Although the mining works of Roşia Montană are recognised as “historic monuments of national and universal value” due to their Roman, medieval and modern components (Law no. 422 / 2001), underground archaeological excavations focused almost entirely on research and documentation of the Roman component.

The scientific study that we recommend here draws attention on another, neglected aspect – the possibility that for the site of Roşia Montană to enclose prehistoric vestiges.

“As the existence of pre-Roman hard rock gold mining is still debated by the scholars, some new finds are discussed here, including the Roşia Montană 14C data and the new results in the study of the metal provenance applied to the Transylvanian gold. Although it is still difficult to estimate the location of the first prehistoric mining areas, some of the ancient opencast mines at Roşia Montană (Găuri and Cetate).”

A study published in Caiete ARA – ARA Reports, Bucharest, 2012, pp. 219-232.