Ironwork hoards in Roman Dacia

The present volume is an improved and slightly rearranged version of the author’s doctoral thesis, which was publicly defended at the Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, in September 2023. The objective of the thesis was the in-depth analysis of hoarding and depositing ironwork in Roman Dacia through a detailed re-examination and comparative study of the known assemblages. While the terminology regarding hoards is far from settled, in this work, ‘hoard’ and ‘deposition’ were used as general terms denoting collections of objects found as a group, associated with a single context. The word ‘hoard’ was mainly used to refer to assemblages that were rather clearly concealed, whereas I preferred ‘deposition’ as a more neutral term in the case of collections where a ritual background might be supposed. However, every time I wished to indicate an interpretation, this was emphasised through adjectives, such as safety hoards, votive depositions etc. Occasionally, to further stress the inclusion of all assemblage types, both terms were listed (‘hoards and depositions’), but mainly they are used as synonyms. ‘Ironwork’ is more easily defined; it stands for any type of object or fragment made of iron, ranging from tools and household items to scrap. Consequently, ironwork hoards are collections discovered as closed assemblages consisting of (almost exclusively) iron objects and fragments. (from „Introduction”)