Analize dendrocronologice la culele din Groșerea (Gorj) și Zătreni (Vâlcea)
Dendrochronological analyses of the huts in Groșerea (Gorj) and Zătreni (Vâlcea)

Summary/Abstract: In 2017 and 2023, the Anno Domini Dendrolab in Miercurea Ciuc conducted dendrochronological analyses on wood samples preserved in the structures of two fortified dwellings (cule): the one at Groșerea and the one within the residential ensemble at Zătreni (Vâlcea). These investigations represent the laboratory’s first studies in the Subcarpathian region and the first dendrochronological results published in Romania for vertically structured fortified houses related to South‑Danubian historical examples known as cule. Thirty samples were collected from the Groșerea structure and sixteen from Zătreni. The study brings to light previously unexploited sources, corrects erroneous attributions, and highlights relevant construction details—particularly for Groșerea—before comparing the analytical results with earlier hypotheses regarding construction phases and the historical affiliation of both buildings. Despite a substantial historiographical corpus on the cule of southern Romania, key aspects such as their precise chronology, construction stages, integration into broader defensive or residential systems, and their relationship to successive owners remain insufficiently grounded in absolute dating. The present analyses aim to refine these interpretations and open new directions for understanding this distinctive architectural type.

• Details
• Contents