Hârşova Insula Settlement — Danube Lower Settlement
Hârşova Insula · Hârșova Lower Town · Carsium Insula
Neolithic to Chalcolithic–Cernavodă (5500–3200 BCE; insula 5500–4300 BCE)·Hamangia → Boian → Gumelniţa → Cernavodă I–III·🇷🇴 Constanța County, Hârșova, Danube right bank insula bluff, Romania
About
About Hârşova Insula Settlement — Danube Lower Settlement
Hârşova Insula is the 2.5 ha Danube island lower settlement below the 4 ha Hârşova tell (Carsium) excavated by Dragomir Popovici and French-Romanian team (1993–). Hamangia to Gumelniţa (5500–4000 BCE) + Cernavodă III to Gumelniţa lagoon occupations; lower insula holds Boian–Gumelniţa fisher cabins with net sinkers, copper hooks, and Danube shell middens. Main tell is 12 m Boian-Vinča to Cernavodă with Hallstatt and Roman Carsium overburden.
Why it mattersImportant Danubian fisher adaptation bridging Hamangia marine to Gumelniţa tell interiorization.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Seasonal flood insula permanent vs summer?
Theories
- 01Popovici: Danube insula fish surplus financed Gumelniţa gold circulation
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.5500 BCE (Hamangia Boian)
- Period
- Neolithic to Chalcolithic–Cernavodă (5500–3200 BCE; insula 5500–4300 BCE)
- Culture
- Hamangia → Boian → Gumelniţa → Cernavodă I–III
- Builders
- Lower Danube fisher-farmers
- Purpose
- Danube fishery and ferry crossing before Roman Carsium
- Abandoned
- c.3200 BCE (Cernavodă shift to plateau)
- Rediscovered
- 1930s Dumitrescu; 1993 Franco-Romanian rescue
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
1993–
Popovici–Lernau Franco-Romanian; insula net weights
c.4600 BCE
Gumelniţa fisher hut burnt row lower insula
On the ground
Structures & features
44.6833° N · 27.9519° E · 12 m · 3 mapped features
Hârşova Fisher Cabin Row
habitationTimber cabins with net sinkers and fish bone middens
44.6839° N · 27.9524° EHârşova Boian-Gumelniţa Deep Sounding
trench5 m deep trench Hamangia to Cernavodă I
44.6826° N · 27.9527° EHârşova Carsium Overburden
fortificationRoman Carsium fort wall fragment over tell NW
44.6843° N · 27.9513° E