Reflection on the synchronisms of the Horodiștea-Gordinești culture group in relation to other Late Eneolithic communities in Southeast Europe*

By integrating analyses of material culture with available radiocarbon data, the study seeks to clarify the temporal positioning of this group in relation to neighboring Eneolithic and/or Early Bronze Age communities. Particular attention is paid to the relationships between Horodiștea-Gordinești and contemporaneous cultural entities and related groups from the Carpathian Basin, Volynia and Pontic regions. The analysis highlights both shared features and regional specificities, reflecting complex processes of interaction, adaptation, and cultural transformation at the end of the 4th millennium BC. The paper also addresses the persistent terminological ambiguities surrounding the Late Eneolithic and the transition rom Eneolithic to Early Bronze Age, emphasizing how differing chronological frameworks have influenced interpretations of synchronism and cultural affiliation. Ultimately, the reflection proposes that the Horodiștea-Gordinești group represents a dynamic component of a wider network of Late Eneolithic communities, characterized by both continuity and innovation. Its synchronisms with other regional groups illustrate broader patterns of socio-economic change and cultural reorganization in Southeast Europe on the beginning of the Bronze Age.