ABSTRACT: The article presents a valve from a composed mould discovered in the archaeological campaign of 2006 from Şimleu Silvaniei on the “Măgura Şimleului” hill, in the location known as “Observator”. The valve comes from a pit together with Cehăluț – Hajdúbagos type ceramics. The valve is made from a local variety of stone (micaschist) and about 1/3 of the piece is missing. Both sides of the valve bear negative images of a disc and spin headed axe (”Nackenscheibenäxte”), by all indications belonging to the B1-type. Our valve, therefore, is the centerpiece in what is called “battery casting” or a composed mould. Near the pit (Cpx. 59) where the valve was discovered, about 25 m to west, were some traces of a Late Bronze age metallurgic workshop, including the remains of three furnaces / fireplaces, a fragment from another mould, a clay spoon, and fragments of raw metal. This discovery brings back into focus the question of the possibility of dating the features with B1-type disc and spin headed axe to the beginning of the Late Bronze age, as well as the possibility that B1-type axes were produced during the same period.

KEYWORDS: Late Bronze Age, Cehăluț-Hajdúbagos cultural group, north-west Romania, bronze metallurgy, mould, disc and spin headed axe.

CUVINTE-CHEIE: Bronz târziu, grupul cultural CehăluțHajdúbagos, nord-vestul României, metalurgia bronzului, tipar, topor cu disc pe ceafă.