One and a Half Century of Archaeology on the Lower Mureş

Th e present study analyzes the archaeological research in the area of Arad from the middle of the nineteenth century until present day. As elsewhere in Europe, the early days of archaeology in Arad were marked by enthusiast amateurs like S. Márki, K. Torma, L. Dömötör, I. Haller, F. Juhász, and J. Záray. M. Roska’s excavations in Pecica “Șanțul Mare” opened new perspectives for the technique of archaeological excavations. Despite the fact that Roska set new standards in the archaeology of the Carpathian Basin, his research methodology remained unique. Th e era of the numerous systematic researches, test trenches, excavations, and fi eld research, started with D. Popescu’s work in Vărşand. New road infrastructure works (2008–2011) led to largescale preventive researches on sites such as Șagu “Site A1_1”, Pecica “Site 14”, and Pecica “Site 12”, “Site 13”.