Miniature Mirrors from Apulum-Dealul Furcilor Cemetery

Abstract

Apulum, one of the largest urban settlements of Roman Dacia, housed a population with many ties around the empire. This could be observed in the city’s cemeteries, including the one situated on Dealul Furcilor. Thus, studies of the funerary treatment of the deceased individuals are necessary for the archaeologists and historians to uncover the ways in which the individual and collective identities were expressed. Two graves included in the cemetery’s monograph, initially published as M612 and M670, have both among their grave goods a miniature lead mirror. The miniature mirrors are a type of artefact with a disputed function. One reason for this situation is the small size that could question their practical function as objects used to reflect someone’s image. The second reason is related to their many contexts of discovery, such mirrors being found in funerary, votive and also domestic contexts.