The sanctuary model from Poduri

Narration text

This clay piece is a model, a building in miniature, which archaeologists interpret as a sanctuary. It comes from Poduri and belongs to the Precucuteni culture. Notice the wide opening at the front, which lets us look inside, like a stage set.

Houses at that time were built of timber, wattle and clay, and survive only as burnt traces in the ground. That is why models like this one are so valuable: they show us volumes, openings and proportions we could otherwise only guess at. Perhaps figurines were placed inside such a model to re-enact real ceremonies.

Near the model, in this same room, are the cult assemblages from Poduri and Ghelăiești, which show that these people's religion had well-established places, objects and gestures. These are not simple toys, but objects charged with sacred meaning.