An archaeology of the excavated earth: the Danube-Black Sea Canal, Romania

Abstract

Based on the archaeological surveys carried out in 2002, 2004 and 2005 in the former communist-era forced labour colony at Galeșu/Nazarcea (Dobrudja, eastern Romania), this text brings into discussion the materiality of the earth excavated during the works at the Danube-Black Sea Canal, a component of the waterway that links the North Sea to the Black Sea, probably the most ambitious project in the history of modern Romania. It is argued that, although ignored so far, the analysis of the excavated earth is essential for an archaeological understanding of the landscape and may lead to some important reconsiderations: (1) the excavated earth represents the main material element of the Canal and (2) it pleads for the rethinking of the concept of monument, related to its meanings in the current legislation regarding the protection of the archaeological heritage in Romania.