A GOLD 'HAIR-RING' FROM

THE COLLECTIONS OF THE

GHERLA HISTORY MUSEUM

IOAN BEJINARIU, ALIN HENȚ

(ROMANIA)

Cuvinte cheie: Transilvania, epoca bronzului, inel de buclă, aur,

descoperire întâmplătoare
Rezumat. În colecțiile Muzeului de Istorie Gherla (jud. Cluj) se
păstrează un inel de buclă din aur descoperit întâmplător în aria satului Șomcutu
Mic, localitate aflată în administrarea Municipiului Dej. Inelul nu este întreg, ci
se mai păstrează doar două din părțile originale. Toate indiciile sugerează că
acest obiect aparține tipului compus din trei bucăți de tablă de aur semicirculare
în secțiune, unite între ele printr-un pețiol subțire. Decorul piesei constă în
registre suprapuse din incizii orizontale și impresiuni scurte sau semilunare.
Acestea au fost realizate acolo unde bucățile componente se îngustează pentru a
face trecerea spre următoarea "bărcuță", în timp ce în zona mai lată a "bărcuței"
același decor este aranjat în registre oblice. În acest caz, se poate observa că la
capătul șirului de impresiuni semilunare apare câte o impresiune rotundă. Pe
baza analogiilor ce provin din descoperiri localizate în partea estică a Bazinului
Carpatic, putem afirma că inelele de buclă de aur decorate în această manieră pot
fi datate pe parcursul unei perioade scurte de timp, la sfârșitul Bronzului
mijlociu – începutul Bronzului târziu. Cu toate că piesa a fost descoperită
întâmplător și astfel nu se cunosc prea multe detalii în legătură cu contextul de
descoperire, este foarte probabil ca piesa de la Șomcutu Mic să provină dintr-un
context funerar.

Key words: Transylvania, Bronze Age period, 'hair-ring', gold, chance find
Summary. In the collections of the Gherla History Museum (Cluj
County) a 'hair-ring' made of gold is preserved, which was discovered by chance
in the area of Șomcutu Mic village, locality in the administration of Municipality
of Dej. The ring is not complete, only two of the original parts are preserved. All
the characteristics of the object indicate that this 'hair-ring' belongs to a specific
type, composed of three gold parts shaped as a 'little boat' (Kahnförmig) and
joined together through a thin stalk. The decoration of the piece consists in
2 Ion Bejinariu, Alin Hent

overlapping registers with horizontal incisions and short or crescent-moon

incisions. These were placed where the component parts are narrowing in order
to make the transition to the next "little boat", while in the wider area of the
"little boat" the same decoration is arranged in oblique registers. In this last case,
a round impression can also be noticed at the end of the row depicting crescent-
moon motifs. Based on the analogies that come from the discoveries located in
the eastern parts of the Carpathian Basin, we can state that the gold 'hair-rings'
decorated in this way can be dated in a short period of time, namely at the end of
the Bronze Age period – the beginning of the Late Bronze Age period. Although
the piece was discovered by chance and therefore no details are known regarding
the context of discovery, it is very likely that the object from Șomcutu Mic
comes from a funeral complex.

Introduction
A few years ago, a 'hair-ring' made of gold entered the collections
of the Gherla History Museum (Cluj County). The object was discovered
by chance and therefore no further details are known regarding the exact
archaeological context or at least this information was not properly
recorded when the object entered the museum’s collections. Regarding
the place of discovery, the museum’s Register of Inventory indicates the
Șomcutu Mic village, locality under the administration of the
Municipality of Dej (Pl. 1/1). Moreover, according to the note that
accompanied the object, the 'hair-ring' was discovered on a gentle peak,
partially covered with trees, between the Șomcutu Mic and Târpiu
villages. The Șomcutu Mic village is situated on the Olpret Valley, a
small affluent of the Someș River. Therefore, the place is situated in the
north-eastern parts of the Cluj County, very close to the place where the
waters of the Someșul Mic and the Someșul Mare rivers unite themselves,
thus creating the main watercourse of northern Transylvania. So far, this
object is the only archaeological discovery recorded in this village, even
though the older archaeological repertoires of Transylvania listed some
toponyms that may suggest the existence of a fortification in this area
(Roska 1942, p. 129, no. 200: Cetăţea la Urdiş; La cetăţele / a
váracskáknál). Also in this context, we have to mention the discoveries
made in the village of Bobâlna 1 (Cluj County), situated in the close
proximity of Șomcutu Mic. Some gold 'hair-rings' shaped in the form of
"little boats", with median ribs and sharp ends, were recorded as coming
1
Formerly known as Olpret – Szabó 2003, I, p. 135.
 A Gold 'Hair-Ring' from the Collections of the Gherla History Museum 3

from Bobâlna at the middle of the nineteenth century. M. Roska was the
first scholar who illustrated one of these objects in his well-known
archaeological repertoire from 1942 (Roska 1942, p.16-17, no. 33, fig.
5/1; Crișan et al. 1992, p. 57) and subsequently the same illustration was
reproduced by D. Popescu (Popescu 1956, p. 200, fig. 118/5).

The description of the object

The 'hair-ring' is not complete, only two of the original parts are
preserved. All the characteristics of the object indicate that this 'hair-ring'
belongs to a specific type, composed of three gold parts shaped as a 'little
boat' (Kahnförmig) and joined together through a thin stalk. The object,
semi-circular in section, was made out of a thin decorated gold foil
(approx. 0,3 cm.), and has a total weight of 1,42 gr. The decoration of the
piece consists in overlapping registers with horizontal incisions and short
or crescent-moon incisions. These were placed where the component parts
are narrowing in order to make the transition to the next "little boat",
while in the wider area of the "little boat" the same decoration is arranged
in oblique registers. In this last case, a round impression can also be
noticed at the end of the row depicting crescent-moon motifs (Pl.1/2-4)
Because such objects are very rare among the archaeological
discoveries, we have considered that the publication of this object will be
welcomed in the archaeological literature, despite the fact that more
contextual information regarding the piece are unfortunately lacking. As
we have stated in the beginning of this paper, the object has been
discovered by chance and therefore no further details are known regarding
its context of discovery. Moreover, no archaeological researches were
conducted in this area after the object entered the collections of the Gherla
History Museum. Another series of problems arose from the fact that no
similar discoveries were reported or documented in the area of the
Șomcutu Mic village that could be useful for contextualization or
chronological refinements.
Further on, based on the archaeological literature, we will try
provide the relevant information regarding the chronology of the object,
as well as other important aspects related to this type of artifacts. The
limits of this approach are determined by the fact that the majority of the
discoveries from the eastern parts of the Carpathian Basin are chance
finds and therefore, the most important aspect in archaeology i.e. the
context, is missing. Moreover, some examples discovered at the end of
4 Ion Bejinariu, Alin Hent

the nineteenth century or at the beginning of the twentieth century are

only vaguely located within the territory of Transylvania or Hungary.

Analogies and chronology

The archaeological literature emphasized the fact that this type of
adornments known as 'hair-rings' or 'lock-rings' (German: Haarring,
Ohrring, Lockenring) appeared in central and south-eastern Europe at the
beginning of the Bronze Age Period (Popescu 1956, p. 200; Zaharia 1959,
p.103; Primas 1992, p. 52-53; Alexandrov 2009, p. 19). The entire
"fashion" of these hair adornments is probably inspired by the North-
Pontic and Caucasian milieu, but the Aegean area cannot be excluded for
some of the earlier types (Horedt 1949, p. 306 - 307; Popescu 1956, p.
203; Zaharia 1959, p. 130-131; Ciugudean 1996, p. 127). The 'hair-rings'
undergo a long evolution, developed especially during the Bronze Age
period. The discoveries show a considerable range of shapes and types,
made of copper, bronze, gold or occasionally silver (Țârlea, Popescu
2014, p. 60). Some findings from the Near East suggest that such
adornments are parts of a set of artifacts designed to emphasize the social
status or the dignity of the wearer / wearers (Eogan 1997, p. 310).
Returning to our object from Șomcutu Mic, three similar pieces
were illustrated by M. Roska in his well-known archaeological repertoire.
A massive, decorated 'hair-ring' (23, 82 gr.) was discovered in the locality
of Târgușor (formerly known as Asonvașar, Hungarian: Asszonyvására,
commune of Cherechiu, Bihor County). According to the aforementioned
author, the object can be dated in the Iron Age period (Roska 1942, p. 29,
nr. 124, fig. 22). Other two pieces of the same type were recorded at
Pecica (Hungarian: Pécska. Arad County; Roska 1942, p. 225, nr. 45, fig.
276a/1-2) 2. These last two 'hair-rings' are suitable analogies to our object,
at least regarding their weight.
D. Popescu is the first author that had analysed these types of
objects discovered on the territory of Transylvania. He also classified
them (at least a part of the discoveries) from a typological point of view,
according to a chronological scheme, which was elaborated by H.
Schmidt at the beginning of the twentieth century (Popescu 1956, p. 201-
202). Among the illustrated pieces, the most suitable analogies are two
decorated 'hair-rings' discovered at Pecica – Rovine (Popescu 1956, p.
2
In the explanations of the figure it is erroneous mentioned that the object was
discovered in the Pir village (Hungarian: Pér, Satu Mare County).
 A Gold 'Hair-Ring' from the Collections of the Gherla History Museum 5

201, fig. 118/4, 6) 3, respectively the 'hair-ring' from Târgușor (Bihor

County) previously mentioned by Roska (Popescu 1956, p. 205, fig.
139/6) 4. In the same paper, D. Popescu noted that a similar object was
recovered at Seleška, in the eastern part of Slovakia (Popescu 1956, p.
205).
Shortly after the contribution of D. Popescu, E. Zaharia published
a very complex study regarding the 'hair-rings' discovered on the territory
of present day Romania, starting from the examples retrieved from the
burials of the Monteoru culture. The author analysed almost all the known
discoveries and tried to classify them from a typological and
chronological point of view in three main groups. The 'hair-rings'
composed of three parts and shaped in the form of a 'little boat' were
included in the B1c and B1d variants (Zaharia 1959, p. 109-110, fig. 2/4-
5). Among the objects of this type are the artifacts from Verbicioara (Dolj
County; the B1d variant – made of gold; Zaharia 1959, p. 119, fig. 7/7),
and respectively another piece that appeared at Morești (Mureș County),
in a burial from the necropolis of the Noua culture (casted in bronze and
covered with a gold foil). These two last objects together with the item
from Pecica were attributed to a later form of the B1d variant (Zaharia
1959, p. 121, fig. 8/1). The chronology of these adornments depends on
the relative chronology of the burials of the Monteoru culture or based on
the association of the artifacts in the archaeological contexts. However,
the same author, consider that the 'hair-rings' made of three component
parts and shaped like a 'little boat' are specific to the phases II and III of
the Monteoru culture (Zaharia 1959, p.121-127, 132-133).
In a paper dedicated to the extraction and processing of gold in
Transylvania during the Late Bronze Age period, M. Rusu also analysed
the 'hair-rings' dated in this period of time. The scholar from Cluj divides
these objects in two main types. The objects that are relevant to our piece,
were assigned to the B type („hair-rings made of thin foil, shaped as a
little boat”). Although he noted the fact that some objects can be dated in
older periods of time, M. Rusu concludes that the majority of the
examples, discovered in treasures, deposits or burials, can be dated in the
Bronze D – Hallstatt A periods. Among the illustrated objects we can

3
Pecica – Rovine is also the formerly locality of Pecica Ungurească – Szabó
2003, II, p. 748.
4
T. Bader mentioned that three pieces made of gold were discovered at
Târgușor – Bader 1978, p. 104.
6 Ion Bejinariu, Alin Hent

notice the 'hair-ring' from Morești (Rusu 1972, p. 41-42, pl. VIII/4) 5,
which although is undecorated is the most suitable analogy for our piece
from Șomcutu Mic.
One of the first papers that addressed the problem of gold 'hair-
rings' from the territory of Hungary, with short references to some
discoveries from Transylvania, was published by A. Mozsolics. Starting
from the discovery from Kengyel, consisting of several 'hair-rings', the
author tries to determine the chronological framework of the evolution of
the types represented among these findings. One of the pieces (Mozsolics
1958, p. 257, Pl. I / 8a-b), the only one which is made of three
components, is very similar to our piece, although it also presents some
minor differences. These differences consist in the lack of decoration and
also of the angular section of the three component parts, with a "hull" well
profiled in the middle of the object. The Hungarian scholar considered at
that time, based on the relevant artifacts associations that the earliest
objects appear in the second part of the Hungarian Bronze III period and
some variations can be dated also in the Hungarian Bronze IV period.
Mozsolics mentioned also that due to the fact that the object from Pecica
has a round profile it can be dated in Hungarian Bronze IV period
(Mozsolics 1958, p.261-263). The importance of this discovery lies in the
fact that at least three type of gold 'hair-rings' appeared in the same
archaeological context (treasure / deposit found in a ceramic vessel). This
observation may suggest that different 'hair-rings' were worn and
considered fashionable in a short period of time.
Another 'hair-ring', composed of three parts modelled as a 'little
boat', semi-circular in section and decorated, thus very similar to the piece
from Șomcutu Mic, was discovered in a burial from Bjelo Brdo, south-
eastern Croatia. These type of adornments from the eastern Carpathian
Basin were dated starting with the MD II phase (Hänsel) until the SD I
phase (Hänsel 1968, p, 113-114, Pl. 14/31; B 5/32). Also here, we have to
mention that the piece from Bjelo Brdo was placed in the MD II phase
(Hänsel 1968, B 6/17, B 14). Moreover, from a typological point of view,
the aforementioned object was included in the same category with the
'hair-rings' discovered at Pecica-Rovine, Morești and other examples
(most of them undecorated), that are coming from the eastern parts of the
Carpathian Basin (Hänsel 1968, p. 221, liste 120).
5
The more recent papers considered that the object from Morești was casted in
bronze – Florescu 1991, p. 94.
 A Gold 'Hair-Ring' from the Collections of the Gherla History Museum 7

Another two similar objects, undecorated and casted in bronze, are

coming from two burials of the Hajdúbagos necropolis. Based on the
association with an arrowhead with socket, T. Kovács included one of the
burials (No. 7) in the RBB2 – BC phase, the most recent phase of the
entire necropolis (Kovács 1978, p. 38, Pl. 1/2, 2/14). Furthermore, in the
same paper, the author analysed all the discoveries made of gold from the
Tisza Basin within the territory of Hungary. Some of the pieces that are
presented are very similar with our object, both in terms of form and even
decoration. The first examples (made from gold foils) were recorded in
the burial no. 282 from Tiszafüred-Majoroshalom, while another example
(casted in bronze and covered with a gold foil) comes from burial no. D
from Tiszafüred-Fertőihalom. Other similar pieces are kept in the
collections of the Hungarian National Museum, Budapest, but
unfortunately their place of discovery remains unknown (Kovács 1978, p.
58-59, Fig. 1/1a-b, 2/1, 4/1a-b, 2). Both pieces from Tiszafüred represent
close analogies for our piece, regarding the dimensions (length and
weight), while the other two pieces from the Hungarian National Museum
are more massive and heavier. However, all the aforementioned analogies
present the same decorative motifs composed of incised lines, arranged in
a horizontal scheme and intercalated by crescent moon impressions
placed horizontally or obliquely, delimitated by round impressions at the
end of the string. The author also considered that the beginning of this
craft can be placed in the context of the technological innovations that
appeared at the end of the Bronze Age period, namely in the Koszider
period (Kovács 1994, p. 182). Moreover, the scholar stated that the 'hair-
rings' composed of three parts, shaped like a 'little boat' and made of gold
foil and especially of bronze, were very fasionable in the first phase of the
Hungarian Bronze Age period (Kovács 1976, p. 64). As a conclusion,
Kovács stated that the decorated examples could be produced in
presumed Transylvanian workshops (Kovács 1976, p. 66; Kovács 1979,
p. 74-75).
In the context of the analysis of the bronze deposits attributed to
the Forró, respectively Ópályi deposits horizon, A. Mozsolics addresses
also the problem of the gold pieces often found in association with bronze
objects in deposits, burials or discovered by chance. With the help of
other objects to which it is associated in the deposit, the piece from
Pecica, similar in shape and decoration to the hair adornment from
Șomcutul Mic, can be placed chronologically during a period "nach der
8 Ion Bejinariu, Alin Hent

Koszider-Zeit und vor dem Horizont von Forró" (Mozsolics 1973, p. 95,
Pl. 4/12). The author also mentioned the objects discovered at Târgușor,
Tiszafüred, Morești, as well as another gold ring from an unknown place,
probably from Transylvania, specifying that all the 'hair-rings' are
individualized by the decoration of incised lines intercalated by crescent-
moon impressions (Mozsolics 1973, p. 95).
Seven similar 'hair-rings', composed of three parts and shaped like
a 'little boat' were discovered in a bronze deposit from the locality of Satu
Mare, Arad County. C. Kacsó considered that this variant appeared in the
pre-Koszider period but were also used in later periods (Kacsó 1998, p.
12, 17, Pl. VI/2-8), according to the analogies, some of them with a real
chronological value. In the archaeological literature, the deposit from Satu
Mare is considered typical for the Koszider period and was dated at the
beginning of the second phase of the Romanian Bronze Age period
(Kacsó 1998, p. 17). The deposit from Pecica with two decorated 'hair-
rings' is placed by Kacsó in a phase immediately following the Koszider
period, even if the author mentioned the fact that some archaeological
voices are contesting the unitary character of the discovery (Kacsó 2006,
p. 80).
The 'hair-rings' from the bronze deposit of Satu Mare were also in
the attention of Fl. Gogâltan. According to the scholar, these objects were
assigned in the "c" variant, and the entire bronze deposit was placed in the
BM III phase from Banat (Gogâltan = Koszider horizon; Gogâltan 1999,
p. 187-190, Fig. 40/11-17, Fig. 50).
The 'hair-rings' from the Carpathian Basin dated in the Middle
Bronze Age period were also discussed by W. David. The associations of
these objects with the disc-butted bronze axes, situation encountered in
the deposits from Săpânța, Satu Mare, Orosipuszta and Pecica, allowed
the author to place the first three deposits in the Koszider period, while
the latter one was placed in the post-Koszider period (David 2002, p.
236).
In conclusion, we may state that the gold 'hair-ring' discovered by
chance in the area of the Șomcutu Mic village belongs to a type of
adornments composed of three parts of gold foil and modelled as a 'little
boat', joined together by a thin stalk. As we have shown, a part of these
objects are decorated. The Bronze Age artisans put in practice a
decoration that consists of registers of horizontal and oblique lines
intercalated by crescent moon impressions. A large majority were made
 A Gold 'Hair-Ring' from the Collections of the Gherla History Museum 9

of gold, but there are also examples casted in bronze and covered with a
gold foil. The only difference consists in the dimensions, as we have
mentioned above, there are also some massive pieces, bigger and heavier
than the one from Șomcutul Mic. Besides our example, in the eastern
parts of the Carpathian Basin similar objects were recovered from
Târgușor and Pecica (both in western Romania), Bjelo Brdo (Croatia),
Tiszafüred (two examples, eastern Hungary) and the two pieces kept in
the collection of the Hungarian National Museum, Budapest. Most
probably, the object mentioned by D. Popescu as coming from Seleška
(Slovakia), could fall in the same category (Pl. 2). As we can see, the
number of the objects is relatively reduced, but the majority of them are
concentrated in the Tisza Plain. The chronological framework of these
objects is quite limited, namely the end of the Middle Bronze period - the
beginning of the Late Bronze Age period.

Data regarding the presumed place of discovery

The majority of the 'hair-rings', with three component parts and
modelled as a 'little boat', decorated or undecorated, made of gold, bronze
and bronze covered with gold foil, are frequently encountered in burials.
Besides the aforementioned examples, we could also cite the objects
made of gold or bronze discovered in the burials of the Otomani culture
from Nižná Myšl`lá, (south-eastern Slovakia; Olexa 1987, p. 265-266, fig.
8/1-6; Gašaj, Olexa 1995, p. 6, 18), the burials of the Füzesabony culture,
in the homonymous locality (Szathmári 1997, p. 51-74), the funeral
constructions of the Noua culture within the area of the Municipality of
Cluj: the necropolis of the Banatului Street (Florescu 1991, p. 50, fig.
166/2; Sava 2002, p. 101, pl. 140/8) and the burials from Florești – Polus
Center (Rotea et al. 2008, p. 52, 55) 6. The objects from Šafárikovo,
Slovakia (Furmánek 1981, p.44, fig. 6/1-2), where an earlier necropolis of
the Piliny culture was investigated by archaeologists, as well as the ones
from the area of the Hurbanovo group (Slovakia), are also coming from
burials (Dušek 1969, p. 21, pl. V/10).
The number of the 'hair-rings' that appear in a single funeral
complex may differ from one piece (burial no. 8 from Cluj-Napoca –
Street Banatului; burials no. 1 and 7 from the necropolis of Hajdúbagos;
burial no. 121 from the necropolis of Bjelo Brdo etc), two (burial no. 34a
6
This information was kindly offered by M. Rotea (National Museum of
Transylvanian History, Cluj-Napoca).
10 Ion Bejinariu, Alin Hent

from Füzesabony – Kettőshalom; the double burial, skeleton of a girl, no.

282 from Nižná Myšl`á etc), four (the double burial, skeleton of a woman,
no. 282 from Nižná Myšl`á), to five objects (a burial from Sărata
Monteoru: Zaharia 1959, 105). In the aforementioned cases, where
archaeological researches were accompanied by interdisciplinary
investigations, it was established that the 'hair-rings' were placed in
female burials (Eogan 1997, 315).
Besides the discoveries from Pecica and Satu Mare, the 'hair-rings'
appear also in some bronze deposits, especially of the Koszider period,
dated in Middle Bronze Age period (Kacsó 2006, p. 87). They have also
been retrieved from so-called ritual deposits, like the ones from Oarța de
Sus (Maramureș County; Kacsó 1987, fig. 22) or from the Cioclovina cu
Apă Cave (Hunedoara County; Rotea 2017, p. 47, pl. VIII/1). More
rarely, these items appeared in specific contexts (dwellings, pits etc)
within the territory of some settlements (Zaharia 1959, p. 106-107;
Florescu 1991, p. 73, fig. 108/12; Rogozea 1995, 189, pl. IX/a-g; Kobal`
2000, p. 79).
As we stated in the beginning of this paper, the piece was
discovered by chance and therefore no details are known regarding the
context of discovery, but it is very likely that the object from Șomcutu
Mic comes from a funeral complex. In this area, the closest discoveries of
this kind come within the Municipality of Cluj-Napoca, namely the
burials of the Noua culture. In the area of the Municipality of Dej, the
human habitation corresponding to the Middle Bronze Age period and
respectively the beginning of the Late Bronze Age period is insufficiently
documented in the archaeological literature. The archaeological
discoveries from Dej – Piața Agroalimentară may suggest the presence of
a community of Wietenberg culture, part of the Wietenberg III period,
corresponding to the Middle Bronze Age period (Gogâltan 2008, p. 48).
In contrast, the next period, corresponding to the Late Bronze Age period,
is well documented by the discoveries from Șigău, locality in the south-
east from Dej, who attested the presence of western elements of the
Cehăluț-Hajdúbagos communities (Gogâltan 2008, p. 49) 7. Noua culture
is also attested in this area through the discoveries (some of them
funerary) from Diviciori Mari, Iclod (Florescu 1991, p. 59, nr. 187 and

7
The Archaeological Repertoire of the Cluj County (1992) mentions the fact
that these ceramic fragments, kept in the collections of the Museum of Dej, belonged to
Wietenberg culture - Crișan et al. 1992, p. 382-383.
 A Gold 'Hair-Ring' from the Collections of the Gherla History Museum 11

p.80, nr. 283) and Gherla (Crișan et al. 1992, p. 212). Unfortunately,
these discoveries are not very helpful for the contextualization of the gold
'hair-ring' from Șomcutu Mare that is kept in the collections of the Gherla
History Museum.

Annexes

Annexe 1. The result of the XRF analysis

The measurement of the compositions were made by the Satu Mare

County Museum 8.
It was used a tube-based Handheld XRF Spectrometer, model Bruker S1
TITAN, series SPX, with the following characteristics:
• X-ray tube: anode RH
• Detector: Si-PIN
• Max voltage: 45 kV
• Detector window: Beryllium
• Acquisition time: 54 s
• Ti filter
• Determination of the elements: stating with Titanium until Uranium

Two analyses were made and the results are presented in the following
table (table 1) and graphics (graphic 1a-d):

Table 1

Sample
No. %Cr %Mn %Fe %Co %Cu %Ag %Sn %Au
101 0.0904 0.1583 0.0703 0.0374 0.356 15.1878 0.046 83.9746
102 traces 0.139 0.2551 0.0503 0.351 12.4284 0.0436 86.7323

8
The analysis were conducted by our colleague Gheorghina Olaru (Satu Mare
County Museum / MJSM) to whom we want to express our gratitude.
12 Ion Bejinariu, Alin Hent

Graphic 1a
A Gold 'Hair-Ring' from the Collections of the Gherla History Museum 13

Graphic 1b
14 Ion Bejinariu, Alin Hent

Titlu diagramă
100

50

0
Mn Fe Co Cu Ag Sn Au

Graphic 1c

Titlu diagramă

100

50

0
Ag Au

Graphic 1d

The Table 1 shows the fact that there are slight differences in the
concentration of the major elements – gold and silver. The archaeological
literature emphasizes the lack of homogeneity, in some cases very
significant, of the concentration of gold and silver within the same
artifacts for many of the objects dated in the Bronze Age period. These
differences could be explained through the processes invested in this
technology. Some objects were made from different gold nuggets who
were joined together through cold-hammering (Constantinescu et al.
2012, p. 2077; Cristea 2012, p. 4, 17).
Another observation arose from the high percentage of the
concentration of silver from the 'hair-ring'. We also could remark the
presence of copper (Cu), followed in order by manganese (Mn), tin (Sn),
iron (Fe) and cobalt (Co). Together, these last elements represent less than
1%. The compositional analysis of this object can only be used in a wider
framework, by reference to the analysis conducted on several bronze
 A Gold 'Hair-Ring' from the Collections of the Gherla History Museum 15

pieces from the Bronze Age period from the territory of Transylvania. In
this aspect, the existing database is insufficient. Only more recently (in
2016) the results of XRF analysis conducted on some gold pieces from
Transylvania were published. The objects cover a chronological span
from the end of the Early Bronze Age / Middle Bronze period – the
beginning of the first phases of the Iron Age period. Among the pieces
analysed through interdisciplinary investigations are some 'hair-rings' made
of gold as well, but very different to our object (Țârlea et al. 2016, p. 53-83).
According to its chemical composition the gold 'hair-ring' from
Șomcutu Mic can be placed in a group of pieces with a high percentage of
gold, between 80% and 90%. However, the majority of the analysed
objects fall in this category. The high percentage of silver (between 12,5
% and over 15 % in both samples) places the piece from Șomcutu Mic in
a cluster that also includes the gold vase from Biia (Alba County), the
bracelet from Căuaș (Satu Mare County), a bracelet and a ring ('hair-ring'
?) from Șmig (Sibiu County) and another ring ('hair-ring' ?) from Tăuteu
(Bihor County). In the composition of the aforementioned pieces we also
have to notice the close percentages of Sn (where it was measured!), and
Cu (Țârlea et al. 2016, p. 59, Table 1). All these artifacts, with a
composition close to the 'hair-ring' from Șomcutu Mic, are placed in a
wider chronological horizon, between the Late Bronze Age periods – the
beginning of the first period of the Iron Age.
The chemical composition of the piece from Șomcutu Mic also
reveals the use of electrum (natural alloy of gold and silver) most likely
originating from the exploitation of alluvial deposits. This observation is
strengthened by the tin (Sn) that is also present in the composition of the
adornment (Cristea 2012, p. 47; Constantinescu et al. 2010, 49-50). More
recently, other analysis were conducted on the pieces discovered in
Transylvania and kept in the collections of the Hungarian National
Museum, Budapest. Among them, there are six 'hair-rings', probably from
another discovery from Biia, which can be dated in the Middle Bronze
Age period. However, all six examples present a different composition
(Szathmári et al. 2019, p. 296-297, fig. 4, table 1).

Ioan Bejinariu,
bion_1867@yahoo.com
Alin Henț,
alinhnz@gmail.com
16 Ion Bejinariu, Alin Hent

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20 Ion Bejinariu, Alin Hent
A Gold 'Hair-Ring' from the Collections of the Gherla History Museum 21