Pădureni’s history can be traced through archaeological sites, landforms and place names. At Pădureni – Pusta Mică, finds from the Bronze Age and the Dacian-Roman period are central; other sites are defined by their location along the Timiş, beside former river channels or at a forest edge. Added to these are the historic settlement name Lighed and a site south of the village where a small medieval religious building once stood. For a thematic overview, three questions can be considered: Which finds and fortifications interest you, where are the sites situated in the river and forest landscape, and what traces have been preserved in the place names?

Pusta Mică: Finds and a Fortified Tell

Very rich material from the Bronze Age and the Dacian-Roman period was discovered at the archaeological site of Pădureni – Pusta Mică, arranged around a fortified tell. The tell is surrounded by at least one circular defensive ditch. Thus, chronology and architectural form come together at this site: the finds date from two different periods, while the ditch describes the defensive structure. Pusta Mică lies in the Câmpia Timişului, a subunit of the Câmpia de Vest, on a river ridge about one metre higher than the surrounding landscape. The setting in the plain is therefore part of the picture of the site, alongside its historical periods.

Sites in the River and Forest Landscape

The section of the earthwork “Valul de pământ de la Pădureni - Valul roman II/ Iarc” lies outside the village, to the north, on the left slope of a small tributary arm of the Timiş. By contrast, the Pădureni – Mlaca Sud site is defined by a higher river ridge between former tributary channels of the Timiş. The comparison shows two different landforms in the same river landscape: a slope beside a tributary arm and a ridge between former river courses. The locations of the two sites therefore cannot be reduced to their shared connection with the Timiş.

The Pădureni – Pădurea Unip site adds a forest edge to this picture. It lies about five kilometres northeast of Pădureni, on the south bank of the Timiş, at the boundary between Pădurea Unip and Pădurea Lighed. Its distance and compass direction locate the site in relation to the village; the riverbank and forest edge provide further reference points. Whereas other sites are defined by river ridges or a slope beside a tributary arm, this one is also situated between two named forests.

Name and Local History

The historic name of the settlement of Pădureni was Lighed; in Old Turkish, “lighet” means “forest.” This linguistic trace adds another perspective on the place to its archaeological history. About one kilometre south of Pădureni, in the direction of Jebel, a small medieval religious building stood at the site called Movila Hârţului or Movila Bisericuţa. The two names refer to the same site. Different historical connections thus sit side by side: finds from the Bronze Age and the Dacian-Roman period at Pusta Mică, a medieval religious building south of the village, and the former settlement name Lighed, preserved in historical records.

For the broader travel overview: Padureni.