Alka Starac - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Books by Alka Starac

Archaeopress Roman Archaeology 75, 2020

Deposit of Amphorae in the Quarter of St. Theodore, Pula examines a large group of amphorae which... more Deposit of Amphorae in the Quarter of St. Theodore, Pula examines a large group of amphorae which were placed in the quarter of St. Theodore in Pula during the construction of the terrace of the Roman temple complex and adjacent public thermae in the mid-1st century BC, in order to enable drainage and levelling of the slope. The total number of amphorae from deposits registered in the 2005-2007 excavations amounted to 2119, of which 1754 were extracted and thoroughly documented.

Hercules' Sanctuary in the Quarter of St. Theodore in Pula deals with many aspects of the Roman s... more Hercules' Sanctuary in the Quarter of St. Theodore in Pula deals with many aspects of the Roman sanctuary erected at the spring in Pula as well as with objects of cult dated to the Hellenistic period. The site was in use from the late fourth century BC to the fall of the Western Roman Empire, a date that approximately coincides with the demolition of the temple. Research focuses on Roman foundations which trace the ground plan of the temple that was surrounded by portico. Architectural fragments found at the site, as well as those kept in the collection of Pula Museum, were used to form proposals for a hypothetical reconstruction of the temple. The discovery of a relief club is the only reliable link with a particular deity i.e. Hercules. The continuity of the cult of Hercules has been recognised at the spring from the Histrian to Roman periods. Hercules was considered a founder and patron of the Roman colony of Pola. Nearness of the assumed umbilicus of the colony offers additional reasons to reconsider sacred rituals of the foundation of the colony. Traces of ritual desacralization, purification and storing of sacrificial remnants could be recognised at the site. A hypothetical reconstruction of the Roman sanctuary is followed by calculations of construction costs.

Book chapters by Alka Starac

Papers by Alka Starac

Ocnus, 2023

This contribution examines the only two decorated North-Italic terra sigillata vases with the sig... more This contribution examines the only two decorated North-Italic terra sigillata vases with the signature by L. Vegetus: one from Reggio Emilia and another from Istria. The first specimen, found in the excavation at piazza della Vittoria, is decorated with a battle scene. Here, the warrior rescuing a fallen comrade can be linked to Pasquino-type groups. The second vase (a Consp. R2.1 chalice), preserved in the Pula Museum, is decorated with a motif of rhombuses containing rosettes. The two specimens, dating back to the middle-late Augustan age and with almost identical rectangular stamps, are likely products of the same workshop. It remains uncertain whether this workshop, perhaps located in Emilia, has also made the undecorated North-Italic terra sigillata vases with a rectangular Vegeti stamp.

Histria Archaeologica 53 (2022), 2023

Metal and bone elements of cylindrical cosmetic boxes (pyxides) and rectangular chests have been ... more Metal and bone elements of cylindrical cosmetic boxes (pyxides)
and rectangular chests have been recovered in Istria at necropolises,
in buildings within the bounds of the walls of Pula, and at
maritime villa sites (Brijuni Castrum, Dragonera, Sorna). The
finds recovered from buildings date from the early 1st to the 8th
c., while those from the necropolises date from the early 1st to
the late 5th c. Elements of one cylindrical cosmetic box (pyxis)
and at most 48 chests have been recorded. Further related
recoveries are of 25 keys used to lock chests, cabinets, or doors.
Metal elements of chests and boxes from the necropolises include
hardware plates, hasps, hinges and lock mechanisms, rivets, small
chains, rings, and keys. Two rectangular chests were recovered from
the necropolis at the Koparska street site, and at least one from
the necropolis at the Vodnjanska street site in Pula. Fourteen
graves at the Marsovo polje necropolis site in Pula contained 14
chests or boxes, at least one of which was a cylindrical cosmetic
box. One rectangular chest from the Marsovo polje necropolis
site belonged to an athlete and contained a collection of coins,
while another contained a medical hook. Two hardware fittings
from the Dragonera site villa were from a chest of somewhat
larger dimensions used in the period from the 5th to the 7th c.
Other individual finds that may be associated with chests were
recovered from contexts that do not provide sufficient data and
we cannot confidently assert that they were all from chests.

Diadora 37, 2023

This paper analyzes 140 Roman cosmetic or pharmaceutical glass vessels from the Roman Period Coll... more This paper analyzes 140 Roman cosmetic or pharmaceutical glass vessels from the Roman Period Collection of the Archaeological Museum of Istria. Most of the selected objects belong to the Museum’s permanent display, but some other ones are also included. The objects are either complete or with minor damages and are dated to the period between the 1st and 4th centuries AD. They include balsamarii of various forms, mold-blown and free-blown vials, handled cups, amphoriskoi and one pyxis. These objects are analyzed based on their form (related to their purpose and to how, when and where they were made) and their contents and social contexts, if known. They mostly come from the workshops in Northern Italy and Northern Adriatic; some of them come from the Eastern Mediterranean and very few of them from Western European provinces. The balsamarii selected here offer an insight into the main routes of trade in cosmetic and pharmaceutical preparations that Roman Istria was part of.

Dorel Bondoc, Cālin Timoc (eds), In Honorem Constantin C. Petolescu, 2023

A bronze hand with relief symbols found in Pola is the starting point for the study of Jupiter Sa... more A bronze hand with relief symbols found in Pola is the starting point for the study of Jupiter Sabazius cult in Istria. The description of the symbols on the hand is supplemented and their symbolism is analysed. Other religious objects from the same site, triple lampstand-censer and vase with holes, support the assumption that an organized religious community in the Roman colony of Pola celebrated the cult of Jupiter Sabazius in an apsidal public building on the main decumanus, in the immediate vicinity of the Forum.

Arheološki radovi i rasprave 21, 2022

The subject of paper are fifteen copper alloy lamps of various types and sizes from the Roman Col... more The subject of paper are fifteen copper alloy lamps of various types and sizes from the Roman Collection of the Archaeological Museum of Istria, mostly collected in the first half of the 20th century in Istria and on the island of Cres. The lamps were classified according to shape into six basic types and compared with other finds, in order to gain insight into the chronological framework, workshop centers, and distribution routes.
Figural depictions on lamps have been interpreted with regard to mythological and cult significance. The available data on the circumstances of the findings were analyzed and compared with the other data, from which assumptions were made about the possible time and causes of the storage of copper alloy lamps in hoards. The possible value of the copper alloy lamps is estimated according to their weight.

Italia settentrionale e regioni dell'arco alpino tra V e VI secolo d. C. Atti del convegno, 15-17 aprile 2021, 2021

The remains of an older church were found under the St. Theodore church from the 15th century in ... more The remains of an older church were found under the St. Theodore church from the 15th century in the Quarter of St. Theodore in Pula. The church, according to historical sources identified as St. Lucy, was built in the Early Christian period on the ruins of the public thermae, incorporated into a complex of which an internal courtyard paved in cocciopesto and a corridor leading to the entrance to the early Christian aula remains
recognizable. The complex extended over an area of 30 by over 40 meters. Stratigraphic data indicate the construction towards the end of the 5th century, after a terminal fire that destroyed the Roman public thermae and the adjacent luxurious domus. At the same time, modest residential structures were built on the terrace on the remains of the Roman temple, where the future Benedictine monastery was to be built. Elements of an olive oil production plant used as building material in the more recent structures testify to the presence of agricultural activities within the city from the end of the fifth to the seventh century. The buildings from the late 5th century onwards generally followed the orientation and layout of the existing terrace, using the sacred area of the Temple of Hercules with a well as a courtyard and the portico as a production and storage environment. The courtyard building north of the early Christian aula was completely destroyed and obliterated by a fire at the end of the 7th century.

MB Maurizio Buora. La sua storia. Il sio Friuli., 2022

The Roman Collection of the Archaeological Museum of Istria contains certain bronze and bone elem... more The Roman Collection of the Archaeological Museum of Istria contains certain bronze and bone elements that have not been previously
studied and can be attributed to furniture, chairs, beds, vases, cabinets, paravanes. The selection of bronze items includes the legs of various pieces of furniture, a foot of a folding chair, a winged lion paw with a Silenus head and two elements of a leg that belonged to a wooden bed. In addition to metal, bone was used to join and secure furniture. Two hollow bone cylinders and one bone hemispherical element can be attributed to the hinge mechanism.

Histria Archaeologica, 2022

This paper discusses two limestone consoles with bull’s head decoration from Pula of unknown find... more This paper discusses two limestone consoles with bull’s head
decoration from Pula of unknown find circumstances. It
presents a brief overview of buildings in the eastern and western
Mediterranean with bull protome decorative features on their
friezes, architraves, consoles, keystones or capitals. The overview
covers the early use of bull protomes in Hellenistic and Roman
architecture, their symbolic role, where they spread, and the types
of buildings on which they were present. Parallel with the rise
of Augustan rule was the beginning of a period in which bull
protomes saw the peak of their popularity on prominent parts of
monumental public buildings. The symbolic significance of the
bull is associated with the official imperial iconography. Both
realistic and schematised depictions of the forepart of a kneeling
bull and the depiction of a bull’s head were parallel features of
load-bearing architectural elements throughout the whole of the
Roman imperial period. Bull protomes were usually found at
major entrances to a city or to an urban architectural complex
within a city. The paper further considers the question of which
of Pula’s edifices the bull’s head consoles might have been from.
The current degree of archaeological insight precludes a definitive
answer to this question—the only confident assertion that can
be made is that the structure in question was a part of the
monumental architecture of an entrance or passage.

Archaeopress Roman Archaeology 75, 2020

Ocnus, 2023

Histria Archaeologica 53 (2022), 2023

Diadora 37, 2023

Dorel Bondoc, Cālin Timoc (eds), In Honorem Constantin C. Petolescu, 2023

Arheološki radovi i rasprave 21, 2022

Italia settentrionale e regioni dell'arco alpino tra V e VI secolo d. C. Atti del convegno, 15-17 aprile 2021, 2021

MB Maurizio Buora. La sua storia. Il sio Friuli., 2022

Histria Archaeologica, 2022

Pnyx, 2022

This paper examines the migration and origins of Roman citizens in Histria based mainly on epigra... more This paper examines the migration and origins of Roman citizens in Histria based mainly on epigraphical sources. It focuses on the origins and identity of the newcomers who settled permanently in the region during the entire Imperial period. It looks into free individuals who migrated voluntarily in search of a better life and trade earnings, and others who settled as veterans or found refuge in Histria from troubles in their homeland. The legal status of settlers, visitors, and immigrants was resolved by special decisions, as evidenced by the inscription on the use of thermal baths near Buje, which records the decurions' permission to the colonists, incolae, and foreigners to bathe. Inscriptions confirm various types of migration in Histria, seasonal, temporary, and permanent. Members of the municipal aristocracy and Augustals retained their status after the relocation. Several veterans, mostly born in Italy, settled permanently in Histria. Particularly interesting is the case of Rasparaganus, King of the Sarmatian tribe of Roxolani, who died and was buried with his family on the small island of Pola. Among migrants without ties to the military or the administration but who came to Histria because of their profession or in search of higher earnings, clothing merchants stand out. Temporary visitors were registered in important religious and health centres. Finally, the paper examines city patrons coming from another city to establish whether they can be considered migrants.

Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology, 2022

In the quarter of St. Theodore in Pula, next to the public thermae and Hercules’ sanctuary, in 20... more In the quarter of St. Theodore in Pula, next to the public thermae
and Hercules’ sanctuary, in 2005, most part of the luxurious domus was
excavated. The domus was inhabited from the third quarter of the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD, with one major restoration after the fire in the beginning of the 2nd century AD. Architectonic cult indicators are a threshold mosaic with Dionysian motifs of kantharos and wine, niches in the walls and elements of marble architectural decoration of cult spaces, a capital and an architrave. A total of six niches were discovered, one with a white and black mosaic depicting a shell, an altar and containing a dedication to the goddess of Salus. Small finds are represented by various objects used in rituals or objects symbolizing the divine presence. Fragments of the censer with letter-shaped openings, fragments of a large calcite alabaster crater, a clay vessel fragment with a theatrical mask in relief, clay lamps with figures of Minerva and Medusa were found in the triclinium. The finds of Corinthian drinking cups decorated with Dionysian scenes come from other rooms, and from the drainage channel comes a bronze medallion with the Medusa head probably belonging to a carriage. The findings from the domus confirm the presence of cults in every aspect of everyday life. A peculiar niche dedicated to Salus is associated with the neighbouring public thermae and the sanctuary of Hercules built at the sacred spring.

Antichità Altoadriatiche, 2020

The significance and the archaeological wealth of the Roman Aquileia has a great value in the stu... more The significance and the archaeological wealth of the Roman Aquileia has a great value in the studies for the project of the new permanent exhibition of the Archaeological Museum of Istria. It is practically impossible find an area of the social life and material culture of Roman Istria where no major impact from Aquileia can be seen. This influence is particularly visible in stone monuments that represent an important part of Roman Collection of the Archaeological Museum of Istria. In the occasion of celebration of
the Fortune of Aquileia, the group of limestone monuments from Pola little studied previously has been chosen. There are three cylindrical
anepigraphic altars, decorated in relief by festoons of leaves, flowers,
fruits or oak nuts, tied by ribbons. Festoons are carried at one monument by winged erots, at two others by human heads. Theater masks or sacrificial accessories are placed above the festoons. One altar is heavily
damaged and deprived of the upper part, another had a separately sculpted limestone element above the cornice, while the third had a snake wrapped in a circle at the top. Altars with sculpted upper part could
not be used in the cult for the real sacrifices. The comparison with the analogous cylindrical monuments of Aquileia and northeast Italy turned out to be a guide, leading to a conclusion that the cylindrical altars
from Pola belonged to the representative funerary monuments. Find places of cylindrical altars outside of walls of the Roman colony of Pola goes along with the funerary function. Going deeper into the analysis
of figural details, the role of Aquileia is revealed as a center through which cultural, religious and artistic influences came from the northeast Italy to Istria in the Augustan and Julio-Claudian period. Cylindrical
altars make a small group in the Roman Collection of the Archaeological Museum of Istria, but rich in symbolism, religious meaning associated to the funerary sphere and to the belief in eternal life. Therefore,
deserves a prominent place in the futrure permanent museum exhibition.

Diadora, 2022

This paper discusses a relief depicting a naiskos in an oak grove on the coast, kept in the Archa... more This paper discusses a relief depicting a naiskos in an oak grove on the coast, kept in the Archaeological Museum of Istria. It analyzes the iconographical and mythological connotations and architectural features of the naiskos, identified as a heroon. The oak grove symbolizes the sacred gate to the underworld and is associated with Artemis/Diana. The sea symbolized the journey to the underworld. It could mean a sea voyage, a war campaign or a journey to faraway lands where the protagonist met their fate. The mythical founding of the city of Pola by the Colchians, containing elements of a hero’s cult, could be one explanation of the depicted scene. The myth tells about the arrival of the Colchians from their native land on the Black Sea shores and their landing at the tombstone of the heroic couple Cadmus and Harmonia in Eastern Adriatic. The analysis of the motifs and their interaction led to the conclusion that their main themes were the descent to the underworld with a promise of everlasting life of the soul and the myth of the Colchians’ founding of Pola. The fragment of the naiskos relief was part of the decorative lining of a shrine, theater or other public building or a private house.

Diadora, 2022

The medical instruments and toiletry and cosmetic utensils kept in the Roman Period Collection of... more The medical instruments and toiletry and cosmetic utensils kept in the Roman Period Collection of the Archaeological Museum of Istria come from the Roman necropolises, private houses and public thermae in the Roman cities of Istria and the island of Cres, as well as from villas outside these cities. In some cases, they indicate specific professions, interests and activities of their owners. Typical among the medical instruments are scalpels and hooks made of a copper alloy or iron. Copper-alloy instruments intended for use in both surgery and cosmetics account for quite a number of these museum items; they include tweezers, probes, spatulas, spoons and a small wide-mouthed cup. Metal items, primarily used for cosmetic purposes, include strigils, a hairbrush handle, mirrors and vessels like aryballoi, amphorettes, pateras and cistae. In medicine and cosmetics, vessels of ceramics, bone and various types of stone were used. Particularly interesting are the valuable vessels made of marble, calcite alabaster, amber and rock crystal. Medical instruments and cosmetic utensils and spoons, needles and combs were made not only of metal but also of bone.

CURA AQUARUM ADDUZIONE E DISTRIBUZIONE DELL’ACQUA NELL’ANTICHITà Atti della XLVIII Settimana di Studi aquileiesi, 2018

Il contributo discute fontane entrate nella Collezione romana del Museo Archeologico dell’Istria ... more Il contributo discute fontane entrate nella Collezione romana del Museo Archeologico dell’Istria prima del 2015. Tre fontane di piccole dimensioni scolpite in un blocco di marmo bianco, una semplice rettangolare
e due a scaletta, appartengono al arredo di lusso del peristilio privato, bagno o latrina lussuosa dal periodo dalla fine del I al III secolo. Si nota il gusto per fontane “a quadrifoglio” diagonale, una forma una forma inoltre attestata nel contesto dell’epoca adrianea. Vasca in calcare scolpita nel territorio di Pola, l’unica priva dell’approvvigionamento idrico, è ispirata dalle fontane marmoree a scaletta. Si apre la questione di finitura di piccole fontane in marmo con particolare riguardo sulle decorazioni e la tradizione scultorea di Pola. Lastra con Medusa, per decenni considerata una base della decorazione architettonica forense rilavorata,
viene interpretata come un elemento originario di fontana pubblica, attribuibile al IV secolo. Cariatide con bocca forata è un elemento architettonico decorativo databile all’epoca giulio-claudia, ispirato dalla
decorazione della prima casa di Ottaviano Augusto sul Palatino ed appartenente ad una struttura pubblica, portico del foro o un edificio pubblico accanto al foro. È stata trasformata in fontana in un periodo successivo, probabilmente tardoantico.

Aquam ducere IV, 2022

A part of the water supply system incorporated in the Roman public thermae was found 2005 in Pola... more A part of the water supply system incorporated in the Roman public thermae was found 2005 in Pola. About a hundred years after the construction, the thermal building was restored. Renovation works included the costruction of the water supply system in the third quarter of the 1st century AD. Beside a caldarium with a basin covered with marble and near the furnace with a boiler, a cistern connected with walled water supply structures (specus) was built. $e cistern seemingly had a function in the hot water basin supply system. Walled water supply
structures excavated 35 meters in length were situated partly above and partly below old floor pavement. Three different channel section types of different dimensions were recorded, alternating in the same water supply channel. In the following period between early 2nd and late 5th century AD, the excavated part of the water supply system was modified by closing the branch leading South. Construction techniques included hydraulic mortar, bottom covered with tegulae, masonry walls and vault covering, in places covering made of tegulae and flat limestone slabs. $e
water supply system can be dated after the stratigraphical data and after a tegula bearing the name of the emperor Claudius built in the bottom of the water supply channel. $e other tegulae used in the construction bear the stamps of figlinae FAESONIA and PANSIANA.

Vjesnik za arheologiju i historiju dalmatinsku 113-1, 2020

Nino Švonja Rimske kutijice za pečate u Arheološkome muzeju u Splitu Roman seal boxes held in the... more Nino Švonja Rimske kutijice za pečate u Arheološkome muzeju u Splitu Roman seal boxes held in the Archaeological Museum in Split Dino Demicheli Nekoliko neobjavljenih natpisa iz lapidarija Arheološkog muzeja u Splitu Several unpublished inscriptions from the lapidarium of the Archaeological Museum in Split

Histria Archaeologica, 2020

This paper discusses the figural representations of the Arch of the Sergii, their composition and... more This paper discusses the figural representations of the Arch of
the Sergii, their composition and the iconographic messages. The
epigraphic content and motifs of funerary symbolism indicate
that the arch was a commemorative monument honouring
three deceased men and one living woman. The arch unites
triumph and apotheosis and bears witness to the transformation
of triumphal arches during the time of Augustus. The triumphal
symbolism pertains to the emperor Augustus, his triple triumph
in 29 BCE and the return of the legionary standards that had
been lost to the Parthians. The arch, commissioned by Salvia
Postuma, successfully depicts the key elements of the imperial
cult and triumph, and the allegiance of the Sergii in Pola to
Augustus and his policies. The imagery depicted on the arch
asserts the lawfulness of the authority Augustus inherited from
the deified Julius Caesar, the origins of the gens Julia from the
goddess Venus, and the divine nature of Augustus. On the
attic of the arch are statues of three members of the Sergii, of
Salvia Postuma, and a lost statue, likely of triumphal character.
The unique selection and composition of the figural motifs is
attributable to the authorship of Salvia Postuma. An analysis
of the historical context indicates that the arch was most likely
raised in the last decade of the first century BCE.

Diadora 35, 2021

Out of the twenty-three metal cart elements from the Antique Collection of the Archaeological Mus... more Out of the twenty-three metal cart elements from the Antique Collection of the Archaeological Museum of Istria in Pula, four elements are made from bronze and decorated with mythological ﬁgures and ﬁgures of apotropaic and protective signiﬁcance. The elements can be dated approximately to the early Roman Imperial period of 1st–3rd century and they are parts of luxury passenger carts. The manufacturing location of the bronze cart elements should most likely be sought in the Pola colony or in the neighbouring wider area of north-east Italy. Nineteen iron, functional and undecorated clasps and ﬁttings can be attributed to the cart due to their characteristic shape or because of the sensible closed unit of the ﬁndings. More than half of all items refer to the iron construction elements created in 7th century in the smithy of the Late Antique villa Dragonera South in the area of Pola. Although they are not numerous, bronze and iron elements of carts found in Istria cover a long period from the ﬁrst seven centuries AD.

Academia Letters, 2021

The paper deals with meaning of relief depictions of construction tools on the sarcophagus of the... more The paper deals with meaning of relief depictions of construction tools on the sarcophagus of the married couple found in Pula, in Istria, today kept in Venice. A protractor with a pendulum and an ax are depicted, both known as having a complex religious and symbolic significance. A limestone architectural sarcophagus of Aurelius Eutyches and Aurelia Rufena found in Pula and kept in Venice has a framed square inscription field between two arcs 1. In the left arc there is a protractor with a pendulum (libella), and in the right an ax (ascia). The text fills the entire inscription field: M(arcus) Aurel(ius) Eutyche/s et Aurelia Rufen(a) / hanc sedem / vivi sibi posuer(unt) / uno animo lab/orantes sine / ulla quaerella. The sarcophagus belongs to the Gabelmann II architectural type, created in the IIIrd century AD 2. One or two limestone fragments from Pula can be attributed to the same period and sarcophagus type 3. A fragment of an unfinished sarcophagus of the Gabelmann II / Rebecchi II 2 type from Pula testifies to the production of embossed sarcophagi in the local stonemason workshops that used Istrian limestone 4. The relief depictions of tools were interpreted as indications that Aurelius Eutychus was a carpenter (faber tignarius) 5. Carpenters used both instruments, but they were also used by other builders of various specializations. Combined with differen construction tools and

Monumenta marmore aereque perenniora. A volume dedicated to Ante Rendić Miočević, 464-473, 2020

A stone monument interpreted as an altar was found on the forum of Zadar, spurring considerations... more A stone monument interpreted as an altar was found on the forum
of Zadar, spurring considerations on some forum characteristics
and question of the functional connection between forum
and monument. On the forum of Zadar two shallow basins are
symmetrically positioned in front of Capitoline temple, meanwhile
a central strip with traces of inscription in bronze letters
(litterae caelatae) extends along the entire length of forum. Comparison
with series of fora in towns in Italy and provinces and
with fountain and basin stands leads to the assumption that the
original Augustan conception of forum of Zadar included a pair
of basins with fountains of ritual function, where the supposed
altar was actually a stand of the fountain.

Exhibition Pula 2011 - Excavations in Pula, Kandler street 2005-2009

by Ergun LAFLI, Alev Çetingöz, Maurizio Buora, Kerstin Bauer, Margherita Bolla, Nicoletta Martinelli, Elisabetta Gagetti, Natalia Novichenkova, Vlad-Andrei Lăzărescu, Angeliki Liveri, Tayla Newland, Manolis Petrakis, Aurel Mototolea, Csilla Sáró, Alka Starac, Salvo Micciché, Benyamin Storchan, Nino Sulava, Marissa Tsiao, Varbin Varbanov, mojca vomer gojkovic, Sorin Cocis, Kaloyan Pramatarov, Radu Petcu, Miglena Stamberova, Gian Luca Gregori, Chiara Ovoli, and Ralph Mathisen

Ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine fibulae. An international e-conference in honour of Dr Maurizio Buora, May 12-13, 2022 / Izmir, Turkey, Colloquia Anatolica et Aegaea - Congressus internationales Smyrnenses XII., 2022

This video conference took place on May 12-13, 2022 in Izmir, Turkey. All the lectures and discus... more This video conference took place on May 12-13, 2022 in Izmir, Turkey. All the lectures and discussions in our e-conference were in English, and were recorded for later viewing on YouTube for participants who were unable to attend the live performance.
Thematically papers were divided into 11 sessions, dealing with different aspects of Greek, Roman and Byzantine fibulae (cf. the program in the abstract booklet). Revised papers will be published in a peer-reviewed proceedings volume.
A fibula is a brooch or pin for fastening garments, typically at the right shoulder. The fibulae developed in a variety of shapes and are usually divided into families that are based upon historical periods, geography, and/or cultures. They are also divided into classes that are based upon their general forms. Fibulae were found in relatively large quantities in the Mediterranean and Black Sea area, where they were in use and produced frequently between the Bronze Age and Medieval periods. So far the study of these multifunctional objects has been overlooked in the Mediterranean whereas there is still a huge amount of unpublished material from excavations and museums in an area from Portugal down to Egypt.
Fibulae can be categorized based on different criteria, including genres of material, production, use and distribution. The purpose of this video conference was to create an analytical framework for understanding the fibulae in their social and material contexts. This conference considered in depth the role played by fibulas – whose uses ranged from clothes pins to status symbols to military badges of rank – in ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine societies. In recent decades, major excavation projects have produced vast quantities of material data that have reshaped our understanding of the fibulae, while also raising new questions about their use and production over the long term. We focused on a study of brooches in general and fibulas in particular. Along the way we looked at the intersection between material culture and ethnicity, dealing with the contentious issue of how much that a people’s material culture can tell us about their ethnicity – or not! In this online conference we only focused on Greek, Roman and Byzantine fibulae from the Mediterranean and Black Sea area between c. early sixth century B.C. and early seventh century A.D., and attempted to set out a comprehensive model for the study of fibulae, including their definition, typology, chronology, contexts, function, regional characteristics and distribution patterns in the whole Mediterranean and Black Sea geographies.
This conference on ancient material culture and instrumenta is dedicated to the 75th birthday of Dr Maurizio Buora, the former director of the Civici Musei Castello di Udine in Italy and an international authority on fibulae.
Such papers that engage the following themes and topics are invited:

- Fibulae from archaeological field projects (especially well-dated finds), museums and private collections,
- Identification of different kinds of fibulas,
- Ancient Greek and Latin textual sources on fibulae,
- Evolution of fibulae in the Mediterranean and Black Sea area during the Etruscan, Lydian, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods,
- The construction of fibula taxonomies,
- Similar instrumenta in the ancient Near East and their relations to ancient Graeco-Roman fibulae, - The nature of different types of surviving material culture,
- What ancient Greeks and Romans thought about afterlife? Fibulae in funerary and votive contexts,
- Comparative studies and issues related to the adoption of Greek and/or Roman fibula models in indigenous contexts: fibulae as major indicators of the relationship between these two communities (indigenous and Greek or Roman),
- Fibula as an indicator of rank and prestige in the ancient world,
- Domestic and commercial use of fibulae,
- Early Christian fibulae,
- Byzantine fibulae,
- Post-Byzantine or modern replicas of Classical fibulae,
- Eastern fibulae in the ancient western world,
- Major production centres of fibulae in the eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea area,
- Related instrumenta to fibulae in the regards of their function,
- Documentation and analysis of fibulae,
- The creation of a fully annotated and organized corpus,
- Publication of fibulae in the Mediterranean in possible corpara,
- Miscellanea.

by Stefano Magnani, Martina Meyr, Elisabetta Gagetti, Mario Fiorentini, Caterina Previato, Marc Mayer-Olivé, Diana Dobreva, Alka Starac, Veronica Groppo, Silvia Cipriano, Giordana Amabili, Maurizio Castoldi, Gwenaël Bertocco, Lorenza Rizzo, Michele Matteazzi, Silvia Pellegrini, Ilaria Serchia, Eugenio Tamburrino, Rosanina Invernizzi, Alessandra Marchello, Eleonora Romanò, Luca Pintaudi, Marialetizia Buonfiglio, Patrizia Fortini, Monica Ceci, Massimo Brando, Valentina Pica, Francesco Marco Paolo Carrera, Carlotta Franceschelli, pier luigi dall'aglio, Luisa Pellegrini Masnata, Clelia Alfonsi, Federica Pantano, Giulia Doronzo, francesca romana stasolla, Ugo Fusco, dario rose, Diana Raiano, Dino Lombardo, Stefano De Togni, Stefania Ferrante, Erica Rowan, Daniele De Simone, Mario Grimaldi, Eleonora A Grillo, Rosa Torre, Giovanni Polizzi, Nadia Canu, Massimo Cultraro, Cesare Felici, Christof Flügel, and Fabiana Susini

Proseguendo la tradizione dei convegni tematici periodicamente organizzati ad Aquileia, la Societ... more Proseguendo la tradizione dei convegni tematici periodicamente organizzati ad Aquileia, la Società Friulana di Archeologia e il Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici e del Patrimonio Culturale dell'Università di Udine organizzano nei giorni 6 -8 aprile 2017 un incontro dedicato ai sistemi di smaltimento delle acque nel mondo antico. Punto di partenza sono i dati acquisiti nel corso delle indagini archeologiche nella città romana, a partire dagli scavi per le fognature moderne (1968)(1969)(1970)(1971)(1972), che hanno permesso di riconsiderare l'andamento e l'evoluzione del sistema fognario antico, nonché di acquisire informazioni su numerosi aspetti della vita quotidiana e delle attività che si svolgevano all'interno della città, in base all'esame dei materiali depositatisi nel corso del tempo all'interno delle condutture di smaltimento delle acque reflue.

by Eugenio Tamburrino, Massimo Brando, Valentina Pica, Francesco Marco Paolo Carrera, dario rose, Gervasio Illiano, Davide Gangale Risoleo, Ugo Fusco, Daniele De Simone, Alka Starac, Paolo Bonini, Gatti Sandra, Mark Locicero, Sven Kühn, Dylan K Rogers, Diego Peirano, Saskia Kerschbaum, Santiago Sánchez de la Parra Pérez, Raffaella Iovine, Giovanni Polizzi, Eleonora Romanò, Fabiana Susini, Marina Marcelli, and Francesco Maria Cifarelli

Libro degli abstract del convegno di studi "L'acqua e la città in età romana - Water and the Roma... more Libro degli abstract del convegno di studi "L'acqua e la città in età romana - Water and the Roman cities and settlements" - Feltre (BL - Italia), 3/4 Novembre 2017.

by Isabelle Bertrand, Kordula Gostencnik, Bastien Dubuis, Eric Bertrand, Laure DE CHAVAGNAC, Alka Starac, Stéphanie RAUX, Rafael Sabio González, Corinne Sanchez, Lucilla D'Alessandro, and Maurizio Buora

Bibliography, articles, Book reviews, Colloquiums, ...