Piese de tipul ‘coarne de consecraţie’ descoperite în aşezările Vităneşti ‘Măgurice’ (jud. Teleorman) şi Surduleşti (jud. Argeş)
‘Horns of Consecration’ from Vităneşti ‘Măgurice’ (Teleorman County) and Surduleşti (Argeş County)

Summary/Abstract: The ‘horns of consecration’ are a special type of Gumelniţa material culture discovered in the early 20th century in tell settlements at Gumelniţa, Căscioarele and Sultana. 24 pieces presented in this article were discovered at Vităneşti ‘Măgurice’ tell settlement, Teleorman county (in levels A2 and B1). An additional object comes from Surduleşti, Argeş county. These objects are small in size and can be classified into two types based on shape: those with folded side horns and those with straight branches. In the Romanian literature they have been interpreted as representations of bulls and considered the personification of a masculine god. This interpretation of the ‘horns of consecration’ from the Romanian Neo-Eneolithic is similar to interpretations by researchers of Bronze Age cultures from Greece. Comparison of the archaeological context of the discoveries and their interpretations leads to some interesting points. The objects appear during the two periods in which construction models interpreted as sanctuaries also appear. They are also connected with the representation of the female goddesses. There are strong similarities with the bull’s horns and they could be interpreted as votive gifts. Human figurines placed between the horns of the bull or ‘horns of consecration’ are encountered in both periods. These similarities suggest the existence of an identical religious symbolism for these objects

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