LES MÉTAMORPHOSES DE L’EXISTENCE: VIE ET MORT DANS L’ENCEINTE GÉTIQUE DE STOLNICENI (LE RAION DE HÂNCEŞTI,RÉPUBLIQUE DE MOLDAVIE)
The metamorphosis of being: on life and death in the getiz enclosure from Stolniceni (Hâncesti departament, Republic of Moldavia)

Summary/Abstract: Mirroring the metamorphosis of the human thinking, the representation of life and death in the archaic mentality was part of the natural, logical succession, the existence being followed by post-existence. The transition from one to another included some passage rites, by which the human being could learn to revive in a new ontological state. The observations concerning the religious behavior reveal that, in most of the cases, a clear delimitation of the space belonging to the living from that of the dead existed, without leaving aside the exceptions (as, for instance, the deposition of the deceased under the dwelling foundation). Following this idea, the situation attested in the double fortified enclosure from Stolniceni is an absolutely unique case, having any analogies in the cultural and chronological space assigned to the Geto-Dacian civilisation. Thus, the archaeological investigation had revealed the setting within the same perimeter, in close time sequences, of two archaeological complexes, each with a different functionality. The first, with a settlement character, the second – with a funerary character, more than 20 tumuli of this latter kind being signaled. This inedit situation is being completed with interesting observations regarding the funerary rites and rituals practiced there, the number of deceased, their general condition, the funerary goods etc. The study presents the results of the latest archaeological campaigns, as well as the proposals of the authors regarding the reconstruction of the character and functionality of the enclosure.

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