STUDII ȘI ARTICOLE / STUDIES AND ARTICLES
1. Miruna Ana OANA
OUT OF ORDINARY OR COMMON HOUSEHOLD TURNED PIT? CONTRIBUTIONS REGARDING THE LATE NEOLITHIC PERIOD IN THE CRIȘ/KÖRÖS RIVERS BASIN
The main goal of this article is to further our understanding of the relationship between the Oradea-Salca site and the Late Neolithic sites of the North-East Pannonian Plain. The main aspects discussed here focus on an overview of the Herpály world in Hungary and a comparison between Oradea-Salca and the Herpály sites west of the border. A short overview of the Salca “OMV-Petrom” excavation with a statistical presentation of the ceramic material from the 03 B complex is also given.
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2. Corina TOMA
DATE PRELIMINARE PRIVIND LOCUIREA NEOLITICĂ TÂRZIE IDENTIFICATĂ PE TRONSONUL DRUMULUI DE LEGĂTURĂ DINTRE LOCALITĂȚILE BIHARIA ȘI PALEU (JUD. BIHOR)
PRELIMINARY DATA ON THE LATE NEOLITHIC SETTLEMENT IDENTIFIED ON THE LINK ROAD BETWEEN BIHARIA AND PALEU (BIHOR COUNTY)
As a result of the archaeological diagnosis carried out in November 2023 on the link road between the Biharia Ring Road and Paleu (Bihor County), between Km 1+865 – 2+054, an archaeological site was identified. Preventive archaeological research carried out between January and February 2024, covered an area of roughly 4.000 m2 and revealed six archaeological complexes dating to the Late Neolithic (Herpály culture). These complexes consist of pits of various sizes and uses, possibly including dwellings and clay pits. The archaeological material consists of pottery fragments, some of which bear traces of painting, lithic materials (silex and obsidian artefacts, chisels and axes made from magmatic rock, various rocks with traces of use or processing), as well as substantial pieces of adobe.
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3. NAGY Norbert, Gruia FAZECAȘ, Florin GOGÂLTAN
ORIZONTURILE DE LOCUIRE DIN CEA DE-A DOUA EPOCĂ A FIERULUI ÎN AȘEZAREA DE LA ORADEA – „SALCA-PEPINIERĂ”
THE HORIZONS OF HOUSING FROM THE SECOND IRON AGE IN THE SETTLEMENT OF ORADEA – “SALCA-PEPINIERĂ”
Oradea – Salca-Pepinieră site is located in the southern part of the city, between Ceyrat Street and Rulikowski Cemetery, on the southern side of the current Peța Canal, approximately 100–200 metres away. The site was first discovered in the middle of last century, followed by rescue excavations in 1998-1999, 2014, and 2017. As a result of the excavations, a total of 431 archaeological features were identified in 2014 and 2017. These have been dated to the Neolithic, Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, Late Iron Age, Late Roman Imperial Period, Migration Period, and Middle Ages. A notable aspect of the site is the identification of three different settlements from the Iron Age: one associated with the Vekerzug culture (Ha D period), a celtic settlement from the La Tène culture, and a Dacian settlement, also belonging to the La Tène culture. The majority of the archaeological material discovered consists of pottery. In this article, we briefly present the Celtic and Dacian settlements attributed to the La Tène culture. The Celtic settlement comprised a pottery kiln, 7 dwellings, and a pit, these features have been dated to the LT B2–C1 period. The Dacian settlement included 11 pits, dated to the Late La Tène phase (LT D, 1st century BC – 1st century AD).
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4. Lavinia GRUMEZA, Cristina I. TICA, Adrian URSUȚIU
SITUL V BORȘ (JUD. BIHOR). CERCETĂRI ARHEOLOGICE RECENTE ÎN NECROPOLA SARMATICĂ: DATE PRELIMINARE
SITE V BORȘ (BIHOR COUNTY). RECENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN THE SARMATIAN NECROPOLIS: PRELIMINARY DATA
This paper analyzes a recently discovered Sarmatian necropolis within the multi-layered site of Borș V, Bihor County. The main objective is to provide a concise overview of the funerary features (32 graves), rituals, grave goods, as well as the preservation state of the skeletal remains and preliminary anthropological data. This is the first known necropolis in Bihor County featuring circular funerary ditches surrounding the graves. The spatial arrangement of the necropolis reflects a mixed organization, suggesting prolonged and structured use of the funerary space, likely influenced by chronological, social, or familial factors. In the northern sector, graves are arranged in relatively regular rows, indicating a planned, possibly communal, layout with successive interments in a consecrated area. Conversely, the southern sector reveals circular clusters of graves grouped around central graves (Cx 535 and Cx 345), the only ones demarcated by circular ditches. Internal funerary installations are rare; only in grave Cx 138 was a wooden plank, probably part of a coffin. Grave pits vary in shape (rounded rectangular, oval, irregular), with the deceased generally laid in a dorsal decubitus position. An exception is grave Cx 530, where the individual was interred laterally in an unusual posture, accompanied by a horse’s leg. Regionally, the necropolis fits within the complex funerary landscape of the Banat-Crișana area, where recent excavations have identified cemeteries attributed to various Sarmatian groups. The cemeteries are characterized by two recurrent features: systematic grave reopening and poor preservation of skeletal remains – traits also evident at Borș V. All investigated graves exhibit evidence of post-mortem interventions, variably affecting skeletal preservation (from 10 to 100%). Preliminary anthropological analysis does not indicate sex- or age-based differences in the disturbed graves; children’s graves were not spared, suggesting widespread, systematic looting likely motivated by the perceived value of grave goods rather than the identity of the deceased. Twelve graves are completely devoid of grave goods, while others display varying quantities and qualities of artifacts depending on the extent of post-mortem intervention. Only a few graves contain richer inventories, comparable to those found in Sarmatian cemeteries of the Great Hungarian Plain. These include clothing and jewelry items (earrings, bracelets, fibulae, belt fittings, beads), personal objects (a mirror), weaponry, harness fittings, knives, spindle whorls, and ceramic vessels. The assemblage of finds – both artifacts and funerary practices – allows the necropolis to be dated to two main phases: the first spanning the late 2nd to mid-3rd century AD, and the second corresponding to the Late Sarmatian period, specifically the second half of the 3rd century and the 4th century AD. This chronological distinction is also reflected in the spatial organization of the cemetery.
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5. KATÓCZ Zoltán, FECHETE Porsztner Kitti, Gruia FAZECAȘ, Doru MARTA, Oana BĂICAN-GEORGESCU, Ștefan LIPOT, Georgiana Teodora POP
CERCETĂRILE ARHEOLOGICE PREVENTIVE DE LA SÂNTANDREI – PALOTA VECHE II (JUD. BIHOR)
PREVENTIVE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH FROM SÂNTANDREI – OLD PALOTA II (BIHOR COUNTY)
The main goal of this study was to introduce the archaeological site into the literature, but also to clear up some confusion about the names of archaeological sites in this area. The archaeological site of Sântandrei – Old Palace II / Hemp Mill II is located on the left (southern) bank of the Criș Repede river, where an area of 2.300 sq.m was excavated in April-May 2023. During the rescue excavations, 20 archaeological features were identified, four of which were contemporary interventions (Cx.1, Cx.15, Cx.18-19). Among the remaining features, we documented a Dacian dwelling (Cx.5), dated to the 1th century BC – 1th century AD; as well as several pits containing no or very few atypical ceramic fragments (Cx.6-7, Cx.12-13, Cx.16-17), which can be dated to the early medieval period (11th–13th centuries AD). Additionally, a stormwater drainage system was identified, consisting of several narrow ditches (Cx.9-11, Cx.14, Cx.20) and a service pit (Cx.8), used for clearing debris. Surface research conducted nearby has shown that the true core of the medieval settlement lies south of the site studied during the preventive excavations. Based on this idea, it is most likely that the ditches discovered during the preventive excavations represent the end of a drainage system for the rural settlement, through which unwanted rainwater was evacuated.
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6. Faiz MARIKAR
SRI LANKAN MARITIME LAW GOES BACK TO THE SECOND CENTURY BC
Maritime law, or admiralty law, has a long and rich history dating back to ancient civilizations. Early maritime law emerged as seafaring communities established rules and customs to regulate the conduct of ships and their crews, ensure the safety of trade, and resolve disputes over maritime matters. Here’s a look at the development of maritime law in several ancient civilizations. No review articles were discussed about Sri Lankan Maritime law which goes back to the second century. This paper explains the inscription located in Nagadvipa (Nainativu) that prevailed during the Second Century CE and unearthed an inscription Godavaya Viharaya in Ambalanthota which could be assigned to the second century CE. Those two records explain the importance of Maritime law to the world was opened in this small unknown Sri Lankan country before others thought about it.
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7. Alexandru SIMON
FRANCESCO NEGRO ŞI BIHARIA
FRANCESCO NEGRO AND BIHARIA
Francesco Negro (Negri) was an “errant humanist”, born in Venice. A “best-selling” author in the Italian Peninsula, he was repeatedly employed in the Kingdom of Hungary between the late 1400s and the early 1500s. His first Hungarian stay was in Oradea (1489-1491), precisely at the time of King Matthias Corvinus († 1490) disputed succesion, a succesion “supervised” by the local bishop, John Filipec. In addition to Negro’s somewhat unexpected concepts (for instance: ‘the two Pannonias’, ‘John <Hunyadi> the White’, ‘Matthias the Wallachian’), the name used by the Adriatic fortune-seeking scholar to designate Oradea (Nagyvárad), the centre of the Bihor (Bihar) County, is of particular importance. The name, Orosiana, can be encountered only in a list of revenues from the reign of Béla III (1172-1196), establishing therefore a link between “the days” of the controversial Magister P. and his work and Matthias’ (Roman-Hungarian) Humanist El Dorado.
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8. Gizella NEMETH, Adriano PAPO
DA MOHÁCS A BELGRADO. ASCESA E CADUTA DEI TURCHI OTTOMANI: DUE SVOLTE DECISIVE PER LA STORIA D’EUROPA
FROM MOHÁCS TO BELGRADE. THE RISE AND FALL OF THE OTTOMAN TURKS: TWO TURNING POINTS IN EUROPEAN HISTORY
Ottoman expansion in the Balkan Peninsula had spread in three directions: 1) towards Greece; 2) towards Albania; 3) towards Serbia and Central Europe. However, until the battle of Mohács the Ottomans would find a barrier to their expansion in the Kingdom of Hungary. The battle of Mohács (29 August 1526) was a defeat for Hungary, which lost not only its king but also the cream of its nobility. The aim of the Ottoman offensive against Hungary was initially to create a vassal state and a buffer as well between the imperial possessions and the Turkish Empire. Just in 1541, the Ottomans returned to Hungary with the aim of limiting the Habsburg expansion in the Carpatho-Danubian country; in this occasion, they occupied the central part of Hungary, as well as the capital Buda, where they remained for almost 150 years, until they were expelled by the Imperial Army of Prince Eugene of Savoy. Suleiman the Magnificent had seized the opportunity of the clash between the two greatest European powers, the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire, to complete the process of Ottoman expansion into Central Europe, which had begun with the occupation of Gallipoli in 1352-54. By 1526, however, the Kingdom of Hungary was chronically weak due to the incompetence and lack of authority of its king, the anarchy of the noble class, the lack of funds for recruiting soldiers and strengthening border fortresses, and the inadequacy of military equipment and supplies. This essay also analyzes the medium- and long-term consequences of the battle of Mohács.; moreover, the factors that led to the decline of the Ottoman Empire (corruption, court intrigues, revolts among the Janissaries, artisans, and merchants, the army’s technological backwardness, the inadequacy of its military tactics, the loss of international prestige, etc.) are examined as well. Conversely, we witness a process of modernization in Austria and the reorganization of its army, which would allow it to expel the Ottomans from the territory of the Kingdom of Hungary thanks to Prince Eugene of Savoy, the great protagonist of this epic. After the conclusion of the wars against the Ottomans, the entire territory of the Kingdom of Hungary underwent a significant and rapid process of demographic growth, accompanied, however, by notable changes in the proportions among the various ethnic groups present there. The repopulation of the Kingdom of Hungary also brought considerable changes in the distribution and in the types of activities of the Hungarian population.
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9. Yusuf HEPER, Adrian TERTECEL
SPIONAJUL EFECTUAT DE ŢĂRILE ROMÂNE ÎN FAVOAREA IMPERIULUI OTOMAN ÎN SECOLELE XVI-XVIII. CÂTEVA DOCUMENTE TURCEŞTI INEDITE
ESPIONAGE ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY THE ROMANIAN PRINCIPALITIES IN FAVOUR OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE IN THE 16TH-18TH CENTURIES. SOME UNPUBLISHED TURKISH DOCUMENTS
The Ottoman Empire (1300-1918) was a huge and powerful state. Since its earliest days, this empire knew how to practice and use espionage. Every day, the Ottomans gathered information about the most important European countries. The Ottomans considered that their main enemies in Europe were Hungary, Austria (Habsburg Empire), Poland (which was liquidated in 1795) and Russia. The Romanian Principalities (Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania) were also very important for the Sublime Porte. The Principality of Transylvania only existed in the years 1541-1691. During this entire period, Transylvania was a vassal of the Ottoman Empire. In 1691, this principality was annexed by Austria (Habsburg Empire). Wallachia existed in the years 1310-1859. Moldavia was founded in 1359. It existed until the year 1859. In that year (1859), Walachia and Moldavia united and thus they gave birth to Romania. Afterwards, Romania became an independent state in 1877. In 1420, Wallachia became a vassal state towards the Ottoman Empire. The same thing happened in Moldavia in 1456. During the period 1526-1878, although Wallachia and Moldavia remained separate states, the Sublime Porte considered them as being privileged provinces of the Ottoman Empire. The most severe Ottoman suzerainty over Wallachia and Moldavia existed during the Phanariot Era (1711-1821). In that era, the Sublime Porte appointed only rich Greeks (Phanariots) from Istanbul as ruling princes of Wallachia and Moldavia. The Ottomans knew that the Romanian Principalities were able to gather important information about Hungary, Austria, Poland and Russia. For this reason, during the period 1420-1829, the sultans used the ruling princes of the Romanian Principalities as spies who provided information about the above-mentioned European countries. This espionage activity of the Romanian Principalities was very intense and very useful for the Sublime Porte. It reached its peak in the years 1711-1821 (during the Phanariot Era). However, never forgetting their dreams of independence, Wallachia and Moldavia also practiced espionage against the Ottomans (mainly in favour of Austria and Russia). That’s why, in the year 1711, the sultan distrusted the Romanian ruling princes and established the aforesaid Phanariot Era. After the year 1829, due to new general conditions (including a large autonomy for Wallachia and Moldavia), the Romanian espionage in favour of the Sublime Porte ceased almost completely. In this article, 8 (eight) important new Turkish (Ottoman) documents (unknown and unpublished until now) are published here for the first time. These documents concern the above-mentioned Romanian espionage activities in favour of the Ottoman Empire.
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10. Florina CIURE
TRANSILVANIA SECOLULUI AL XVII-LEA REFLECTATĂ ÎN HISTORIA DELLA REPUBLICA VENETA A LUI BATTISTA NANI
17TH-CENTURY TRANSYLVANIA REFLECTED IN BATTISTA NANI’S HISTORIA DELLA REPUBLICA VENETA
Historia della Republica Veneta (from 1613 to 1671), by Battista Nani, first part, printed in 1662, after a brief introduction on the origin of the city, presents its history starting from 1613 until 1644, while the second part, published in 1679 continues to describe the events until 1671. Its history is an important source for seventeenth-century Venice, for foreign events in which the Republic was involved. The book also contains information on the history of Transylvania, especially on the participation of Prince Gabriel Bethlen (1613-1629) in the Thirty Years’ War. Nani also provides detailed information on the changes in leadership of the Transylvanian principality after the end of the religious conflict. The overall picture is that of the tensions between the Ottomans and Transylvania in the mid-17th century, in which Venice was indirectly involved, given that the Turkish wars affected the balance of power in the Balkans and the Mediterranean. As a professional diplomat, Nani witnessed some of the events and characters reported in his book, so his information is accurate, the fruit of his direct experience. The sources used are also first-hand, resulting in a truthful book, full of important detail for the history of Transylvania.
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11. Sorin ȘIPOȘ
RELATĂRILE CĂLĂTORILOR STRĂINI DESPRE ORIGINEA, LIMBA ȘI MORAVURILE ROMÂNILOR (1710-1810)
FOREIGN TRAVELERS’ ACCOUNTS OF THE ORIGIN, LANGUAGE AND CUSTOMS OF THE ROMANIANS (1710-1810)
The accounts of the foreign travelers of the 18lh century and the first decade of the following century are full of observations regarding the language spoken by the inhabitants of the Romanian lands. For the period of time analyzed, namely the one between the years 1710 and 1810, we identified the accounts of 171 travelers who crossed the Romanian space. Only 27 of them refer to the origin of and the language spoken by Romanians. Of the travelers who talk about the Romanity of the Romanians, 12 have liberal professions, 8 are diplomats, 6 are officers, and one is a merchant. All the visitors consider the Romanian language to be a successor of Latin, based on the similarities between the two. The Latinity of the Romanian language is, for this era, a fact accepted by all the travelers who write about the origin of the Romanians. The travelers who write about the Romanian space use various documentary sources, especially historical, geographical, and philological ones. To these older sources, we can add numerous works published in the 18th century; especially on history and geography, featuring information on the origin and language of the Romanian people. Other travelers, less educated, gather their information directly from the Romanians, remarking with surprise that this country speaks a language that many of them, especially the Italians, can understand. Therefore, most of the voyagers come to the conclusion that the Romanian language is the successor of Latin. The scholars, those who have liberal professions, are closer to the truth, managing to understand the formation of the Romanian language, with its three main components: the Dacian substrate, the Latin stratum, and the Slavic adstrate. Among the voyagers who wrote about the origin of the Romanians, 22 clearly determined that Romanian emerged from Latin, while 21 also spoke about the origin of the Romanians, which they correctly retraced, considering them the successors of the Roman colonists settled in Dacia. For all the travelers who arrived in the Romanian Principalities, the language spoken by Romanians represents the decisive element in determining their origin. Historical data, such as archaeological sources or ancient and medieval chronicles, which talk about the Roman origin of the Romanians, are of secondary importance when it comes to identifying the Romanians as the successors of the Romans. Most of the travelers managed to correctly piece together the cthnogenesis and glotogenesis, as well as the presence of numerous Slavic and Turkish words in Wallachia and Moldavia, and of Hungarian and German ones in Transylvania. We also have five foreign travelers who managed to distinguish between the name Romanian, used by the people themselves, and that of Wallachian, only used by foreigners when referring to them. This aspect is, in their opinion, an argument in favor of their Romanity.
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12. Augustin ȚĂRĂU
DUHUL LUI HOREA PESTE VEACURI. SECVENȚE DESPRINSE DIN IMAGINEA IMPRIMATĂ DE EROUL-MARTIR HOREA ÎN MENTALUL COLECTIV AL ROMÂNILOR ȘI MAGHIARILOR TRANSILVĂNENI
THE SPIRIT OF HOREA ACROSS THE CENTURIES. SEQUENCES TAKEN FROM THE IMAGE IMPRINTED BY THE HERO-MARTYR HOREA IN THE COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE ROMANIANS AND HUNGARIANS OF TRANSYLVANIA
In this study, we set out to analyse how the myth of the national hero Horea, leader of the anti-Hungarian uprising and of the national emancipation movement of the Transylvanian Romanians, was born, and how this myth evolved in the consciousness of Romanians and Hungarians over time. Eliminated by the governor of Transylvania through a martyr’s death sentence, the hero Horea continued to represent the symbol of bravery and freedom in the collective mind of Romanians, while in the Hungarian collective consciousness he remained the most terrible and unforgiving Romanian rebel, always ready to shed innocent Hungarian blood to avenge the unjust fate of slavery to which his people had been condemned by the Hungarian nobility. In literature, the first accounts of Horea’s life and struggle were written two decades after his death, but the manuscripts lay unprinted in the dust of the archives for more than a hundred years. Nevertheless, the memory of Horea circulated in Romanian villages through lithographs printed in Vienna and was displayed prominently on the walls of Romanian homes, alongside icons of Christ the Savior and the Virgin Mary. The mythology surrounding Horea grew in the second half of the 19th century, as the Hungarian government in Budapest intensified its efforts to denationalize the Romanians. In this context, the Hungarian administration initiated a series of press trials against Romanian newspapers in various courts in Transylvania, but failed to stop the dissemination of poems and stories about the hero Horea.
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13. Antonio FAUR
CONSIDERAȚII CU PRIVIRE LA OPINIILE ISTORICULUI AMERICAN KEITH HITCHINS DESPRE AVRAM IANCU
CONSIDERATIONS ON THE OPINIONS OF THE AMERICAN HISTORIAN KEITH HITCHINS ABOUT AVRAM IANCU
The interest of American historiography in the history of Romanians in Transylvania has found its most prestigious representative in the historian Keith Hitchins, the best specialist, probably also internationally, on this subject. For this reason, I have chosen – to make some considerations – on this occasion (200 years since the birth of Avram Iancu), a chapter from one of his books, which refers to the European dimension of the thought of the Romanian̕ s hero of the of 1848 revolution, Avram Iancu.
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14. Francesco RUVOLO
DA MIRCEȘTI A MESSINA. NOVE DOCUMENTI CARTACEI INEDITI DI VASILE ALECSANDRI INVIATI A TOMMASO CANNIZZARO
FROM MIRCEȘTI TO MESSINA. NINE UNPUBLISHED PAPER DOCUMENTS BY VASILE ALECSANDRI SENT TO TOMMASO CANNIZZARO
The essay presents nine unpublished paper documents from the renowned Romanian poet and patriot Vasile Alecsandri to the Messina poet Tommaso Cannizzaro, who had translated into Italian his Montpellier-winning poem on the Latin race. The relationship between Alecsandri, Cannizzaro, and De Gubernatis at the end of the 19th century is studied and explored.
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15. Ioan CIORBA
DIN ISTORIA PAROHIEI GRECO-CATOLICE GRUILUNG (A DOUA JUMĂTATE A SECOLULUI AL XIX – LEA – PRIMA JUMĂTATE A SECOLULUI XX)
FROM THE HISTORY OF THE GREEK CATHOLIC PARISH OF GRUILUNG (SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY – FIRST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY)
This article aims to follow the history of the small Greek Catholic parish in the town of Gruilung over a period of almost 90 years. Based on important press articles and unpublished information extracted from various archival funds, we have concluded that a whole series of important events for the Greek Catholic faithful in the town and the surrounding region took place there. Even though they changed often, the priests in this parish proved to be good administrators and orators. Thanks to their efforts, Greek Catholicism spread (especially in the first half of the 20th century) to other towns, a fact that will bring them numerous accusations from representatives of the Orthodox Diocese of Oradea. The beautiful evolution of this community was seriously disrupted by the outbreak of World War II and, subsequently, by the installation of the communist regime. Under pressure from the new authorities, the population was forced to convert to Orthodoxy, and some of the priests who worked here were sentenced to long periods of detention.
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16. Silviu SANA
CONSIDERAȚII PRIVIND IMAGINEA LUI IULIU MANIU ÎN PRESA MAGHIARĂ A VREMII (1918-1929)
CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE IMAGE OF IULIU MANIU IN THE HUNGARIAN PRESS OF THE TIME (1918-1929)
About Iuliu Maniu’s personality was written in Romanian historiography especially after the 1989 revolution, highlighting his implications in the political act of December 1, 1918 and his role in the political life of interwar and post-war Romania, as leader of the National Peasants’ Party. But very little is known about the image of this Romanian politician in the Hungarian press and archival sources. This study brings to light, for the first time in Romanian, four different texts from the interwar Hungarian press – the newspapers “Világ”, “Pesti Napló”, “Nagyvárad” and the magazine “Medvetánc” – which talk about Iuliu Maniu: the Arad negotiations (November 1918); Iuliu Maniu, possible Prime Minister of Greater Romania (January 1919); the visit to Oradea (April 29-30, 1919) and the letter of Jászi Oskár (January 1929). The image outlined by his Hungarian opponents completes the reality of the time and paints a portrait closer to reality of the Romanian politician who served the Romanian nation with devotion, both before and after the Union of December 1, 1918.
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17. Cornelia ROMÎNAȘU, Radu ROMÎNAȘU
CONSIDERAȚII DESPRE PRESA CULTURALĂ ROMÂNEASCĂ DIN ZONA NORD-VESTICĂ A ROMÂNIEI ÎNTREGITE. STUDIU DE CAZ: BIHOR, ARAD, SATU MARE (1919-1940)
CONSIDERATIONS ON THE ROMANIAN CULTURAL PRESS IN THE NORTH-WESTERN REGION OF GREATER ROMANIA: A CASE STUDY OF BIHOR, ARAD, AND SATU MARE (1919–1940)
Between 1919 and 1940, the cultural press in north-western Romania played an important role in shaping national identity, promoting Romanian culture, and mobilizing society in response to historical challenges. Beyond its informational function, it acted as a catalyst for social and cultural progress, leaving a profound and lasting imprint on collective consciousness. The press contributed significantly to advancing education and cultural life in the region, evolving alongside the consolidation of Romanian state institutions. This period witnessed a notable expansion in the number and circulation of publications, as well as the emergence of talented journalists, many of whom were drawn from literary and political circles. As such, the press became a key driver of the social and cultural reforms essential for Romania’s transformation into a modern state and served as an instrument of social integration and civic participation.
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18. Veronica TURCUȘ
UN SCRIITOR ARDELEAN ÎN VIZORUL DIPLOMAȚIEI ITALIENE: ION AGÂRBICEANU
A TRANSYLVANIAN WRITER IN THE SIGHTS OF ITALIAN DIPLOMACY: ION AGÂRBICEANU
The study aims to nuance the presence of the Transylvanian writer Ion Agârbiceanu in the local political life and journalism during the 1930s based on two diplomatic reports of the Italian consul in Cluj, Carlo Alberto Perego, dated March 20, 1934, and May 23, 1934. The respective diplomatic communications addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Rome, then Benito Mussolini, contain unpublished data about the subsidization of the Iron Guard with funds from abroad, about the route of the money via Cluj and about the role played in the context by the publicist and politician Sebastian Bornemisa, associating the issues with the figure of the prose writer Ion Agârbiceanu, around whom the second diplomatic briefing is entirely built.
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19. Ștefan VASILIȚĂ
DESPRE FALSIFICAREA BANCNOTELOR CEHOSLOVACE ÎN ROMÂNIA: CAZUL IACOB GOLDBERG, BRAȘOV, 1926
ABOUT THE FORGING OF THE CZECHOSLOVAK BANKNOTES IN ROMANIA: THE IACOB GOLDBERG CASE, BRAŞOV, 1926
This article presents the 1926 case of forging Czechoslovak banknotes in Romania. In an artisanal workshop placed in a house in the city of Brașov, Iacob Goldberg (Golberg, Goldenberg), together with his accomplices, made forgeries after the Czechoslovak 10 korun 1919 and 500 korun 1923. The 500 korun notes, out of which several hundred were made, were a failure, probably caused by the impossibility to properly reproduce the technique details used on the original note, made using intaglio and irisdruck print. The 10 korun forgery was more successful. The forgers took some of the forged 10 korun notes over the Romanian-Czechoslovak border, and place them in the villages from Carpathian Ruthenia, around the Sighetu Marmației area. In April 1926, the group was arrested, and it was reported that around 3.900 fake notes were confiscated, together with the machinery and the plates used to print the forgeries. The prompt investigation of the Romanian authorities linked Iacob Goldberg with the Antal brothers from Brașov, owners of a printing work, Ion G. Ion and Iulius Klein, two zincographs from Bucharest, the latter employed at the moment of his arrest in the Romanian Army Geographical Service and others. Iacob Goldberg was arrested again in 1928, this time for forging Romanian banknotes. In 1930, he and Iulius Klein were convicted for the forging of Czechoslovak banknotes in 1926. One of the forged, unfinished, 10 korun made in Brașov in 1926 was recently discovered, and on close inspection, reveals and confirms the particular details that allow its identification. All in all, it is a mediocre forgery, with unproper colors, made with rather crude printing plates.
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20. Șerban TURCUȘ
PATRIOTISM VERSUS OBEDIENȚĂ ECCLESIALĂ. ALOISIE TĂUTU VERSUS SECRETARIATUL DE STAT AL SFÂNTULUI SCAUN (1942)
PATRIOTISM VERSUS ECCLESIASTICAL OBEDIENCE. ALOISIE TĂUTU VERSUS THE SECRETARIAT OF STATE OF THE HOLY SEET (1942)
The present study focuses on an important figure of the Romanian Church United with Rome and Romanian historiography: the canon from Oradea, Aloisie Tăutu. For a period of his life, he was an ecclesiastical counselor at the Romanian Legation to the Holy See (1937-1947). He was very active in diplomatic work after the Second Vienna Diktat (1940), which affected the institutional structure of the Romanian Church United with Rome, placing it under Hungarian tutelage. Since the Hungarian authorities wanted to integrate many Romanian parishes into the Hajdudorogh diocese and to Magyarize the Romanian Greek Catholics, Aloisie Tăutu reproaches the Secretariat of State of the Holy See for its inactivity towards Hungarian anti-Romanian militancy, at the risk of upsetting the Catholic hierarchy in Rome. Through the memoranda he sent and his diplomatic activity, Aloisie Tăutu pointed out the injustice of the Second Vienna Diktat and put the interests of Romania and its church before obedience to the Roman Catholic hierarchy.
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21. Corina TEODOR
ANCHETA CANONICULUI IOAN GEORGESCU ÎN LEGĂTURĂ CU UNIREA CELOR DOUĂ BISERICI ROMÂNEȘTI
CANON IOAN GEORGESCU’S INVESTIGATION IN RELATION TO THE UNION OF THE TWO ROMANIAN CHURCHES
This article analyses the investigation carried out by the canon from Oradea, Ioan Georgescu, on the topic of the union of the two Romanian churches, Orthodox and Greek-Catholic. The investigation was publicized through the newspaper of the Greek-Catholic diocese of Oradea, “Vestitorul”, and focused on lay people with an important role in intellectual and public life, from the two confessions. It was part of a rather tense climate, marked especially by the polemics on various religious topics that the confessional press of the time was full of. Thus, the investigation was trying to identify what the problems that were stirring the spirits would be, but also what the consequences could be if the union of the two churches was to be reached, which had been proposed over time, starting from the end of the 18th century. Ioan Georgescu sent the questions formulated in this investigation to 80 people, but unfortunately, the answers came from only half of them, of whom 22 were Orthodox and the rest Catholic. After processing the material, the Oradea canon published a brochure on this topic in 1935, as a supplement to the “Vestitorul” newspaper, to return in 1939 with the French version, entitled Une enquète sur l’Union des Eglises en Roumanie.
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22. Simona Camelia FER
MANIPULATION AND MECHANISMS OF TOTALITARIAN DICTATORSHIP CONTROL THROUGH NEWSPEAK AND WOODEN LANGUAGE
This paper critically examines the role and impact of Newspeak and wooden language during dictatorships throughout different political regimes where a totalitarian atmosphere ruled and controlled all human senses, thoughts or acts. Under regimes such as Italian Fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism totalitarian language seems to be a favorable way to explore the “dark side” of conceptual history, constituted by symbols rather than words. Newspeak is a concept more widely recognized in the French culture as “langue de bois” than in the English culture and certainly familiar to the cultures that experienced totalitarianism other than through the cartoon characters of the “Animal Farm”, George Orwell’s satirical allegorical novella. The concept of “bois” or “wooden language” has been explored by several writers, though the specific term bois might not always be used explicitly. However, many authors have written about language that is rigid, formal, artificial, or detached from emotional or authentic expression. These writers often explore how language can be used as a tool of power, control, or alienation or how it can serve as a metaphor for emotional or social stasis. Language is merely a tool that can be manipulated by people, derived either by good or ill intentions, to persuade other people. In the hands of people like dictators, however, it becomes a very dangerous tool, because they are those who mostly benefit from this encoding skill effectively to legalize their governments. They can use it to tyrannize people, to ignite conflicts between them, or to gather and galvanize them to fight the dictator’s wars, without them knowing it.
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23. Tiberiu Alexandru CIORBA
FAC FORTIA ET PATERE. RETROSPECTIVĂ DOCUMENTARĂ ASUPRA CENTENARULUI MUZEAL ORĂDEAN ORGANIZAT ÎN 1972
FAC FORTIA ET PATERE. DOCUMENTARY RETROSPECTIVE ON THE MUSEUM’S CENTENARY ORGANIZED IN 1972
The Țării Crișurilor Museum has had a long, rich and sometimes arduous journey starting from the middle of the 19th century. Throughout the years, there have been a few key moments in time that marked a turning point for the institution and its destiny. Such a moment was the centennial celebration organized in 1972, which attracted the attention of both local and national scholars. Over a span of a few days, historians from all around Romania gathered to participate in the festivities held in Oradea. New exhibitions were opened for the occasion; a conference was conducted to gather scientific results pertaining to all fields of interest and many more activities. To commemorate the event, a certain file (number 827) was donated to the museum in 1975 containing a wide arrangement of documents, letters, posters, all of which allow researchers to recreate the occasion. The aim of this article is to analyze thoroughly the contents of the file, to see what the documents offer in terms of information and whether it can be used in different projects.
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24. Pr. Miron-Ioan ERDEI
PASTORAȚIE RELIGIOASĂ ȘI ISTORIE AGRARĂ ÎN SATUL CENALOȘ DE PE VALEA BARCĂULUI
RELIGIOUS PASTORAL CARE AND AGRARIAN HISTORY IN THE VILLAGE OF CENALOȘ ON THE BARCĂU VALLEY
In addition to the many occupations of the Romanian peasant, working in the fields was considered a sacred activity, which he treated as such, involving the divinity both at the beginning of his agricultural activities and at their completion. A testimony in this respect is “Molitfelnicul”, a book of worship in which we find a lot of prayers performed by the priest at different times in the life of the faithful, like prayers at the beginning of sowing, prayers of blessing at the beginning of harvesting, prayers at the harvesting of the vineyard, prayers at the harvesting of the vineyard and many others, in which the Christian peasant asked God’s blessing, believing that his labor would have a fruitful end only through the involvement of the power of the Almighty. The villages of the Barcăului valley, including the village of Cenaloș, had a true religious and popular ritual of two millennia of plowing and sowing the land, which ended with the golden harvesting. It was the most exhausting work, but it was also the most rewarding one, because the Romanian peasant used the wheat ears to provide daily food for his family and his nation, and in order to get the “bread of being” he added wine to his bread, in the fall after harvesting the grapes, which he took as a thanksgiving offering to God at the Holy Altar, so that by the work of the Holy Spirit they might be transformed into the Body and Blood of the God, for the acquisition of eternal Life.
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25. Dragoș CURELEA, pr. Bogdan AVRAM
IN MEMORIAM: MEDIC LOCOTENENT COLONEL AUREL GROZE DIN ALBA IULIA, DOCTOR ÎN ȘTIINȚE
MEDICALE ȘI COMANDANT AL AMBULANȚEI DIVIZIEI 20 INFANTERIE
IN MEMORIAM: MEDICAL LIEUTENANT COLONEL AUREL GROZE FROM ALBA IULIA, DOCTOR OF MEDICAL SCIENCES AND COMMANDER OF THE AMBULANCE OF THE 20TH INFANTRY DIVISION
The present study proposes to the reader from a historiographical perspective a reconstruction of the main moments in the life and activity of an exceptional military doctor dr. Aurel Groze, decorated in the rank of Commander of the Order of the “Star of Romania with the Ribbon of Military Virtue”, in the rank of Officer of the Order of the “Crown of Romania with the Ribbon of Military Virtue”, but also with other medical distinctions, such as the Sanitary Order of “Queen Mary”, second class. Also, our study captures, presents and introduces into the circuit of specialized literature details from his family life, involvement in specific approaches to social pedagogy and adult education in the area of Aiud and Alba Iulia, his involvement in the scientific activity he had and in the organizational one, as commander of the Military Hospital in Alba Iulia and of the commander of the Ambulance 1st Mountain Hunter Division, respectively of the Ambulance of the 20th Infantry Division on the eastern front during the years 1941-1942.
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26. Cristian CULICIU
ASPECTS ON THE URBANIZATION OF BIHOR COUNTY IN THE COMMUNIST PERIOD (III): THE TOWN OF PETRU GROZA (ȘTEI)
An interesting case study on urbanization in communist Bihor can be made on the socalled “mining (miner’s) towns”, which include localities such as Vașcău, Nucet, Șuncuiuș, Popești, Ștei. Their development is mainly or strictly linked to mining activities in their area. In this case, we will examine how the town of Petru Groza, now known as Ștei, emerged in the local urban landscape and how it evolved. It practically developed from nothing, on a plain plot of land, but near a village also called Ștei before the communist period. The town was built from scratch in the 1950s mainly for the Soviets, who were mining for uranium at Băița. But in the following decades, after the Soviets left, the local population gained access to the town. Further urban development began, erecting apartment buildings, schools, and factories, increasing the population and local economic life. We will see how urbanization took place in Ștei and how it changed the local landscape and the way of life.
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27. Gabriel MOISA
DESPRE NOMENCLATURA COMUNISTĂ. CÂTEVA ELEMENTE ISTORIOGRAFICE ȘI CONCEPTUAL-METODOLOGICE
ABOUT THE COMMUNIST NOMENCLATURE. SOME HISTORIOGRAPHICAL AND CONCEPTUAL-METHODOLOGICAL ELEMENTS
The nomenclature was the privileged class of communist totalitarianism in Romania. We can say without much error that it was essentially made up of those who controlled the destinies and functioning of the communist state on various levels. However, they had a double life. One visible and one less visible. The second was impossible for citizens to know and came much closer to the blasphemous “Western imperialist” standards. In fact, they knew many of the flaws of the communist state that they assumed and evaded in equal measures. They assumed them on the facade, but they also bypassed them, seeking to escape into an exclusive geography of the nomenclature, as Vladimir Tismăneanu called it. There they had access to their own shops, medical treatments inaccessible to the ordinary population, large and spacious homes that other members of society could not even dream of, access to publications from abroad, the possibility of traveling and studying wherever they wanted, access to cutting-edge Western technology and clothing. In addition to them, their families also enjoyed a preferential status. The life partners of the members of the nomenclature benefited from the same context, and their children went unhindered to study, including in the much-criticized “decadent” West. The existence of the nomenclature, the privileged of the regime, was not discussed under communism because this category did not officially exist. Any reference to it was concealed, even forbidden, and the documents in which it was discussed were considered state secrets. Communism had solved the existence of social classes by abolishing them and, wasn’t that right, all people were equal. The exploitation of “man by man” was considered a relic of the past, with exploiters disappearing in the conception of communist ideology with the elimination of the old capitalist regime.
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28. Oleksandr VITIUK
STATE BODIES OF THE MIGRATION SERVICE OF UKRAINE (2000-2010): HISTORICAL ASPECT OF FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT
The article highlights and analyzes the historical aspect of the formation and development of the State Migration Service of Ukraine in 2000-2010. For the first time, the author comprehensively analyzes and reveals the essence of problematic issues in their formation, departmental subordination, and distribution of powers in their activities. The author traces changes in functional powers, identifies priority tasks and problems in the formation and implementation of national policy in the field of migration.
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29. Gabriela ANANIE
ALBUME FOTOGRAFICE VECHI DIN COLECȚIA MUZEULUI ȚĂRII CRIȘURILOR
OLD PHOTOGRAPHIC ALBUMS FROM THE ȚĂRII CRIȘURILOR MUSEUM’S COLLECTION
Photographic albums, a product of photographic art from the 19th century, contained family pictures, ethnographical images, portraits of personalities of that time, and post cards from different places. The materials used in the making process were various: wood, leather, cloth, velvet, silk, brass etc. The diversity of the production techniques, the attention to detail, the stylistic influences specific to the period in which they were made, are testimonies of the mastery of those who create them. In today’s times, when collecting photos in albums has lost its charm in favor of digital images, the preservation, conservation and presentation of these artistic achievements becomes an essential attribute of museum specialists.