161. Racos, Racos township, Brasov county
Location: Piatra Detunata (Detunata Rock)
Site Code: 41710.04
Team: Florea Costea - director, Dan Dana (MJI Brasov), Angelica Balos, Costin Daniel Tuianu - section director (MCDR Deva)

Piatra Detunata (Detunata Rock) is a hill with a height of about 560 m ASL (above sea level), situated just on the left bank of the Olt river, half way between the towns of Augustin and Racosul de Jos (Lower Racos). The hill was sporadically occupied in Neolithic and very intensely in bronze age, Hallstatt and Latene periods. The bronze age fortifications, destroyed in large part in the following periods, overlapped by two [earth mounds/ditches - waves] in the Hallstatt period and a wall in the Latene period. Currently, in relatively good state are the Hallstatt earth mounds, in contrast to the Dacian wall which is more preserved to a height which fluctuates between 1m and 1.6-1.7m.
The systematic research (although with some interruptions) began in the year 1982 (Ioan Glodariu, Florea Costea), annual campaigns carried out from the year 1995. All material resulted were entered into the collection of the Brasov County Museum of History. 
The campaign of the summer of the year 2000 (10 July - September) followed in a special method the technique of construction of the Dacian wall, as well as the method of arranging to the terraces within the walls (intra muros) and the intensity of their inhabitation in the three periods. The area outside the fortifications was not neglected, in this year special attention was given to the southern zones, between the fortress and the forest road. Here were traced Section S. I / 2000 (35 x 2 m), Section S. III / 2000 (18 x 2 m) and Box C. 2 / 2000 (5 x 3 m). 
The slope from near the fortification was occupied (in this sector) only in first iron age and just near the earth mound [waves], after as demonstrates [manifests] the above-ground dwelling, with clay hearth [kiln], discovered in the first 10m from upstream have Section I / 2000. Down-stream, respectively in m. 31 - 32 have the same section, but perfectly visible in Section S. III / 2000 and in Box C. 2 / 2000, went out to [the form of - iveala~], a double row of large boulders of partial cut [shaped] limestone (with sides of over 1m length). For certain there is no word of a construction, but of a premise of which dimensions and [meaning - use - situation] may be ascertained only after extending excavations and on the east and west sides (the northern limit can be the last natural terrace from outside of the small Hallstatt earth mound). It is very possible that the arrangement dates from the first iron age.
Excavations within the premises. Section S. II / 1998 was continued, unfinished then from cause [lack of time - intemperiilor], in chief between m. 30 and m. 45, on which occasion were transected the interior (large) Hallstatt earth mound and the Dacian wall. The Hallstatt earth mound was erected on a natural curve of level cliffs [rocks] of limestone, not before creation of the surface plans which would assure the stability of the structures. As well as in previous years, at its lower part was observed a bed of large limestone rocks, between which there were no Hallstatt artefacts, which leads to the conclusion that the first fortifications of the hill were located in the bronze age. The Dacian wall was raised on the ridge of the earth mound, after which this was flattened. Construction was achieved with the help of a wooden skeleton that consisted of two rows of poles pushing into the earth mound, from which bowed toward the exterior plywood horizontal [loazbe]. The [loazbe] was arranged and the base of the wall, the marks of the wood were perfectly visible in the [vitrified] crust, 3 - 5 cm thick. The box was not observed, although the width sections were 3.5 m in this sector. In the filling of the wall was found again Dacian [fructiere] and [jars - pots - borcane], conclusive for the dating of the structures to the first century CE.
In the space of the wall, toward the premises, were clearly delimited two levels of Dacian occupation, the last ceasing at the Roman conquest. Contemporary with this is a worship [religious] hearth, in which was deposited a mandible of a wild boar and fragments of small Dacian ceramics, from vases modelled by hand or on a wheel. It was discovered near the dwelling excavated in the year 1998, from which resulted very many iron objects and pieces of costume and ornament of iron, bronze and silver. 
Section S. II / 2000. Located at 35 m E of Section S. II / 1998, it had the aim of verifying the period and the method of arranging of the interior terraces (with dimensions of 25 x 1.5 m). The first terrace was produced in the bronze age, in the Wietenberg culture period, [from which were dated - since given] two above-ground dwellings. The edges of the terraces were reinforced by the Dacians, by raising and widening with large slabs of local limestone. The dwellings were only above-ground. Outside of the [movable - furniture] inventory characteristic of the Latene, here was discovered a slab of soft [bushes - tuf] in which is sculpted a "[ bradut ]", unique until now in Dacian settlements. 
The "In sea" ["In saddle"] sector. In the saddle between the hill [personal-say - propriu-zis] and the [breast - mamelonul] that is risen just on the left bank of the Olt were [traced] two sections in cross (measuring 15 x 2 m each), with the aim of verifying if this zone was occupied. Beginning from a depth of -0.15 / -0.2 m appeared bits of mortar of wall black or reddened from fire and charcoal, testing for the existence of some above-ground dwellings of [caror] of contours wasn't able to delimit. Ceramics modelled by hand are represented by jars, cups and saucers, while pottery worked on a wheel is recorded fragmentary [shouts - shreaks - chiupuri] ash grey and red, with incised decorations in wavey or circular bands, [fructiere] of the same colour, [strachini], a bowl, cups and saucers, [ulcer - ulcioare]. Both species of ceramic are very friable due to acidity and excessive moisture from the soil. Among the pieces of metal are of mention many more iron knives, an ear ring of bronze, an iron fibula (cloak pin) with rhomboidal [diaper - scut] (of type 11 after A. Rustoiu), a silver fibula with the strong body standing out [in relief] (of type 20a after A. Rustoiu) etc. In the majority, materials are dated between the first half century CE and the Roman conquest.

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