NEW DATA ABOUT THE ROMAN VESSELS WITH OVERLAPPED HANDLES FROM ROMANIA (original) (raw)
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2021
The present study aims at clarifying the morphological attributes, functionality, and circumstances of discovery regarding a unique ceramic type identified in the surrounding area of Napoca, as well as within the legionary fortress and the canabae at Potaissa. Only four such vessels are known in Roman Dacia so far, and the majority of them come from Potaissa. Based on all their physical characteristics, but especially their handles, the vessels can be classed as “three‑handled wine jugs”, reminiscent of volute kraters.
The majority of silver tableware found on the territory of Slovakia represents luxurious Roman toreutic products, from which only a few remained preserved until today. Four out of the total number of 13 or 14 pieces are richly decorated with relief patterns. Their decoration is an important iconographic source of better knowledge of Roman history, mythology, religion and cult. Three of them depict the vessels themselves, set beside various figural and floral motifs. It is the well-known grave finds – a skyphos and a lanx from Krakovany-Stráže, and a further skyphos from Ostrovany. The depicted as well as the real vessels follow the Hellenistic tradition, and represent objects linked with the Cult of Dionysus and articles of daily use. The aim of the paper is above all to characterise individual vessels and interpret their functions on the basis of the specimens preserved and their depiction in relevant context.
The Roman Bronze Vessels from the Dacian Fortress at Ardeu (Hunedoara County, Romania)
The article analyzes a series of eleven artefacts determined as parts or possible fragments belonging to Roman bronze vessels discovered on the perimeter of the archaeological site at Ardeu-Cetățuie. The objects were discovered during systematic archaeological excavations undertaken in the Dacian fortress or represent stray finds identified on the slopes of the hill or during stone quarry works carried out in the area. The chronology of the imported items stretches from the Late Republican/Augustan period to the 1 st century AD. Even if it was based on a small number of discoveries, the analysis of the bronze vessels from Ardeu is important for understanding the dynamic of this type of Roman import in pre-Roman Dacia. Their presence at Ardeu suggests the existence of a community which desired and could afford to acquire such goods. In general, the finds show traces of intense/prolonged use or reuse (not only in the context of the workshop which functioned inside the fortress) – a fact which indicates their value for the local community.