The hoard from the “Cioclovina cu Apă” Cave: content, dating, and significations

Abstract

This study is dedicated to the general presentation of the content, the dating and the significations of the known hoard from LBA II discovered in the “Cioclovina cu Apă” Cave / “Wet Cioclovina” Cave (Hunedoara county), discovery that constitutes one of the most remarkable monuments from the Romanian prehistory (over 7500 artifacts, most of them made of exotic materials). The association of at least four fundamental natural elements inside the archaeological monument under research here (mountain, forest, cave, and water) sets the initial starting points of the transformation of the monument into a cult place/sanctuary. There must have also been some revelation, some sign etc. The sanctuary inside the “Cioclovina cu Apă” Cave has attracted very rich and varied offerings (bronze items, exotic objects, pottery, antler cheek-pieces, and meat offerings) that were deposited in three consecrated spots in the Great Hall, places under the mark of the «spring of divinity». Starting from the fact that almost all of the offerings are jewelry items worn by women or elements that decorate horse harness, I have considered the idea that a Nymph or a Nymph associated with another deity was venerated here, in both cases in association with horses, as being the closest to the truth. I pleaded in favor of the possible presence of oracular components. Also, from the presented perspectives I considered that the exceptional ritual practices that took place in this cave place it in the sphere of inter-regional collective/institutional cult manifestations, in which the elites, including the female, played a dominant role.