The Iron Age

The discoveries belonging to the Iron Age in the heritage of the Buzău County Museum can be dated chronologically between 700 BC - 106 AD.

From the data we have so far, it appears that the discoveries belonging to the first Iron Age are quite few and seem to reflect a poor habitation in the Buzău area. Most of the discovered artifacts come from isolated graves or represent weapons and pieces of harness, which would highlight the presence of nomadic populations. The most significant discoveries come from isolated tombs. Among these, we mention the inventories of cremation graves from Izvorul Dulce, com Merei, which dates back to around 700 BC and from Năeni - Colarea, dated to the century. V a. Chr.

The artifacts belonging to the second Iron Age highlight the material and spiritual culture of the Getic dava from Cârlomăneşti-Cetătăuia, the sacred enclosure from Pietroasa Mică-Gruiu Dării and the fortress from Târcov, Pârscov commune.

The most interesting pieces come from the archaeological research carried out in the Getic Dava from Cârlomăneşti-Cetățuia Verneşti commune, an important political, economic and cultural-religious center of the Geto-Dacians in the Buzău area.

The archaeological excavations have revealed numerous buildings and household annexes (hearths, pits), among which three large constructions are worth noting, which had an important role from a religious point of view for the community here. The archaeological material discovered is extremely rich and consists of: pottery, hand-worked on the wheel, tools, utensils, weapons, ornaments, pieces of harness and a hoard of silver coins.

Of particular importance, among the discoveries from Cârlomăneşti, are the fragments of zoomorphic and anthropomorphic statuettes, which appear in very large numbers (several hundreds). The pieces, modeled in clay, represent wolves, wild boars, stags, deer, and birds, while the anthropomorphic statuettes depict armed men on horseback. These statuettes apparently represented divinities, or their attributes, being exposed in public buildings to be worshipped. Another interesting discovery is a fragment of a supply vessel with an inscription in Greek, in which a Geto-Dacian king is mentioned.

The discoveries in the sacred precinct at Pietroasa Mică-Gruiu Dării, Pietroasele commune, reflect important aspects of the spiritual life of the Geto-Dacians. The enclosure is placed on an imposing promontory, surrounded by three steep sides, being fortified with an impressive stone wall. This type of monument is unique to this day in the world of the Geto-Dacians, representing a special place where various rituals and offerings dedicated to the gods and the departed took place. In all probability, the sacred precinct from Gruiu Dării represented an important regional center of worship for the ghetto-Dacian communities in the area where the Carpathians bend.

Inside the enclosure, small mounds were discovered in which numerous artifacts specific to the Geto-Dacian era were deposited, such as: decorative ceramic vessels, accessories, household tools and utensils, weapons, pieces of harness, most such deposits had rings at the base , some of them having hearths inside.