TEST EXCAVATIONS AT THE ROMAN-AGE NECROPOLIS OF CAȘUNCA (FLOREȘTI DISTRICT, REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA)

Abstract

The diagnostic archaeological research conducted in 2025 at the Roman-era necropolis at Cașunca-la Movile (Florești District, Republic of Moldova) was intended to evaluate the results of geophysical surveys that revealed the existence of an characterized by 63 grave pits and multiple quadrilateral ditch-type structures, specific to the Sarmatian environment of the Prut–Nistru region. The invasive research confirmedthe existence of the necropolis and allowed for the investigation of two inhumation graves, attributed to an adult male and a juvenile female. The archaeological inventory, relatively poor and disturbed as a result of post-funeral interventions, includes fragments of Roman amphorae, an imported vessel, glass paste and amber beads, gold pieces (pendants, tubes, beads, and wires), as well as a bell-shaped pendant. These finds reflect the local community’s integration into the trade networks of the Barbaricum and its contacts with the Roman world, allowing the complex to be dated to phases B2a–C1 (late 1st century – first half of the 3rd century AD). Of particular relevance are the enclosure-and-ditch structures, interpreted as ritual spaces associated with funerary practices, likely used for conducting rituals and funeral feasts. The typological and comparative analysis reveals parallels both in the Eastern Carpathian region and in the Pontic and Carpathian Basin regions. The study highlights the importance of correlating archaeological data with interdisciplinary research to reconstruct the funerary practices, chronology, and population dynamics of the Sarmatian peoples in the Roman-Barbarian contact zone.