Piese din carapace de ţestoasă descoperite la Siliştea - „Popină”, jud. Brăila
Turtle shell items discovered at Silistea - “Popina” Braila county

Summary/Abstract: In the archaeological researches made in July 2005 at Silistea, Braila County, were discovered five turtle shell pieces. The discovery place is situated in the north of Campia Brailei, in the bottom land of Buzau river, on a triangular hill with 120 metre long, 80 metre base and 10-12 metre altitude. The hill surface was forceful affected by the ditches made in The First World War and all research campaigns among 1981-2005 brought to the discovery of a lot of dwellings, huts, pits and fireplaces dated in Babadag I-II culture. The turtle shell pieces were discovered in the archaeological layers and pits along with clay vessels fragments and other inventory objects dated in Babadag culture, phase I. One of the pieces was found in a pit which contains ash, burned slake clay and animal bones. This pit could be the remains deposit of a magic or religious ceremonial. Watching for published analogies to these pieces I found that they are unique, but we can find in whole human history a lot of zoomorphic statutes and representations with turtles. Beginning from the turtle symbol we can consider these pieces are linked to a belief which refers to protection and close by home.

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