Foreword Note

The Hunedoara county museum, with its quarters in the city of Deva, is enlisting itself within the large network of the museum establishments in Romania, like a dynamic organism which, by its collections and activity, brings a considerable contribution to the research in the study of history, to illustrate the path covered by human society since primeval times on the parts of Hunedoara county and in general, to the promotion of culture.  Being established almost a century ago and deploying its activity within an area extremely rich in archaeological and historical tokens, the Museum of Deva has proven its effectiveness by its discovering, preserving and studying of many cultural values.

Since its foundation, the institution has developed regarding both its collections of found objects and scientific researches, on the way to a sustained and elaborated archaeological activity however without as well neglecting other concerns that regard museum work.

Through its ample collections, museum and scientific value of the parts and for an on-going archaeological investigation, the museum has earned a well deserved name both in Romania and in scientific circles abroad.

The archaeological section of the county museum in Deva made up on the results obtained following the diggings, acquisitions and some casual findings, entails an ample and valuable museum material, starting with the times of the first stone age up until the feudal system.

The goal of this permanent exhibition, as well as of the research made within this section of the museum, is to note and show the visitor, as to the specialists the ways of human life and the steps of the development of the parts of Hunedoara. It is considered that the objects exhibited in the museum represent the most graphic testimonies of this long process.

The first social order, the primitive communal system is reperesented by the material traces typical of the primitive civilisation.

The paleolithic age is envinced through the findings in the caves of Ohaba-Ponor, Cioclovina, Nandru, Cra'ciunes'te etc. Besides the fossil animal and human remnants, numerous tools of stone and bone are eloquents for knowing the ways of the paleolithic people.  On the neolithic settlements of Turdas', Deva, Cra'ciunes'ti, Valea Nandrului etc. there were reveealed pots of burnt clay belonging especially to the "Turdas'" and "Cot'ofeni" civilisation from the end of the neolithic age, but also tools of stone and bone, idols and others.

Several stores of metalic objects certify the metalurgy usage in the bronze and iron ages.

The first iron ages is represented by tools and weapons came from (in provenance with?) stores (deposits) of bronze objects, ceramics and Scythian or of Scythian influenced Dacian-Thracian objects. Among the sculptural pieces from the first iron age we remember, for their importance, the anthromorphic statues of Baia de Cris' that belong tot he Dacian crafts.

Of an inestimable documentary value are the archeological tokens of the Dacian society from the two centuries forerunning the Roman conquest (the second iron age - Late'ne), tokens found through the archeological excavation at the Dacian fortresses and settlements in the Ora's'tiei, Ba'nit'a, Cozia, Ci'mpuri-Surduc mountains and others at which researchers from the museum of Hunedoara have participated.  The coins and the hoards - like those from Ra'dules'ti, Salasul de Sus, Cugir, Borzesi, Tusnad and others, found today in the museum's collections (along with pieces from other ages) - are evidence of trade relations either internal or with its neighbours, that occurred within the Dacian society at the time.

The Roman age is conveyed by a material as rich as variegated;m this material was found across all territory of the county, but especially at Ulpia Traiana (Romanian/Roman Sarmisegetusa), Micie, Gaermisare, as well as in other places of Hunedoara.

The museum lapidorium, extremely valuable treasures numerous rare even unique monuments by their artistic virtues or epigraphic content.  Besides the stone monuments and remarkable tegularium, the Roman section also includes an ample collection of objects that mirror the diverse aspects of the material culture in the former Roman province of Dacia.

Of a particular interest are the objects representative for the Dacian-Roman coestistence and for the continuity of live over these parts after 271 AD, the date of the province's desertion by the Roman army and admininstration.

After these testimonies of the Romanians past are selected and preserved and put to account both through the permanent exhibition and within the stores organized after scientific criteria.

The museum of the county Hunedoara has known a great development especially during socialism and in 1970 it was subjected to a complete reorganizatrion.  At the moment the objects are exhibited according to the requests of the modern museography.  IT is worth stressing the archaeolgical colections found of the museum of Deva come almost exclusively from the land of Hunedoara.

The scientific personal of the museum, benefiting of an old tradition in the field of publications, has collaborated through some praised works of antique history, archaeolgoy, epigraphics, numismatics etc. to different periodicals home and abroad and first of all, of course to the magazine of the muzeum "SARGETIA, Acta Musei Regionalis Devensis". As a former director for almost three decades of this presticious establishment of culture, I wish that the authors of this work endeavour - young and resourceful researchers of the museum of Deva - to be enjoy and appreciated by visitors, experts and non-experts, a full appreciation and utility.