Din colecțiile Muzeului Național al Banatului din Timișoara. I. Celturi izolate/singulare din Banatul Românesc / From the Collections of the National Museum of Banat in Timișoara. I. Isolated/Singular Socketed Axes from the Romanian Banat

On this occasion we chose to publish some socketed axes, that were discovered in the Romanian Banat, but without an archaeological context, pieces that can be included in that broader category of "isolated/singular" objects. For the piece from Anina (Pl. I.1.) we did not find any satisfactory analogy in terms of shape and ornament taken together. According to its general appearance, however, socketed axe is undoubtedly a product of the Late Bronze Age, and it is not possible to specify exactly whether it can be dated to the Late Bronze Age II stage (Bz C/2D - early Ha A1 phase) or Late Bronze Age III (Ha A). A possible analogy for the socketed axe from Butin (Pl. I.2.) is a piece from the hoard in Novi Bečej (Vojvodina, Serbia), but the edge is a bit wider, or a socketed axe from the hoard in Urovica also in Serbia. Much closer in shape and ornament is a socketed axe from the Szentgáloskér hoard in southern Hungary. Both hoards were dated to stage Ha A, so a late Bronze Age III. For the decoration on the socketed axe from Carani (Pl. II.1.) we did not find any satisfactory analogy. However, it is certain that this piece is also a product of the Late Bronze Age, without being able to make more precise chronological assessments. We thus propose a broad classification: Late Bronze II (Bz C/2D - beginning of phase Ha A1) - Late Bronze III (Ha A). The analogies for the socketed axe from Foeni (Pl. II.2.) are found mainly to the west of the Carpathian Basin and chronologically cover the wide horizon of the Late Bronze Age II (Bz C/2D - early phase Ha A1) and Late Bronze III (Ha A) periods, with a greater concentration in the so-called Kurd horizons after A. Mozsolics and Cincu-Suseni after M. Rusu and M. Petrescu-Dâmbovița.