A prehistoric salt production site at Baile Figa, Romania

Abstract

I this article we describe our initial work at the site of Baile Figa, Bistrita-Nasaud county, Romania, where a remarkable wooden trough was found in a salt stream in 1977 and removed to the local museum in 2005. As part of a wider study of salt production in Transylvania, we conducted survey and excavation at the site fron 2006 to 2009. During this time three more troughs were found, along with a large number of wooden constructions, well preserved in the salty mud of the stream. Of particular note are a large wood-lined shaft, a well-preseserved ladder, and a series of oval constructions formed by wattle fences and squared oak planks. In addition to presenting the first results of the fieldwork, we also present the results of radiocarbaon dating, which show that there were three mainphases of activity on the site: Middle-Late Bronze Age, Dacian Iron Age, and early medieval. Remarkably, remains of all these periods were found at the same depth, indicating continuing exploitation of the same parts of the site over many centuries. These findings are discussed in the context of other known sites in Transylvania and west Ukraine.

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