Câteva considerații privind vasele cu tub neo-eneolitice descoperite pe teritoriul României

Abstract

During the 2013 and 2018 seasons, carried out at the site of Pietroasa Mică-Gruiu Dării (Pietroasele Commune, Buzău County) two complete vessels with tube were discovered in a layer with Chalcolithic depositions, characterized by a mixture of Cernavodă I and Cucuteni B archaeological materials. Such vessels are relatively rare discoveries on the territory of Romania. One of these vessels has two tubes, being the only one of this kind discovered so far on the Romanian territory. The typological categories in which these vessels were grouped are extremely numerous: baby bottle, baby feeding vessels, baby nursing spoons, vessels with tube, vessels with drain-tube, vessels with drain-pipe, miniature vessels, pseudo-kernos vessels, so-called kernoi vessels, cups, jars etc. The presumed functionalities of these artefacts are also very diverse: baby bottles for the artificial feeding of infants, recipients for dripping / spreading the colour on ceramic / various surfaces or for the administration of analgesic / curative substances, objects used in metallurgy, “pipes” for ritual “smoking”, vessels for fermentation, miniatures apparently without practical utility, offerings and libations pots, vessels with cultic connotations etc. In the context of this typological and functional diversity, as well as of the recent discoveries from Gruiu Dării, we thought it is useful to propose some considerations regarding the characteristics of this type of vessels.