THE MIRROR WITH THICKENED RIM AND NAIL-SHAPED HANDLE FROM THE GETO-DACIAN SETTLEMENT OF POIANA (GALAȚI COUNTY, ROMANIA). NOTES ON ITS ORIGIN AND DATING

Abstract

We discuss here the mirror discovered in 1987 following the archaeological investigations carried out in the Geto-Dacian settlement of Poiana (Galați county/RO). It belongs to the type of disc mirrors with thickened rim, central disc projection and nail-shaped handle. The item, singular in the east-Carpathian area, is the most western find of such mirror type. Subsequent to the analysis of all aspects related to such mirrors, it may be concluded that currently, the view according to which these are of Central-Asian origin is the most convincing theory. First mirrors of the type emerged in the eastern Sarmatian environment during the final stage of the Early Sarmatian period (the 2nd – 1st century BC), while their maximum use period in the Sarmatian world lies in the 1st century AD, being discontinued in the Volga-Don region by late this time span. In the north-Pontic area west of the Don, such artefacts remained in use until early 2nd century AD, while the graves to which they belong, with one exception, date to the second half of the 1st century – early 2nd century AD. In the north-Pontic Sarmatian environment west of the Don, these mirrors diffused, beside other eastern origin artefact classes, mainly owing to the entry and settlement of new migratory groups arriving from the east, with close contacts and relations with the Central Asian region. Based on the fact that the majority of these mirrors were discovered mainly in graves from the region east of the Don, the dating of the features containing such mirrors as well as the Sarmatians’ entry and settlement of the north-Pontic area west of the Don, the author here concludes that the item of Poiana, together with other eastern origin artefact classes, reached the east-Carpathian area most likely sometime in the second half of the 1st century AD, however no later than early 2nd century AD, as supported also by the context in which the specimen of Poiana was discovered. Last but not least, the author here concludes that the mirror from the Geto-Dacian settlement of Poiana, beside other object categories of Sarmatian origin or mainly used by the Sarmatians discovered in the pre-Roman Geto-Dacian environment, furthermore evidence the Sarmatian presence in the east-Carpathian area during the 1st century AD, as well as the Geto-Dacian and Sarmatian relations.