A Dacian silver treasure, composed of six pieces, was discovered with a metal detector in the territory of Breaza commune, in Mureş county. The objects, with a total weight of approximately 550 grams, speak of an important figure of the Dacian era.
Although it cannot be established with certainty whether the ornaments belonged to a man or a woman, their ceremonial character and the quality of execution undoubtedly indicate the high status of the wearer, according to specialists from the Mureş County Museum.
Of the six pieces, each with a distinct character, a massive silver bracelet, with widened ends and beautifully decorated with plant motifs, seems to have been one of the central pieces. Two paired brooches with simple but refined knots, and a third, smaller brooch with four knots, complete this clothing ensemble. A neck chain, decorated with three nail-like pendants, brings a special note of solemnity, while the belt, made up of oval plates linked together, is accompanied by a rectangular plate decorated with solar motifs.
The presence of this treasure in the territory of Breaza commune raises a series of questions. Was it a sacred offering, buried in the ground in the name of an unknown divinity? Or was it hastily hidden, in a moment of crisis, in the hope of its later recovery?
Regardless of the reason, such gestures were not rare in Antiquity, and each object silently preserves the story of a dramatic or ritual decision, say specialists from the Mureş County Museum. Moreover, this discovery has a special archaeological importance: it represents the first evidence of the existence of a Dacian habitation in the Breaza area.
Until now, no traces of the Dacian presence were known in this region, and the treasure opens a new perspective on local history. A stage of field research follows, through which specialists hope to identify the settlement or even a Dacian fortification nearby. According to museum curators, the treasure discovered in Breaza represents the beginning of research that could rewrite part of the history of Dacian habitation in Transylvania. The treasure was discovered by Moldovan Dionisie-Aurel together with Zăhan Sebastian-Adrian.