Rezultate preliminare ale cercetărilor geofizice și de teledetecţie de la Coldău, jud. Bistriţa Năsăud / Preliminary results of the geophysical and teledetection researches at Coldău, Bistrița Năsăud

Abstract

The study presents the results of a series of interdisciplinary researches conducted in the area of Coldău fortification, especially through methods specific for aerial archaeology of low and medium altitude, as well as geophysical measurements and investigations. These were meant to complete the already known data from previous archaeological diggings conducted by N. Vlassa in 1967. The fortification’s rampart is not visible in height, but is marked on the surface with quite visible, large, brown or brick-red boulders. Their structure is very different of the soil’s matrix. The boulders have a high density, compact texture, many gaseous inclusions and a glass-like gloss. A first evaluation of the fortification system was done through measuring the soil’s magnetic susceptibility (2012). Later (2012, 2015) the geophysical studies were continued on larger surfaces, by using magnetometry. The site at Coldău belongs to the wider frame of vitrified forts. These stand out by having, inside the rampart, a nucleus that went through strong structural changes due to extreme thermic conditions. Both the rampart and the surrounding ditch are well visible in the magnetic map processed during our researches. The geophysical data show that they both had the same dimensions throughout the entire surface we measured: the ditch was approx. 8 m wide and the rampart approx. 11 m. The fortification system is not the only element that requires reopening the discussion about the site at Coldău. Based on the magnetometric maps one can easily notice that the inner part of the site does not totally lack magnetic anomalies. These are quite many in the western part of the site. They could be interpreted as traces of degraded prehistoric complexes. Nevertheless, the small density of these magnetic anomalies does not offer proper support for any scenery in which the site could have been the host of intense human activity in the past. In order to decode the role of the fortification at Coldău in the economic and cultural landscape of this region at the end of the Bronze Age we need to conduct further interdisciplinary researches and, maybe even extend the archaeological diggings, especially in the areas where we already detected geophysical anomalies.