A Roman amphora discovered at Bubuieci (Chișinău municipality)

The authors introduce into the scientific circuit a Roman clay amphora accidentally discovered in 2011 in the village of Bubuieci, Chișinău municipality. After providing a detailed description of the amphora, which is so far a unique piece, they present some analogies and attempt to determine the functionality and chronology of the vessel. Roman clay amphorae are absent from Sarmatian assemblages, the Etulia or Poienești-Vârteșcoiu types from the 2nd-3rd centuries AD. However, different types of Roman ceramic miniature amphorae are found in the settlements and cemeteries of the Sântana de Mureș-Cerneahov culture from the 4th century AD. A closer, though not identical, analogy for the amphora from Bubuieci was discovered in grave 541 of the Sântana de Mureș-Cerneahov necropolis at Bârlad-Valea Seacă, dated to the second half of the 4th century AD. Regarding the context of the discovery of the amphora at Bubuieci, it is suggested that the piece was found in a closed assemblage belonging to the Sântana de Mureș-Cerneahov culture, likely in an inhumation grave similar to those at Bârlad-Valea Seacă, Erbiceni, Izvoare, or Mihălășeni, where other Roman clay amphorae have also been found.