Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve: archaeological patrimony

• Main Authors: MICU Cristian, AILINCAI SorinCristian, CAROZZA Laurent, STANICA Aurel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: CITDD Publishing House 2017-12-01
• Series: Scientific Annals of the Danube Delta Institute
• Subjects: Danube Delta; archaeology
• Online Access: http://www.ddniscientificannals.ro/scientific-annals/20-volume-22/132-vol21_art03-9

Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve is home of an impressive number of archaeological and historical sites. The earliest traces of human presence on this territory date back to the Middle and Late Paleolithic. Such traces are rare and concentrated around the present-day Babadag Lake. From then on, the number of archaeological sites in the reserve’s areal rises at an inconstant pace, especially within the Delta. The analysis of the results of the archaeological surveys conducted starting with the second half of the 20th century contributes consistently to projecting an outline of the evolution of the population that lived in the reserve areal. There is an obvious and categoric difference in the nature and size of the anthropic factor along the ages. During the Eneolithic, Iron Age, Roman period and Middle Ages, human communities were very dynamic – given the remarkable number of known sites – and exploited natural resources on a large scale. Both household and funerary spaces are clearly marked, and sometimes even associated in various forms.