Catalin Lazar
Biographic Data
| ID | 98260 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Catalin Lazar |
| GIVEN NAMES | Catalin |
| FAMILY NAME | Lazar |
| SIGNATURE | LAZAR C |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Bucharest |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7559-1843 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 24 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 11 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 24 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
In-situ digestion and micro-destructive sampling for dental proteomic sex determination analysis using polyvinylalcohol-based gel
Novel micro-invasive method for dental proteomics using PVA-based hydrogels. • Enables sex determination from enamel with minimal or no structural damage. • Compatible with degraded samples, preserving cultural and forensic value. • Combines ethical preservation with cutting-edge archaeological analysis. • Sets a new standard for micro-destructive sampling in proteomics research. Determining biological sex is pivotal for archaeological and forens…
Restitutio Ab Initio
Recovering archaeobotanical remains from archaeological contexts often entails substantial methodological challenges. Flotation and environmental sampling routinely yield charred seeds whose cultural attribution does not necessarily correspond to the stratigraphic position or inferred chronology of the deposits in which they occur. Direct radiocarbon dating frequently exposes marked discrepancies, demonstrating that intrusive seeds may derive fro…
Managing crops under hydroclimatic instability before the 5.9 ka event
This paper presents new stable isotope data from charred cereal grains and Chenopodium album seeds recovered from the Kodjadermen-Gumelniţa-Karanovo VI (KGK VI) (second half of the 5th millennium BC) settlement of Sultana in southeastern Romania, alongside comparative material from the nearby site of Gumelnița. This period coincides with mid-Holocene climatic instability in the lower Danube region (c. late 5th–early 4th millennium BC), frequently…
Large Rivers, Small Rivers
The spatial distribution of Chalcolithic settlements in the East Lower Danube Plain (SE Romania) shows markedly higher densities along small river valleys with low modern discharges, such as the Călmățui, Mostiștea, and Teleorman, which originate in the upper plains (150–300 m a.s.l.). In contrast, valleys of larger Carpathian-sourced rivers (e.g., Buzău, Ialomița, Argeș), host far fewer settlements. Our research explores whether these patterns r…
Structure of the Multiphase Chalcolithic Tell Chiselet–Grădiștea Fundeanca (Romania) From SH‐Wave Full‐Waveform Inversion, Borehole Geophysics and Coring
The emergence and development of settlement mounds, also called tells, is of major interest for the analysis of socio‐economic transformations occurring in the lower Danube plain during the East European Chalcolithic period. In this context, the multiphase chronology and structural layout of tells are highly relevant indicators, but small‐scale heterogeneities and pronounced topography constitute challenging conditions for noninvasive geophysical…
Exploring human–landscape interactions in the Northern Balkans
Exploring the acid-insoluble shell organic matrix of freshwater mussels (Unionoida) as a proxy for palaeodietary and paleoenvironmental studies
The shells of freshwater mussels, commonly found at archaeological sites associated with the Kodjadermen-Gumelnița-Karanovo VI human groups (5th millennium BCE, Romania and Bulgaria), were a significant dietary component for this population. The organic matrix of these ancient shells is often well-preserved and can be analysed using stable isotopes.This study establishes the empirical relationship between the isotopic composition of the acid-inso…
Electron paramagnetic resonance and discriminant analysis of white pigment used by Early Neolithic potters in the Eastern Romanian Plain
Social and genetic diversity in first farmers of central Europe
The Linearbandkeramik (LBK) Neolithic communities were the first to spread farming across large parts of Europe. We report genome-wide data for 250 individuals: 178 individuals from whole-cemetery surveys of the Alföld Linearbankeramik Culture eastern LBK site of Polgár-Ferenci-hát, the western LBK site of Nitra Horné Krškany and the western LBK settlement and massacre site of Asparn-Schletz, as well as 48 LBK individuals from 16 other sites and …
Validation of the Ruminative Responses Scale on the Romanian Population – Gender Differences in Ruminating Responses
Objectives. The objectives of the study were to develop the Romanian version of the RRS-22 Ruminative Response Scale, thus initiating the process of validating it and exploring gender differences in ruminative-depressive responses with the help of this instrument. Material and methods. The scale was translated by two English translators. The two variants were compared in order to preserve the semantic content of the items, and the Romanian versio…
Non-Destructive Textural Characterization of Southern Romanian Neolithic and Chalcolithic Pottery Using Digital Image Analysis on Tomographically Reconstructed Sections
Pottery is a complex archaeological material that is found ubiquitously in various spatial—temporal frameworks from all over the world; therefore, it is of great importance to archaeological research. The current paper aims to present and discuss the results obtained on a batch of Neolithic (ca. 6000–5000 BC) and Chalcolithic (ca. 5000–3900 BC) pottery sherds from Southern Romania through X-ray Computed Tomography, a non-destructive methodology t…
Revisiting Archived Rye Grains Discovered at the Neolithic Site Cuneşti (Romania)
Direct accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating is crucial for a correct integration of plant remains in the (pre)history of crops, particularly for those that do not belong to the Neolithic package and are known to arrive in Europe much later. This paper reviews one of the earliest records of rye from Romania. The grains were discovered in the tell settlement of Cunești, which belongs to the Gumelnița communities (ca. 4600–3900 BC). In 1954, d…
Sine Qua Non
Past human population dynamics play a key role in integrated models of understanding socio-ecological change over time. However, little analysis on this issue has been carried out for the prehistoric societies in the Lower Danube and Eastern Balkans area. Here, we use summed probability distributions of radiocarbon dates to investigate potential regional and local variation population dynamics. Our study adopts a formal model-testing approach to …
Covid-19 and Social Distancing
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the introduction of unprecedented safety measures, one of them being physical distancing recommendations. Here, we assessed whether the pandemic has led to long-term effects on two important physical distancing aspects, namely interpersonal distance preferences and interpersonal touch behaviors. We analyzed nearly 14,000 individual cases from two large, cross-cultural surveys – the first conducted 2 years prior to…
Reforming procedures. A methodology for archaeological experiments regarding pottery combustion structures
Over time archaeologists interested in pottery combustion structures mainly focused on analysing the ability of particular kilns to meet certain pyrotechnological criteria. Thus, their research was based on testing multiple firing techniques for achieving different combustion atmoshperes, recording and examining thermal data (maximum temperatures/heating rate/soaking time), temporal information about the firing and fuelling stages, as well as the…
Put variety in White’
The current study aims to present and discuss the results obtained by complementary archaeometric methods applied for the first time on white pigments inlaid on excised pottery of the Boian-Vidra tradition (Early Chalcolithic, c. 4900-4600 BCE). The samples came from three settlements located in Southern Romania (Sultana-Ghețărie, Vidra, and Vlădiceasca). They were selected considering that the pottery was produced in approximately contemporary s…
Between Object and Subject
The current paper aims to reveal the potential of combining multiple approaches (techno-functional analysis, experimental archaeology, and X-ray Computed Tomography) when it comes to studying unique earthenware artefacts, such as the prehistoric human-shaped pot discovered within the tell settlement from Sultana-Malu Rosu (Romania), that belongs to the Kodjadermen-Gumelnita-Karanovo VI civilization (KGK VI) which thrived during the 5th millennium…
Multidisciplinary study on prehistoric pottery from Southeastern Romania
Local production or import? This question always raises vivid debates among the archaeologists when they analyse pots and ceramic fragments regardless of the studied period. In the case of pottery from the Eneolithic tell settlement of Sultana-Malu Roşu from South-East Romania, we tried to address this issue through a series of physico-chemical investigations. To reach this goal, we analyzed several shards from two dwellings, as well as clay samp…
The genomic history of southeastern Europe
Evidence for the production and use of Lithoglyphus naticoides beads in Europe during the Holocene
Dogs, jaws, and other stories
The relationship between people and dogs has its beginnings in the Palaeolithic and extends to contemporary times. This paper explores the role of dogs in Eneolithic communities from the Balkans, with a particular focus on two dog mandibles which were discovered in House No. 14 at Sultana-Malu Roşu (ca. 4600 – 3950 b.c.) in Romania. The two artifacts belong to different excavation levels. The first mandible was identified in the foundation trench…
Notă privind un suport specific culturii Boian, faza Vidra, descoperit la Sultana-Ghețărie
During the archaeological campaign of 2012 in the area of the Sultana-Gheţărie flat settlement, Mânăstirea commune, Călăraşi County, Romania, an interesting pit (C 13) was discovered and researched. That complex belonging to the Boian culture, Vidra phase, was a typical pit for these prehistoric communities. The pit contained different archaeological materials (e.g. sherds, animal bones, flint artefacts etc.). To the bottom of the pit, 18 fragmen…
Câteva consideraţii asupra unor descoperiri din locuinţa nr. 2 din aşezarea eneolitică de la Sultana Malu Roşu
Sultana Malu Roşu is one of the most spectacular sites belonging to Gumelniţa culture and generally to Eneolithic Age. The tell-settlement is placed on Iezerul Mostiştei Lake shore at 15 km north of the Danube Valley. The archaeological researches were restarted in 2001 with the discovery of interesting complexes, for example the house no. 2, with a rich archaeological inventory. Inside the house there was discovered, among other things, a burnt …
Valea Mostiștei. Așezarea gumelnițeană de la Sultana Malu Roșu
The tell settlement from Sultana Malu Roşu stands out as one of the most rich and spectacular settlement from Gumelniţa-Karanovo VI-Kodjadermen culture. Sultana village (Mânăstirea commune) lays cca. 35 km West-North-West from the town of Călăraşi, and less than 15 km North from the Danube. The tell settlement from Malu Roşu location is placed on Iezerul Mostiştei Lake right shore, on a small peninsula. Nowadays, the settlement measures cca. 35–4…
Non-Destructive Textural Characterization of Southern Romanian Neolithic and Chalcolithic Pottery Using Digital Image Analysis on Tomographically Reconstructed Sections
Pottery is a complex archaeological material that is found ubiquitously in various spatial—temporal frameworks from all over the world; therefore, it is of great importance to archaeological research. The current paper aims to present and discuss the results obtained on a batch of Neolithic (ca. 6000–5000 BC) and Chalcolithic (ca. 5000–3900 BC) pottery sherds from Southern Romania through X-ray Computed Tomography, a non-destructive methodology t…
Social and genetic diversity in first farmers of central Europe
The Linearbandkeramik (LBK) Neolithic communities were the first to spread farming across large parts of Europe. We report genome-wide data for 250 individuals: 178 individuals from whole-cemetery surveys of the Alföld Linearbankeramik Culture eastern LBK site of Polgár-Ferenci-hát, the western LBK site of Nitra Horné Krškany and the western LBK settlement and massacre site of Asparn-Schletz, as well as 48 LBK individuals from 16 other sites and …
Sine Qua Non
Past human population dynamics play a key role in integrated models of understanding socio-ecological change over time. However, little analysis on this issue has been carried out for the prehistoric societies in the Lower Danube and Eastern Balkans area. Here, we use summed probability distributions of radiocarbon dates to investigate potential regional and local variation population dynamics. Our study adopts a formal model-testing approach to …
Covid-19 and Social Distancing
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the introduction of unprecedented safety measures, one of them being physical distancing recommendations. Here, we assessed whether the pandemic has led to long-term effects on two important physical distancing aspects, namely interpersonal distance preferences and interpersonal touch behaviors. We analyzed nearly 14,000 individual cases from two large, cross-cultural surveys – the first conducted 2 years prior to…
Reforming procedures. A methodology for archaeological experiments regarding pottery combustion structures
Over time archaeologists interested in pottery combustion structures mainly focused on analysing the ability of particular kilns to meet certain pyrotechnological criteria. Thus, their research was based on testing multiple firing techniques for achieving different combustion atmoshperes, recording and examining thermal data (maximum temperatures/heating rate/soaking time), temporal information about the firing and fuelling stages, as well as the…
Put variety in White’
The current study aims to present and discuss the results obtained by complementary archaeometric methods applied for the first time on white pigments inlaid on excised pottery of the Boian-Vidra tradition (Early Chalcolithic, c. 4900-4600 BCE). The samples came from three settlements located in Southern Romania (Sultana-Ghețărie, Vidra, and Vlădiceasca). They were selected considering that the pottery was produced in approximately contemporary s…
Between Object and Subject
The current paper aims to reveal the potential of combining multiple approaches (techno-functional analysis, experimental archaeology, and X-ray Computed Tomography) when it comes to studying unique earthenware artefacts, such as the prehistoric human-shaped pot discovered within the tell settlement from Sultana-Malu Rosu (Romania), that belongs to the Kodjadermen-Gumelnita-Karanovo VI civilization (KGK VI) which thrived during the 5th millennium…
Multidisciplinary study on prehistoric pottery from Southeastern Romania
Local production or import? This question always raises vivid debates among the archaeologists when they analyse pots and ceramic fragments regardless of the studied period. In the case of pottery from the Eneolithic tell settlement of Sultana-Malu Roşu from South-East Romania, we tried to address this issue through a series of physico-chemical investigations. To reach this goal, we analyzed several shards from two dwellings, as well as clay samp…
Dogs, jaws, and other stories
The relationship between people and dogs has its beginnings in the Palaeolithic and extends to contemporary times. This paper explores the role of dogs in Eneolithic communities from the Balkans, with a particular focus on two dog mandibles which were discovered in House No. 14 at Sultana-Malu Roşu (ca. 4600 – 3950 b.c.) in Romania. The two artifacts belong to different excavation levels. The first mandible was identified in the foundation trench…
Valea Mostiștei. Așezarea gumelnițeană de la Sultana Malu Roșu
The tell settlement from Sultana Malu Roşu stands out as one of the most rich and spectacular settlement from Gumelniţa-Karanovo VI-Kodjadermen culture. Sultana village (Mânăstirea commune) lays cca. 35 km West-North-West from the town of Călăraşi, and less than 15 km North from the Danube. The tell settlement from Malu Roşu location is placed on Iezerul Mostiştei Lake right shore, on a small peninsula. Nowadays, the settlement measures cca. 35–4…
Câteva consideraţii asupra unor descoperiri din locuinţa nr. 2 din aşezarea eneolitică de la Sultana Malu Roşu
Sultana Malu Roşu is one of the most spectacular sites belonging to Gumelniţa culture and generally to Eneolithic Age. The tell-settlement is placed on Iezerul Mostiştei Lake shore at 15 km north of the Danube Valley. The archaeological researches were restarted in 2001 with the discovery of interesting complexes, for example the house no. 2, with a rich archaeological inventory. Inside the house there was discovered, among other things, a burnt …
Notă privind un suport specific culturii Boian, faza Vidra, descoperit la Sultana-Ghețărie
During the archaeological campaign of 2012 in the area of the Sultana-Gheţărie flat settlement, Mânăstirea commune, Călăraşi County, Romania, an interesting pit (C 13) was discovered and researched. That complex belonging to the Boian culture, Vidra phase, was a typical pit for these prehistoric communities. The pit contained different archaeological materials (e.g. sherds, animal bones, flint artefacts etc.). To the bottom of the pit, 18 fragmen…
Dogs, jaws, and other stories
The relationship between people and dogs has its beginnings in the Palaeolithic and extends to contemporary times. This paper explores the role of dogs in Eneolithic communities from the Balkans, with a particular focus on two dog mandibles which were discovered in House No. 14 at Sultana-Malu Roşu (ca. 4600 – 3950 b.c.) in Romania. The two artifacts belong to different excavation levels. The first mandible was identified in the foundation trench…
The genomic history of southeastern Europe
Evidence for the production and use of Lithoglyphus naticoides beads in Europe during the Holocene
Multidisciplinary study on prehistoric pottery from Southeastern Romania
Local production or import? This question always raises vivid debates among the archaeologists when they analyse pots and ceramic fragments regardless of the studied period. In the case of pottery from the Eneolithic tell settlement of Sultana-Malu Roşu from South-East Romania, we tried to address this issue through a series of physico-chemical investigations. To reach this goal, we analyzed several shards from two dwellings, as well as clay samp…
Reforming procedures. A methodology for archaeological experiments regarding pottery combustion structures
Over time archaeologists interested in pottery combustion structures mainly focused on analysing the ability of particular kilns to meet certain pyrotechnological criteria. Thus, their research was based on testing multiple firing techniques for achieving different combustion atmoshperes, recording and examining thermal data (maximum temperatures/heating rate/soaking time), temporal information about the firing and fuelling stages, as well as the…
Put variety in White’
The current study aims to present and discuss the results obtained by complementary archaeometric methods applied for the first time on white pigments inlaid on excised pottery of the Boian-Vidra tradition (Early Chalcolithic, c. 4900-4600 BCE). The samples came from three settlements located in Southern Romania (Sultana-Ghețărie, Vidra, and Vlădiceasca). They were selected considering that the pottery was produced in approximately contemporary s…
Between Object and Subject
The current paper aims to reveal the potential of combining multiple approaches (techno-functional analysis, experimental archaeology, and X-ray Computed Tomography) when it comes to studying unique earthenware artefacts, such as the prehistoric human-shaped pot discovered within the tell settlement from Sultana-Malu Rosu (Romania), that belongs to the Kodjadermen-Gumelnita-Karanovo VI civilization (KGK VI) which thrived during the 5th millennium…
Non-Destructive Textural Characterization of Southern Romanian Neolithic and Chalcolithic Pottery Using Digital Image Analysis on Tomographically Reconstructed Sections
Pottery is a complex archaeological material that is found ubiquitously in various spatial—temporal frameworks from all over the world; therefore, it is of great importance to archaeological research. The current paper aims to present and discuss the results obtained on a batch of Neolithic (ca. 6000–5000 BC) and Chalcolithic (ca. 5000–3900 BC) pottery sherds from Southern Romania through X-ray Computed Tomography, a non-destructive methodology t…
Revisiting Archived Rye Grains Discovered at the Neolithic Site Cuneşti (Romania)
Direct accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating is crucial for a correct integration of plant remains in the (pre)history of crops, particularly for those that do not belong to the Neolithic package and are known to arrive in Europe much later. This paper reviews one of the earliest records of rye from Romania. The grains were discovered in the tell settlement of Cunești, which belongs to the Gumelnița communities (ca. 4600–3900 BC). In 1954, d…
Sine Qua Non
Past human population dynamics play a key role in integrated models of understanding socio-ecological change over time. However, little analysis on this issue has been carried out for the prehistoric societies in the Lower Danube and Eastern Balkans area. Here, we use summed probability distributions of radiocarbon dates to investigate potential regional and local variation population dynamics. Our study adopts a formal model-testing approach to …
Covid-19 and Social Distancing
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the introduction of unprecedented safety measures, one of them being physical distancing recommendations. Here, we assessed whether the pandemic has led to long-term effects on two important physical distancing aspects, namely interpersonal distance preferences and interpersonal touch behaviors. We analyzed nearly 14,000 individual cases from two large, cross-cultural surveys – the first conducted 2 years prior to…
Exploring the acid-insoluble shell organic matrix of freshwater mussels (Unionoida) as a proxy for palaeodietary and paleoenvironmental studies
The shells of freshwater mussels, commonly found at archaeological sites associated with the Kodjadermen-Gumelnița-Karanovo VI human groups (5th millennium BCE, Romania and Bulgaria), were a significant dietary component for this population. The organic matrix of these ancient shells is often well-preserved and can be analysed using stable isotopes.This study establishes the empirical relationship between the isotopic composition of the acid-inso…
Electron paramagnetic resonance and discriminant analysis of white pigment used by Early Neolithic potters in the Eastern Romanian Plain
Social and genetic diversity in first farmers of central Europe
The Linearbandkeramik (LBK) Neolithic communities were the first to spread farming across large parts of Europe. We report genome-wide data for 250 individuals: 178 individuals from whole-cemetery surveys of the Alföld Linearbankeramik Culture eastern LBK site of Polgár-Ferenci-hát, the western LBK site of Nitra Horné Krškany and the western LBK settlement and massacre site of Asparn-Schletz, as well as 48 LBK individuals from 16 other sites and …
Validation of the Ruminative Responses Scale on the Romanian Population – Gender Differences in Ruminating Responses
Objectives. The objectives of the study were to develop the Romanian version of the RRS-22 Ruminative Response Scale, thus initiating the process of validating it and exploring gender differences in ruminative-depressive responses with the help of this instrument. Material and methods. The scale was translated by two English translators. The two variants were compared in order to preserve the semantic content of the items, and the Romanian versio…
Structure of the Multiphase Chalcolithic Tell Chiselet–Grădiștea Fundeanca (Romania) From SH‐Wave Full‐Waveform Inversion, Borehole Geophysics and Coring
The emergence and development of settlement mounds, also called tells, is of major interest for the analysis of socio‐economic transformations occurring in the lower Danube plain during the East European Chalcolithic period. In this context, the multiphase chronology and structural layout of tells are highly relevant indicators, but small‐scale heterogeneities and pronounced topography constitute challenging conditions for noninvasive geophysical…
Exploring human–landscape interactions in the Northern Balkans
In-situ digestion and micro-destructive sampling for dental proteomic sex determination analysis using polyvinylalcohol-based gel
Novel micro-invasive method for dental proteomics using PVA-based hydrogels. • Enables sex determination from enamel with minimal or no structural damage. • Compatible with degraded samples, preserving cultural and forensic value. • Combines ethical preservation with cutting-edge archaeological analysis. • Sets a new standard for micro-destructive sampling in proteomics research. Determining biological sex is pivotal for archaeological and forens…
Restitutio Ab Initio
Recovering archaeobotanical remains from archaeological contexts often entails substantial methodological challenges. Flotation and environmental sampling routinely yield charred seeds whose cultural attribution does not necessarily correspond to the stratigraphic position or inferred chronology of the deposits in which they occur. Direct radiocarbon dating frequently exposes marked discrepancies, demonstrating that intrusive seeds may derive fro…
Managing crops under hydroclimatic instability before the 5.9 ka event
This paper presents new stable isotope data from charred cereal grains and Chenopodium album seeds recovered from the Kodjadermen-Gumelniţa-Karanovo VI (KGK VI) (second half of the 5th millennium BC) settlement of Sultana in southeastern Romania, alongside comparative material from the nearby site of Gumelnița. This period coincides with mid-Holocene climatic instability in the lower Danube region (c. late 5th–early 4th millennium BC), frequently…
Large Rivers, Small Rivers
The spatial distribution of Chalcolithic settlements in the East Lower Danube Plain (SE Romania) shows markedly higher densities along small river valleys with low modern discharges, such as the Călmățui, Mostiștea, and Teleorman, which originate in the upper plains (150–300 m a.s.l.). In contrast, valleys of larger Carpathian-sourced rivers (e.g., Buzău, Ialomița, Argeș), host far fewer settlements. Our research explores whether these patterns r…
Geography (15 works) · Archaeology (14 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (13 works) · Prehistory (9 works) · Geology (7 works) · History (7 works) · Population (6 works) · Bronze Age (5 works) · Chalcolithic (5 works) · Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis (5 works)