O aplică scitică de tolbă din corn descoperită în așezarea de la Roșiori – Dulcești (jud. Neamț)
An antler piece belonging to a scythian gorytos discovered in the settlement from Roșiori (Neamț county)

Summary/Abstract: During the 2016 year campaign from Roşiori, commune Dulcești, Neamț county, we traced a cassette (marked Cas.E) that later revealed the existence among different archaeological complexes of two geto-dacian houses (marked as L.1 and L.2). From the structure of the second dwelling survived mainly the floor because of the later super positioning of a Migration age dwelling. On the floor we found a hearth made of clay; a grinding stone was placed laterally. In front of the hearth we located a service pit that contained fragmentary ceramics and spindle whorls; behind the hearth there was a trash pit with numerous animal bones. On top of the hearth we discovered a spindle whorl and a bone handle. While dismantling the hearth, we could observe, at its base the presence of a piece made of animal horn (antler). It proved to be a handmade plaque that belonged to a gorytos. The object reproduces a bronze model that illustrates three horse heads (including the manes) but also a geometric decoration (circular lines located at the base of the piece). There are two gripping perforations at the base of the piece, transversely oriented, and disposed to the extremes. Easily arcuate (following the form of the antler), the piece was single-sided decorated with the back being longitudinally cut. The initial purpose of the piece was a practical one, precisely to close and decorate the Scythian gorytos but for the local population the piece gets another use, a ritual one. The deposition at the base of the hearth (considered a sacred place) inside the geto-dacian dwelling place could provide the protection of the community members (some of them being probably hunters). Based on the inventory of the ceramic forms, on the analogies with similar pieces belonging to the archaic or post archaic Scythian period (VIIth-Vth centuries a. Chr.) but also taking into account the reuse of the plaque as a family amulet we established the chronological framework for the object from Roșiori and that is the second half of the Vth century – beginning of the IVth century (around 440/430 – 400/390). For the time being, the raw material and the style of deco- ration (consisting of zoomorphic and geometrical motifs) of the object indicates that we are in the presence of the first object of this type from Romania but also for the whole European cultural space.

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