Eastern Carpathian Basin Research Articles

Revised OSL chronology of the Kisiljevo loess-palaeosol sequence: New insight into the dust flux in the eastern Carpathian Basin during MIS 3 - MIS1

This study presents a detailed investigation of the Kisiljevo loess-palaeosol sequence in north-eastern Serbia, offering a refined understanding of its paleoenvironmental dynamics. Contrasting our updated OSL chronology with a previous study, reveals discrepancies, particularly at 400 cm depth, where a considerable age underestimation is evident. While variations in sampling depth and methodology may contribute to some differences, the substantial deviation raises concern about the reliability of the earlier chronology. Our robust age-depth model constructed using Bayesian modelling, and the consistent increase in ages with depth suggest a potential underestimation in the uppermost layer of the earlier study, possibly due to partial bleaching or post-depositional mixing. The Bayesian age-depth model portrays a continuous sedimentation history from the later stages of Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3) to the present day. The patterns in the calculated Mass Accumulation Rates reveal distinctive peaks during MIS 3 and the middle of MIS 2, deviating from typical dust deposition models. The MIS 3 peaks in dustiness could be attributed to regional factors such as increased transportation rates, enhanced trapping efficiency, or elevated palaeowind intensity. This research not only enhances our understanding of the Kisiljevo LPS but also provides valuable insights into regional paleoenvironmental dynamics. The study emphasizes the importance of considering local geological variations in reconstructing past climates from sediment archives and sets the stage for further investigations into the factors influencing dust deposition in north-eastern Serbia. The MAR trends established here serve as a crucial reference for broader paleoclimatic interpretations in the Carpathian Basin.

A Dacian torques from the eastern Carpathian Basin

A Dacian torques from the eastern Carpathian Basin

Banatian DeathMetals: Radiocarbon Dating of Cremation Burials of the Setting Bronze Age and Dawning Iron Age

The lack of radiocarbon measurements of funerary contexts is a major shortcoming of the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age of the Eastern Carpathian Basin, especially in the Banat region. The present batch of samples tries to address these drawbacks, by detailing sampling strategies, employed pre-treatment and by providing a robust and coherent dataset of radiocarbon measurements. Implications of the new radiocarbon dates is discussed from a supra-regional perspective, while keeping aspects of typo-chronology, circulation of goods, and social nuances of employment of Bronze Age bronzes in the forefront. Ten burials were selected from four Banatian burial grounds according to the occurrence of metal finds in the funerary inventories. Beyond establishing a broad frame of absolute chronology for these sites of interment, the radiocarbon data provide reliable arguments for the precise attribution of metal discoveries. In addition, the data allow us to challenge some previously stated chronological assignments.

Túrkeve-Terehalom in the Eastern Carpathian Basin. Bronze Age multi-stratified site provides high-precision chronology with continental implications

Abstract The multi-stratified site of Túrkeve-Terehalom presents an exceptional opportunity to establish the start and the end of the Middle Bronze Age in the Eastern Carpathian Basin and to refine its inner chronology. The chronological potential of the site rests on the meticulous excavation campaigns over a decade. This potential has been harvested by linking stratified finds, particularly pottery, to narrow, calibrated age-ranges. The result has implications for local chronology while also prompting questions about how to synchronise long-range connectivity with central and northern Europe and the Aegean, as well. The resulting chronological model for Túrkeve-Terehalom firstly challenges prevailing chronological views regarding the life-spans of Bronze Age structures with beaten clay floors, secondly the direction of the wave of destruction and/or abandonment of multi-stratified sites in the Carpathian Basin, and thirdly the continental networking during the Middle Bronze Age.

‘Scrap Metal Hoards’ of the Later Urnfield Period in the Carpathian Basin

Large ‘scrap’ metal hoards have so far been seen as a characteristic of the older Urnfield Period in the eastern Carpathian Basin. Using the hoard from Dezmir, Romania, as a starting point, this paper describes a group of hoards with chronologically and spatially diverse components. These hoards were hidden during the younger Urnfield Period and represent smaller variants of the older, large ‘scrap’ hoards. Earlier research has used them to define a chronological horizon (‘Phase 3-Jupalnic-Turia-Ha A2’). Based on archaeological observations, spatial data and a correspondence analysis, we argue that they represent a specific hoarding practice instead, characteristic of Phase 4, i.e. the younger Urnfield Period.

DEPICTIONS OF THE HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT HUNGARIAN CEMETERY OF TISZACSOMA IN SCIENTIFIC AND JOURNALISTIC WORKS OF TRANSCARPATHIA

For thousands of years, the territory of modern Transcarpathia was a highway and a place of settlement for nomads who sought their homeland. In this article, the strategic role, which the Upper Tysa region, the northeastern natural geographical gateway to the Carpathian Basin surrounded by mountain meadows, played in the resettlement of the equestrian nomadic people from the east, i.e. the Hungarians, is analyzed. It is well-known, that medieval written sources reporting on the Hungarian conquest, the «Gesta Hungarorum» (Hungarian deeds) in particular, are intertwined with legends and myths, and describe the events of their time (at the turn of the XII–XIII centuries) against the background events that occurred three centuries earlier. Due to some fictional elements and inaccuracies in the chronicles, researchers of the later era questioned the real, historical facts described in these sources as well. For example, Slavic and Hungarian historians have disputed the settlement of Hungarians, the relationship between Slavic natives and settled Hungarians, and the region's affiliation. The study aims to get one step closer to resolving this discussion based on the analysis of the sources, especially the Transcarpathian literature. The article summarizes the results of the archaeological excavations from the XIX century till now that prove that the Hungarians gained their homeland and settled in this area from the end of the IX century. Some of the Hungarian findings in Transcarpathia, mostly from burials, can be considered the oldest artifacts of Hungarian origin found in the Carpathian Basin. Today, not only unique burial sites have been excavated in this region, but also entire cemeteries (Berehove – Mala Hora, Tiszacsoma – Szipahát, from the name of the stream Szipa, near which burials were discovered), most of which can be dated to the end of IX – the first half of the X century. Ancient Hungarian archeological monuments of Transcarpathia form a single unit with a similar group of finds in the Upper Tysa region. Archaeologists have found several elite burials in the Upper Tysa region, including Transcarpathia, suggesting that the Hungarian political center was located in the eastern Carpathian Basin until the middle of the X century, rather than in the Transdanubia region. Ancient Hungarian archeological finds of Transcarpathia, in particular the necropolis of the village of Tiszacsoma, which is in the focus of this article, receive more and more attention in Hungarian and Ukrainian historiography. Archaeologists and historians representing different schools and areas have now come to a common denominator on several important issues, but there is no doubt that further local research is needed to answer the questions that arise.

First palynological results from lowland sites in the Romanian Banat and their implications for settlement and land use dynamics in the southeastern Carpathian Basin

Located in the eastern Carpathian Basin, a substantial part of the Banat region is characterized by wide undulating plains in which numerous prehistoric sites have been found, from Early Neolithic settlements to some of the largest known Late Bronze Age fortifications in Europe such as Corneşti-Iarcuri. Since palynological archives have proven to be extremely rare, respective studies used to concentrate on peat bogs in mountainous areas which occur at minimum distances of 100 km. This paper counters the generalization of such data by presenting the first available pollen records from lowland sites, where an open woodland mainly composed of Tilia, Quercus and Corylus prevailed throughout most of the Holocene. Human impact has been documented since the Early Neolithic, around 6000 cal. BC, but is especially evident in a drastic reduction of tree cover between the Copper and the Early Bronze Age (after 3000 cal. BC), in which fires seem to have played an essential role. From the Late Bronze Age onwards (after 1600 cal. BC), the landscape was eventually transformed into a cultural steppe by intensified land use under increasingly arid conditions.

Saxes discovered in the Avar graves from Transylvania and the Romanian Banat

The objects were discovered one in the cemetery at Șpălnaca – Șugud (Transylvania) and the other at Timișoara – Modoș Bridge (Romanian Banat) (Map 1). Both artefacts have been identified in the professional papers as daggers, when, in fact, they are saxes. Both saxes have been found inside graves of Avar men. The grave from Șpălnaca – Șugud which contained the sax is dated from the end of the Middle Avar period (680–710/720), whereas the other from Timișoara – Modoș Bridge is dated from the second part of the Late Avar period (760–810/830). The two saxes can be recognized as the first (I) Csiky, defined for the finds discovered in the Avar cemeteries from the Carpathian basin. The occurrence of the two saxes in the Avar graves from the Transylvanian plateau and the Romanian Banat widens the geographic area where the saxes are known to have been used by the Avars, including the eastern Carpathian basin. However, they are only a few compared to the total number of Avar graves from Western Romania, thus indicating that the sax wasn’t a weapon employed on a large scale by the Avar warriors that entered this area. The saxes from Șpălnaca – Șugud and Timișoara – Modoș Bridge were probably used as weapons. At the same time, it is possible that they were only ceremonial weapons.

Parasitoid community and parasitism in galls of the three Western Palaearctic oligo- and unilocular Diplolepis species (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae)

Three Western Palaearctic Diplolepis Geoffroy, 1762 species are known to cause oligoand unilocular galls on wild roses: Diplolepis spinosissimae (Giraud, 1859), D. eglanteriae (Hartig, 1840) and D. nervosa (Curtis, 1838). Several studies have focused on the species composition of parasitoid communities developing inside these galls; however their parasitism rates are still unknown. We analysed galls collected in the eastern Carpathian Basin (Hungary and Romania). Here we report for the first time parasitism rates from these species’ galls. With 6 figures.

The Late Bronze Age settlement at Șagu and the early use of the channeled pottery

e new radiocarbon dates coming from the Late Bronze Age settlement in Șagu-Site A1_1 offer a new perspective on the emergence and distribution of channelled pottery. e association of radiocarbon dates with pottery coming from clear contexts proves that channelled pottery appeared in significant amounts as early as the 16th century BC. is circumstance also has an impact on the inner chronology of the Cruceni-Belegiš pottery, with the new available data outlining once more the lack of a clear definition regarding the evolution of this pottery style. At the same time, this early dating of the channelled pottery uncovered in Șagu leads to a reassessment of the origin and distribution patterns of this pottery decoration technique within the entire eastern Carpathian Basin.

Provenance study on prehistoric obsidian objects found in Romania (Eastern Carpathian Basin and its neighbouring regions) using Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis

Macroscopic characteristics, such as hardness, relatively easy workability, transparency, translucency, and shiny black colour of the Carpathian 1 (C1) type obsidian, which is one significant variety of the Carpathian obsidians made, it highly valuable in the Prehistoric times. It was transported several hundreds of kilometres away from the geological source, becoming wide-spread in the Eastern part of the Carpathian Basin as well.Seventy-two pieces of Prehistoric (Neolithic to Bronze Age) obsidian artefacts (tools, arrow heads, chips and fragments) found in different parts of Romania (Transylvania, Banat and Muntenia) have been investigated by non-destructive prompt-gamma activation analyses. The aim of the study was to determine the provenance of their raw materials. The geochemical composition of the artefacts showed high similarity with that of the obsidian samples collected at outcrops from the Slovakian side of the Tokaj Mountains. Based on characteristic major and trace element concentrations, most of the studied Romanian obsidian artefacts are characterized as C1 type obsidians. However, some archaeological pieces from Banat and Muntenia have been identified as Carpathian 2 (C2, Tolcsva-Erdőbénye and Mád) type. Based on the PGAA results, any other provenance, such as Lipari, Melos, Sardinia, Yali, Antiparos or Armenia can be excluded with high significance. Our results suggest that in parallel with the predominance of the C1 type obsidian raw material in the Transylvanian Basin, simultaneous use of C2 type obsidian raw material can be shown outside Transylvania (in Banat and Muntenia) and especially during the Neolithic. This can imply different connections and raw material supply routes from the Tokaj Mountains to Transylvania and to the southern regions during the Neolithic and the Copper Age.

Spatial loess distribution in the eastern Carpathian Basin: a novel approach based on geoscientific maps and data

ABSTRACTGeo- and palaeoecological studies in the Carpathian Basin require a detailed knowledge of the distribution of aeolian sediments. Existing maps are not detailed enough and erroneous as a result of the basic input data and scale used. Here we present a map showing the detailed distribution of loess sediments in the Carpathian Basin at the border of Hungary and Romania using a Geographic Information System and the vectorized, statistically analysed geological map of Hungary (scale 1:300,000) and the Romanian pedological map (scale 1:500,000). Both, the Hungarian and the Romanian data sets were combined and transferred into a common loess sediment classification system resulting in a seamless cross-border map showing the loess distribution in the Carpathian Basin at a scale of about 1:500,000.

Three climatic cycles recorded in a loess-palaeosol sequence at Semlac (Romania) – Implications for dust accumulation in south-eastern Europe

Recent inve\stigations of the Semlac loess section in the south-eastern Carpathian Basin, which is situated at an undercut slope position on the right bank of the Mures River in its lower reaches (Banat region, western Romanian), are presented and discussed. Dating back to marine isotope stage (MIS) 10, the more than 10 m thick loess sequence includes four fossil soil-complexes developed in homogenous and relatively fine silty loess. Because of the good preservation of the sediment, Semlac is regarded as a key section for the Carpathian Basin, which offers possibilities to a) improve the understanding of the type and composition (loess homogeneity and pedogenic alteration) of the lowland loess sequences in the Carpathian Basin also beyond the last interglacial palaoesol complex, b) to reconstruct the temporal evolution of the local loess-palaoesol successions, c) gain better insight into the regional paleoenvironments of the last 300ka and d) to compare the loess of the region to loess-sequences in adjacent areas and to dust proxy data in the northern hemisphere. An integrated age model based on correlation to reference records and luminescence dating is compiled. Applying this age model we compare climate proxy data from Semlac to both global data and to data from the very southeast of the Carpathian Basin (Vojvodina, Serbia). The obtained results provide new insight into the dust accumulation regime for the eastern Carpathian Basin and offer new palaeoenvironmental information for the region and are an important step towards establishing a catena from the thin loess-like sediments of the Banat foothills in the East towards the thicker and seemingly more complete loess sections of the south-eastern and central Carpathian Basin. Disentangling grain size data from soil formation proxies is used to investigate patterns of non-local dust. Patterns of non-pedogenetic fine material are similar to grain size proxies from China and other parts of the northern hemisphere, suggesting western and eastern Eurasian loess to have (at least partly) similar mechanistic/climatic origins. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exeristes roborator (Fabricius, 1793) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) in the parasitoid community of Diplolepis galls in the Carpathian Basin

Exeristes roborator (Fabricius, 1793) is usually known as the parasitoid of lepidopteran pupae, but was also recorded as the parasitoid of diff erent Cynipidae species in the southern parts of Europe and parts of Middle East. In samples of Diplolepis rosae (Linnaeus, 1758) and D. mayri (Schlechtendal, 1876) galls collected in the eastern Carpathian Basin after 2010 E. roborator appeared in large numbers compared to those collected before 2010, when the species was not present in the gall communities. Here we report the diff erential presence of Exeristes roborator in the two rose gall species, which points out the host shift of the ichneumonid parasitoid spreading towards north. With 3 figures.

Patterns of plastid DNA differentiation in Erythronium (Liliaceae) are consistent with allopatric lineage divergence in Europe across longitude and latitude

Little attention has been paid so far to the genetic legacy of the oceanic-continental gradient across Europe. Due to this gradient, steppe regions become more extensive and mesic environments become more scattered towards the East. A well-suited system to study the impact of this gradient on lineage differentiation is the temperate mesophilic plant Erythronium dens-canis (Liliaceae), which is widespread in southern Europe with a distribution gap in the Pannonian Plain. Moreover, the large disjunction between E. dens-canis and its sister species E. caucasicum coincides with the Pontic steppe region. By applying range-wide sampling of E. dens-canis and limited sampling of E. caucasicum, we explored their phylogeography using the plastid regions rpl32-trnL and rps15-ycf1. Three major phylogroups were identified: a Caucasian lineage, a highly structured and narrowly distributed Transylvanian lineage, and a more homogenous and widely distributed ‘non-Transylvanian’ lineage. Apparently, both physiographic (mountain) and climatic (steppe) barriers have caused allopatric differentiation in European Erythronium. The Southern Carpathians constitute a latitudinal barrier and the Pannonian Plain a longitudinal barrier between the Transylvanian and ‘non-Transylvanian’ lineages of E. dens-canis. The eastern Carpathian Basin likely functioned as a combination of cryptic eastern (mesic) and cryptic northern refugia for E. dens-canis during glacial periods. The Eastern Carpathians and particularly the Pontic steppe regions acted as a longitudinal barrier between E. dens-canis and E. caucasicum. Steppe-dominated gaps in the distribution range of Erythronium are mirrored by genetic discontinuities along longitudes; this highlights the important role of the oceanic-continental gradient throughout Europe for lineage differentiation.

Palaeoenvironmental changes across the Albian-Cenomanian boundary interval of the Eastern Carpathians

The studied Cernatu Valley section is situated in the central part of the Eastern Carpathians (Romania) and spans the interval covered pro parte by the NC10a (=CC9b) calcareous nannofossil Subzone, as well as the Plectorecurvoides alternans and Haplophragmoides falcatosuturalis agglutinated foraminiferal zones. The presence, within the lower part of the section, of the ammonite Stoliczkaia notha indicates a late Albian age, but the section possibly extends to within the Albian-Cenomanian boundary interval, based on the agglutinated foraminiferal assemblages. The deposits are grey to blackish and green shales that are followed by red shales interbedded with couplets of grey to blackish and green shales. The benthic foraminifers suggest a deep-marine depositional setting, probably lower bathyal or even abyssal, at around 2500 m depth. The deposition was probably near but above the Calcium Compensation Depth (CCD), as very scarce nannofloras and macrofaunas are present. The δ13Corg values vary throughout the section between −25.30‰ and −24.01‰. Within the upper Albian, a positive organic δ13Corg excursion with increases of 1.3‰, up to −24.01‰, is recorded. This positive excursion has been tentatively interpreted as a regional expression of the Oceanic Anoxic Event OAE1d in the Moldavian Trough of the Eastern Carpathian basin. The upper part of the section, belonging to the Haplophragmoides falcatosuturalis agglutinated foraminiferal Zone, contains a weak positive δ13Corg excursion marked by an increase in values of about 0.5‰, which is assumed to represent late phases of the Albian-Cenomanian boundary Event. Towards the top of the section, consisting mainly of red shales, calcareous foraminifera also occur, together with more consistent nannofossil assemblages. This biotic change possibly mirrored an alteration of the palaeoenvironment, which shifted from an anoxic/dysoxic setting towards an oxic one. This change is possibly linked to climatic fluctuation, i.e., the onset of a warm and humid climate mode. The intense tectonic activity that took place within the Eastern Carpathians during mid-Cretaceous times could also have been responsible for the environmental changes by modifying the circulation pattern in the Moldavian trough from a restricted circulation to a more open one.

Reconsideration of the Copper Age chronology of the eastern Carpathian Basin: a Bayesian approach

Understanding the prehistoric narrative of a region requires good dating, and in recent years good dating has moved increasingly from models drawn from types of artefacts to a framework provided by radiocarbon sequences. This in turn is bringing a change in the way events are described: from broad cultural histories to a network of local sequences. In this case study, the authors apply this rethinking to the Copper Age in a key region of Europe, the Great Hungarian Plain in the Carpathian Basin. They replace the traditional Early and Middle Copper Age, defined by pottery types, with an 800-year sequence in which six cemetery and settlement sites experience different trajectories of use, and the pottery types make intermittent and often contemporary appearances. In this new chronology based on radiocarbon, the variations in pottery use must have some other explanation.

Evidence for Holocene Aeolian Activity at the Close of the Middle Bronze Age in the Eastern Carpathian Basin: Geoarchaeological Results from the Mureş River Valley, Romania

While extensive Pleistocene loess deposits have been identified across Eurasia, Holocene age loess (typically nonglaciogenic) is rarely recognized. We explore possible loess deposits in the Mureş River Valley of western Romania, providing a regional signal of increased aridity during the mid‐late Holocene. This proposed aridity may be responsible for the abandonment of Middle Bronze Age tell settlements along the major drainages of the eastern Carpathian Basin (Pannonian plain). This hypothesis centers on a proposed aeolian deposit (the “Pecica deposit”), a ca. 50–80 cm thick, relatively homogeneous, gray layer blanketing the top of the Bronze Age tell of Pecica—Şanţul Mare. Comparing the morphological, geochemical, and physical characteristics of this specific tell deposit with two representative profiles near the site containing glaciogenic calcareous loess and potential Holocene loess deposits developed in Chernozems, we find significant similarities to support this hypothesis. We then review various forms of proxy data published from elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe suggesting a warming trend during this period. The temporal placement of the Pecica deposit is bracketed using diagnostic artifacts, radiocarbon dates, and the degree of soil development, suggesting a period of increased aridity likely occurring soon after the 17th century B.C.

Multiple differentiation centres of a non‐Mediterranean butterfly species in south‐eastern Europe

AbstractAim The analysis of the phylogeographical structures of many European species reveals the importance of Mediterranean glacial refugia for many thermophilic species, but also underlines the relevance of extra‐Mediterranean glacial differentiation centres for a number of temperate species. In this context, phylogeographical analyses of species from south‐eastern Europe are highly important for a comprehensive understanding of Europe as a whole.Location Romania and Bulgaria.Methods We analysed 19 allozyme loci for 615 individuals of the temperate butterfly species Erebia medusa from 28 populations.Results These populations had an intermediate genetic diversity, but the Bulgarian populations were significantly more diverse than the ones north of the Danube in Romania. The differentiation among populations was strong, and 52.1% of the genetic variance among populations was distributed between these two countries. The genetic differentiation was considerably stronger in Romania than in Bulgaria, but several sublineages were distinguished within each of these countries.Main conclusions The observed genetic structure is so strong that it is most probably the result of glacial differentiation processes in south‐eastern Europe and not a post‐glacial structure. The strong differentiation into the two groups north and south of the Danube suggests a separating effect by this river valley. The strong differentiation accompanied with genetic impoverishment in Romania suggests the existence of several differentiation centres: at least two small ones on the southern slopes of the southern Carpathians and one in the eastern Carpathian Basin. The considerably weaker differentiation among the Bulgarian samples and their significantly higher genetic diversity imply that gene flow occurred among different regions of Bulgaria during the last ice age.

Genetic differentiation of the marbled white butterfly, Melanargia galathea, accounts for glacial distribution patterns and postglacial range expansion in southeastern Europe

Isolation of Mediterranean species in the southern European peninsulas during the cold glacial phases often resulted in differentiation of several genetic lineages confined to the respective peninsulas. However, whilst there is good genetic evidence for multiple refugia in Iberia, there are only limited data available for the Balkans. Therefore, we wish to examine the hypothesis of a strong genetic structuring within southeastern Europe for the existence of multiple Balkan differentiation centres and/or several leading edges. As a model we use the marbled white butterfly, Melanargia galathea. We studied 18 allozyme loci of 564 individuals from 16 populations distributed over a large part of southeastern Europe. The single populations showed moderately high genetic diversity and no northward decline of genetic diversity was detected. The overall genetic differentiation between populations was considerable (F(ST) 7.0%). Cluster analysis discriminated three genetic groups: (i) a western flank in the former Yugoslavia, parts of eastern Austria and Hungary; (ii) an eastern flank with populations from Bulgaria and Romania (south of the southern Carpathians and eastern Carpathians); and (iii) the eastern Carpathian Basin. Hierarchical variance analysis distributed 53% of the variance among populations between these three groups. One sample from the Greek-Bulgarian border clustered within the eastern flank, but showed some tendency towards the eastern Carpathian Basin populations. Two populations from Carinthia clustered together with the eastern Carpathian Basin ones and a population from Styria showed an intermediate genetic composition between the three groups. Most probably, the eastern and the western flank groups are due to postglacial range expansion from the northeastern and the northwestern edges of the glacial differentiation centre (so-called leading edges). The eastern Carpathian Basin group may have resulted from postglacial expansion from northern Greece through valley systems of the central Balkan peninsula, maybe even expanding westwards north of the Balkan mountains reaching some parts of eastern Austria (e.g. Carinthia). Therefore, the Balkanic refugium of M. galathea may or may not have been continuous along the coastal areas of the Mediterranean, but must have been strongly genetically structured.