Observations Regarding the Terracotta Pipes from the Orăștie Mountains

Abstract

The following paper brings forth a less studied category of artefacts discovered in the Orăștie Mountains area. The terracotta pipes found in the area since the 19th c. are mentioned in different historical sources, archaeological reports and publications, but they have rarely been treated as the object of particular studies. As such, based on information obtained during my doctoral research that focused on the water management systems of pre-Roman Dacia, I will present some observations regarding the terracotta pipes discovered in the Orăștie Mountains. Before that, I will try to discuss the information and interpretations proposed for this type of artefacts during the last two centuries, in parallel to the general interpretation of the archaeological sites from the Orăștie Mountains and Grădiștea de Munte in particular. All of this is done in order to determine if this category of objects can be related to a certain period and cultural material expression.