Tombs about 4,000 years old have been discovered as a result of geophysical research recently carried out by archaeologists of the Neamt National Museum Complex (CMN) in collaboration with specialists from the Czech Republic.

Researcher Vasile Diaconu, responsible for this project, told AGERPRES that this is a first stage of an international project carried out between CMN Neamt and the Archaeological Research Centre in Olomouc, the Czech Republic, together with the University of Brno, the Czech Republic.

'The purpose of this project is the geophysical investigation of some ancient burial mounds, known in archaeological language as mounds, in order to identify tombs of ancient human communities, coming from the northern area of the Black Sea, about 4,000 years ago. These mounds, of varying sizes, are also scattered on the territory of Neamt County, but their number is very small, compared to the eastern areas of Romania. It is precisely the rarity of these ancient funerary monuments that determined the specialists from the Czech Republic - Jaroslav Peska, Tomas Tencer, Jan Havelka, Jioi Gersl - to turn their attention to Neamt County,' Diaconu explained.

He added that the non-invasive geophysical research is an essential stage in the knowledge of the structure of these funerary monuments and also an important step in solving the mysteries they hide.

In fact, the pictures captured with the aid of sophisticated equipment indicate very clearly the arrangements that are inside these mounds and some tombs can even be seen.

'The recent investigations took place only in the environs of the city of Targu Neamt, precisely because there is a greater concentration of these mounds there and all of them were not archaeologically investigated. The purpose of the recent investigations is not only to get scientific information, but also to know whether or not they are of archaeological importance requiring legal protection,' said the German researcher.

The spectacular results have led Czech specialists to say that the presence of those communities that came from the east 4,000 years ago is confirmed, which is a completely new fact for the area of Neamt County.

'This new international cooperation, with the Czech specialists from Brno and Olomouc, opens up new opportunities in archaeological research in Neamt County. We have achieved extraordinary results, which greatly change the almost blurred image we had until now. We managed to prove that inside these ancient mounds there are old structures and tombs, which need to be investigated, because they will change the history of these places. We also had understanding from the local authorities and the research could be carried out under the best circumstances.'

As a result of the recent research, the local communities in the environs of Targu Neamt have an extra reason to be proud, which derives from this very valuable archaeological heritage, which must be protected and researched.

The special value of the scientific data obtained implies a continuation of this project, and the Czech team even wants to open an archaeological site in the Neamt area. AGERPRES (RO - editing by: Gabriel Apetrii; EN - writing by: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu)