CUCUTENI 130plasticaall

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.
net/publication/311581606
Anthropomorphic and Zoomorphic Representations from Cucuteni Sites of

Costești and Giurgești (Iași County, Romania)
Chapter · December 2016
CITATION READS
1 277
3 authors, including:
Boghian Dumitru
Stefan cel Mare University of Suceava
38 PUBLICATIONS 36 CITATIONS
SEE PROFILE
Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:
Neolithic and Aeneolithic Spirituality View project
The Bronze Age Spirituality View project
All content following this page was uploaded by Boghian Dumitru on 12 December 2016.
The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

BIBLIOTHECA MEMORIAE ANTIQUITATIS
XXXVII
NEAMȚ COUNTY MUSEUM COMPLEX
CUCUTENI ENEOLITHIC ART MUSEUM OF PIATRA-NEAMȚ
CUCUTENI CULTURE INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CENTRE
CUCUTENI CULTURE
WITHIN THE EUROPEAN
NEO-ENEOLITHIC CONTEXT
Proceedings of the International Colloquium
„CUCUTENI – 130”
15-17 October 2014, Piatra-Neamț, Romania
*
In Memoriam
Dr. DAN MONAH
*
In Memoriam
Dr. GHEORGHE DUMITROAIA
PIATRA-NEAMŢ
2016
Editors:
CONSTANTIN PREOTEASA
CIPRIAN - DORIN NICOLA
Page layout:
Constantin Preoteasa
Descrierea CIP a Bibliotecii Naţionale a României

Cucuteni Culture within the European Neo-Eneolithic Context: Proceedings of the
International Colloquium „Cucuteni - 130. 15-17 October 2014, Piatra-Neamţ, Romania:
In Memoriam dr. Dan Monah, In Memoriam dr. Gheorghe Dumitroaia
/ ed.: Constantin Preoteasa, Ciprian-Dorin Nicola.
Piatra-Neamţ: Editura „Constantin Matasă”, 2016
ISBN 978-973-7777-36-2
I. Cucuteni - 130. International Colloquium (2014; Piatra-Neamț)

II. Preoteasa, Constantin (ed.)
III. Nicola, Ciprian-Dorin (ed.)
902(498 Cucuteni)(063)
© Complexul Muzeal Județean Neamț
EDITURA „CONSTANTIN MATASĂ”

Romania, Neamț County
610029 Piatra-Neamţ, 10 Mihai Eminescu
Tel. / Fax: 004-0233-217496
E-mail: muzeupn@yahoo.com
Web: www.muzeu-neamt.ro
ISBN 978-973-7777-36-2
CONTENTS
Constantin Preoteasa, Ciprian-Dorin Nicola

Préface ............................................................................................................................ 9
Constantin Preoteasa, Loredana Pricop

In Memoriam Dr. Dan Monah ........................................................................................ 15
Constantin Preoteasa, Loredana Pricop

In Memoriam Dr. Gheorghe Dumitroaia ...................................................................... 109
Alexandra Comșa
Cranial Deformation in Neo-Eneolithic Skulls from Romania ...................................... 173
Gheorghe Lazarovici, Cornelia-Magda Lazarovici

Lʼimpact anthropique sur lʼenvironnement dans des sites
du néolithiques et de lʼÂge du Cuivre en Banat et en Transylvanie (Roumanie) ............ 189
Selena Vitezović
The Sea within:
the Use of Mollusc Shells as Ornaments in the Central Balkans Neolithic .................... 237
Valentin Dergachev
New Methods of the Analysis of Faunal Remains from Archaeological Investigations .. 257
Robin Brigand, Olivier Weller

Sel et peuplement néo-énéolithique à lʼépreuve de lʼanalyse spatiale:
le cas de la Moldavie (Roumanie) ................................................................................ 291
Ilya Palaguta
An Assemblage of Anthropomorphic Figurines
of the Neolithic and Copper Age Balkan-Carpathians Cultures:
some Observations on the Structure of Images and its Development ............................. 327
6 Contents
Diana-Maria Sztáncs, Corneliu Beldiman, Costel Ilie

Symbolic Behaviour and Artefacts in the Aeneolithic.
Red Deer Antler Sceptre Discovered in South Moldova (Romania) .............................. 349
Andrzej Pelisiak, Taras Tkachuk

Chipped Stone Assemblage of Early Trypolie Culture Object
from Kozyna Settlement Site (Western Ukraine) ........................................................... 355
Bogdan Petru Niculică

First Discoveries of the Cucuteni Vestiges in Bucovina ................................................ 377
Dumitru Boghian, Sergiu-Constantin Enea, Radu Gabriel Pîrnău

The Dynamics of Precucuteni and Cucuteni Habitat of the Bahluieț Basin
(Târgu Frumos Microregion, Romania) ....................................................................... 411
Katalin T. Biró, Sándor József Sztáncsuj

Dynamism in the Lithic Industry:
Changes in the Chippd Stone Assemblage of the Ariușd Settlement .............................. 461
Dan Lucian Buzea, Adela Kovács

A Miniature Mask from Cucuteni-Ariușd Culture
Discovered at Păuleni-Ciuc – Dâmbul Cetății (Harghita County, Romania) ................ 485
Corneliu Beldiman, Diana-Maria Sztáncs, Dan Lucian Buzea, Björn Briewig

Symbolic Behaviour and Artefacts in the Aeneolithic.
Bone Beads Discovered in Eastern Transylvania (Romania) ........................................ 507
Sergiu-Constantin Enea, Dumitru Boghian, Sorin Ignătescu

Anthropomorphic and Zoomorphic Representations
from Cucuteni Sites of Costești and Giurgești (Iași County, Romania) ......................... 533
Thomas Saile, Martin Posselt, Maciej Dębiec, Dmytro Kiosak, Taras Tkachuk
Prospections magnétometriques sur des sites de la culture Cucuteni-Trypillia
sur le cours du Dniestre et du Boug de Sud .................................................................. 581
Gheorghe Lazarovici, Cornelia-Magda Lazarovici

Mask in the Cucuteni-Trypillya Culture.
Similarities and Differences with other Cultures .......................................................... 597
Vasile Diaconu, Gheorghe Dumitroaia

Lithic Assemblage from the Cucuteni Site of Răucești
(Neamț County, Romania) ........................................................................................... 631
Contents 7
Sławomir Kadrow
Exchange of People, Ideas and Things
between Cucuteni-Trypillian Complex and Areas of South-Eastern Poland .................. 649
Małgorzata Rybicka, Aleksandr Diachenko

New Evidence regarding the Interactions between Populations
of the Funnel Beaker Culture and Tripolye Culture in Western Ukraine ....................... 679
Vasile Cotiugă, Nicolae Ursulescu, Ștefan Caliniuc

On the Multi-Storeyed Dwellings of the Cucuteni Culture ............................................ 701
Liudmyla Shatilo
Roofs of Tripolian Houses. Reconstruction: Sources and Problems .............................. 725
Mykhailo Videiko
Reconstruction of the Nebelivka Megastructure ........................................................... 741
Nataliia Burdo
Interior of the Nebelivka Temple .................................................................................. 759
Eduard Ovchynnikov
Trypillya Culture in the Dnieper River Region near Kaniv (Stages BII - CI) ................. 775
Gheorghe Dumitroaia, Constantin Preoteasa, Ciprian-Dorin Nicola

Vase aux représentations sacrées peintes lié du sanctuaire à étage
dans lʼétape Cucuteni B1 de Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru
(Département de Bacău, Roumanie) ............................................................................. 807
Andrzej Pelisiak, Thomas Saile, Maciej Dębiec

Late Tripolye (C2) Chipped Assemblage from Western Ukraine.
Technological Aspects of Large Blade Productions ...................................................... 819
List of Contributors ...................................................................................................... 835
Bibliotheca Memoriae Antiquitatis Collection .............................................................. 841

ANTHROPOMORPHIC AND ZOOMORPHIC
REPRESENTATIONS FROM THE CUCUTENI SITES
OF GIURGEŞTI AND COSTEŞTI (IAȘI COUNTY, ROMANIA)
Sergiu-Constantin Enea,
Dumitru Boghian,
Sorin Ignătescu
Keywords: Chalcolithic, Cucuteni, statuettes, figurines, anthropomorphic,

zoomorphic, Costeşti, Giurgeşti, paraphernalia.
Abstract
In this study, the authors bring into focus three unequal assemblages of
anthropomorphic and zoomorphic statuettes and other types of artefacts that display
plastic representations (protoma, anthropomorphic and zoomorphic vessels, plastic
applications, paraphernalia – thrones / miniature chairs), from old archaeological
excavations (1937-1942), but also from more recent field researches (1970, 2012-2014); of
these assemblages, two belong to Cucuteni A3 stage (Giurgeşti-Dealul Mănăstirii and
Costeşti-Cier sites) and one to Cucuteni A-B2 / B1 stage (Costeşti-Cier). The artefacts were
studied and described in accordance with the general criteria of technological, use and
research sequences (chaîne opératoire) applied for this particular type of objects: context
of discovery, typology, prime morphological analysis – raw material and modelling,
shaping, decoration; use and abandonment related elements; semantics / meaning; the
cultural and chronological frame and the analogies to be drawn in the current stage of
research. The plastic representations from Costeşti-Cier and Giurgeşti-Dealul Mănăstirii
enrich in a factual, casuistic and hermeneutic manner the large category of statuettes /
figurines from Cucuteni culture and not only. There is a close correspondence between
these artefacts of Cucuteni A3 phase and those discovered in the contemporary sites
nearby: Cucuteni / Băiceni-Cetățuie, Ruginoasa-Colina (Dealul) Drăghici, Hăbăşeşti-
Holm, Fedeleşeni-Dealul Cânepăriei or within the wider area of Eastern Carpathians
Cucuteni sites. The Cucuteni A-B2 / B1 artefacts are similar with those discovered at:
Cucuteni / Băiceni-Cetățuie (Cucuteni A-B2 / B1 layer), Buznea-Silişte / După Grădini,
Ghelăieşti-Nedeia and other settlements of the same period. As regards the use and
semantics of these objects, the authors recognize their multipurpose use within the complex
534 Sergiu-Constantin Enea, Dumitru Boghian, Sorin Ignătescu
rituals of the paleo-deities cults of Precucuteni and Cucuteni pantheon, in foundation rites,
communal ceremonies, rites of passage, seasonal rites and magical, apotropaic and
divination practices.
Introduction
Known from the interwar period and researched within various archaeological
stages (Ciurea, 1938; Mateescu, 1940, p. 63-70; Matasă, 1941, p. 69-84; Vulpe, 1944, p.
37, 38; Marin, 1951, p. 89-98; Mihai, 1972-1973, p. 11-13; Boghian, 2009, p. 98, 99;
Boghian et alii, 2013, p. 199, 200; Boghian et alii, 2014 a, p. 204-206, 518-525; Boghian
et alii, 2014 b, p. 571-611; Boghian et alii, 2014 c, p. 23-27; Boghian et alii, 2015, p. 195-
198; 507-515), the Cucuteni sites of Giurgeşti-Dealul Mănăstirii (Chetrosu / Sub Pădure)
and Costeşti-Cier (Lângă Şcoală) (Costeşti Commune, Iaşi County) (fig. 1), delivered a
significant amount of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic statuettes and paraphernalia,
which now allow us to provide a quasi-synthetic study on this category of artefacts and to
interpret them within the cultural phases of this Chalcolithic civilization. In compliance
with the practices of archaeological artefacts management, these objects were stored in
various institutions over time (The Museum of Fălticeni / Mihai Băcescu Museum of
Water, Fălticeni; The National Museum of Antiquities; The Archaeological Museum of
Piatra-Neamț / Neamț County Museum Complex; „Vasile Pârvan” Institute of
Archaeology, Bucharest; „Ştefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, „Constantin Mihai”
School Museum of „Ion Neculce” High School, Târgu Frumos), which hindered to deliver
an exhaustive and integrated analysis of the artefacts and a complete view of the sites'
anthropomorphic and zoomorphic plastic art.
Over time, several anthropomorphic and zoomorphic statuettes from the old
collections of Costeşti-Cier site have been the subject of research and of general or special
studies, as they are those carried out by M. Marin (Marin, 1948, p. 17-57; 1951, p. 93-95), D.
Popovici and C. Simiciuc (Popovici, Simiciuc, 1978, p. 561-565; 1979-1980, p. 643-656) or
by the late D. Monah (Monah, 1997; 2012), while the objects from Giurgeşti and some from
Costeşti were partially valorized through study by D. Boghian (Boghian, 2004, p. 137-156).
Unfortunately, for reasons related to research paradigms, destiny of certain
collections, lack of old archaeological documentation and complexity of the archaeological
situations in the concerned sites, many anthropomorphic and zoomorphic statuettes are
deprived of the required data on the archaeological context, topography, archaeological
unit, depth. Furthermore, the mixing of finds from the excavation that took place in 1942 in
Costeşti and Giurgeşti sites (collection of the former National Museum of Antiquities,
today „Vasile Pârvan” Institute of Archaeology, Bucharest) did not always allow an
accurate identification of the objectsʼ provenance.
The statuettes of Giurgeşti („Ion Neculce” High School, Târgu Frumos collection)
were recovered through surface surveys, but since the site has a single occupation layer,
the cultural and chronological affiliation are quite accurate; this is not the case for the
archaeological unit determination.
The only assemblages that have been properly recovered by consideration of the
archaeological units and layers were those from the excavations that took place between
2012 and 2014 in the site of Costeşti-Cier, but even in these case, assigning a context to
Anthropomorphic and Zoomorphic Representations 535
the Cucutenian anthropomorphic and zoomorphic statuettes, in particular to those of A-B2 /

B1 stage, has proved itself difficult or even impossible because of the disturbance of
Cucuteni layers due to later habitations (Horodiştea-Erbiceni II, Early Medieval Period, the
medieval necropolis), old archaeological excavations and archaeological poaching.
Objectives
Despite such impediments, we managed to study every assemblage of
anthropomorphic and zoomorphic statuette, even though it was not possible the
determination of all findings1, and we aim to present them hereby in the current stage of
research, in an integrated manner that takes into account the site's occupation layers and
follows a well-known algorithm for the pre- and proto-historic plastic art research that
includes: context of discovery, typological classification, primary compositional and
morphological analysis – raw materials, modelling, shaping and decoration, use-, reuse-
and abandonment-related elements, archaeological context identification, artefacts
semantics / meaning, cultural and chronological affiliation and possible correspondences.
Dealing with three anthropomorphic and zoomorphic statuette assemblages from
two distinct Cucuteni occupation layers (of A3 and B1 stages with A-B2 elements), our
analysis and description will be done on chronological basis, even if in many cases, the
distinctions have not been established based on the stratigraphy, but rather on typology. In
the case of the zoomorphic plastic art, considering the typological quasi-uniformity
throughout the entire evolution of Cucuteni culture, the findings will be presented as a
whole, and where possible, will be mentioned the provenance sites and the cultural and
chronological affiliation.
Anthropomorphic plastic representations and paraphernalia

Anthropomorphic representations and paraphernalia of Cucuteni A3 stage
Context of discovery
Considering the context of discovery mentioned hereinabove, at present, we
cannot offer much detail about the artefactsʼ archaeological context for the Cucuteni A3
anthropomorphic plastic art of Giurgeşti-Dealul Mănăstirii and Costeşti-Cier, even if
during the campaigns 2012-2014, the objects were recovered topographically. Only one
statuette (fig. 5/6) seems to belong to D. 4 / 2013, being recovered from the top of it (S. I /
1
The total number of statuettes discovered by V. Ciurea at Costești is unknown. C. Matasă unearthed 25
statuettes of which, 9 were published (Matasă, 1941, p. 80-82, fig. 5/9-11; 6/9-14). During the excavation
campaign 1942 in Costești and Giurgești sites, 130 fragments from anthropomorphic statuettes and 18 from
zoomorphic statuettes, of which 13 integral, were unearthed (Marin, 1951, p. 93-95). Unfortunately, none
of the Costești statuette depicted in the study of M. Marin from 1948 was found in the collection of the
„Vasile Pârvan” Institute of Archaeology from Bucharest (Marin, 1948, fig. 2, 10, 11/1, 22, 26). Overall,
the studied assemblages are as follows: plastic representations and anthropomorphic paraphernalia – 229
statuettes, 2 en violon idols, 15 conical idols, five „thrones” – miniature chairs, three fragments of
anthropomorphic vessels, of which 11 fragmented statuettes, one en violon idol and one fragmented
anthropomorphic vessel from Giurgești; plastic representations and zoomorphic paraphernalia – 49
statuettes (43 from Costești, 6 from Giurgești) and five fragmented zoomorphic vessels (3 from Costești, 2
from Giurgești). Within the examined assemblages, most of the artefacts come from our archaeological
investigations in the site of Costești, from 2012 to 2014: 144 anthropomorphic statuettes, one en violon
idol, 15 conical idols and 24 zoomorphic statuettes. For reasons of publication length, we exemplified only
the objects that are truly important in the present context.
2012, m 36 a, - 0.60 m depth). The rest of the objects were recovered from other dwellings
remains. We are confident that, through future investigations, the data on the
archaeological context of the Giurgeşti and Costeşti anthropomorphic plastic will be
enriched. At Costeşti, in D. 3 / 2013, at - 1 m depth, two fragmented „thrones” were
discovered: one of large size (fig. 6/7), together with a small conical idol, and a smaller
one (fig. 6/6). In regard to the fragmented anthropomorphic vessels from the 1942
archaeological investigations (Costeşti and Giurgeşti), they are no available information on
the archaeological context because of the absence of documentation.
Typological classification
In terms of typology, the artefacts that fall in the anthropomorphic plastic
representation category of Costeşti and Giurgeşti may be divided, as in the other
contemporary sites, in statuettes / figurines, en violon idols and conical idols, with or
lacking facial features marking. Given, in some cases, the association of statuettes /
figurines with certain accesories like „thrones” that are often anthropomorphized or have
zoomorphic features, we should also refer to these cultic paraphernalia. Complementarily
to this category of plastic representations and considering the morpho-semantic
similarities, we will also focus on the anthropomorphic vessels, which could also be
debated within the category of fine pottery related to cultic activities.
In terms of posture, the Cucuteni A3 statuettes of Giurgeşti and Costeşti are of two
basic types: standing (vertical) (fig. 3/3, 5; 4/4, 11; 5/5, 7) and sitting / partially sitting /
„enthroned”, (fig. 2/2, 6; 3/9; 4/9, 12; 5/6) in both cases, the body parts proportions and the
anatomical and sexuality-related details being kept: highlighted thighs and buttocks, pubis
and breasts (the so-called anatomical „tectonics”).
As regards the depiction of anatomical details, the anthropomorphic statuettes of
the two sites are mostly modelled in a realistic (quasi-realistic) manner, keeping rather
strictly the human bodyʼs proportions and anatomy, but also in an abstract manner where
the traits are barely sketched. As regards the size, there are several groups of
anthropomorphic statuettes: very small (under 5 cm), small (between 5 and 10 cm),
medium (between 10 and 20 cm) and large (between 20 and 30 cm); the very large
category (above 30 / 50 cm) is lacking so far. Obviously, most of the statuettes are of small
and medium category, the dimensions bearing, probably, a certain meaning.
Despite the decoration deterioration and erasure over time, we could observe
(though this could have a relative value) that the Cucuteni A3 anthropomorphic statuettes of
the two sites have mostly a particular decoration by incising, plastic applications, painting
and by combining two or three techniques and styles; very few statuettes are undecorated.
The en violon idols discovered so far are of rhomboidal with slightly rounded
mini-lobe type (Costeşti), with rectangular cross-section, and perforation for hanging (fig.
3/4) and, grosso modo, of violin box type (Giurgeşti) displaying a rounded body with
lenticular cross-section and two perforations depicting the human eyes (fig. 4/1).
The conical and / or quasi-conical idols fall into the typology and dimensions
specific to this cultural phase and stage, displaying a mini-conical shape with a widened,
straight or slightly concave base and a sharp or slightly rounded tip (fig. 13/3, 6).
The „thrones”-chairs, although fragmented (the legs and backrests are missing),
show two types, defined on dimensions and seat depiction style: large with quasi-flat seat
(fig. 6/7) and small with alveolar seat (fig. 6/6); no clarifications on the backrest style can
be offered for now.
Three Cucuteni A3 anthropomorphic vessel fragments („Vasile Pârvan” Institute
of Archaeology from Bucharest collection) may fall in the category of veritable
anthropomorphic vessels, with the prevailing function of a container, naturalistic, explicit,
gynekomorph vessels (Boghian, 2012, p. 109). For two artefacts the provenance could
hardly be established, Costești probably (fig. 6/2, 3), while the third one, undoubtedly
comes from the site of Giurgeşti (fig. 6/1). Like the figurines, these depict with accuracy
the female body (proportions, details, decoration), so they could be regarded as veritable
container-statuettes.
Raw material
All Cucuteni A3 anthropomorphic statuettes and vessels, en violon and conical
idols and paraphernalia from Giurgeşti-Dealul Mănăstirii and Costeşti-Cier were made
from alluvial clay of good and very good quality, well cleaned, with little crushed ceramic
inclusions in the composition, similar to the fine and semi-fine pottery paste (Vasilache et
alii, 2014, p. 138-147). Most of the time, the anthropomorphic statuettes and vessels and
the scale models „thrones” were fired in oxidation atmosphere to become brick red or brick
red-light brown. However, the conical idols and the en violon idol (from Giurgeşti) were
fired to become grey or grey-brown (fig. 2/5, 15; 3/6; 4/1, 5, 11; 9/2; 13/3, 6).
Modelling and shaping

Each type of artefact was modelled according to the „rules” of the cultural phase,
to the craftsmanʼs skills and to the typological and use particularities of each object.
Therefore, beyond the general typology, each artefact is a unicum. Thus, the small
statuettes were worked from one single clay stick (fig. 4/7, 8), while the medium and large
artefacts were made from 2-3 pieces, individually modelled that were then put together and
shaped (fig. 3/6-10; 5/2, 4).
These procedures are indicated by the artefactsʼ distinct patterns of accidental or
deliberate breakage, the most fragile being the compound objects and the extremities,
mainly the neck and the head. The latter were modelled as a slightly conical extension
(long neck) ended with barely sketched facial features by means of a hardly perceptible
pinch en bec d’oiseau (fig. 3/2, 5; 4/10; 5/1); this manner of depiction is more related to
Precucuteni style than to those of subsequent phases.
Almost always, the bounding of the parts and the shaping were made carefully,
the joint areas being perceptible only when broken. Most often, during finishing operation,
an additional layer of very fine clay of variable thickness, up to 4-5 mm, was added and
was carefully smoothed with the fingers or a spatula (fig. 3/6-10; 5/2, 4). The finishing
layer was the „preparatory surface” either for the rich incised decoration, or for the plastic
ornaments, or painted and / or combined decoration. Itʼs worth mentioning the case of one
anthropomorphic statuette preserved almost intact (the head and the tip of the legs cone)
that was primarily decorated with incised motifs, than covered with a preparatory layer, a
yellowish engobe and in the end painted (fig. 3/3; 5/7).
Both assemblages (Costeşti and Giurgeşti) contain several objects that display on
the chest one or two deep perforations, whose eventual purpose was to facilitate the breasts
application (?), to fix the object to a support or to wear it by hanging (fig. 4/3,10; 5/3; 9/2).
The en violon idols were made from well compacted clay plaques of variable
thickness (0.5-0.6 cm), shaped after a prototype in order to obtain the desired appearance.
On the superior lobe that suggests the head of the idol from Giurgeşti, two large
perforations were made, indicating the eyes (fig. 4/1); on the chest of the artefact from
Costeşti (fig. 3/4), one perforation on the front side and two on the back side served,
among other things, to hang/wear the apotropaic amulet (Boghian, 2000, p. 226, fig. 8/4;
2004, p. 145, 146, fig. 133/2; Boghian et alii, 2014 c, p. 82, pl. CIV/1; CVI/3). The conical
idols were made from very small sticks of clay, having centimetre size (H = 1-4 cm, base
diameter = 1-2.5 cm) and were shaped in the particular style, elongated or shorter, with a
sharpen tip. Some objects have a flat base, others, a slightly concave one (fig. 13/3, 6).
„The thrones”-chairs were modelled from several pieces corresponding to each
part of the object, e.g. the backrest, the legs, which were to be assembled, resulting in a
blank that afterwards underwent a close finishing operation in which a layer of highly
purified clay was applied, preparing thereby the surface for the subsequent painted
decorations (fig. 6/6, 7).
The anthropomorphic vessels were modelled similar to the other types of fine
pottery, starting from basic types like the medium and large cup and the spherical-conical /
quasi-piriform pot, which were given the shape of the female body, either by emphasizing
the abdomen, thighs and buttocks curves, or by grooves that suggested the legs
demarcation and the individualization of each anatomical part (fig. 6/1-3). The spiral and
geometrical painted decoration generally enhanced the overall impression of womanhood.
In some cases, in order to assure the stability of the container-statuette, the potter used to
model a flared base that depicted the feet in a quasi-realistic manner.
Decoration
Despite the fact that the decoration was sometimes deteriorated or erased and until
now, no integral statuette has been recovered, it can be observed on the anthropomorphic
statuettes of Giurgeşti and Costeşti, regardless the size, the ornamental motifs organization
on 2-3 registers, corresponding to the major anatomical parts of the human body: torso,
abdomen / pubis and legs. In most cases, the feminine statuettes display a richer
ornamentation than the masculine ones.
Generally, on the feminine statuettes linear and geometrical motifs (rhomboidal
on the abdomen, angular on the torso) were made by incising, sometimes quite deep, while
spiral motifs are very rare. We are not excluding the possibility that these incised motifs
have been inlaid with white and red mineral pigments, but the artefacts shall undergo
further special analysis for determining the possible colourings.
In some cases, the rich geometrical and spiral incised ornamentation of the
feminine statuettes was complemented with a series of plastic applications in the form of
flattened buttons, which imitate metal and / or clay disks and which were applied on the
statuetteʼs torso, either on the front or on the back side (Costeşti – fig. 3/1; Giurgeşti – fig.
4/5, 9), or in association with necklaces / girdles, simple or alveolar belts (Giurgești – fig.
4/9; Costești – fig. 5/6). The masculine statuettes show plastic application in the shape of
alveolar cross-chest belts and belts (Costeşti – fig. 3/3).
In terms of painted decoration, we shall mention a statuette of large dimensions
that was hereinabove commented; it was discovered at Costeşti, shows a carefully
modelling and finishing and was originally decorated by incising, then refinished with a
fine clay layer and yellowish-white engobe and painted with linear and curved motifs that
are now erased because of the post-depositional circumstances (fig. 5/7). Though with
difficulty, it can be notices on the legs white and red bands with black border joined in
angular motifs and, at the lower part of the torso, on the front and on the back sides,
curvilinear incised motifs that suggest clothing details are still visible. This statuette is
partially similar, in terms of typology and decoration, to another one from Târpeşti
(Cucuteni A3) (Marinescu-Bîlcu, 1981, fig. 188/5; 191/1).
As noticed, the Costeşti and Giurgeşti Cucuteni A3 anthropomorphic statuettes
decoration presents an association of anatomical elements with those of clothing and
adornment (Voinea, 2002, p. 112-121; Comşa, 1985, p. 51-60; 1989, p. 39-56; Ursulescu,
1999, p. 1-10; Boghian, 2009, p. 61-80; 2010, p. 5-20; 2011, p. 5-35), depending on the
major human body parts, mainly the feminine body. Within the general sight of Costeşti
and Giurgeşti anthropomorphic statuettes, there are several that come off through their
special ornamentation and deserve a particular evaluation.
Thus, a fragmented statuette (with the arms broken from ancient time) from
Costeşti site (fig. 5/3) discovered during the investigations made by C. Matasă (Matasă,
1941, p. 81, fig. 5/10), represents the torso of a feminine character, very richly decorated
with angular, circular and geometrical motifs (circle inside rhombi, simple rhombi and
circles) that by association and through an integrated perspective (front-back), depict the
components of a cultic costume2 with the related hieratic adornments (girdles, belt, disks,
pentagonal or en violon amulet that depict the stylized shape of a paleo-deity or priestess /
orante ?). The symmetrical perforations on the neckline served, probably, for hanging the
statuette as a cultic accessory of a real sacred clothing of this phase of the Cucuteni world.
The torso of a fragmented feminine statuette (fig. 3/1) recovered during the recent
investigations from Costeşti, between 2012-2014, displays, along with the well-known
linear and rhomboidal motifs of a feminine clothing, plastic applications on the upper back
side in the shape of small flattened clay buttons succession, which probably imitates the
metal and / or clay discoid accessories known for this phase.
Another fragmented feminine statuette (the head, the left arm and the legs cone
are missing) of medium size has the body and the legs decorated with linear and angular
incised motifs that suggest the folds / wrinkles of a garb closed with „buttons” (?) on the
front and back sides, suggested by small vertical arranged pricks (fig. 5/6). On the chestʼs
upper part, were modelled two girdles complemented with three small discoid buttons,
from which the one in the middle is larger. The omphalos is also marked by a discoid
2
On dirait quʼil imit elesbroderiesdʼuncorsage; cʼestun acheminement du dessin linéaire vers lʼimitation
de la nature: feuilles et fleurs stylisées, etc. A la hauteur des épaules, cassées, on aperçoit deux petits trous,
qui traversent le corps (Matasă, 1941, p. 81).
button. On the front, on the joint of the abdomen and thighs, was applied a belt (half
preserved) made from a flattened clay band on which discoid plaques were represented.
The same type of belt (double belt ?) with the endings overlapped on the pelvis
(fig. 5/5) was made on another fragmented statuette from Costeşti (the investigations of C.
Matasă), showing the existence of certain patterns in clothing closure during these
particular phase and stage.
During the old investigations in Costeşti-Cier site (Mateescu, 1940, pl. V/8) was
recovered a Cucuteni A3 vertical statuette with massive pelvis / buttocks and legs, flat
torso, the arm stumps and the head barely sketched, which belongs to the type with the
lower part modelled as a short pedestal (fig. 3/5); it was decorated with several incised
lines on the bustʼs anterior side. Even if it was shortly modelled, it could be depicted an
elderly, probably feminine, figure.
Also within the Costeşti assemblage, we noticed a fragmented masculine statuette
(only the torso preserved), on which a bandoleer / cross-chest belt decorated with
successive alveoli was plastically depicted in a crosswise (from the left shoulder – under
the left arm) and round manner, and on the abdomen a belt made in the same way (fig.
3/3), suggesting most probably, fur accessories or adornments.
Likewise, though they are in fragmentary condition, two more findings should be
mentioned, recovered through surface surveys („Ion Neculce” High School of Târgu Frumos
collection). The first one preserves only the right leg with a slowly flared feet from a
partially-sitting feminine statuette and has modelling details (the blank + assembly / finishing
layer) on the fractured area and a beautiful deeply incised and inlaid decoration made
probably with white and red pigments (fig. 5/4). The second one represents the right side of
the pelvis and upper thigh of a partially-sitting feminine statuette with the same modelling
details on the fractures area. The incised and inlaid with white (?) decoration was made on all
over the statuetteʼs body and on the abdomen a waist belt / belt (?) composed of three bands
with the endings overlapped in front of the pubis was depicted (fig. 5/2).
Within the statuettes from Giurgeşti (surface surveys made by C. Mihai – „Ion
Neculce” High School of Târgu Frumos collection), three small size findings stand out.
The first one is a fragmented statuette with the legs and lower part of the abdomen
decorated with angular motifs made through wider incisions (fig. 4/8), the second one is
undecorated (fig. 4/7) and the third one, made from brick red paste, is decorated with fine
incised angular and curvilinear motifs (fig. 4/2).
Within the medium size statuettes, we shall mention one that was discovered in
fragmentary condition (the legs and the lower part of the torso) and has the buttocks
highlighted (fig. 4/4). The decoration was made also by incising with angular motifs. On
the abdomen was made a rhombus whose surface was divided by two crossed lines in four
areas, in the centre of which an incised dot was drawn.
In a similar manner were decorated two other fragmentary anthropomorphic
statuettes, modelled in a sitting / partially-sitting posture. One of them has only the left leg,
the torso and the head preserved (fig. 3/9; 4/10). The rhombus on the abdomen has unequal
sides, is irregular, its surface being divided by three lines in six areas, from which four
have one or two punctiform incisions. The other preserves the legs and 2/3 of the torso (fig.
4/12). On the abdomen, in a quasi-square space in which the linear motifs were interrupted,
two crossed lines were drawn in the form of an overturned „X”, forming four empty areas.
Under this overturned „X”, along with two convergent lines that in association with the
inguinal lines seem to suggest a belt, resulted a rhombus. Inside the rhombus were drawn
three short lines, whose meaning is yet undepictable.
The last anthropomorphic statuette from Giurgeşti (fig. 4/9) discussed in this
study, presents a series of particularities. The modelling is neat and the decoration was
done by very thin incised lines that depict a feminine garb with angular folds pointed
upwards, a belt on the abdomen, decorated with a succession of incised dots, associated on
the back side on the shoulder level with three discoid plastic applications as clothing
accessories (?). The feminine gender is suggested through a short incised clear line, drawn
on the top of the pubis triangle.
Along with the increasing amount of archaeological discoveries and with the
investigation and publishing of the Precucuteni and Cucuteni anthropomorphic plastic art
collections, is becoming more clearly the fact that the statuettes / figurines decoration
represents obvious Chalcolithic clothing elements in association / complementarity with
ritual / divine nudity as part of the complex system of cultural codes of these communities,
with important social and cultic reflections (Boghian, 2009, p. 61-80; 2010, p. 5-20; 2011, p.
5-35; Țurcanu, 2011 a, p. 17-30; 2011 b, p. 9-36; 2013, p. 61-78). Moreover, the clothing
with its complementary elements, e.g. postures, hairdressing, adornments, actual body
marking, represented an important social indicator of status and of individuals and collective
identities roles within prehistoric and traditional multicultural societies, as well as obvious
cultural codes. The closest correspondences for the Cucuteni A3 anthropomorphic statuettes
from Costeşti and Giurgeşti are found at Truşeşti-Țuguieta (Petrescu-Dîmbovița et alii, 1999,
p. 496-521, fig. 352-368), Hăbăşeşti-Holm (Dumitrescu et alii, 1954, p. 403-422, fig. 32-37),
Cucuteni / Băiceni-Cetățuie (Petrescu-Dîmbovița, Văleanu, 2004, p. 255-257, fig. 209, 210)
and Ruginoasa-Colina (Dealul) Drăghici (Lazarovici, Lazarovici, 2012, p. 291-360, fig.
VIII.1-3, 5-6, 8, 11-12, 15, 17, 19, 21, 24-27, 30-33) etc.
The flat idols, the en violon, idols, the one from Giurgeşti (fig. 4/1) and the quasi-
rhomboidal / quasi-cruciform from Costeşti (fig. 3/4) have no decoration except from the
perforations used for fixing / hanging. So far, the two artefacts have correspondences only
within Cucuteni A3 phase, in the findings from Hăbăşeşti-Holm (Dumitrescu et alii,1954,
p. 410-417, Pl. CXXII/9-17, fig. 36/1-16), Cucuteni-Băiceni-Cetățuie (Schmidt, 1932, fig.
33/6; Petrescu-Dîmbovița, Văleanu, 2004, p. 256-257, fig. 220/6), Ruginoasa-Colina
(Dealul) Drăghici (Lazarovici, Lazarovici, 2012, p. 336, fig. VIII.34/4), Hoiseşti-La Pod
(Bodi, 2010, p. 190, Pl. 55/1-4), etc.
Regarding the Cucuteni A3 „thrones” / miniature chairs, we have included in this
category only the findings from Costeşti; in Giurgeşti site no such artefacts are known, so
far. The first „throne”, considered a cult table (L. 3 / 2013, - 1 m depth) is preserved in
fragmentary condition (fig. 6/7) and has a large size seat: l = 17.5 cm, w = 24 cm; benchtop
thkns. = 3 cm (edges), 2 cm (centre). It was made from a very good quality paste, fired in
oxidation atmosphere and trichrome painted. This „throne” / chair has a considerable
weight meant probably to ensure stability. Although the backrest is lacking, we donʼt
exclude the possibility that it was anthropomorphically modelled, as in Hăbăşeşti
(Dumitrescu, 1954 b, p. 420, pl. CXXI/2 – throne and pl. CXXI/1 – large statuette;
Dumitrescu, 1954 c, p. 468, 469, pl. CX/1-5, 9, 10 „fired clay furniture” and „four legs
platforms”), being designed to carry an important statuette.
The seat is rectangular with rounded corners, slightly alveolar, with elevated edge,
obvious benchtop lateral sides and probably four legs, though the concerned fragment
preserves the traces of only three. As indicated before, in a first stage the blank was
modelled in the form of a massive board with the object's general features and then was
closely finished on the visible parts with an consistent layer of fin clay, very well
smoothed, with engobe, trichrome painted on the white background with a red „S” lying
spiral whit black borders; on the sides are drawn short parallel bands.
The second „throne” / chair is miniature and fragmented (6 x 6.5 cm), with alveolar
seat and a high headboard of 1.5-2cm (fig. 6/6) and was discovered also inside L. 3 / 2013. It
is about half preserved and from the two remaining legs, one is broken and the other is
integral. Made from a very good quality paste with sand in composition, very well fired and
red-brick, the object presents on the surface a whitish engobe with red painting, which in
present is almost erased. The „thrones” / chairs of Costeşti have correspondences within
most of the investigated sites, including Scânteia (Chirica et alii, 1999, p. 50, 100, 102, no.
166-168, 175-179, photo 168) and Ruginoasa (Lazarovici, Lazarovici, 2012, p. 336).
As regards the anthropomorphic vessels, all were decorated by painting. Thus, the
first fragment depicts only the lower part of a female body (the legs cone), with the base
modelled in the form of a flared feet. By two vertical grooves on the front and back sides
together with white bands bordered with black were individualized the legs and, by
trichrome painting with geometrical motifs (circles, angular bands), were depicted the
clothing and footwear details (fig. 6/2).
The second fragment belongs to the upper and middle part of a spherical-conical
vessel with long cylindrical neck, which depicts the torso and the middle part of the female
body. The sides of the abdomen were suggested by symmetrical small handles, on the joint
between the body, neck and arms, right under the rim. The female anatomical parts (the
gluteal and inguinal areas, the abdomen, the buttocks and hips curve) were highlighted
through fine grooves and prominences associated with trichrome spiral and angular motifs
and white and red medium size bands bordered with black lines (fig. 6/3).
The fragment whose provenance is certainly in the site of Giurgeşti was part of a
large cup that was narrower than tall, elongated and with the rim slightly leaning out. By
plastic and pictorial procedures (grooves, trichrome painting) were depicted both the torso
and the female body upper parts, on which are suggested cultic attributes and postures
through painting and background reservation – the Orante symbol and the fecundity
rhombus; their association create an anamorphic vision, the overall effect of a multiplied
and stylized female representation (the anthropomorphic vessel or the container-statuette
bearing a female representation, another proof that these were cultic accessories/amulets
with apotropaic function). This pot was also painted on the top of the inner surface with a
wide red band on which are drawn white linear motifs hard to depict (fig. 6/1).
The small number of naturalistic and explicit anthropomorphic vessels,
gynekomorfe (Boghian, 2012, p. 107-136) the resemblance with the Cucuteni A3
anthropomorphic statuettes shapes and decoration, the painted decoration symbolism, their
presence in all Cucuteni A3 sites and the perpetuation during the subsequent phases speak
undoubtedly about their cultic character and the presumed function of paraphernalia
within rituals (Boghian, 2012, p. 107-136; Lazarovici, Lazarovici, 2012, p. 299, 300, fig.
VIII.3/1; VIII.12/4; VIII.20/1, 3; VIII.34/1, 2; VIII.43; VIII.63; VIII.80).
As demonstrated above, the conical / quasi-conical idols of Cucuteni A3 stage
were generally undecorated or extremely simple decorated in the case of Costeşti-Cier site
(fig. 13/3, 6). Those decorated (the assemblage Costeşti / Giurgeşti – fig. 2/5, 7) have but
simple fine pinches by which some of the facial or entire head features were depicted. The
conical objects of larger size (5-7 cm) also display a series of deep transversal perforations
(fig. 2/5), which could have been used to integrate them in certain miniature sets. Similar
plastic representations are found in all Cucuteni sites and considering their standardization
we could presume they were used complementarily probably to statuettes.
Anthropomorphic representations and paraphernalia of Cucuteni A-B2 / B1 stage

Even if it belongs to one single site, the assemblage of Cucuteni A-B2 / B1 statuettes
from Costeşti is larger (132 artefacts) than the one of Cucuteni A3 stage. We may thus better
capture the anthropomorphic plastic art characteristics, consequent to the earlier studies.
Unfortunately, for most of the artefacts no clarifications regarding the archaeological context
could be done for the above stated reasons. For the findings from the 2012-2014
investigations, we can only assert that several statuettes were discovered in D. 1 and D. 2 /
2012 (fig. 12/1-11; 13/1, 2, 4, 5, 7-12) lacking any cultic association; the uncertainty comes
from the fact that these buildings were seriously affected by disturbances.
As it can easily be seen, in Cucuteni B1a stage (with many elements of A-B2 stage)
the perpetuation of anthropomorphic statuettes typological standardization is obvious and
features the same two fundamental types of representation, with several variants: there are
more frequent standing (vertical) statuettes (fig. 7/3, 4, 7, 8; 8/4, 6, 7; 9/1, 5, 6, 8; 10/3, 6,
7; 12/2-6) that have the ending either in the form of a very sharp cone (fig. 8/8, 9, 11; 11/6;
12/11; 13/9, 11, 12), or suggesting the joined feet (fig. 10/4; 11/11; 12/7, 9; 13/8, 10), and
the sitting / partially-sitting / „enthroned” statuettes have either more tempered (fig. 7/5;
9/4; 13/7), or accentuated posture (fig. 7/6; 9/7; 12/8) showing that they were designed to
be place on „thrones”-chairs. The latter are less. In both cases the body proportions and the
anatomical details were followed, even if some of the statuettes are quasi-realistic, others
barely sketched. In terms of size, most of the anthropomorphic statuettes are very small
(under 5 cm) and small (5-10 cm), while the medium (10-20 cm) and large (20-30 cm)
ones are fewer and frequently were modelled in a fusiform manner.
Also, complementarily to the anthropomorphic statuettes of this phase, there are
„thrones”-chairs, scale models of some furniture and eventual, conic / quasi-conic idols,
which either have or have not minimum facial features depicted. The „thrones”-chairs,
although fragmented (the legs and the backrests are lacking) seem like small size objects,
with alveolar seat (fig. 6/4, 5), no further clarifications regarding the backrest being possible.
Raw materials
The paste of Cucuteni B1a anthropomorphic statuettes of Costeşti is overall
superior to that of Cucuteni A3 stage, even if in both cases it was used a local alluvial clay.
Thereby, most of the statuettes were closely modelled from a very clean, homogenized and
dense clay paste that very rarely contained intentional inclusions (finely crushed ceramic
fragments). Very few objects, mainly the barely sketched type, were made from common
paste. The statuettes were fired in an appropriate oxidation atmosphere, which resulted in
objects with homogenous colour in various tones: light red-brick, red-orange, light-brown.
Some objects that underwent secondary fire display various tones of brown.
„The thrones”-chairs were made from a fine paste specific for painted pottery,
which has fine sand in composition and sometimes fine crushed shards as intentional
inclusions. The conic / quasi-conic idols were made from a paste similar to that of common
pottery. Frequently, they were fired in oxidation atmosphere resulting objects with various
tones: light red-brick, light-brown, grey.

The anthropomorphic statuettes’ modelling was related most probably to their
dimensions and use / functionality. Thus, the small size statuettes were made from one,
two or three pieces, and well compacted, mainly in the basins and legs area. That is why
they have been preserved better. The medium and large size statuettes were often made
from two-three pieces for each major part of the human body: the legsʼ „spindle”, the
either rounded or flattened torso, the neck and the head.
The modelling manner may be depicted also from the fracturing pattern as the
fractures are located more often transversally, on the top of the legs, torso and neck / head.
On the spot breakage of statuettes during dwelling destruction and the natural „cementing”
with calcium carbonate within the depositional context resulted in the fragmentation of
several objects during cleaning, thus requiring a meticulous restoration.
The vertical statuettes, closely modelled in a quasi-realistic manner, display a
great slenderness and have the basic anatomical parts and elements carefully depicted: the
en bec d’oiseau head with one or two symmetrical perforations, the breast by flattened
round buttons applied through small plugs inside the holes specially made for this purpose,
the sharp or slightly rounded arm stumps, which are either perforated, or not, the
abdomenʼs flanks often perforated with one or two holes on each part, the omphalos
sometimes horizontally perforated, the abdomen either with, or free of pregnancy
indicators, the pelvis with the pubian triangle, the vulva and / or penis, the buttocks
separated by deep vertical grooves, the sometimes perforated knees, the feet joined in the
form of a cone or individually modelled.
The scarcely modelled anthropomorphic statuettes are schematized, in that the
human body is not depicted in detail. For both types, the torso was flat, only the abdomen
area being depicted more prominently.
In our view, the practice of arm stumps and abdomen flanks perforation could be
related to the statuettesʼ fixing / hanging or clothing elements attachment within the
ceremonies. In this respect, we specify the great similarity between the style of Cucuteni B
ronde-bosse fusiform statuettes and the anthropomorphic silhouettes painted on several
vessels of this phase: Feteşti (Suceava County, Romania), Sofia and Petreni (Republic of
Moldova) (Boghian, Ignătescu, 2007, p. 3-12); this demonstrates the existence and
perpetuation of an unified and coherent system of human representation with indubitable
semantic and cultic connotations.
The finishing of each type of statuette was related to the ornamentation method.
The surface of quasi-realistic, vertical and sitting statuettes was very carefully finished just
like the painted pottery on which a yellowish beige engobe was applied as preparatory
layer for painting application.
In some cases, both the scarcely and the less careful modelling, but also the
depositional context caused surface erosion so that the decoration was erased and the
surface is now partially rough.
Decoration
Judging by their appearance at the moment they were discovered, the Cucuteni
B1a anthropomorphic statuettes of Costeşti may be categorized in: decorated by painting
and plastic application and undecorated. It is difficult to specify at the moment, whether
the undecorated statuettes, which are the most frequent, were so during their use.
The painted statuettes can be divided in two categories. The first one is comprised
from anthropomorphic statuettes that still preserve elements peculiar to Cucuteni A-B2 phase
(fig. 9/5, 8), with a more robust body on which black linear and geometrical motifs were
drawn on the yellowish-beige engobe, on the front and back sides, suggesting clothing
details, which highlighted the female body parts. These statuettes are similar to the findings
from Traian-Dealul Fântânilor (Dumitrescu, 1941-1944, p. 22-25, fig. 9, 10/1; Bem, 2007,
fig. 409/1, 2; 411/2; 414; 418/1), Cucuteni-Cetățuie (Schmidt, 1932, pl. 33/10; 34/1-4;
Petrescu-Dîmbovița, Văleanu, 2004, fig. 212/21; 219/17), Ghelăieşti-Nedeia (Cucoş, 1999,
p. 123-131, fig. 62/1-4; 63/5; 66/1). The second category is typical for Cucuteni B phase, the
painting style being slightly different. Also on both anterior and posterior surfaces were
drawn angular and geometrical (quasi-rhomboidal) motifs with fine black and brown lines
that mark the parts of the body and the clothing elements (fig. 8/3, 11; 11/10; 13/4).
Particularly important and interesting at the same, is the upper part of a statuette
(half of the torso and the head), probably of masculine type, from the „Mihai Băcescu”
Museum of Water from Fălticeni collection that shows on the en bec d’oiseau modelled
face a facial painting (tattoo ?) in the form of an oblique line (drawn from the right
eyebrow towards the left cheek) and at the back side the plastic depiction of an alveolar
bun (Popovici, Simiciuc, 1979-1980, p. 647, 656, pl. VIII/6; Monah, 1997, p. 200, 425, fig.
173/1; Ursulescu, 1999, p. 2, fig. 1/1.)3.
The long neck is highlighted also by two parallel black lines. On the statuette's
torso, on the natural background (red-brick - orange) were drawn by two black lines the
details of a garb, a cross-chest belt from the right to the left shoulder where a sheath (?) and a
belt on the abdomen were suggested by a circular motif. Through seven flattened circular
buttons arranged in a semicircle was drawn on the chest what it seems to be a neck / chest
adornment (girdles with disks ?) as a sign of social differentiation (fig. 8/3).
3
Although, when published the statuette had unknown provenance, our colleague S. Ignătescu identified the
object as being discovered in Costești site.
A similar decoration style with black lines drawn on the natural background
suggesting a garb can be seen on the torso of a feminine statuette (fig. 13/4), which has the
breasts scarcely pictured by small buttons and the signs of an incipient pregnancy (the
abdomen is slightly prominent). On the pelvis and abdomen of a fusiform statuette of large
size (fig. 8/11) the decoration was made through very fine chocolate-brown lines that
suggest the lower part of a young female garb (linear, angular and rhombic motifs). The
image of a garb can also be observed on another feminine statuette that depicts a young
female. In this case it was drawn by black bands and parallel lines placed on the torso and
thighs (fig. 7/7).
Also, the masculine and feminine statuettes covered entirely with an uniform
layer of red carmine layer are quite frequent (fig. 7/8; 9/6; 10/1, 3, 7; 12/1, 11).
Sometimes, the legs cone is painted in red or black, the footwear elements (boots) being
highlighted (fig. 8/11).
Correspondences for the Cucuteni B1 anthropomorphic statuettes of Costeşti are
found both in Cucuteni A-B2 and Cucuteni B1 sites from the Bahluieț basin: Cucuteni-
Dâmbul Morii (Dinu, 2006, fig. 10-12), Cucuteni-Cetățuie (Petrescu-Dîmbovița, Văleanu
2004, p. 257-263, fig. 211-220/1-5), Buznea-Silişte / După Grădini (Mihai, Boghian, 1977-
1979, p. 429-452, fig. 8-11 a, b; Boghian, Mihai, 1987, p. 313-324, fig. 3, 4), but also in
other sites like Ghelăieşti-Nedeia (Cucoş, 1999, p. 123-131, fig. 62-66).
In these circumstances, we point out that in Costeşti-Cier were also discovered
four anthropomorphic statuettes, three of them made from clay and one from stone. The
clay anthropomorphic statuettes, one from the investigations made by V. Ciurea (Popovici,
Simiciuc, 1979-1980, p. 648, fig. IV.10), (fig. 11/14), and the other from the new
investigations (Boghian et alii, 2014, p. 84, pl. CIII/7; CVI/14) were made in conformity
with the specific style of Horodiştea-Erbiceni II culture, from fine compact paste, fired to
become grey-dark brown-black (fig. 11/13); this appearance was misleading resulting in
the interpretation of the first statuette as a stone made one (Popovici, Simiciuc, 1979-1980,
p. 648, fig. IV.10; Ţerna, 2013, p. 108, 110-111; Ursulescu, 2014, p. 60, fig. 3/1). Two
objects preserve only the flat torso and the tapering / conic breasts and the third one only
the pelvis. Correspondences for these artefacts may be found in the sites of Cârniceni-La
Şcoală / Pe Coastă (Alaiba, Grădinaru, 1995, p. 65, fig. 22) and Târpeşti (Horodiştea-
Erbiceni II layer), (Marinescu-Bîlcu, 1981, p. 99, fig. 208/3; 213/1, 2), being most
probably related to the Cernavoda III type of statuettes (Roman, 2001, p. 19, Abb. 16/12 –
Radovanu; Taf. 1, 2, 3/2, 3, 4/1 – Cernavodă). The forth objects, published by N.
Ursulescu (Ursulescu, 2014, p. 60, 61, fig. 3/2) requires additional clarifications on the raw
material's nature; it was considered to be made from stone, but in Cucuteni culture a
different type of material except for clay was used only exceptionally for the
anthropomorphic and zoomorphic plastic art (Boghian et alii, 2014, p. 84).
As regards the gender depiction, within the Cucuteni A-B2 / B1 anthropomorphic
plastic art of Costeşti-Cier, the feminine statuettes are the most frequent (75%), the
masculine ones are in low number (12%), the remaining percentage comprising objects
that are difficult to assign to one of the two categories. Based on age particularities, we
identified representations of teenagers, young people and adults, of which prevails, perhaps
not by chance, the representations of individuals in the first two categories.
So far, no fragment of anthropomorphic / anthropomorphized vessels was

discovered in the Cucuteni B1 layer of Costeşti. Instead, an anthropomorphic painted
representation was identified on the medium part of the inside of a bowl. The bowl has the
rim slightly leaning, a rounded shoulder and small handles underneath, and was painted in
ε1 style on the outside and in γ2 style on the inside. The human representation, probably of
a female character, was made through a rectangle with sides curved towards the interior,
painted in white; the body has the shape of a „clepsydra”, each of its triangles being
shaded, the lower one with oblique lines from the right to the left and the upper one with
oblique lines from the left to the right (fig. 14). The legs were depicted by two black short
parallel lines and the arms through curved lines ended in three fingers, which formed a
cruciform image approximately in the centre of the container; they resemble in terms of
stylistic group and depiction style to those from Traian-Dealul Fântânilor (Dumitrescu,
1941-1944, pl. IV-X; 1960, p. 31-52) and Ghelăieşti (Cucoş, 1970, p. 101-113, fig. 1-3;
1972, p. 91-93, fig. 1, 2).
The Cucuteni B1 „thrones”-chairs are unfortunately, fragmented and have no
archaeological context; it is quite sure that they were used as accessories for the sitting
statuettes. A first „throne”-chair fragment, with the dimensions 2.8 x 3.2 cm was made
from a medium-fine paste with sand in composition, fired to become light grey. The
backrest and one of the legs are broken. The seat is rectangular, slightly alveolar and has
rounded corners. The „throneʼs” legs and backrest were drawn from the raw paste as
elongated stumps. No traces of painting or decoration were observed (fig. 6/5).
The second fragment, also unpainted and undecorated, was found in D. 2 / 2012
and was made from a medium-fine paste, with sand in composition, fired to become red-
brick. It preserves only an integral leg and a small headboard of 3 mm on the rectangular
with rounded corners seat. The backrest base gives the impression that it was modelled
from two individual pieces (fig. 6/4).
An elongated truncated leg was probably an altar-table component. It has 6 cm in
high and a widened base (4 cm) and is most likely a Cucuteni A-B2 / B1 finding. It was
made from medium-fine paste with sand and crushed shards in composition, fired to
become grey.
Miniature cultic furniture objects are known in many Cucuteni A-B2 and B sites,
from which we mention here several major, as the „throne” from Lipcani (Ambrojevici,
1927-1932, p. 39, 42, 43, fig. 8; Mareş, 1996, p. 63-68) and those from Costeşti IX
(Markevich, 1981, p. 50, 158, 159, fig. 78/4).
As regards the conic / quasi-conic idols, only one such finding was discovered in
the Cucuteni A-B2 / B1 layer. The artefact has a flared and hollowed bottom and is made
from a good quality paste, fired to become brown-grey.
Zoomorphic representations and paraphernalia

The zoomorphic representations discovered in the Cucuteni sites of Giurgeşti-
Dealul Mănăstirii and Costeşti-Cier are much less frequent than the anthropomorphic
ones. V. Ciurea has published 9 statuettes from Costeşti site (Ciurea, 1938, fig. 15); C.
Mateescu, one statuette (Mateescu, 1940, pl. V/9); M. Marin indicated that in 1942 were
discovered 18 zoomorphic statuettes, from which 13 integral and 5 fragmented (Marin,
1951, p. 95); D. Popovici and C. Simiciuc have identified 5 statuettes from Costeşti within
the Museum of Fălticeni collection (Popovici, Simiciuc, 1978, p. 561, pl. 1/3, 8-10; II/4;
Furnică, 2014 b, p. 86-90). This situation is peculiar to the entire East-Carpathian Neolithic
and Chalolithic (Furnică, 2014 a) and not only. For the site of Costeşti-Cier we had at our
disposal, so far, 46 zoomorphic plastic representations from all stages of investigation and
both habitation layers (Cucuteni A3 and A-B2 / B1). The assemblage of Giurgeşti-Dealul
Mănăstirii (Museum of the „Ion Neculce” High School from Târgu Frumos collection) is
extremely small, comprising only eight artefacts, of which six statuettes, a vessel with
zoomorphic protome (from the surface survey made by C. Mihai) and an actual
zoomorphic vessel from the surface surveys made by S.-C. Enea.
Therefore, considering the artefacts record manner, the difficulty of identifying
the provenance site (for the artefacts from 1942), their decontextualization degree and the
typological minor differences between the zoomorphic statuettes of Cucuteni A3 and
Cucuteni A-B2 / B1 phases, we will present the artefacts as a whole, for each site, offering
the appropriate cultural and chronological clarifications, whenever possible.
As indicated hereinabove, unfortunately there is no zoomorphic artefact from an
accurate archaeological context, so far.
The zoomorphic plastic representations and paraphernalia (fig. 15-19) could be
divided in several typological categories: figurines / statuettes and zoomorphic vessels. The
Cucuteni A3 zoomorphic statuettes of Giurgeşti and Costeşt are conventionally realistic /
quasi-realistic and schematic (Boghian, 2004, p. 150-152), depicting the animal either
accurately, or ambiguously, but almost always in a static posture. Regarding the depicted
animals, there are found domestic and wild animals, quadruped mammals and in one case
(at Giurgeşti) a bird. Almost always, the main parts of the body were represented: head,
torso, tail and the four individualized legs. When the potters wished to depict certain
anatomical details, they did it with much accuracy.
Conventionally, the Cucuteni A-B2 / B1 anthropomorphic statuettes of Costeşti
may be divided in realistic/quasi-realistic and schematic. Beside the category of statuettes
with individualized legs, there are also artefacts with legs joined in pairs, i.e. those of the
front and those of the back (Marin, 1951, p. 95; Popovici, Simiciuc, 1978, p. 561).
With respect to the size, the zoomorphic statuettes of the two sites are small
(under 5 cm), medium (5-10 cm) and large (10-15 cm), yet lacking the large size category
(over 15 cm). Thereby, the statuettes dimensions are between 2.2 and 8.1 cm in length,
between 1.1 and 3.1.cm wide and between 2.2 and 7.2 cm high (Furnică, 2014 b, p. 86).
In paraphernalia category we include the zoomorphic vessels and the vessels with
zoomorphic features with all their accessories (protoma, horns, plaques etc.) even there
were discovered only fragmented artefacts, modelled from known forms of painted pottery
(fig. 19/1-4, 6). Like the anthropomorphic vessels, we consider that the zoomorphic vessels
could be defined as large size container-statuettes.
Raw materials
The zoomorphic plastic of the two sites was modelled from the same good quality
alluvial clay with crushed ceramic inclusion as addition. By firing, sometimes perhaps also
as a consequence of accidental secondary firing, the statuettes and vessels have acquired
various colours: red-brick, grey-red-brick, light brown-yellowish. The zoomorphic vessels
and their components were modelled from the same paste as the painted fine pottery.

The modelling was often made from a single clay stick, well rolled and in
accordance with the size of the future finished product; out of it, the craftsman has closely
depicted the head, the truncated cone stumps of the legs and tail and also the sexual
features of the female (the udder) and male (the penis and the testicles) or other
morphological features (details of horns, snout, eyes, fur, dorsal part – anus, tail etc.),
either by incisions, perforations or plastic applications. Regardless of the care with which
were modelled, the zoomorphic representations were made to stand.
The zoomorphic vessels were closely modelled from several assembled parts.
Even if no vessel was preserved integral, based on the recovered fragments, we could
observe that firstly, the vessel was modelled in the shape of the animal body on which
afterwards, the zoomorphic legs and protoma were applied, either through a short neck
„welded” on the top of the vessel, or through a longer cylindrical / tubular neck on the
containerʼs maximum diameter area.
Decoration
The zoomorphic statuettes do not display too many evidence of particular painted
motifs, except for the highlighting by plastic applications or incisions in the soft paste before
firing, of some morphological-semantic features of the udder (fig. 15/7 b), of male sexual
organs (fig. 19/5), nostrils (fig. 16/2), eyes (fig. 16/6; 17/8), fur (fig. 17/4, 5), probably
harnessing (fig. 17/6, 9) and anus (fig. 18/4), (Furnică, 2014 b, p. 86, 87). The zoomorphic
vessels were decorated by painting, the motifs being made in compliance to the „rules” of
each phase, highlighting the various parts of the depicted animal bodies (fig. 19/1-3).
The artefacts in fragmentary condition and the simplified manner of
representation of several statuettes hinder the identification of the depicted animal species.
Ever since the beginning of the investigation in the site of Costeşti-Cier, the primacy of
domestic animals representation was noticed: cattle (Popovici, Simiciuc, 1978, pl. I/6, II/5)
(fig. 16/7; 17/9; 18/1), sheep and goats (Mateescu, 1940, pl. V/9) (fig. 15/1, 3, 6, 10; 16/1,
3; 17/2, 8; 18/2-5), swine (fig. 16/2), canids (fig. 17/1), the assemblage being subsequently
complemented by birds (fig. 16/6; 17/3). Also, were depicted wild animals that were
peculiar to the siteʼs landscape, probably the boar ? (fig. 16/2), Capreolus kid (fig. 17/4, 5),
bear (fig. 15/11).
In order to respect a chronological succession, we shall start the artefacts
presentation with one of the most important assemblage that is the small Cucuteni A3
collection from Giurgeşti. Although some of the statuettes are of medium size (5-10 cm)
(Boghian, 2004, p. 151) and fragmented, the depicted animals can be identified. Thereby,
we noticed the existence of four statuettes of sheep, two with robust body (fig. 18/2, 4) and
other two with a more elongated and slender body (fig. 18/3, 5). Of these, three statuettes
preserve the head along with a quite elongated and sharp snout and partially the ears (fig.
18/2, 3, 5), and in two cases the tail's stump. The legs were depicted separately, truncated
and elongated. One of the statuettes representing a sheep (fig. 18/5) shows traces of red
painting on the torso and legs, fact that could sustain the idea of a cultic character; another
one was perforated between the back legs and under the tail (fig. 18/4).
An almost integral statuette of small size (missing the horn and tail tips) depicts
presumably a young cattle (fig. 18/1) that has all the morphological and somatic basic
features of the specie (the head with „V” shaped horns, a fine depiction of the sharpen
snout by two small alveoli, truncated legs, more robust front legs, tense tail).
We are bringing into discussion the fragment of an ornitomorphic statuette, made
from a red-brown paste representing the head of a bird (bustard ? / Otis tarda, grouse ?),
(fig. 16/6), with broken beak tip and deep lateral perforations, which indicate the holes of
the beak, eyes and ears. The fragment also displays deep vertical perforations made
probably for carry the beard or for additional decorative elements. This artefact displays
several similarities to one of the findings from the old investigations from Cucuteni-
Cetățuie, interpreted as an adornment (Schmidt, 1932, p. 69, fig. 19 b, pl. 35/26).
The zoomorphic protome applied on a small quasi-cylindrical with elongated
stand support-vessel (fig. 19/1) was discovered in 1970, inside of a „bucket” shaped pit in
which were also found various ceramic fragments with trichrome painting on a white
background, specific for Cucuteni A3 stage (Mihai, 1972-1973, p. 11). The pot was half
broken above the place where the protome was applied and on the base; the protome,
modelled in shape of a cattle head, had broken snout and horns. The artefact restoration
allowed the reconstruction of the initial appearance that depicted a cattle with highlighted
forehead and almost horizontal horns. An incision seems to indicate the right eye. Until
now, no other similar miniature support-vessel with zoomorphic protome was recovered,
the object being singular. We mention herein the right back leg of a fragmented
zoomorphic vessel painted in red and black on creamy white background that seems to
have belonged to the depiction of an ungulate (fig. 19/2).
Moving on to the zoomorphic artefacts collection from Costeşti-Cier, V. Ciurea
mentioned nine statuettes, of which he said that because of the simplified manner of
depiction none of the existing animals could be recognized, but he showed that several
objects resemble a dog, a ram, a pig etc. (Ciurea, 1938, p. 11, fig. 15). From the old and
new pictures and drawings we recognized, with probability: a female cattle with explicit
modelling of the udder, lambs, ewes and rams (fig. 15/1, 3, 6, 10; 16/3), some of them
are modelled accurate enough by indicating the snout and ears, but the extremely
unskilful horn depiction hinder additional clarifications. There is also a presumable bear
depiction (?) (fig. 15/11).
From the statuettes mentioned by M. Marin, i.e. two pig depictions, of which one
of 7 cm long made from red brick paste, modelled in a naturalistic manner with preeminent
snout and short tail (Marin, 1951, p. 95), we were able to identify an artefact (fig. 16/2),
with accurate depiction of snout, nostrils, forehead, withers, back, and another one, which
suggests a sheep of yellowish colour, with sharp snout and horns (fig. 16/1).
Within the new findings, we notice the depiction of an animal with long neck,
turned to left (horse ?, Cucuteni B, with perforation) (fig. 17/6), two fragments of statuettes
representing Capreolus ? kids with dots that suggest the spots on the fur (fig. 17/4, 5); a
Cucuteni B stylized cattle with perforation on the left side of the neck (harnessing item ?,
fig 17/9) and another one, probably a male, with the head missing, but with the bach
preserved and representation of testicle (fig. 19/5); a young sheep / ram ?, with quasi-
realistic modelling of the head with horns/ears/eyes and an incision on the forehead
suggesting a colour spot (fig. 17/8); a sheep with elongated body and rather realistic
depiction of the head (fig. 17/2); a dog with elongated body, obvious tail, in sitting posture
(fig. 17/1), a stylized bird sitting, with perforations that suggest the feathers colours
(partridge / Perdrix perdrix ? (fig. 17/3) and a fragment difficult to define (fig. 17/7).
Though it may be a relative remark, we have noticed that within all the assemblages the
statuettes depicting sheep and goats are the most frequent.
Within the Cucuteni A3 protoma, interpreted by case, as sceptres, animal heads on
tubular projections, rytha in the shape of a separate fragmented zoomorphic representation
(Popovici, Simiciuc, 1978, pl. I/2, 4; Petrescu-Dîmboviţa et alii, 1999, p. 549; Marinescu-
Bîlcu, Bolomey, 2000, p. 143, 144; Lazarovici, Lazarovici, 2012, p. 353) we include an
object modelled in the shape of a stylized cattle head, applied on a painted crater-vessel (fig.
19/3), discovered during the excavations from 1942, a „tube” that depicts the long neck of an
animal, attached to a zoomorphic vessel trichrome painted, recovered during the new
investigations (fig. 19/6 a-d) and a cattle horn fragment from another protome (fig. 19/4).
Being complementary to objects and containers, they should be studied as a
whole, together with the prime artefacts. Correspondences for these zoomorphic
representations may be found in the sites of Hăbăşeşti (Dumitrescu, 1954 d, p. 430-433, pl.
CXXIII/12-16), Truşeşti (Petrescu-Dîmboviţa et alii, 1999, p. 546, fig. 382/5-7; 383/1, 4-
6), Drăguşeni (Marinescu-Bîlcu, Bolomey, 2000, fig. 172/7; 174/1-6; 175/1, 2, 4, 5;
177/2), Ruginoasa (Lazarovici, Lazarovici, 2012, p. 353, fig. VIII.91) etc., being used
presumably as paraphernalia, within particular religious rites (Furnică, 2014 b, p. 88).
Use and abandonment related elements; semantics / meanings

We cannot make so far definite remarks on the abandonment and use of the
anthropomorphic and zoomorphic artefacts from the two sites. However, the association
with the other Precucuteni and Cucuteni findings suggests a complex use of
anthropomorphic and zoomorphic statuettes and paraphernalia within the communitiesʼ
rites and social-religious ceremonies.
Present during Precucuteni civilisation, as noticed within the discoveries from
Sabatinovka II (Makarevich, 1960, p. 290-301), Poduri (Monah, 1982, p. 11-13; Monah et
alii, 2003, p. 43-47), Isaiia (Ursulescu, Tencariu, 2006), Putineşti I (40 or 46 statuettes and
16 or 17 thrones in the surface dwelling / hovel no. 2) (Bodean, 2001, p. 82, n. 26), Târgu
Frumos-Baza Pătule (Ursulescu et alii, 2014, p. 377-414), the social / religious archetype
of the Great Mother / Great Mothers (Neumann 1974, p. 3-38; Monah, 2012, p. 232-239;
Jung, 2014, p. 69-170) was deeply embedded in the subconscious / unconscious and
mentality of Cucuteni communities, during all phases of its millenary evolution and was
perpetuated up to the religions of Antiquity (Lévèque, 1972, p. 145-179; Antonova, 1977,

p. 104-113; Ţurcanu, 1998, p. 42-199).
Even if we accept the existence of the Great Mother Goddess archetype, we
believe that it was multiplied into a variety of maternal deities with various attributes,
ranked and „specialized” in various fields, social status and age groups: goddess of life,
goddess of the house, of „marriage” and birth (apotropaic), goddess of death
(psychopomp), goddess of vegetation, goddess mistress of animals etc.
On a micro-community level, the Mother Goddess were „replicated” / depicted in
real life as role models mother females of each house / family, all statuettes being modelled
as individualities (particular features of fabrication, decoration, posture / gesture etc.)
indicating diversified social status – of sex / gender, age, social rank.
The particular care in the statuettes modelling and decoration, the depiction of
certain special biological-social status (nubility, pregnancy), of particular social ranks (the
male and female „wearer” of cross-chest belts and belts, clothing and footwear items,
adornments, hairdressing and body marking, suggested through incised, plastic, painted
and / or combined decoration, as well as the depiction of the enthroned / sitting on throne-
chairs posture etc.) suggest the powerful connection between the social and spiritual in the
mentality of these Chalcolithic communities. For the existence of social differences,
reflected through anthropomorphic plastic representations advocate also the sketchily
modelled and undecorated statuettes, all of them „speaking” about the large and complex
world of miniature artefacts.
Within the archetype of Great Mother (Goddess), a fundamental theme was
undoubtedly that of maternity, with complex connotations, related to the specificity of the
female biological and socio-cultural existence. Within this context, through fecundity and
maternity, the females had the role and status derived from those of primordial / archetypal
Great Mother / Mothers for which they were trained within the social micro- and macro
group, from birth (Petrescu, 2003, p. 227-236). Therefore, the clay representations (rare in
other materials) of nubile females, at the beginning of their biological-social life, of those
with fulfilled motherhood – pregnant women, women in childbirth gynaecologic posture,
„madonna”-women / women nursing / nurses / kourotrophoi (Hadzisteliou Price, 1978),
the woman-mistress (the mother of the house / family / clan, aged and honoured) must be
understood within a coherent system, with the magical and religious, social and cultural
facets, related to the pre- and protohistoric female and society life cycles.
The nubility subtopic, as shown by the oldest ethnologic sources (Fox, 1967, p.
27-54; Dowden, 1989, p. 50-55; Petitet, Vellore, 2007, p. 117-145) was undoubtedly
related to the „marriage” and maternity theme, like the main purpose of female existence.
Quite a few statuettes, closely modelled, representing young characters (the torso with
quite thin waist, according to Precucuteni and Cucuteni anthropological patterns, lacking
pregnancy marks, often covered in red etc.) seem to depict the female at the beginning of
her biological and social age of reproduction and motherhood fulfilment.
It seems that the presence or the non-presence of the male acolyte, which
impregnates and is naturally implied, does not count; but only the suggestion of the
predisposition, the display of the quality of becoming a life giving woman, a mother-woman,
by covering in red (Power, 2004, p. 75-103), by entering into the status and role of genitor
goddess / goddesses. At the same time, the minimal modelling of facial features, eyes and
mouth scarcely sketched or in the shape of en bec d’oiseau, could lead us to the Chalcolithic
craftsman intention to suggest only the idea of deities attributes transmitted on the human
bearers, or an illustration of the religious practice of face / power of deity depiction
prohibition by using allegorical representations (depiction of masks, the prohibition to
pronounce the deity real name or to use metaphorical names for the deities etc.).
The existence of the virgin deities and pathogenesis (Rigoglioso, 2009; 2010) may
be derivatives of nubile rites. That is why we cannot exclude the possibility that some of
these artefacts served probably as auxiliary / paraphernalia within nubile and marriage
rites4, foundation of the biological and social existence of the pre-and protohistoric women.
The Mother Goddesses (Primordial Genitors) had presumably the attributes of
„universal” uterus and „gods” midwife that poured their qualities (fertility, mothers and
foetuses protection) also over the humans. Within this context, the practice of magical and
apotropaic rites at birth („borrowing” another identity / identities by disguising the woman
that gives birth and the new borns, wearing protective amulets as idols modelled in
childbirth posture (Ursulescu et alii, 2004-2005, p. 9-20; Ursulescu et alii, 2006, p. 115-
130), en violon idols, rhombic pendants or by a series of practices that are invisible within
the archaeological record, i.e. uttering incantations and invocations etc.) were meant to
protect the woman that was giving birth and the infant and to facilitate birth.
Present from Early Neolithic, the masculine statuettes become more and more
frequent during Chalcolithic and it seems that they depict so far, two biological, psycho-
cultural and cultural archetypes: The Old Man / the Father / the Wise Man and the
Mythical Hero / the Young Warrior, very important within the collective unconscious
(Hopcke, 1999, p. 104-107, 113-120), borrowing in many cases the attributes and status of
the perceptible and / or imperceptible masculine acolytes of the female goddess. It would
be interesting to be able to track also within the masculine anthropomorphic plastic
representation of Precucuteni and Cucuteni cultures the changes of status of men inside the
Chalcolithic society, in line with their biology and social-cultural role, but the still low
number of statuettes makes this approach difficult.
It is possible that some of these statuettes were used as paraphernalia also during
initiation rites (Popova, 1996, p. 137; Ursulescu, 1996, p. 6) of the Precucuteni and
Cucuteni teenagers towards to maturity and virility / masculinity, even if they are not
depicted in an ithyphallic manner or in cultic scenes that replicate the hierogamy. Later,
during all Cucuteni phases, the representation of these archetypes gains consistency
(masculine statuettes with young man attributes: narrower pelvis, plastically depicted
penis, spread legs, a more simply incised ornamentation, belts and cross-chest belts
plastically modelled and / or painted) as noticed within the Costeşti-Cier collection.
It becomes more and more obvious that the miniature thrones were designed and
used along with the sitting anthropomorphic statuettes, which are quite many in the site
of Costeşti from the old and new investigations, composing cultic groups that suggested
different situations and ceremonial postures reproduced in / from the Chalcolithic reality.
It is not excluded that such miniature cultic groups and scenes have involved the use of
4
See also the well-known pairs of „lovers” of Gumelnița culture: Sultana, Gumelnița, Căscioarele, regardless
of the depiction style; Andreescu, 2002, p. 50, 51, pl. 36, 38.1, IV, V.12.
scale model dwellings together with the anthropomorphic and zoomorphic statuettes, etc.
as noticed within the findings from Platia Magoula Zarkou (Thessaly, Greece) (Gallis,
1985, p. 20-24) or several Cucuteni cult complexes from Ghelăieşti (Cucoş, 1973, p. 207-
214; 1993, p. 59-80).
Therefore, the multipurpose use of anthropomorphic statuettes and of
paraphernalia type is quite obvious, having an important function within the life of
Cucuteni and Precucuteni communities.
Considering the high number of Cucucuteni A-B2 / B1 statuettes, mainly
anthropomorphic, discovered until now at Costeşti, by comparison to the site dimensions
and estimated number of inhabitants, and also the important number of such artefacts in
fragmentary condition, we believe that the site was specialized in the production of this
type of artefacts designed for cultic-domestic and collective ceremonies, social-individual
and collective ceremonies, passage and seasonal rites with strong interdependencies
between them.
As regards the zoomorphic representations, a comprehensive approach must take
into account the multipurpose use of this category of artefacts from an anthropo-
zoomorphism point of view, the „animals”, in a generic meaning, being perceived as
substitutes (alter-ego) and / or complementary elements to human beings, with the
corresponding transfer of power, qualities / defects etc., as companions of humans and
onomastic determinants, symbols of political power, vehicles of magic power – sacrifices,
magic practices, paraphernalia in rituals, divination or with apotropaic function, for the
latter cases could be considered fabulous animals. An integrated approach by relating the
statuettes to other categories of artefacts – furniture, architectural elements, installation,
ways of organizing the built space etc. – may complement the understanding and accurate
interpretation of zoomorphic representations.
The animals and the zoomorphic representations accompanied the man during a
certain period of prehistory, up to the traditional cultures, having an important place and
function within an ubiquitous sacred world, with particular social and spiritual dimensions:
the herd as economical-social indicator (propriety, wealth, prestige, power), the changing
of the role of certain animal categories within the social-economical system (economic
resources, the secondary products revolution), animals as kinship and ethnicity indicators
(totems and ethno-totems) etc.
Also, we believe that the animal clay replicas served as cultic artefacts (magic-
religious) that mediated the animal growth and breeding (Dumitrescu 1954 d, p. 430;
Marinescu-Bîlcu, 1974, p. 102, 103; Lazarovici, Maxim, 1995, p. 147; Boghian, 2000, p.
230; 2004, p. 133), defense of the herds against diseases and wild animals, increase of
animal products quantity, emphasize the power, prestige, virility (the bull, the ram, the goat
male as masculine acolytes), totemic animals (the bear, the wolf) with important social and
spiritual connotations, the females related to the cults of mother-goddesses, sometimes as
their substitutes, psychopomp animals, animals for sacrifices (Mellaart, 1967; Markevich,
1973, p. 155, 156; Gimbutas, 1974; Evseev, 1994, p. 184; Monah, 1997, p. 209; Bodi,
2010, p. 212; Torcică, 2012, p. 60; Spasić, 2012, p. 295) etc. contaminating the spirit and
leading the life of Neolithic and Chalcolithic communities.
Conclusions
In the end, we believe that the anthropomorphic and zoomorphic plastic of
Precucuteni and Cucuteni communities is a highly complex category of cultic,
multipurpose artefacts, used in a wide range of social and spiritual manifestations,
reflecting the strong interpenetration between the human and the divine world, present in
the Neolithic and Chalcolithic mentality. The plastic representations of Costeşti-Cier şi
Giurgeşti-Dealul Mănăstirii enrich the factual, casuistic and hermeneutic repertoires of
anthropomorphic and zoomorphic statuettes/figurines and paraphernalia of Cucuteni
culture and Chalcolithic on the whole.
Even if until now, no explicit cultic association was discovered in the two sites
(dwellings and cultic complexes), the high number of these artefacts, the diversity of
anthropomorphic and zoomorphic representations, the association with paraphernalia
(anthropomorphic and zoomorphic vessels) determine us to consider that each category
and also the assemblies had a purpose / function related to the extremely comprehensive
sphere of Chalcolithic pantheon palaeo-deities cults, including the use of certain statuettes
in the foundation rites, social passage rites, in seasonal ceremonies, in magical, apotropaic
and divination practices, upon which „depended” the entire existence of the Cucuteni man.
The miniature world was the replica / duplicate of the real and the divine world
with extremely high power, as less visible it was. The conception of the world duality,
noticeable throughout the entire Neolithic and Chalcolithic mentality implied the
realization of miniature representations that embodied and were contaminated with divine
features. These miniature cultic artefacts were present/were kept and used in each house, in
all passage and seasonal rituals / ceremonies (in the birth, initiation and passage of status of
different ages, micro-and macro social roles, the death, the deceased memory perpetuation
in post-existence / the cult of ancestors, the sowing and harvesting, with strong
interpenetration), essential for the life of the individual and communities of pre- and proto-
history, which were overlapping with the mythical life of deities and were cyclically
ritually reproduced according to their time periods.
The integrated and holistic interpretation of the anthropomorphic and zoomorphic
plastic, together with the corresponding paraphernalia from the sites of Costeşti and
Giurgeşti, in relation to the similar artefacts discovered in other Precucuteni and Cucuteni
sites help us to achieve a better understanding of the Chalcolithic human mentality.
References:
Alaiba, R.; Grădinaru, I. (1995), Staţiunea din perioada de tranziţie de la eneolitic la
epoca bronzului de la Cârniceni-Pe Coastă, jud. Iaşi, in Cercetări arheologice în
aria nord-tracă, I, p. 64-80.
Ambrojevici, C. (1933), L’époque néolithique de la Bessarabie de Nord-Ouest, in Dacia,
III-IV (1927-1932), p. 24-45.
Andreescu, R.-R. (2002), Plastica antropomorfă gumelniţeană. Analiză primară,
Bucureşti, 124 p.
Antonova, E.V. (1977), Antropomorfnaya skulptura drevnich zemledeltsev Perednej i
Srednej Azii, Moskva, 152 p.
Bem, C. (2007), Traian-Dealul Fântânilor. Fenomenul Cucuteni A-B, Editura „Cetatea de

Scaun”, Târgovişte, 286 p, 190 tab. + pl.
Bodean, S. (2001), Aşezările culturii Precucuteni-Tripolie A în Republica Moldova.
Repertoriu, Editura Pontos, Chişinău, 138 p.
Bodi, G. (2010), Hoiseşti-La Pod. O aşezare cucuteniană pe valea Bahluiului, Editura
Pim, Iaşi, 298 p.
Boghian, D. (2000), La plastique du complexe Précucuteni-Cucuteni dans la basin de
Bahlui, in Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica, VII, p. 221-245.
Boghian, D. (2004), Comunităţile cucuteniene din bazinul Bahluiului, Editura „Bucovina
Istorică” - Editura Universităţii „Ştefan cel Mare”, Suceava, 406 p.
Boghian, D. (2009), Costeşti-Cier, in Lazarovici, C.-M.; Lazarovici, Gh.; Ţurcanu, S.
(eds.), Cucuteni. A Great Civilization of the Prehistoric World, Editura „Palatul
Culturii”, Iaşi, p. 98, 99.
Boghian, D. (2009), Gestualité et sémantique dans la plastique anthropomorphe de la
Culture Précucuteni. Entre tradition et innovation, in Cotiugă, V.; Tencariu,
F.A.; Bodi, G. (eds.), Itinera in praehistoria. Studia in honorem magistri Nicolae
Ursulescu quinto et sexagesimo anno, Editura Universității „Alexandru Ioan
Cuza”, Iași, p. 61-80.
Boghian, D. (2010), Les marquages corporels chez les communautés néolithiques et
énéolithiques carpato-danubiennes (I), in Codrul Cosminului, XVI, 1, p. 5-20.
Boghian, D. (2011), Les marquages corporels chez les communautés néolithiques et
énéolithiques carpato-danubiennes (II), in Codrul Cosminului, XVII, 1, p. 5-35.
Boghian, D. (2012), Unele consideraţii cu privire la vasele cucuteniene antropomorfe şi
antropomorfizate, in Arheologia Moldovei, XXXV, p. 107-136.
Boghian, D.; Enea, S.-C.; Ignătescu, S.; Bejenaru, L.; Stanc S.-M. (2014 c), Comunităţile
cucuteniene din zona Târgului Frumos. Cercetări interdisciplinare în siturile
Costeşti şi Giurgeşti, Editura Universităţii „Alexandru Ioan Cuza”, Iaşi, 322 p.
Boghian, D.; Enea, S.-C.; Părpăuţă, T.; Tencariu, F.-A.; Vornicu, D.-M., Asăndulesei,
A.; Gania, S.; Vornicu A.; Furnică, R.-G.; Munteanu, B. (2013), Costeşti,
com. Costeşti, jud. Iaşi, punct: Cier / Lângă Şcoală, in Cronica Cercetărilor
Arheologice din România. Campania 2012, p. 199, 200, 366, 367.
Boghian, D.; Enea, S.-C.; Pîrnău, R.-G.; Secu, C. (2014 b), Elemente de landscape
archaeology în zona siturilor cucuteniene Costeşti-Cier şi Giurgeşti-Dealul
Mănăstirii, jud. Iaşi, in Forţiu, S.; Cîntar, A. (eds.), In Honorem Gheorghe
Lazarovici. Interdisciplinaritate în Arheologie, vol. 2, ArheoVest, II, Jate Press,
Szeged, p. 571-611.
Boghian, D.; Ignătescu, S. (2007), Quelques considérations sur un vase Cucuteni B aux
représentations anthropomorphes peintes, découvert à Feteşti-La Schit (dép. de
Suceava), in Codrul Cosminului, 13 (23), p. 3-12.
Boghian, D.; Ignătescu, S.; Enea, S.-C.; Ignat, I.; Tencariu, F.-A.; Vornicu, D.-M.;
Vornicu, A.; Furnică, R.-G.; Părpăuţă, T. (2014 a), Costeşti, com. Costeşti,
jud. Iaşi, punct: Cier / Lângă Şcoală, in Cronica Cercetărilor Arheologice din
România. Campania 2013, p. 204-206, 518-525.
Boghian, D.; Ignătescu, S.; Enea, S.-C.; Pîrnău, R.; Vornicu, D.-M.; Secu, C.;
Furnică, R.-G.; Vornicu, A. (2015), Costeşti, com. Costeşti, jud. Iaşi, punct:
Cier / Lângă Şcoală, in Cronica Cercetărilor Arheologice din România.
Campania 2014, p. 195-198, 507-515.
Boghian, D.; Mihai, C. (1987), Le complexe de culte et le vase à décor ornithomorphe
peint découverts à Buznea (dép. de Iaşi), in Petrescu-Dîmboviţa, M.; Ursulescu,
N.; Monah, D.; Chirica, V. (eds.), La civilisation de Cucuteni en contexte
européen. Session scientifique dédiée au centenaire des premières découvertes de
Cucuteni (Iaşi - Piatra Neamţ, 24-28 septembre 1984), Bibliotheca Archaeologica
Iassiensis, I, Iaşi, p. 313-324.
Ciurea, V. (1938), Muzeul Fălticenilor. Contribuţiuni la Preistoria jud. Baia. Staţiunea
Costeşti, Fălticeni, 12 p.
Comşa, E. (1985), Consideraţii cu privire la pieptănătura în cursul epocii neolitice pe
teritoriul României, in Cultură și Civilizație la Dunărea de Jos, II, p. 51-60.
Comşa, E. (1989), Unele date despre îmbrăcămintea din epoca neolitică pe teritoriul
Moldovei, in Hierasus, VII-VIII, p. 39-56.
Cucoş, Şt. (1970), Reprezentări antropomorfe în decorul pictat cucutenian de la
Ghelăieşti (jud. Neamţ), in Memoria Antiquitatis, II, p. 101-114.
Cucoş, Şt. (1972), Noi reprezentări antropomorfe pictate pe ceramica cucuteniană, in
Carpica, V, p. 91-93.
Cucoş, Şt. (1973), Un complex ritual cucutenian ritual cucutenian descoperit la Ghelăieşti
(jud. Neamţ), in Studii și Cercetări de Istorie Veche, 24, 2, p. 207-214.
Cucoş, Şt. (1993), Complexe rituale cucuteniene de la Ghelăieşti, jud. Neamţ, in Studii și
Cercetări de Istorie Veche și Arheologie, 44, 1, p. 59-68.
Cucoş, Şt. (1999), Faza Cucuteni B în zona subcarpatică a Moldovei, Bibliotheca
Memoriae Antiquitatis, VI, Editura „Constantin Matasă”, Piatra-Neamţ, 304 p.
Dinu, M. (2006), Principalele rezultate ale cercetărilor arheologice de la Băiceni-Dâmbul
Morii, com. Cucuteni (1961-1966), in Ursulescu, N.; Lazarovici, C.-M. (coord.),
Cucuteni 120 – Valori universale. Lucrările Simpozionului Național Iași, 30
septembrie 2004, Bibliotheca Archaeologica Iassiensis, XVII, Editura Sedcom
Libris, Iași, p. 31-56.
Dowden, K. (1989), Death and the Maiden. Girlsʼ Initiation Rites in Greek Mythology,
Routledge Revivals, London - New York, 258 p.
Dumitrescu, H. (1954 c), Diferite obiecte, in Dumitrescu, Vl.; Dumitrescu, H.;
Petrescu-Dîmboviţa, M.; Gostar, N., Hăbăşeşti. Monografie arheologică,
Editura Academiei, Bucureşti, p. 456-476.
Dumitrescu, H. (1954 d), Plastica, in Dumitrescu, Vl.; Dumitrescu, H.; Petrescu-
Dîmboviţa, M.; Gostar, N., Hăbăşeşti. Monografie arheologică, Editura
Academiei, Bucureşti, p. 422-434.
Dumitrescu, H. (1960), Antropomorfnye izobrazheniya na sosudah iz Traian, in Dacia,
Nouvelle Sèrie, IV, p. 31-52.
Dumitrescu, Vl. (1945), La station préhistorique de Traian (dép. de Neamţ). Fouilles des
années 1936, 1938 et 1940, in Dacia, IX-X, p. 11-114.
Dumitrescu, Vl. (1954 b), Plastica, in Dumitrescu, Vl.; Dumitrescu, H.; Petrescu-
Dîmboviţa, M.; Gostar, N., Hăbăşeşti. Monografie arheologică, Editura
Academiei, Bucureşti, p. 403-422.
Dumitrescu, Vl.; Dumitrescu, H.; Petrescu-Dîmboviţa, M.; Gostar, N. (1954 a),
Hăbăşeşti. Monografie arheologică, Editura Academiei, Bucureşti, 606 p.
Evseev, I. (1994), Dicţionar de simboluri şi arhetipuri culturale, Editura Amarcord,
Timişoara, 224 p.
Fox, R. (1967), Kinship and Marriage. An Anthropological Perspective, Penguin,
Harmondsworth, 272 p.
Furnică, R.-G. (2014 a), Reprezentări zoomorfe în neoliticul şi eneoliticul de la est de
Carpaţi, teză de doctorat, Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza”, Iaşi.
Furnică, R.-G. (2014 b), Plastica zoomorfă, in Boghian, D.; Enea, S.-C.; Ignătescu, S.;
Bejenaru, L.; Stanc S.-M., Comunităţile cucuteniene din zona Târgului Frumos.
Cercetări interdisciplinare în siturile Costeşti şi Giurgeşti, Editura Universităţii
„Alexandru Ioan Cuza”, Iaşi, p. 86-90.
Gallis, K.J. (1985), A late neolithic foundation offering from Thessaly, in Antiquity, 59,
p. 20-24.
Gimbutas, M. (1974), The Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe: Myths and Cult Images,
University of California Press, Berkeley, 304 p.
Hadzisteliou Price, T. (1978), Kourotrophos: Cults and Representations of the Greek
Nursing Deities, Brill Academic Publishers, Netherlands, 242 p.
Hopke, R.H. (1999), A Guide Tour of the Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Shambhala
Publications Inc., Boston, 204 p.
Lazarovici, Gh.; Maxim, Z. (1995), Gura Baciului. Monografie arheologică, Bibliotheca
Musei Napocensis, XI, Cluj-Napoca, 436 p.
Lazarovici, C.-M.; Lazarovici, Gh. (2012), Ruginoasa-Dealul Drăghici. Monografie
arheologică, Bibliotheca Archaeologica Moldaviae, XX, Editura „Karl A.
Romstorfer”, Suceava.
Lévèque, P. (1972), Formes et structures méditerranéennes dans la genèse de la religion
grecque, in Praelectiones Patavinae, IX, p. 145-179.
Makarevich, M.L. (1960), Ob ideologicheskikh predstavleniyakh u tripol’skikh plemen, in
Zapiski Odesskogo Arkheologicheskogo Obshchestva, I (34), p. 290-301.
Mantu, C.-M.; Ţurcanu, S. (1999), Catalog, in Chirica, V.; Mantu, C.-M.; Ţurcanu, S.
(eds.), Scânteia. Cercetare arheologică şi restaurare, Editura Helios, Iaşi, 160 p.
Markevich, V.I. (1973), Pamyatniki epokh neolita i eneolita, in Arheologicheskaya karta
Moldavskoy SSR, II, Chişinău, p. 3-162.
Markevich, V.I. (1981), Pozdnetripol’skie plemena Severnoy Moldavii, Editura Ştiinţa,
Chişinău.
Mareş, I. (1996), Quelques considérations concernant le trône de Lipcani, in
Dumitroaia, Gh.; Monah, D. (eds.), Cucuteni aujourd’hui. 110 ans depuis la
découverte en 1884 du site eponyme, Bibliotheca Memoriae Antiquitatis, II,
Piatra-Neamţ, p. 63-68.
Marin, M. (1948), La plastica antropomorfa cucuteniana nella Dacia, in Rivista di
Scienze Preistoriche, III, 1-2, p. 17-57.
Marin, M. (1951), Staţiunea neo-eneolitică de la Costeşti (jud. Baia), in Orizonturi, 3 / 7-

12, p. 89-98.
Marinescu-Bîlcu, S. (1974), Cultura Precucuteni pe teritoriul României, Biblioteca de
Arheologie, XXII, Editura Academiei, București, 272 p.
Marinescu-Bîlcu, S. (1981), Tîrpeşti. From Prehistory to History in Eastern Romania,
British Archaeological Reports, International Series, 107, 173 p., 245 fig.
Marinescu-Bîlcu, S.; Bolomey, Al. (2000), Drăguşeni. A Cucutenian Community, Editura
Enciclopedică - Editura Wasmuth, Bucureşti - Tübingen, 198 p., 190 fig.
Matasă, C. (1941), Deux stations à céramique peinte de Moldavie, in Dacia, VII-VIII
(1937-1940), p. 69-84.
Mateescu, C.-N. (1940), O nouă staţiune preistorică din cercul ceramicii pictate:
Costeşti-Baia, in Revista de Preistorie și Antichități Naționale, II-IV, p. 63-70.
Maxim-Alaiba, R. (1987), Le complexe de culte de la phase Cucuteni A de Dumeşti (dép.
de Vaslui), in Petrescu-Dîmboviţa, M.; Ursulescu, N.; Monah, D.; Chirica, V.
(eds.), La civilisation de Cucuteni en contexte européen. Session scientifique
dédiée au centenaire des premières découvertes de Cucuteni (Iaşi - Piatra Neamţ,
24-28 septembre 1984), Bibliotheca Archaeologica Iassiensis, I, Iaşi, p. 269-286.
Mellaart, J. (1967), Çatalhöyük. A Neolithic Town in Anatolia (New Aspects of
Archaeology), McGraw-Hill, New York, 232 p.
Mihai, C. (1972-1973), Aşezările de la Giurgeşti şi Buznea în zona Târgului Frumos, in
Danubius, 6-7, p. 11-13.
Mihai, C.; Boghian, D. (1985), Complexul cucutenian de cult descoperit la Buznea
(oraşul Târgu Frumos), in Memoria Antiquitatis, IX-XI (1977-1979), p. 429-452.
Monah, D. (1982), O importantă descoperire arheologică, in Arta, 7-8, p. 11-13.
Monah, D. (1997), Plastica antropomorfă a Culturii Cucuteni-Tripolie, ed. I, Bibliotheca
Memoriae Antiquitatis, III, Piatra-Neamţ, 522 p.
Monah, D. (2012), Plastica antropomorfă a Culturii Cucuteni-Tripolie, ed. II, Bibliotheca
Memoriae Antiquitatis, XXVII, Editura „Constantin Matasă”, Piatra-Neamţ, 554 p.
Monah, D.; Dumitroaia, Gh.; Monah, F.; Preoteasa, C.; Munteanu, R.; Nicola, D.
(2003), Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru. O Troie în Subcarpaţii Moldovei, Bibliotheca
Memoriae Antiquitatis, XIII, Editura „Constantin Matasă”, Piatra-Neamţ, 248 p.
Neumann, E. (1974), The Great Mother: An Analysis of the Archetype, Princeton
University Press, New Jersey, 379 p., 185 pl.
Petitet, P.H.; Vellore, P. (2007), Ethnographical views on valaikappu. A pregnancy rite in
Tamil Nadu, in Indian Anthropologist, 37 (1), p. 117-145.
Petrescu, N. (2003), Primitivii. Organizare. Instituţii. Credinţe. Mentalitate, Editura
Saeculum I.O., Bucureşti, 480 p.
Petrescu-Dîmboviţa, M.; Florescu, M.; Florescu, A.-C. (1999), Truşeşti. Monografie
arheologică, Editura Academiei, Bucureşti - Iaşi, 812 p.
Petrescu-Dîmboviţa, M.; Văleanu, M.-C. (2004), Cucuteni-Cetăţuie. Monografie
arheologică. Săpăturile din 1961-1966, Bibliotheca Memoriae Antiquitatis,
Editura „Constantin Matasă”, Piatra-Neamţ, 722 p.
Popova, T.A. (1996), Unique iconographical image of tripolian sculpture, in

Dumitroaia, Gh.; Monah, D. (eds.), Cucuteni aujourd’hui. 110 ans depuis la
découverte en 1884 du site eponyme, Bibliotheca Memoriae Antiquitatis, II,
Piatra-Neamţ, p. 131-140.
Popovici, D.-N.; Simiciuc C. (1978), Figurine din lut din vechile colecţii ale muzeelor din
judeţul Suceava (I), in Suceava, V, p. 561-565.
Popovici, D.-N.; Simiciuc C. (1979-1980), Figurine din lut din vechile colecţii ale
muzeelor din judeţul Suceava (II), in Suceava, VI-VII, p. 643-656.
Power, C. (2004), Women in Prehistoric Art, in Berghaus, G. (ed.), New Perspectives on
Prehistoric Art, Praeger, London, p. 75-103.
Rich, S. (2008), Midwifery and Neolithic Malta: interpreting and Contextualizing two
terracotta figurines, in Omertaa 2008. Journal of Applied Anthropology, p. 260-268
(http://www.omertaa.org/archive/).
Rigoglioso, M. (2009), The Cult of Divine Birth in Ancient Greece, Palgrave Macmillan,
New York, 292 p.
Rigoglioso, M. (2010), Virgin Mother Goddesses of Antiquity, Palgrave Macmillan, New
York, 280 p.
Roman, P. (2001), Die Cernavoda III - Boleráz-Kulturerscheinung im Gebiet der Unteren
Donau, in Roman, P.; Diamandi, S. (eds.), Cernavodă III - Boleráz. Ein
Vorgeschichtlisches Phänomen zwischen dem OberRhein un der Unteren Donau,
Bucureşti, p. 13-59.
Schmidt, H. (1932), Cucuteni, in der oberen Moldau, Rumänien. Die befestigte Siedlung
mit bemalter Keramik von der Steinkupferzeit bis in die vollentwickelte
Bronzezeit, Walter de Gruyter Verlag, Berlin - Leipzig, 132 p.
Spasić, M. (2012), Cattle to Settle-Bull to Rule: on Bovine Iconography among Late Neolithic
Vinča Culture Communities, in Documenta Praehistorica, XXXIX, p. 295-308.
Sztáncsuj, S.-J. (2007), Plastică şi reprezentări zoomorfe din aşezarea eneolitică de la
Ariuşd (Erösd), in Acta Siculica, p. 187-206.
Torcică, I. (2012), Piese de tipul „coarne de consecraţie” descoperite în aşezările
Vităneşti „Măgurice” (jud. Teleorman) şi Surduleşti (jud. Argeş), in Buletinul
Muzeului Județean Teleorman, 4, p. 59-70.
Ţerna, S. (2013), On the stone figurines of the Cucuteni-Tripolye Culture, in Boghian, D.;
Niculică, B.-P. (eds.), Semper fidelis. In honorem magistri Mircea Ignat, Editura
Istros, Suceava, p. 107-123.
Ţurcan, R. (1998), Cultele orientale în lumea romană, Editura Enciclopedică, Bucureşti,
470 p.
Ţurcanu, S. (2011 a), Obiecte de podoabă cucuteniene: coliere şi pandantive, in
Stratulat, L.; Puiu V.; Cantemir, L.; Chiriţă, L. (eds.), Al-VI-lea Simpozion
Internaţional Cucuteni 5000. Ştiinţe exacte şi mai puţin exacte, Editura „Palatul
Culturii”, Iaşi, p. 17-30.
Ţurcanu, S. (2011 b), Podoabe pentru gât reprezentate pe statuetele antropomorfe ale
culturii Cucuteni-Tripolie, in Cercetări Istorice, Serie Nouă, XXVII-XXIX, p. 9-36.
Ţurcanu, S. (2013), Cucutenian Body Ornamenting Items: From the Raw Materials
Perspective, in Arheologia Moldovei, XXXVI, p. 61-78.
Ursulescu, N. (1999), Nouvelles données concernant la représentation de la coiffure dans

la plastique de la civilisation Cucuteni-Tripolye, in Studia Antiqua et
Archaeologica, VI, p. 1-8.
Ursulescu, N. (2014), Despre problema figurinelor de piatră ale culturii Cucuteni-
Tripolye, in Acta Musei Tutovensis, IX-X, p. 58-67.
Ursulescu, N.; Boghian, D.; Cotiugă, V. (2005), Nouveaux types d’idoles dans la
plastique anthropomorphe de la culture Précucuteni, in Studia Antiqua et
Archaeologica, X-XI, p. 9-20.
Ursulescu, N.; Boghian, D.; Cotiugă, V. (2006), Ipostaze rare ale cultului fertilităţii în
plastica antropomorfă a culturii Precucuteni, in Ursulescu, N.; Lazarovici, C.-
M. (coord.), Cucuteni 120 – Valori universale. Lucrările Simpozionului Național
Iași, 30 septembrie 2004, Bibliotheca Archaeologica Iassiensis, XVII, Editura
Sedcom Libris, Iași, p. 115-130.
Ursulescu, N.; Tencariu, F.-A. (2006), Religie şi magie la est de Carpaţi acum 7000 de
ani. Tezaurul cu obiecte de cult de la Isaiia, Casa Editorială Demiurg, Iaşi, 156 p.
Ursulescu, N.; Boghian, D.; Cotiugă, V. (2014), Contribution to the knowledge of the
anthropomorphic plastic art of the Précucuteni culture. The representation from
the settlement of Târgu Frumos, in Ursu C.-E.; Ţerna S. (eds.),
Anthropomorphism and Symbolic Behavior in the Neolithic and Copper Age
Communities of South-Eastern Europe, Studies into South-East European
Prehistory, I, Editura „Karl A. Romstorfer”, Suceava, p. 377-414.
Vasilache, V.; Sandu, I.; Enea, S.-C.; Sandu, I.-G. (2014), Determinări ceramografice
pe loturi din siturile Costeşti şi Giurgeşti, in Boghian, D.; Enea, S.-C.;
Ignătescu, S.; Bejenaru, L.; Stanc S.-M., Comunităţile cucuteniene din zona
Târgului Frumos. Cercetări interdisciplinare în siturile Costeşti şi Giurgeşti,
Editura Universităţii „Alexandru Ioan Cuza”, Iaşi, p. 138-147.
Voinea, V. (2002), Adoratio et invocatio. Gesturi religioase ancestrale reprezentate pe vase
de cult gumelniţene, in Cultură și Civilizație la Dunărea de Jos, XIX, p. 112-121.
Vulpe, E. (1944), Raport asupra săpăturilor din comuna Costeşti-Baia din August-
Septembrie 1943, in Raport asupra activităţii ştiinţifice a Muzeului Naţional de
Antichităţi în anii 1942 şi 1943, Bucureşti, p. 37, 38.
Fig. 1. General location (1) and views of the sites

Costești-„Cier” (2) and Giurgești-„Dealul Mănăstirii” (3).
Fig. 2. Anthropomorphic representations from Giurgești and Costești (1-18)

(research 1942 – „Vasile Pârvan” Institute of Archaeology, Bucharest) (photo: S. Ignătescu).
Fig. 3. Cucuteni A3 anthropomorphic representations from Costești (1-7) and Giurgești (8-10)
(1-4, 6-7 – research: 2012-2014; 5 – apud Mateescu, 1940; 8-11 – research: C. Mihai)
(photo: S.-C. Enea).
Fig. 4. Cucuteni A3 anthropomorphic representations from Giurgești (1-12)

(research: C. Mihai; „Ion Neculce” High School of Târgu Frumos collection)
(photo: S.-C. Enea).
Fig. 5. Cucuteni A3 anthropomorphic representations from Costești (1-7)

(1, 3, 5 – research: C. Matasă, History and Archaeology Museum of Piatra-Neamț collection;
2, 4 – surface research; 6, 7 – research 2012-2014)
(1, 3, 5 – photo: S. Ignătescu; 2, 4, 6, 7 – photo: S.-C. Enea).
Fig. 6. Cucuteni A3 antropomorphic vessels (1-3) and paraphernalia / „thrones” / chairs (4-7)
from Giurgești (1) and Costești (2-7)
(1-3 – research 1942, „Vasile Pârvan” Institute of Archaeology, Bucharest;
4-7 – research 2012-2014) (1-3 – photo: S. Ignătescu; 4-7 – photo: S.-C. Enea).
Fig. 7. Cucuteni A-B2 / B1 anthropomorphic representations from Costești (1-8)

(1 – apud Mateescu, 1940;
2-6 – research: C. Matasă, History and Archaeology Museum of Piatra-Neamț collection;
7-8 – surface research) (2-6 – photo: S. Ignătescu; 7, 8 – photo S.-C. Enea).

(1-6, 8-11 – research: V. Ciurea, 1937; Water Museum of Fălticeni collection;
7 – research 2012-2014) (1-6, 8-11 – photo: S. Ignătescu; 7 – photo: S.-C. Enea).
Fig. 9. Cucuteni A3 (2) and Cucuteni A-B2 / B1 (1, 3-8)

anthropomorphic representations from Costeşti
(research V. Ciurea, 1937; Water Museum of Fălticeni collection)
(1-8 – photo: S. Ignătescu).

(1-2, 4-7 – surface research; „Ion Neculce” High School of Târgu Frumos collection;
3 – research 2012-2014) (1-7 – photo: S.-C. Enea).
Fig. 11. Cucuteni A-B2 / B1 (1-12) and Horodiștea-Erbiceni II (13, 14)

anthropomorphic representations from Costești
(1-13 – research 2012-2014; 14 – research: V. Ciurea, 1937;
Water Museum of Fălticeni collection) (1-13 – photo: S.-C. Enea; 14 – photo: S. Ignătescu).

(research 2012-2014) (photo: S.-C. Enea).
Fig. 13. Cucuteni A3 conical idols (3-6)

and Cucuteni A-B2 / B1 anthropomorphic representations (1, 4-5, 7-12) from Costești
Fig. 14. Painted human depiction from Costești.

Fig. 15. Zoomorphic representations from Costești (1-13)

(1-5, 7-13 – research: V. Ciurea, 1937; Water Museum of Fălticeni collection;
6 – surface research) (1 a, 2, 4-5, 8, 9, 12, 13 – apud Ciurea, 1938;
1 b-d, 3 b-c, 7, 11 – apud Popovici, Simiciuc, 1978; 6 a-b – apud Mateescu, 1940)
(3 a, 10 – photo S. Ignătescu).
Fig. 16. Zoomorphic representations from Costești (1-5, 7) and Giurgești (6)
(1, 2 – research 1942; „Vasile Pârvan” Institute of Archaeology, Bucharest;
3-5, 7 – research: V. Ciurea, 1937; Water Museum of Fălticeni collection; 6 – surface research)
(1-4 a-b, 5 c, 7 – photo: S. Ignătescu; 4 c, 5 a – apud Popovici, Simiciuc, 1978;
5 b – apud Ciurea, 1938; 6 – photo: S.-C. Enea).
Fig. 17. Zoomorphic representations from Costești (1-9)

Fig. 18. Cucuteni A3 zoomorphic representations from Giurgești (1-5)

(research: C. Mihai) (photo: S.-C. Enea).
Fig. 19. Cucuteni A3 zoomorphic vessels (1-4, 6) and figurine (5)

from Giurgești (1-2) and Costești (3-6)
(1, 2 – surface research; 3-6 – research 2012-2014)
(photo: S.-C. Enea; drawing D. Boghian).
View publication stats

CUCUTENI 130plasticaall

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

CUCUTENI 130plasticaall

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

Anthropomorphic and Zoomorphic Representations from Cucuteni Sites of

Chapter · December 2016

Neolithic and Aeneolithic Spirituality View project

The Bronze Age Spirituality View project

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Descrierea CIP a Bibliotecii Naţionale a României

I. Cucuteni - 130. International Colloquium (2014; Piatra-Neamț)

© Complexul Muzeal Județean Neamț

EDITURA „CONSTANTIN MATASĂ”

Constantin Preoteasa, Ciprian-Dorin Nicola

Constantin Preoteasa, Loredana Pricop

Constantin Preoteasa, Loredana Pricop

Gheorghe Lazarovici, Cornelia-Magda Lazarovici

Robin Brigand, Olivier Weller

Diana-Maria Sztáncs, Corneliu Beldiman, Costel Ilie

Andrzej Pelisiak, Taras Tkachuk

Bogdan Petru Niculică

Dumitru Boghian, Sergiu-Constantin Enea, Radu Gabriel Pîrnău

Katalin T. Biró, Sándor József Sztáncsuj

Dan Lucian Buzea, Adela Kovács

Corneliu Beldiman, Diana-Maria Sztáncs, Dan Lucian Buzea, Björn Briewig

Sergiu-Constantin Enea, Dumitru Boghian, Sorin Ignătescu

Gheorghe Lazarovici, Cornelia-Magda Lazarovici

Vasile Diaconu, Gheorghe Dumitroaia

Małgorzata Rybicka, Aleksandr Diachenko

Vasile Cotiugă, Nicolae Ursulescu, Ștefan Caliniuc

Gheorghe Dumitroaia, Constantin Preoteasa, Ciprian-Dorin Nicola

Andrzej Pelisiak, Thomas Saile, Maciej Dębiec

List of Contributors ...................................................................................................... 835

Bibliotheca Memoriae Antiquitatis Collection .............................................................. 841

Keywords: Chalcolithic, Cucuteni, statuettes, figurines, anthropomorphic,

the Cucutenian anthropomorphic and zoomorphic statuettes, in particular to those of A-B2 /

Anthropomorphic plastic representations and paraphernalia

Modelling and shaping

Anthropomorphic representations and paraphernalia of Cucuteni A-B2 / B1 stage

Modelling and shaping

So far, no fragment of anthropomorphic / anthropomorphized vessels was

Zoomorphic representations and paraphernalia

Modelling and shaping

Use and abandonment related elements; semantics / meanings

perpetuated up to the religions of Antiquity (Lévèque, 1972, p. 145-179; Antonova, 1977,

Bem, C. (2007), Traian-Dealul Fântânilor. Fenomenul Cucuteni A-B, Editura „Cetatea de

Marin, M. (1951), Staţiunea neo-eneolitică de la Costeşti (jud. Baia), in Orizonturi, 3 / 7-

Popova, T.A. (1996), Unique iconographical image of tripolian sculpture, in

Ursulescu, N. (1999), Nouvelles données concernant la représentation de la coiffure dans

Fig. 1. General location (1) and views of the sites

Fig. 2. Anthropomorphic representations from Giurgești and Costești (1-18)

Fig. 4. Cucuteni A3 anthropomorphic representations from Giurgești (1-12)

Fig. 5. Cucuteni A3 anthropomorphic representations from Costești (1-7)

Fig. 7. Cucuteni A-B2 / B1 anthropomorphic representations from Costești (1-8)

Fig. 8. Cucuteni A-B2 / B1 anthropomorphic representations from Costești (1-11)

Fig. 9. Cucuteni A3 (2) and Cucuteni A-B2 / B1 (1, 3-8)

Fig. 10. Cucuteni A-B2 / B1 anthropomorphic representations from Costești (1-7)

Fig. 11. Cucuteni A-B2 / B1 (1-12) and Horodiștea-Erbiceni II (13, 14)

Fig. 12. Cucuteni A-B2 / B1 anthropomorphic representations from Costești (1-11)

Fig. 13. Cucuteni A3 conical idols (3-6)

Fig. 14. Painted human depiction from Costești.

Fig. 15. Zoomorphic representations from Costești (1-13)

Fig. 17. Zoomorphic representations from Costești (1-9)

Fig. 18. Cucuteni A3 zoomorphic representations from Giurgești (1-5)

Fig. 19. Cucuteni A3 zoomorphic vessels (1-4, 6) and figurine (5)

You might also like