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The royal tomb |
The royal tomb |
Trei Fântâni |
stone path on Gosan hill |
The actual situation of the museum must be considered on three
aspects:
1. the preservation status of the funeral monuments.
2. the conditions created to protect the monuments and the archaeological
reservation.
3. the theme of the exhibition.
1. The problems of the preservation of the Dacian princely monument
are the consequences of the careless way the researches had been
done from the beginning until 1989. The architectural setllement
was deprived of the natural thin layer of clay, only four perpendicular
strips were kept as witnesses.
Dromos-ul a fost decopertat complet, iar opus acestuia s-a decopertat
un sector ravasit din cauza luptelor din cel de-al doilea razboi
mondial, adoptându-se solutia decaparii terenului pâna la baza monumentului
si lasând mai multi martori cilindrici din solul antic, care pastreaza
la partea superioara pietre din mantaua tumulului, pentru a ilustra
modul de realizare a tumulului. Aceasta solutie nu este prea fericit
aleasa, deoarece induce vizitatorilor o stare de deruta, care nu
realizeaza rolul martorilor.
The same happened with the pathways (dromos) and just opposite there
is a section rummaged by the fights of The Second World War. Around
the monument, the soil was removed and there were left only four
cylinders of ancient earth that has, at the upper part, stones from
the covering of the tomb. This isn’t quite a happy solution because
it misleads the visitors because they don’t really understand the
roles of these samples.
In the centre of the stone precincts there is also another ‘witness’
sample that illustrates the way the tomb was filled with stones
and earth and it shows its maximum height. But it is difficult to
believe that the visitors understand its role.
The construction raised around the tomb protecting it, has created
a microclimate that is not quite appropriate. In the summer, because
of the green house effect, the temperature and the humidity reach
high levels, and in the winter the temperature drops below 0 degree
C, moreover, due to the museum structure there is no possibility
for natural moistening. In time all these led to the degradation
of the monument, big cracks appeared on the samples and a few stones
fell from the structure.
For a proper evaluation of the preservation status, the actual chemical
and physical parameters were determined:
Determining the relative humidity of the ancient soil from the tomb:
*) The determining of the loss of water by maintaining the
soil for 5 hours at 105 degrees C until the sample reaches a constant
weight, it was done in the Physics laboratory of the Agronomy University
of Iasi.
The chemical analysis was done on samples of ancient soil taken
from the same zones as those for the relative humidity test: the
cleaned off section, the witnesses left there and the one from the
centre.
The results of the chemical analysis of the ancient soil taken
from the tomb*)
Texture: middle- clay, dusty
Alkalinity: low, pH=8,1
Not salty: low content of soluble salts, 72 mg/100g soil
Clay content: 3-45
Low carbonic: CaCO3#1,17%
**) Many thanks to dr. F. Filipov, Agrotechnical University,
Iasi.
Analyzing from the chemical and physical parameters, the following
conclusion have been drawn:
-the relative humidity of the soil is extremely low;
-the low percentage of clay shows that the organic matter that could
act like glue is scarcely present;
-the carbonic content is also very low;
-the value of the “n” factor, that is the relation between the water
from the soil and the clay content, is more than “2”, fact that
characteristic to a fluid soil which can slip through fingers and
it crumbles easily.
-migrating of the soluble salts due to frost.
As for the second dome, which shelters a tomb and has a similar
structure with the princely grave but smaller, it wasn’t protected
so its preservation status is precarious.
2. Although there were many projects, only that from 1988 started,
but due to lack of money it had to stop after 1990. Some of its
accomplishments were:
-the circular building with a diameter of 48 m, of natural stone
and a metal shelter, which protects the princely tomb; the building
was repaired in the last decade, but the sealing was not perfect
allowing the rain, the sand brought by the wind and the birds have
partially affected the monument,
-starting the ‘Three Wells’ touristic stop and a parking place;
-the improvement of one of the two alleys on the Gosan hill;
-the implementing of the prefab structure of an amphitheatre;
-the raising in the museum of some prefab structure for a half buried
touristic sight;
-the archaeological space has been delimited but not fenced.
The following aims have not been accomplished :
-an alley that would link the “Three Wells” stop and the plateau
where the museum is;
-the half buried sight on the Gosan hill;
-the structure that would protect the first dome;
-a grassy amphitheatre;
-a second path from the Gosan hill to the parking;
-no signs for the museum.
3. The museum of Cucuteni has permitted to the museologists from
The Moldavian History Museum to organize a permanent exhibition
inside the building that shelters the main tomb. That was set on
two floors, using panels and glass cases that were not entirely
suitable for a museum.
The theme of the exhibition focused mainly on local history, from
the paleolithical times to 19th century, based on archaeological
diggings and showing mostly copies of the material discovered. These
data were also integrated into the Cucutenian civilization as well
into that Thracian, Getic and Dacian world. This exhibition is no
longer of interest.
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