Lead plaques of the so-called Danubian Riders from Serdica and the surrounding territory (original) (raw)
Related papers
Three Lead Tablets Depicting the Danubian Riders
Starinar, 2023
In private collections in western Europe, there are many lead tablets depicting the Danubian Rider-Gods. Their number has increased exponentially in the last decades, partly due to archaeological chance finds in countries such as Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, and Hungary. The three lead pieces presented here belong to Maxime Cambreling’s collection (France) and illustrate known variants like Ertl G2, Ertl H9 and Ertl F1 of Pannonian lead tablets. The known finds point to an area near the towns of Singidunum and Sirmium from Pannonia Inferior, and the place of production of these Pannonian lead tablets is Sirmium (from where other types and variants also come).
A Relief from Tibiscum Depicting the Danubian Riders
Tibiscum, 2013
and Border Regiment A series of small reliefs macle of stone, lead, or bronze, dedicated to the gods conventionally called the Danubian Riders, can he found in the Danubian provinces of the Roman Empire 1 • Easily identified through their typical iconography, these artifacts are mainly distributed in the provinces around the middle and lower Danube, in the Moesias, Dacia, the Pannonias, and fewer examples in Thracia, Noricum, and Dalmatia. The presence of these reliefs that illustrate a local religious iconography can he interpreted as an artistic and religious expression of indigenous, autochthonous beliefs from the areas bordering the Danube during the peak period of the Roman Empire, i.e. the second-third centuries A.D. 2 A small fragmentary relief depicting the Danubian triad was recently discovered in the civilian settlement in Tibiscum 3 (Jupa, Caraş-Severin County). It was once included in the central part of a rectangular marble relief with the iconographic scene depicted in a single row. The preserved fragment measures 13 x 6 x 0.85 cm. The item was discovered in 2012 during sys-I
Anatolica, 2016
Small anthropomorphic representations of lead, cast in open moulds to resemble openwork plaques, are a very distinct category of objects appearing for over six centuries, beginning with approximately 23rd century BC, throughout a vast territory of the Near East, from western Anatolia, through northern Syria to north-eastern Mesopotamia. What singles them out as particularly interesting among other iconographical sources of supra-regional dispersal, is their attribution to popular culture. This association is indicated foremost by the find contexts of such plaques, suggestive of their functioning within a household rather than official or public setting. Moreover, simple technical requirements and the material of which they were crafted made them easily available. Finally, their iconography, the repertoire and character of the represented figures, point to their considerable independence from the official, or elite, culture. Lead plaques are therefore an invaluable source for studies on the development of supra-regional patterns within popular culture, a phenomenon as yet poorly recognized in the Ancient Near East. This article aims at analyzing the degree of convergence of particular features throughout the plaques’ area of distribution, especially as regards the repertoire of representations, and at establishing the cause for their popularity over such a vast territory. An attempt will be made at placing these observations in a wider context – of trends observable at that time in the popular culture of the ancient Near East – by comparing them to the closely related Mesopotamian terracotta plaques.
Starinar
Although the artefacts belonging to the so-called Danubian Horsemen cult have been scientifically examined from various standpoints, the definitive answers to the question of their nature have not yet been reached. One of the key reasons that can be distinguished with regard to this is the lack of insight into the archaeological context since, in comparison to the total number of these artefacts, a small percentage of the samples have been found during archaeological excavations. As the more recent corpora of lead icons points to the conclusion that a significant number originates from the area of the province of Pannonia Inferior, especially its south-eastern part (today`s Srem, Macva and Posavina), in this paper we have tried to establish at least the widest context they belonged to. Thus, based on the place where they were found, and considering the basic features of the site where it was possible, we investigated whether they belonged to a settlement, necropolis or military sett...
New Reliefs Plaques from Pojejena (Caraș-Severin county) depicting the Danubian Riders
Ziridava Studia Archaeologica, 2020
In the summer of 2019 the archeological excavation of the auxiliary fort from Pojejena was resumed by a team of archaeologists from the National Museum of Banat (Timișoara), from the University of Warsaw and from the Museum of the Highland Banat (Reșița). In this campaign, in the area near a horreum, the fragments of two marble reliefs plaques with the representation of the Danubian Riders were discovered. These reliefs illustrate a locally distributed religious iconography that artistically translates indigenous myths and religious beliefs from the area bordering the Danube. The rectangular relief plaques can be included in the type of simple rectangular stelae with a single row, with two Riders flanking the goddess and there is no exact known parallel for this relief in the repertoire of monuments depicting the Danubian Riders. The fragmentary marble rondel belongs to type Nemeti B1b, two-row medallions. Their main field always depicts two Riders and a goddess, and the lower row various symbols and cult scenes. The auxiliary fort from Pojejena was part of Dacia Superior and it is considered to have been a harbor and a supply base 1. In support of this statement comes the discovery, near porta praetoria, of some lead seals with the inscription AVG N, and the discovery of one of the horrea, whose existence is suspected inside this camp 2. The construction of the fort was comprised of two phases: an earth-wood phase, in which the surface of the camp is considerably smaller and is surrounded by a single moat, and an extended stone phase, in which the camp is surrounded by two defensive ditches 3. The military camp and vicus from Pojejena is located on the north bank of the Danube, thus in the border area that separates Upper Moesia and Dacia 4 , an area where navigation was more difficult due to the fact that the Danube crosses a mountainous area, which made it narrower and dotted with rocks. This area, called the Iron Gates, was located between Drobeta (East) and Pojejena (West), and the strong currents that were felt here determined the Romans to initiate a series of measures to facilitate the communication route: carving a road in the rock of the mountain and the construction, in the Sip area, of a navigable canal finished in 101 AD 5. The garrison of the fort was cohors V Gallorum 6 , and recent research has shown that there were actually two military units with that name 7 , one being the garrison of the South Shields fort, located near Hadrian's wall, in the second half of the 2 nd century AD 8. As in the case of the auxiliary troops stationed at Pojejena, the role of the one from Britannia was to secure the harbour and the provision of supplies to the province. Cohors V Gallorum (Dacica) from Pojejena it probably continue to be stationed here until the end of the 2 nd century AD 9 without knowing, at this stage of the research, where * English translation: Ștefana Cristea, Sorin Nemeti, Mihnea Cristea.
Late Archaic relief plaques with warriors from Apollonia Pontica
The Greeks and Romans in the Black Sea and the Importance of the Pontic Region for the Graeco-Roman World (7th century BC-5th century AD): 20 Years On (1997-2017) Proceedings of the Sixth International Congress on Black Sea Antiquities (Constanţa – 18-22 September 2017), 2021
Thasos et la mer Noire aux époques classique et hellénistique: 'grandeur et décadence' d'un circuit économique. Thibaut Castelli From the tower of Kronos to the island of Achilles: placing Leuce in the Greek conception of heroic apotheosis ..
2014
This book presents the bronze artworks discovered in the Thracian sanctuaries, necropolises, and ancient cities of the Bulgarian lands. It is comprised of cult statues, drawings on household objects, furniture and carriages, as well as applied plastics – such as glassware and paper weights. In regards to chronology, they date between 8th century BC and 5th century AD. The illustrations showcase the style, thematic diversity, and aesthetic ideals prevalent at that time, as well as the high degree of knowledge and technical skills of the illustrations’ creators.