Past glaciations extent and chronology in the Romanian Carpathians have been disputed along most of the 20th century. Despite the recent studies presenting numerical age datings of the glacial deposits and erosion surfaces, the view on the latest glacial activity remained in debate due to results from Retezat Massif (one of the high and best studied massifs from Southern Carpathians), where authors found no evidences of Younger Dryas glaciers. In this context, we bring in the discussion new data from Retezat but even more from the Făgăraș Massif, which is the highest and largest massif from Southern Carpathians but less studied in relation to the Pleistocene glaciations with only a handful of numerical ages obtained so far. The new 10Be exposure ages collected from the highest morraines, fit the Younger Dryas - Early Holocene interval, in good agreement with European records, suggesting the glaciers reformation and advance during the Younger Dryas. It appears that some of the Younger Dryas glaciers survived in the first two millenia of the Early Holocene or reformed during Pre-Boreal Oscillation when cool and humid conditions have been present over Europe. Finally, we modeled the presence of Younger Dryas glaciers for the whole Făgăraș massif using the topographic and microclimatic characteristics of the glacial cirques which hosted new glaciers (proven by numerical ages) and found that ca 90 glaciers restricted to cirques formed during Younger Dryas in the Făgăraș massif. Samples were chemically processed at LN2C at CEREGE, France and at RoAMS Laboratory - IFIN HH, Romania. Targets of purified BeO were prepared for AMS measurements and measured at ASTER, the French National AMS Facility (CEREGE, Aix en Provence).

This study reconstructs the paleoecological settings of Chilia/Licostomo, the most important Genoese colony in the Danube delta. Our paleoenvironmental data (i.e., sedimentology, pollen, charcoal, radiocarbon ages) corroborate historical and archaeological information over the last seven centuries to document the habitation at Chilia and its military and socioeconomic activity during ca. 14th–19th centuries A.D. Palynological data show the continuous presence of humans, with anthropogenic pollen index calculation (API) values between 2% and 16% during the last five centuries. The variability of API, corroborated with the major peaks of the charcoal concentration, matches the documented military conflicts and population changes in the area: the Ottoman conquest of Dobrugea (15th century A.D.), the Zaporozhians Cossaks raids (17th century A.D.), and the Russian–Ottoman wars (18th–19th centuries A.D.). The presence of coprophilous fungi fits the Ottoman tradition of animal husbandry, whereas their appearance after the Zaporozhians Cossacks raids and their good correlation with open land vegetation suggest that the Chilia loess island was temporally used as a refuge from multiple menaces (e.g., wars, administrative crisis). These paleoecological data, together with the rare archaeological findings, exclude human habitation of the Chilia Plain earlier than the documented arrival of the Lipovans during the late 18th century A.D. The critical assessment of the correspondences between the paleoecological and historical data shows the relevance of the approach in deltaic environments, when applied to lagoon/lacustrine sediments, yet often limited to chronologically disparate, decennial‐ to multicentennial‐scale temporal frameworks.

Rock walls in high mountain areas are the expression of long-term slopes response (10(3)-10(5) years) to tectonics, weathering and denudation and a major source of sediment and hazard. Controls of mountain rock walls (RW) distribution and the response to post-glacial evolution are rarely discussed in the literature at the scale of mountain ranges. Using a database of 791 RW mapped in the Romanian Carpathians, we present their distribution and morphometry in respect to lithological classes, structural features and topography and relate their exposure to post-Younger Dryas (Holocene) rock slope failure chronology. Statistical analysis results show the high significance of structural and tectonic control on RW distribution, which prevails in sedimentary units where it imposed the predominance of West and North orientations and led to the formation of RW with dimensions up to a degree higher compared to other lithologies. Morphometric data indicate that metamorphic and igneous RW (linked to a great extent to glacial valleys and cirques headwalls) are usually restricted to the highest sectors of the mountain slopes, being characterized by reduced relative heights, asymmetrically distributed, common on the North-exposed slopes and extremely rare on the South. Based on 38 in-situ produced Be-10 surface exposure ages obtained on meter-sized boulders from the Southern and Eastern Carpathians, we hypothesise that metamorphic and igneous RW in the formerly glaciated Carpathian valleys were significantly shaped during Early Holocene (before 9 ka) by rock slope failures events that followed the deglaciation of the highest cirques and by intense RW permafrost degradation, which also affected some of the highest sedimentary units. We associate the long-term imprints of frost weathering to the significant North/South RW and rock glaciers distribution asymmetry, also identified in other mid-latitude mountain sites with similar topographic constraints.

Noviodunum was the headquarters of the Roman Imperial fleet Classis Flavia Moesica from the 1st c. AD. Its importance as a river port is shown by its description in various ancient sources and itineraria. The settlement is located on a limestone promontory on the right bank of the River Danube (Romania). Its location is highly strategic, as it is the last narrow crossing of the river before entering the Danube Delta and thereafter the Black Sea. Despite its advantageous position, the settlement location was geomorphologically challenging; issues of flooding, rising groundwater tables, drainage problems, mobility and erosion of the concave banks and sedi-mentary budget have all played a role in the evolution of the site, and in turn, the location and preservation of archaeological remains. Understanding the processes operating in this dynamic environment has required an interdisciplinary research study. Here we present the results of a multi-proxy approach combining bio-sedimentology, granulometry, statistical analysis and archaeology. Our geoarchaeological research aimed to (1) understand the Danube's palaeodynamics in order to (2) locate and characterise the harbours. Our findings suggest the existence of two possible harbour basins, upstream and downstream of the fortress, that functioned until at least the 5th c. AD.

Peatlands are one of the largest terrestrial carbon sinks on the planet, yet little is known about the carbon accumulation rates (CARs) of mountainous peatlands. The long-term variability in the size of the associated carbon sink and its drivers remain largely unconstrained, especially when the long-term anthropogenic impact is also considered. Here, we present a composite CAR record of nine peatlands from central–eastern Europe (Romania and Serbia) detailing variability in the rates of carbon accumulation during the Holocene. We show examples of extremely high long-term rates of carbon accumulation (LORCA>120 gCm-2yr-1), indicating that mountain peatlands constitute an efficient regional carbon sink at times. By comparing our data to modelled palaeoclimatic indices and to measures of anthropogenic impact we disentangle the drivers of peat carbon accumulation in the area. Variability in early- and mid-Holocene CARs is linked to hydroclimatic controls, with high CARs occurring during the early Holocene and lower CARs associated with the transition to cooler and moister mid-Holocene conditions. By contrast, after 4000 years (calibrated) before present (years BP), the trends in CARs indicate a divergence from hydroclimate proxies, suggesting that other processes became the dominant drivers of peat CARs. We propose that enhanced erosion following tree cover reduction as well as increased rates of long-distance atmospheric dust fallout might have played a role, as both processes would result in enhanced mineral and nutrient supply to bog surfaces, stimulating peatland productivity. Surprisingly though, for the last 1000 years, reconstructed temperature is significantly correlated with CARs, with rising temperatures linked to higher CARs. Under future climate conditions, which are predicted to be warmer in the region, we predict that peat growth may expand but that this is entirely dependent upon the scale of human impact directly affecting the sensitive hydrological budget of these peatlands.

Abstract The preventive archaeological researches of 2011 led to sensational discoveries. These include evidence for the extraction of radiocarbon data. We analyze new evidence from the periods: neolithic and eneolithic (Turdaş culture), eneolithic (Petreşti culture) and classical dacian period (1st century AD).

Preventive archaeological research from 2011 led to sensational discoveries. Between these, samples were collected for the extraction of radiocarbon data. We analyze them in these lines. !ey belong to the epochs: early Neolithic and Eneolithic (Turdaş culture), developed Eneolithic (Petreşti culture) and the classical dacian period (1 st century BC – 2 nd century AD). We have, at this moment, the first stratigraphic column corroborated with absolute chronological data of the site that gives the name of the Turdaş culture.We analized 40 samples that were collected from closed archaeological features (deep dwellings, pillar pits, ritual pits). !e radiocarbon data obtained (from coal remains and animal bones) corroborated with stratigraphhic observations led to the absolute and relative chronology of the from Luncă point, but also to an absolute chronology of the Turdaş culture,a cultural phenomenon distinct from the Vinća culture. It influences it to a small extent (phase Ia (fig. 33–40; table VI; graph 11–12) and b (fig. 24–32; table VI; graph 9–10); phase I/II (fig. 19–23; table V; graph 7–8); phase II (fig. 11–18; table IV; graph 5–6); phase II/III (fig. 8–10; table III) and phase III (fig. 5–7; table III; graph 3–4). !e next culture – Petreşti – is illustrated by the samples from fig. 3–4; table II; graph 2, and the classical dacian period through those from fig. 1–2; table I; graph 1). In graph 13 we have a general illustration of the evolution of radiocarbon data for Turdaş and Petreşti culture.All these firm data will bring a little peace in the souls of those seeking successes not achieved through work, but through speculation.