Tabăra+Arheologică+din+Tăşnad+(English)

** O **** F **** T **** ĂŞNAD ** Few inhabitants of Tăşnad know, even less of the tourists who visit the thermal baths, what the grass they lie their sun bathing towels on and enjoy the benefic action of the hot waters, hide. It is worth telling them about the great values hidden by this land, not the material ones, but the archeological, historical ones, values of a great importance for our historical knowledge and inheritage. During the summer holiday of the year 2008 I had the opportunity to take part for a month, together with a team of students from the National College “Ioan Slavici” led by the archeologist Cristian Vireag and our teacher of history Octavian Onac, to an archeological camp on the realms of Tasnad. At our arrival, we were divided into two groups. During a week, each group had learned some of the mysteries of the job of an archeologist, job which involves patience, force and luck .We were very curious and full of enthusiasm because we were working with professional archeologists. We have only heard of them or seen on T.V documentaries what they were doing. I could have never imagined myself digging shoulder to shoulder with them. During my stay in the camp, I found out that the archeological investigations in this area had been initiated by Neta Iercosan in 1987. They were continued by Janos Nemeti, Ciprian Astalos and Cristian Vireag. I have also found out that an impressive Neolithic site, dating about 8,000 years ago was discovered together with some Roman traces, dating I – II centuries B.C.  What impressed me most, was the discovery of a thumb, considered to be the oldest one in our county, about 8,000 years old. Our team, together with our teacher of History, had dug a 5x5m surface, on the left side of the Cehal Valley. Little by little, the first archeological traces came to the surface. Consequently, we found frames of pottery, stones, obsidian( a volcanic glass) from Hungary (Tokay area). The great number of these frames of glass speak about a prosperous and powerful community having intensive commercial exchanges with the communities in the neighboring areas. These discoveries encouraged us and gave us the impulse to work harder in order to find more interesting things. During my stay in the camp I found out that the thermal bath area of Tasnad represents the most important Neolithic site in our county, probably in the North West of Romania. It offers a rich archeological material: pottery, litical frames of stone, small statues representing human or animal figures, fishing-net weights. All these, speak about a community in which fishing represented an important source of living. As in a community funerals can not be neglected, during my stay in the camp I found out that burial was predominating in that period. So, I was told by the archeologist, that the dead person was put in a crouched position on a bed made of frames of pottery and then covered in it. In conclusion, my staying and working in the archeological summer camp was very benefic for me. I learned many things about our local history. I came into touch with long time ago disappeared cultures and civilizations. I began to understand better their way of living, their traditions and customs. I understood and tasted the life of the archeologist. All these made me decide to follow the career of a historian and archeologist. **//   SILVIA ARDELEAN, //**
 * A **** RCHEOLOGICAL **** D **** ISCOVERIES **** O **** N **** T **** HE **** R **** EALMS **
 * //  Grade X E //**