rescue archaeological research was undertaken between March – May 2022 in Alba Iulia city, at Republicii Blvd. no. 3.The research perimeter lay within the Olympic Pool area, both inside the former courtyard of the property, on the east and north sides related to the existing building, as well as outside the courtyard, on the same sides.The land plot is situated in the northern side of the city, on a high terrace, at 3.2 km north-west the Mureş, respectively 2.1 km west stream Ampoi, within an area that yielded multiple archaeological finds.The archaeological investigations identified a number of 216 features, entirely examined and excavated, dating to the Bronze and Iron II Ages, the Roman and post-Roman periods, respectively the Modern period.The prehistoric remains are represented by three features and a series of potshards, similarly to those of the La Tène, of which feature Cx 143, a horse burial, stands out.Roman date features are statistically most numerous, while amongst these, burial structures (graves or set-ups of the funeral space) overwhelmingly illustrate the nature of the finds from this chronological cultural sequence of the excavated site sector.The Roman graves unearthed during the archaeological campaign performed in the spring of 2022 are widely similar in terms of the burial ritual with those previously investigated on adjacent land plots, the biritual specificity of the cemetery being noted in this sector as well. Synthetically, it is worth mention that inhumations numerically dominate to the detriment of the cremations, with 61 inhumations, respectively 39 cremations found.Post-Roman date remains, few in number, are represented by habitat and burial structures, the latter being inhumations of the migrations period dated by late 5th – first two thirds of the 6th century AD.Among Modern date finds counts a house, which according to the identified artefacts dates starting with the second half of the 18th century.

Keywords

• apulum, alba iulia, graves, burial set-ups, la tène, the roman period, the gepids.