A remarkable discovery in Romania near Măgura Călanului has brought to light a complete set of 15 Iron Age stonemason tools, offering unprecedented insights into Dacian stoneworking techniques prior to Roman influence. The toolkit, found in the summer of 2022 by a local villager near an ancient limestone quarry, dates back nearly 2,000 years.
The collection includes picks, wedges, a hammer, chisels, and a field anvil, weighing approximately 10.93 kilograms. Notably, the set features unique toothed-edge picks, possibly a distinct Dacian design, with no known counterparts in Greece or Rome. These tools suggest a focus on detailed finishing work for construction and decorative elements.
Historian Aurora Pețan suggests the tools belonged to a pre-Roman Dacian stonemason. The toolkit provides valuable insights into Dacian life and challenges previous assumptions about quarry construction in the region. The discovery highlights the ingenuity and adaptability of Dacian craftsmen and their advanced iron metallurgy skills. The artifacts are now part of the Corvin Castle Museum collection in Hunedoara.