Ekengren 2009
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Ritualization - Hybridization - Fragmentation The Mutability of Roman Vessels in Germania Magna AD 1–400 Ekengren, Fredrik 2009 Document Version: Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Ekengren, F. (2009). Ritualization - Hybridization - Fragmentation: The Mutability of Roman Vessels in Germania Magna AD 1–400. Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Lund University. 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LUND UNIVERSITY PO Box 117 221 00 Lund +46 46-222 00 00 RITUALIZATIOn – HYBRIDIZATIOn – FRAGMENTATION 1 2 Fredrik Ekengren RITUALIZATIOn – HYBRIDIZATIOn – FRAGMENTATION ThE MUTABILITY OF ROMAN VESSELS IN GERMANIA MAGNA AD 1-400 Acta Archaeologica Lundensia, Series in Prima 4°, No. 28 Lund 2009 3 Acta Archaeologica Lundensia, Series in Prima 4°, No. 28 Ritualization – Hybridization – Fragmentation The Mutability of Roman Vessels in Germania Magna AD 1-400 This book was made possible through generous grants from: Berit Wallenbergs Stiftelse Birgit och Gad Rausings stiftelse för humanistisk forskning Crafoordska stiftelsen The Faculty of Humanities, Lund University Fil dr Uno Otterstedts fond för främjande av vetenskaplig undervisning och forskning Hildebrandska fonden Letterstedska föreningen Stiftelsen Bokelunds resestipendiefond Stiftelsen Elisabeth Rausings minnensfond Stiftelsen Montelius minnesfond Folke Vestergaard och Emilie Jensens testamente Graphic design by Thomas Hansson Cover design by Fredrik Ekengren & Thomas Hansson English revised by Alan Crozier & Carole Gillis Printed by Grahns Tryckeri AB, Lund 2009 Distributed by The Swedish National Heritage Board Archaeological Excavations Department (UV) www.arkeologibocker.se © Fredrik Ekengren 2009 ISSN 0065-1001 ISBN 978-91-89578-27-2 4 CONTENTS 1. PRELIMINARIES ...................................................................................11 1.1 Aim of the study....................................................................................................................12 2. THE CULTURAL EMBEDDEDNESS OF THINGS – NAVIGATING BETWEEN TRANSMISSION AND TRANSFORMATION ............15 2.1 the diffusionist’s blind spot ................................................................................................17 2.2 From structure to dialectics ...............................................................................................19 2.2.1 Tradition and transformation ................................................................................. 20 2.3 Consumption as production ............................................................................................24 2.4 Approach and outline of the thesis................................................................................. 29 RITUALIZATION 3. RITUAL, TRADITION AND POWER – RITUALIZATION IN PRINCELY SETTINGS ...............................................31 3.1 The princely graves of the Early Roman Iron Age .........................................................32 3.2 The princely graves of the Late Roman Iron Age ......................................................... 34 3.3 The mortuary rituals as operational context ...................................................................37 3.3.1 The rite of passage ........................................................................................................39 3.3.2 Rituals as practice .......................................................................................................40 3.3.3 Converging horizons..................................................................................................42 3.3.4 The methodological challenge ................................................................................ 45 3.3.4.1 Vessels in ritual sequences .............................................................................. 45 3.3.4.2 Spatial arrangements of vessels ......................................................................46 3.3.4.3 Levels of meaning .............................................................................................47 3.4 Presentation of the material .............................................................................................47 3.5 Display, deposition, concealment – Ritual sequences in the graves..........................49 3.6 The choreography of the grave .........................................................................................61 3.6.1 Disrupted space ..........................................................................................................61 3.6. Animated bodies .................................................................................................................65 3.7 Conceptual structures – sets and compositions .......................................................... 72 3.7.1 Large containers and vessels for scooping/pouring and drinking ...................76 3.7.2 Single-category arrangements ...................................................................................82 3.7.3 Domestic utility ...........................................................................................................83 3.8 Roman drinking .................................................................................................................. 86 3.8.1 Death and drinking in the Roman world .............................................................. 92 3.8.1.1 The funerary banquet motif ............................................................................94 3.8.2 Roman functions .........................................................................................................95 3.9 A Roman way of death? ...................................................................................................104 3.9.1 Large vessel assemblages .......................................................................................... 106 5 3.10 Constructing identities of the dead and the living ....................................................110 3.10.1 Composing the deceased ........................................................................................113 3.10.2 Outside the coffin… and beyond ................................................................... 123 HYBRIDIZATION 4. MULTIPLE BEGINNINGS – IMITATION AND HYBRIDITY ............................................................... 127 4.1 The silver vessels .................................................................................................................128 4.2 Native traits ........................................................................................................................ 135 4.2.1 Form and ornamentation........................................................................................136 4.3 The Germanic pottery ......................................................................................................141 4.3.1 Chevron patterns ......................................................................................................141 4.3.2 Spicatum patterns ....................................................................................................144 4.3.3 Cross-hatching .........................................................................................................146 4.3.4 Zonal or metope-like friezes .................................................................................146 4.4 Threads of influence ........................................................................................................146 4.5 Craft traditions and Romanization .............................................................................. 148 4.5.1 The itinerant artisan ................................................................................................ 149 4.6 Refracted identities ........................................................................................................... 152 4.6.1 Amalgamation and hybridization ..........................................................................155 FRAGMENTATION 5. SHATTERED BUT NOT BROKEN – THE RITUAL USE OF GLASS SHARDS ..................................................... 159 5.1 Shards in graves ...................................................................................................................161 5.2 Observations and previous interpretations ..................................................................174 5.3 The Greco-Roman obolus tradition ...............................................................................178 5.4 The obolus tradition and Germanic graves