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BRONZE FLAGON from PONTES with an INSCRIPTION from the 29Th PSALM of DAVID*

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BRONZE FLAGON from PONTES with an INSCRIPTION from the 29Th PSALM of DAVID* IVANA POPOVI] Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade BRONZE FLAGON FROM PONTES WITH AN INSCRIPTION FROM THE 29th PSALM OF DAVID* UDK: 904:739.5(497.11)"05/06" e-mail: [email protected] 904:003.071=14'06(497.11)"05/06" Received: February 4, 2015 DOI: 10.2298/STA1565121P Accepted: May 7, 2015 Original research article Abstract. – During the campaign which took place in 1983 at the site of Pontes – Trajan’s Bridge near Kostol, in the layer between a house from the second half of the 9th century and a house from the 11th century, a treasury consisting of medieval iron tools placed around, or inserted into, a bronze flagon was discovered in a shallow pit. The whole find was named Treasury B. At first, the flagon itself was dated into the period between the 6th and the 8th centuries, however, we have recently dated it into the 6th–7th century. The inscription on the neck of the vessel is a paraphrase of the 3rd verse from the 29th Psalm of David. This is proof that the flagon was a liturgical vessel. In this text we are trying to show that this flagon was analogous to the specimen from the treasury from Vrap in Albania, whose deposition during the third part of the 7th century is connected with the activity of Bulgarian Khan Kuber. The Byzantine vessel was a part of treasure plundered from the Avars, and the production of this flagon, just as of that one from Pontes, can be dated into the period between the 6th century and the first half or the middle of the 7th century. Key words. – Pontes, flagon, Early Byzantine Period, David’s 29th Psalm, Vrap, Avars, Bulgarians. n the framework of the scientific research project director of the excavations of medieval layers in Pontes \erdap II, realized due to the construction of the dated this object to the period between the 6th and the I hydro-electric power plant on the Danube, bearing 8th centuries.4 However, in a later text dedicated to the the same name, at the site Pontes – Trajan’s Bridge, analysis of Treasury B, and especially to the flagon, the near Kostol, the remains of medieval settlements origi- same author, inspired by the context of the inscription nating from the period between the 9th and the 15th engraved on its neck, defined the flagon as a liturgical century were excavated.1 During this campaign, which took place in 1983, in the layer between a house from th th the second half of the 9 century and one from the 11 1 2 Gara{anin, Vasi}, Marjanovi}-Vujovi} / Gara{anin, Vasi}, century, in one shallow pit, a treasury of medieval iron Marjanovi}-Vujovi} 1984, 44–47. tools was discovered, placed around, or inserted into, a 2 Marjanovi}-Vujovi} / Marjanovi}-Vujovi} 1987 a, 119; 122. 3 bronze flagon. This whole find was named Treasury B. 3 Marjanovi}-Vujovi} / Marjanovi}-Vujovi} 1987 b, 136–142. When the flagon was published for the first time, the 4 Marjanovi}-Vujovi} 1983, 117, kat. 98. * This article is the result of the projects: Romanisation, urbanisation and transformation of urban centres of civil, military and residential character in Roman provinces in the territory of Serbia (no. 177007) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia. 121 Ivana POPOVI], Bronze flagon from Pontes with an inscription from the 29th Psalm of David (121–130) STARINAR LXV/2015 b a c Fig. 1 a–c. The flagon made of bronze, view and details, Pontes, National Museum in Belgrade (photo: N. Bori}) Sl. 1 a–c. Kr~ag od bronze, izgled i detaqi, Pontes, Narodni muzej u Beogradu (foto: N. Bori}) vessel, produced in the 8th–9th century.5 Soon after, the The flagon from Treasury B in Pontes is cast in flagon from Pontes was mentioned in the text of anoth- bronze (height 20.30 cm, base diameter 9.50 cm and er author as a vessel used for the purpose of baptism, rim diameter 6.50 cm). On the hollow, profiled, ring- or for keeping holy water in, without any indication of shaped foot there is an egg-like shaped recipient with its dating.6 A few decades later, this flagon was defined an elongated conical neck, with a modelled rim (Fig. as a find from a house from the second half of the 9th 1a–c; 2a–d). The handle is bow-shaped and divided into century,7 or as an order from the Christian East for the segments. It exceeds the height of the rim, with which needs of the Slavonic population and was dated into the it is connected by the wide open jaws of the head of a 11th century.8 At the same time this vessel was defined panther. The handle is connected to the belly of the as a Byzantine product9 and we have included it in the vessel by a thin spear-shaped shield, above which there catalogue of the exhibition about Constantine the Great and The Edict of Milan, dating into the period of the 6th–7th century.10 Bearing in mind the character of this publication, we did not engage ourselves in the 5 Marjanovi}-Vujovi} / Marjanovi}-Vujovi} 1987 b, 136; 138. analysis of such a chronological definition. Owing to 6 Nikolajevi} 1989, 2454. this, our opinion is that something more should be said 7 Bálint 2010 a, 276, n. 841, 842. about the time, the conditions of origin and deposition 8 Ze~evi} 2013, 232–233. of this extraordinary vessel, which is today housed in 9 Bugarski, Ivani{evi} 2013, 143–144. the National Museum in Belgrade. 10 Popovi} 2013, 352, kat. 180; Popovi} 2013, 352, cat. 180. 122 Ivana POPOVI], Bronze flagon from Pontes with an inscription from the 29th Psalm of David (121–130) STARINAR LXV/2015 is a graphically modelled head of a ram. Behind the head on the belly of the vessel from Vrap are more realisti- of the panther, which connects the handle and the rim, cally executed (Fig. 3).15 On the lower side of the ring- there is a representation of a bird, made in relief (Fig. 1c; like base of this vessel there are Byzantine stamps with 2d). The surface of the vessel is decorated with friezes five cross-like monograms, with the Greek inscription: of incised and punched ornaments. Under the rim there Kyrie – boçthei – t÷ – d÷l÷ (the middle part is not clear) is a frieze containing a stylised vine in two segments, – amçn (God, help Your servant, amen!).16 and under it there is a frieze with an inscription in Greek. The flagon from Vrap is analogous to the one from On the lower part of the neck there is a frieze with a Pontes by virtue of its typological and decorative cha- stylised ivy-leaf, and the belly is covered with three racteristics, as well as by the content of the engraved friezes of unequal width. The upper and lower parts are inscription. Because of this, it is exceptionally impor- filled with zigzag lines, and the middle one, which is tant to explain the time and conditions of depositing of also the widest, is decorated with a row of stylized lilies. the treasury to which it belonged, just as the time of its At the bottom of the belly the frieze with the zigzag production, which also throws light on the chronology lines is repeated, and on the foot there are two incised and origin of the vessel from Pontes. Namely, even from lines. The free surfaces of the friezes with the engraved 1901, when it was discovered, the treasury from Vrap, vine, ivy-leaf and lilies are partly filled with punched with its heterogeneous contents, has been throwing ornaments (Fig. 1b; 2b). The inscription in Greek, in- archaeologists into doubt, because it contains the ear- cised on the neck of the vessel with letters of different liest cast belt garniture made of gold and silver and sizes (Fig. 1c; 2c), reads as follows: FONH KUREIOU vessels of nomadic character, similar to gold and silver EPEI TON UDATON (The voice of the Lord is upon the Byzantine vessels. Such a find in the North of Albania waters), which is a variation of the 3rd verse of the 29th could hardly be explained by the existence of Avars in Psalm of King David. The whole text of this verse reads that region, although the existence of luxurious Byzan- thus: “The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God tine vessels, as the liturgical ones, in an Avaric find is of glory thundereth: the Lord is upon many waters”11 not unusual, bearing in mind the composition of the and it is a verse read on the day of Epiphany. The con- graves of the Avaric Khagans in Hungary and on the texts of the inscription justify the explanation according edge of the Ukrainian plains.17 During the last two de- to which the flagon is a liturgical vessel, being used cades of the 20th century, this find was explained, with during a church service.12 The same inscription was valid arguments, as a consequence of the settling of the incised on a flagon from Corinth, dated not earlier than Bulgarians in Macedonia, under the leadership of Kuber, the 9th century. Another similar vessel from the same and of the Christian population, whom he led in 679/80 site has not been more precisely determined, other than and, finally, of their defeat by Byzantium at the end of as a product from the Byzantine period.13 688 or 689.
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