Pietre romane refolosite în construcţii medievale din situl de la Alba Iulia / Roman stones used in Medieval constructions in the site from Alba Iulia

Abstract

Archaeological research conducted at St. Michael’s Roman-Catholic Cathedral from Alba Iulia in the spring of 2011 revealed vestiges belonging to the Roman period, Middle Ages and Modern period. The research has been conducted within the project of restoration of the St. Michael’s Cathedral and of the Vauban Fortress of Alba Iulia. This study presents three stone pieces from the Roman times, re-used in constructions dating to the Medieval period and the beginning of the modern period. The first analyzed piece represents a funerary Roman inscription discovered in the ruins of a building dated to the 14th century. The text of the inscription refers to Marcus Granius Stabilianus, buried with two of his children (Marcus Granius Stabilianus and Grania Sabina). Based on the funerary inscription, the monument can be date between the first half of the 2nd century and the beginning of the 3rd century AD. The second piece represents the medallion of a funerary stele preserved in fragmentary state. The stele was discovered at the base of a lime kiln, generally dated in fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The medallion represents the deceased (male character) and his family. The last analyzed piece is a fragment of a Roman sarcophagus cover found in the foundation of the eastern pillar of the entrance into the Episcopal Palace’s courtyard. Every piece discussed in the present article was made of whiteyellow limestone.