Iva Kaić | University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences [Filozofski fakultet]

Papers by Iva Kaić

Current Approaches to Roman Frontiers; Proceedings of the 25th International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies 1, 2024

Acta classica Universitatis Scientiarum Debreceniensis 59 (2023), 2023

Engraved gems from Eastern Pannonia are well known thanks to the scholarly work of professor Tamá... more Engraved gems from Eastern Pannonia are well known thanks to the scholarly work of professor Tamás Gesztelyi on the gems from Brigetio, Acquincum, Intercissa and Gorsium. Carnuntum in Western Pannonia yielded more than 1300 engraved gems, thus outnumbering all other findspots in the Province. In order to further complement the topography of gem findspots in Pannonia, this paper provides a brief conspectus of the engraved gems from Siscia in Southern Pannonia.

Opera Instituti Archaeologici Sloveniae 45, 2023, 147–159 , 2023

Since the end of 2018, the Croatian Science Foundation has been funding the scientific research p... more Since the end of 2018, the Croatian Science Foundation has been funding the scientific research project “Understand- ing Roman Borders: the Case of the Eastern Adriatic”. The project aims to determine possible archaeological traces of Roman military fortifications in the hinterland of the Roman colonies of Iader and Salona located between the rivers Krka and Cetina. To optimally identify possible Roman military camps and/or structures in an unusually elongated and narrow territory of 71.5 km air distance, a methodological approach was chosen based on seven consecutive phases of research that would be conducted over a period of four years. This paper presents the unexpected results. The data, obtained using LiDAR scanning, showed several hitherto completely unknown structures similar to Roman military camps in places where their existence had never been assumed. Following these findings, a systematic field survey was conducted in and around these sites to determine their archaeological potential and obtain basic information on the sites

Est modus in rebus: essays presented to Professor Mihai Bărbulescu at his 75th Anniversary / Nemeti, Sorin ; Nemeti, Irina ; Fodorean, Florin-Gheorghe et al. (eds.).)., 2022

The Roman legionary fortress Tilurium is situated in the hinterland of Salona, the capital of the... more The Roman legionary fortress Tilurium is situated in the hinterland of Salona, the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. It was built on a plateau overlooking the right bank of the Cetina River (Hippus fl.), on a dominating and strategic position controlling the surrounding fields and plateaus, as well as the crossing over the Cetina River in the area of the town of Trilj (Pons Tiluri). From 1997, the Roman legionary fortress becomes for the first time part of an archaeological research project. Since then, contours of fortress architecture have emerged to see the light of day. On the extreme western end, the remains of a massive western rampart have remained preserved above ground to this day. Excavations were carried out on a building lying parallel to the western rampart and on a cistern in the northwestern part of the fortress, with remains of a canal that probably carried water to the center of the fortress. The excavation in the southeast part of the former fortress revealed a segment of the south rampart and the remains of military barracks (centuriae) oriented east-west. In addition, west of them further military barracks, oriented north-south and lying adjacent to the previous, was revealed. The remains of a floor mosaic were found in the central part of the fortress (Fig. 2.2). A fragment of the central field depicting the rear of a bull remained preserved. The location in the center of the fortress, together with other data, suggests that the mosaic may have been part of the principia, but due to objective circumstances, it has not been possible to confirm this so far by archaeological excavations. This paper intends to draw attention to the numerous data collected during more than 20 years of research in Tilurium that speak about the position and appearance of the principia.

People Abroad. Proceedings of the XVI. International Colloquium on Roman Provincial Art, April 9–13th 2019, Tübingen / Lipps, Johannes (ed.).), 2021

Engraved gems as very personal objects can reveal information about the people who wore them, abo... more Engraved gems as very personal objects can reveal information about the people who wore them, about their status, profession, and religion. They can even hint at the origin of their owner, which is sometimes the case with gems depicting the oriental or native gods. In an attempt to recognize the foreign identities on the engraved gems, four engraved gems and four glass gems from the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb have been singled out. One intaglio and one glass gem have no record of their finding place. At the same time, the rest belong to stray finds from different sites in the Roman Provinces of Dalmatia, Pannonia, and Moesia. Three intaglios and four glass gems depict oriental deities Jupiter-Serapis and Isis, Jupiter Ammon, Jupiter Heliopolitanus, and Harpocrates. Last is the engraved gem showing the cavalryman with the long Celtic shield from Dalj (Teutoburgium). The group of gems discussed in the paper expands our knowledge of oriental cults in Roman provinces mentioned above and testifies to the mobility of people as well.

Colloquium Lauriacum 2016. Das römische Heer – Wirtschaftsfaktor und Kulturträger. Beiträge zur Tagung im Museum Lauriacum – Enns, 22.-24. September 2016 (Forschungen in Lauriacum, Bd. 19) / Traxler, Stefan ; Lang, Felix (eds.), 2020

Among the military sites in the Croatian part of the Roman province of Dalmatia, the legionary fo... more Among the military sites in the Croatian part of the Roman province of Dalmatia, the legionary fortress of Tilurium has been known to have the largest number of engraved gems, presently outnumbering the gem finds from other sites such as Burnum (Ivoševci near Kistanje) and Andetrium (Muć Gornji). The Tilurium gems are, therefore, clearly significant for analysis and comparison of this category of small archaeological finds with other military sites in Croatia, which is somewhat difficult to do due to the lack of published glyptic material. Engraved gems are present in considerable numbers in other Roman legionary fortresses, such as Carnuntum, Vetera, or Brigetio. Wearing finger rings with engraved gems among the Roman soldiers was a common and well-attested practice. Therefore, some remarks about the acquisition of engraved gems and Roman soldiers from Tilurium can be outlined.

Vjesnik Arheološkog muzeja u Zagrebu, vol. 54, no. 1, 2021, pp. 45-54, 2021

This paper analyses 11 engraved gems from Gornji Muć. They belong to the collection of Roman engr... more This paper analyses 11 engraved gems from Gornji Muć. They belong to the collection of Roman engraved gems in the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb and were acquired in the 19 th century by Mijo Jerko Granić, the priest of Gornji Muć. These gems were found in Gornji Muć, which was the location of the Roman auxiliary fort of Andetrium, and therefore add to our knowledge of Roman gems from military sites in Croatia.

Traian and the Danubian Provinces. The political, economic and religious life in the Danubian Provinces, Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on the Roman Danubian Provinces, Zagreb, 15th – 17th November 2017 / D. Tončinić, L. Zerbini (eds.). Zagreb: FF press, 2021, 407-413 , 2021

This paper will analyze two engraved gems from Osijek (ancient Mursa): a green jasper engraved wi... more This paper will analyze two engraved gems from Osijek (ancient Mursa): a green jasper engraved with Harpocrates sitting on the lotus flower and bearing the inscription KRA/TOU/ATH, and the heliotrope showing the mummy of Osiris with Anubis. The Harpocrates gem can be assigned to the category of magical gems. At the same time, the other one, despite its iconography, lacks the magical inscription, which would put it in the same group. Both engraved gemstones are a part of the Archaeological Museum Osijek Roman Golden jewelry and gems collection.

Vjesnik za arheologiju i historiju dalmatinsku, vol. 113, no. 2, 2020, pp. 321-331, 2020

The Archaeological Museum in Split holds the largest collection of Roman-era intaglios and cameos... more The Archaeological Museum in Split holds the largest collection
of Roman-era intaglios and cameos in Croatia. In the
Museum’s hand-written gem inventory, known as “Catalogue
I”, Fr. Frane Bulić registered a total of 2,559 gems, of which 35
are cameos. Up to the present, 17 cameos have been preserved
and they have been partially published or their publication is
pending. The remaining four cameos and one plaster cast from
that inventory list are covered in this paper. The find-spots of
two examples from this group have been recorded (Split and
Konjsko), while this information has not been preserved for the
other three. The cameo bearing the head of a boy/Eros and the
inscription ΤΥΧΗ/ΚΑΛΗ dates to the Roman era, as does the
plaster cameo featuring an erotic motif of a satyr and maenad.
The cameo with a bust of a young African man and the cameo
featuring a laureate man’s head date to the Early Modern period.

Zbornik radova Međunarodnog kongresa povijesnih gradova, godina 2, broj 1/2020, 2020

Suvremene i/ili pametne tehnologije 21. stoljeća polako postaju neizostavan alat za valorizaciju,... more Suvremene i/ili pametne tehnologije 21. stoljeća polako postaju neizostavan alat za valorizaciju, interpretaciju i
prezentaciju povijesno-kulturne materijalne i nematerijalne baštine. Njihovim ciljanim i smislenim implementiranjem
u arheološku i muzejsku djelatnost kreira se nova domaća i inozemna muzejska publika koja preferira online
dostupnost informacija i samostalno istraživanje tamo gdje i onda kada sama to želi. Projekt informatizacije i
digitalizacije Muzeja triljskog kraja sadrži mrežnu stranicu kao svojevrsnu „osobnu kartu“ muzeja, tehnološki
vrhunski razvijenu virtualnu šetnju po muzejskom prostoru i postavu te mobilnu aplikaciju 3D-3LJ – Muzej triljskog
kraja i rimski legijski logor Tilurij razvijenu u suradnji s Odsjekom za arheologiju Filozofskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u
Zagrebu. Virtualna šetnja osmišljena je da korisnika potakne na fizički posjet Muzeju te da on kroz interaktivne info
točke dobije osnovne informacije o muzejskim zbirkama i postavu te iz udobnosti svog doma ostvari prvu
komunikaciju s našim muzejom. S duge strane, mobilna aplikacija 3D-3LJ – Muzej triljskog kraja i rimski legijski
logor Tilurij, zainteresiranim posjetiteljima arheološkog nalazišta Tilurij pruža mogućnost samostalnog učenja i
istraživanja lokaliteta.Tri navedena alata zajedno čine zaokruženu cjelinu koja posjetiteljima muzeja i/ili arheološkog
lokaliteta omogućuju da sami filtriraju i izaberu informacije i sadržaje koji ih zanimaju te dožive poučno i ugodno
iskustvo. U procesu prikupljanja podataka za izradu digitalnih sadržaja, korištena je metoda studije slučaja te
metode analize i sinteze, tj. induktivni pristup pri njihovoj interpretaciji.

Studia honoraria archaeologica: zbornik radova u prigodi 65. rođendana prof. dr. sc. Mirjane Sanader , 2020

Rad sadrži cjelovitu bibliografiju znanstvenih i stručnih radova dr. sc. Mirjane Sanader, objavlj... more Rad sadrži cjelovitu bibliografiju znanstvenih i stručnih radova dr. sc. Mirjane Sanader, objavljenih u razdoblju od 1985. do 2020. godine. / A complete bibliography of Dr. Mirjana Sanader from 1985 till 2020.

Studia honoraria archaeologica: zbornik radova u prigodi 65. rođendana prof. dr. sc. Mirjane Sanader, 2020

Within the glyptic collection of the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb eight engraved gems and two ... more Within the glyptic collection of the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb eight engraved gems and two glass gems from Tilurium are found. A rich but standard iconographic repertoire is attested on them, covering various subjects: Minerva, Eros, a centaur, a satyr, Three Graces, a warrior, a deer, an eagle, a group of symbols and an inscription. Although lacking archaeological context, based on their stylistic and technical characteristics, they can be dated in the period from the end of the 1st century BC to the 2nd century AD.

Zbornik I. skupa hrvatske ranokršćanske arheologije (HRRANA) / M. Sanader, D. Tončinić, I. Kaić & V. Bubić (eds.); Zagreb 2020, pp. 225-232, 2020

In the journal Bullettino di archeologia della storia dalmata (Vol. 22) from 1899 a small article... more In the journal Bullettino di archeologia della storia dalmata (Vol. 22) from 1899 a small article entitled “Spomenik, kojemu euharistično značenje još nije utvrgjeno” (pages 25–26) was published, and signed by the journal editorial board. The subject of this article was an intaglio of carnelian from the glyptic collection of the Archaeological Museum in Split. The article includes a high quality, enlarged picture of the engraved gem with a brief discussion of this engraved motif to which the great names of Early Christian archaeology, such as Giovanni Battista de Rossi, Józef Bilczewski and Orazio Marucchi, devoted their attention. The motif is described as depicting either a fish or a dolphin on a tripod and is associated with the early Christian period (its symbolic meaning being related to the Eucharist).
The problem here lies in the representation of a dolphin. The motif was named “the Eucharist dolphin” although not attested on the Early Christian frescoes depicting the Eucharist, agape, or funeral banquets, nor on the Early Christian gems, which frequently depict dolphins either with anchors or with a Christian inscription. J. Spier, therefore, leaves the issue of the ascription of the Salona carnelian to early Christianity unresolved, categorising it as a 3rd century gem.
However, after turning away from the idea of an Early Christian motif, the iconographic analysis of Roman gems depicting tripods showed that the motif carved into the Salona carnelian actually represents neither fish nor dolphin, but rather a different kind of an animal. It is, unquestionably, a mouse, commonly depicted on tripods either standing or nibbling on a piece of bread. From this, we can conclude that the Salona carnelian should not be considered anymore as an Early Christian gem nor as depicting a so-called Eucharist dolphin. Instead, it should be included in the group of Roman gems engraved with a mouse on a tripod.

Keywords: intaglio, glyptics, Early Christianity, Roman period, eucharist, fish, dolphin, tripod, mouse

S. Traxler, F. Lang (Hrsg.), Colloquium Lauriacum 2016. Das römische Heer – Wirtschaftsfaktor und Kulturträger. Beiträge zur Tagung im Museum Lauriacum – Enns, 22.-24. September 2016 (Forschungen in Lauriacum, Bd. 19), Linz 2020, 91-96.

Among the military sites in the Croatian part of the Roman province of Dalmatia, the legionary fo... more Among the military sites in the Croatian part of the Roman province of Dalmatia, the legionary fortress of Tilurium has been known to have the largest number of engraved gems, presently outnumbering the gem finds from other sites such as Burnum (Ivoševci near Kistanje) and Andetrium (Muć Gornji). The Tilurium gems are, therefore, clearly significant for analysis and comparison of this category of small archaeological finds with other military sites in Croatia, which is somewhat difficult to do due to lack of published glyptic material. Engraved gems are present in considerable numbers in other Roman legionary fortresses, such as Carnuntum, Vetera or Brigetio. Wearing finger rings with engraved gems among the Roman soldiers was common and well attested practice. Therefore, some remarks in relation to the acquisition of engraved gems and Roman soldiers from Tilurium can be outlined.

Limes XXIII: Proceedings of the 23rd International Limes Congress Ingolstadt 2015: Akten Des 23. Internationalen Limeskongresses in Ingolstadt 2015 / Matešić, Suzana ; Sommer, C. Sebastian (eds.) - Mainz : Nünnerich-Asmus Verlag, 2018

In present-day Croatia, at the site of Gardun near Trilj in central Dalmatia, situated some 30 ki... more In present-day Croatia, at the site of Gardun near Trilj in central Dalmatia, situated some 30 kilometres north of Salona, a Roman legionary fortress of Tilurium was built. Among the small finds, the site of Tilurium is rich in gem finds. Most of them are stray finds acquired during the 19th and 20th century. Among the diverse subjects engraved on these gems, erotic scenes or, more often, an erotic symbolism, can be found on four intaglios from the glyptic collections of Zagreb and Split archaeological museums.

Aus dem Gebiet des Dorfes Gardun in Kroatien, wo in der Antike das römische Militärlager Tilurium gebaut wurde, stammt, unter anderen römischen Funden, auch eine große Zahl der Gemmen. Beim Großteil handelt es sich um Zufallsfunde ohne archäologischen Kontext, doch kann aufgrund des Fundortes davon ausgegangen werden, dass sie einst im Besitz von römischen Soldaten waren. Unter diesen Gemmen, finden wir auch solche die erotische bzw. sexuelle Symbolik nachweisen. Es handelt sich um vier Intaglienderen Darstellungen von leicht erotischen (Venus pudica, Cupid der einen Schmetterling mit einer Fackel verbrennt, Nymphe Amymone) bis starken sexuellen (Satyrn und Mänaden) sind. Diese Intaglien sind in der Zeit vom 1. Jh. vor Christus bis. 1. Jh. nach. Christus datierbar.

M. Milićević Bradač, D. Demicheli (eds.), The century of the brave. Archaeology of the Roman conquest and indigenous resistance in Illyricum during the time of Augustus and his heirs: Proceedings of the International Conference held in Zagreb, 22.-26.9.2014., Zagreb 2018, 279-289, 2018

Engraved gems in the time of Augustus were used as means of propaganda, with diverse and well-kno... more Engraved gems in the time of Augustus were used as means of propaganda, with diverse and well-known motives that can be linked to his political program. Glyptic collections which are kept in Croatian museums are not fully published. However, among the published material, some engraved gems belonging to this group can be singled out, such as gems depicting capricorn, a zodiac sign of Augustus, or a famous glass cameo with Livia's bust.

Illyrica antiqua 2 - in honorem Duje Rendić Miočević. Proceedings of the international conference, Šibenik, 12th-15th September 2013 / Demicheli, Dino (ed.). - Zagreb : Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb , 2017., 2017

Within the glyptic collection of the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb, there is a small group of g... more Within the glyptic collection of the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb, there is a small group of gems with Latin inscriptions, consisting of 7 intaglios and 2 glass intaglios. These intaglios are mainly stray finds acquired for the Museum collection in the course of the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century. One intaglio has no record of the site it was found, while six other intaglios and two glass intaglios have been found at sites in present-day Croatia and Serbia, which once belonged to the Roman provinces of Pannonia, Dalmatia and Moesia Superior. They can be dated to the Roman imperial period, between the 1st and 4th centuries.

Within the archaeological collection of the Sisak City Museum there is a small group of nine engr... more Within the archaeological collection of the Sisak City Museum there is a small group of nine engraved gems found at Sisak (ancient Siscia), which have not been previously published. There is not much preserved data about them, apart from that they are stray finds from the Sisak area. Only one intaglio has the additional information about being found in the river Kupa, which flows through Sisak. Iconographic repertoire, according to which the engraved gems are analysed in this paper, is diverse and includes figural representations, the motifs of animals, a group of symbols, as well as an inscription.
Given that the Roman gems from Sisak, mainly for the lack of publication, are so far a little-known category of ancient findings from the Roman Siscia, a collection of Roman intaglios from the Sisak City Museum is an important contribution to the further study of iconographic, stylistic and technical characteristics of the glyptic of Siscia.

Istraživanja u Imotskoj krajini : znanstveni skup : (Imotski, 2011. god.), 2015

Među različitim predmetima pohranjenima u zbirci Franjevačkog samostana u Imotskom posebno mjesto... more Među različitim predmetima pohranjenima u zbirci Franjevačkog samostana u Imotskom posebno mjesto zauzimaju zavjetni darovi. U jednoj od vitrina izložena je zbirka nakita i sakralnih predmeta koji su prikupljeni kao zavjetni dar Majci Božjoj. Zbirku sačinjavaju krunice, križići, ogrlice, naušnice i prstenje. Od darovanih prstenova izdvaja se 21 primjerak s intaglijima. Svo je prstenje recentne izrade. Još je jedan intaglio umetnut u recentnu naušnicu. Sedam intaglija iz kolekcije datirano je u rimsko doba, jedan intaglio dvojbene je datacije, dok preostali pripadaju novovjekovnom razdoblju. Nažalost, o porijeklu i načinu nabave ovih predmeta nisu nam sačuvani nikakvi podaci. Možemo samo pretpostaviti da su rimskodobni intagliji, koji su sekundarno iskorišteni pri izradi recentnog nakita, nađeni na području Imotskog i okolice.

Nella collezione del convento di S. Francesco nella città di Imotski (situata nel retroterra dalmata, al confine della Croazia con la Bosnia e Herzegovina) sono conservati dei doni votivi dedicati alla Madonna, esposti in una vitrina a parte. Si tratta di gioielli, per lo più anelli d’oro incastonati con pietre preziose, poi in minor numero di orecchini e collane, e infine di piccolo oggetti sacrali di uso personale, come crocifissi e rosari. Non sono conosciuti né i dati sui dedicanti, né l’epoca della donazione degli oggetti, come neppure informazioni sul luogo della loro provenienza. Nel presente lavoro vengono analizzati 22 intagli usati come decorazione su anelli ed un orecchino. Sia gli anelli che l’orecchino rappresentano una produzione moderna, a differenza degli intagli, databili nell’epoca romana e post-classica, per cui sono analizzati secondo il criterio cronologico.