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Originals or local replicas? The techno-functional analysis of the disc-shaped antler cheekpieces from the Bronze Age settlement at Sărata Monteoru, south-eastern Romania

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Abstract

Studded disc-shaped cheekpieces were elements of the bridle used to control chariot horses in the Pokrovsk-Abashevo and Sintashta-Petrovka cultures (late 3rd and early 2nd millennium BC) of the Pontic-Caspian steppe and forest-steppe area. A few such items were also found in the Carpathian-Danube region. The present paper presents the results of the investigations focused on three studded disc-shaped cheekpieces from the Bronze Age settlement at Sărata Monteoru (Romania). Computed tomography and digital microscopy were used to identify the raw material, as well as the technological processes and traces of use-wear. These studies indicated that the cheekpieces from Sărata Monteoru were made of elk antler, as were most of the disc-shaped items from the region between the Don and the southern Trans-Urals and made by a similar technique. The use-wear traces on our artefacts indicate by their manner of attachment to the bridle that they were used to control horses harnessed to chariots, the same as the disc-shaped cheekpieces of the Pokrovsk-Abashevo and Sintashta-Petrovka cultures. The results of this investigation suggest that the three cheekpieces from Sărata Monteoru are of Eastern origin, and they arrived in the Carpathian-Danube area very probably along with the horses who wore the bridle.

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Data availability

All relevant data are available within the article and its supplementary materials. All archaeological materials are stored at “Vasile Pârvan” Institute of Archaeology, Bucureşti, Romania.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Valentin Radu for helping us with information and bibliographic references related to deer antlers and Roxana Munteanu for providing us with the geographic coordinates of the Sărata Monteoru–Cetățuia site. Many thanks go to Adina Boroneanţ for the proofreading of our English text. We are also grateful to the two anonymous reviewers for their useful comments and suggestions.

Funding

This work was supported by the Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (Romanian Ministry of Education) under grant number PN-III-P2-2.1-PED-2019–1279 (ArchaeoExperim) and the Romanian Ministry of Research Innovation and Digitization, within the CORE PROGRAMME, project PN 23210201.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. “Vasile Pârvan” Institute of Archaeology of the Romanian Academy, 11 Henri Coandă Str, Bucureşti, Romania

    Anca-Diana Popescu & Valentin Dumitraşcu

  2. Doctoral School of Economics and Humanities, “Valahia” University of Târgovişte, 34-35 Lt. Stancu Ion Str, Târgovişte, Romania

    Monica Mărgărit

  3. “Horia Hulubei” National Institute for Research and Development in Physics and Nuclear Engineering, 30 Reactorului Str, Măgurele, Romania

    Robert Sîrbu

Authors
  1. Anca-Diana Popescu
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  2. Monica Mărgărit
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  3. Robert Sîrbu
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  4. Valentin Dumitraşcu
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Contributions

Conceptualization: Anca-Diana Popescu; methodology: Anca-Diana Popescu; formal analysis and investigation: Monica Mărgărit, Robert Sîrbu, Valentin Dumitraşcu, Anca-Diana Popescu; writing—original draft preparation: Anca-Diana Popescu; writing—review and editing: Anca-Diana Popescu, Monica Mărgărit, Valentin Dumitraşcu, Robert Sîrbu.

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Correspondence to Anca-Diana Popescu.

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Popescu, AD., Mărgărit, M., Sîrbu, R. et al. Originals or local replicas? The techno-functional analysis of the disc-shaped antler cheekpieces from the Bronze Age settlement at Sărata Monteoru, south-eastern Romania. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 16, 10 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-023-01918-x

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