Disc Brooches with Anthropomorphic Depiction Glass Intaglios in The
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ARCHAEOLOGICAL MATERIAL DISC BROOCHES WITH ANTHROPOMORPHIC DEPICTION GLASS INTAGLIOS IN THE SARMATIAN Lavinia Grumeza ENVIRONMENT OF THE GREAT Caransebeş County Museum of Ethnography and 1 Border Regiment HUNGARIAN PLAIN [email protected] DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14795/j.v1i4.82 ISSN 2360 – 266X ISSN–L 2360 – 266X Abstract: A special category of brooches present in the Sarmatian graves of the Carpathian Basin is represented by disc brooches made of silver or bronze plate with central anthropomorphic depiction glass intaglios. They were found in 11 burial assemblages, together with the fashion brought by new ethnic groups arriving towards the end of the 3rd c. AD in the Great Hungarian Plain. Disc brooches with central glass intaglios are rare in Antiquity. They appear exclusively only in the German and Sarmatian Barbaricum (from the South and Central Hungarian Plain). Their bearers were children and women, especially the rich Sarmatian women, during the second half/end of the 3rd c. – early-4th c. AD (stages C2-C3 in the Central European chronology). Keywords: Sarmatians, Germans, cemeteries, brooches, Scheibenfibeln, glass intaglio, Medusa Brooches belong to an extremely popular category of items of the Sarmatian dress, both female and male. They appear in the third of Sarmatian graves recorded in the Carpathian Basin2, being present all over the 2nd – 5th centuries AD3. They are two times more frequent in female graves than in the male ones, one, rarely two (only in 12% of cases) and exceptionally three4 being regularly worn. Sarmatian graves containing three brooches date predominantly to the Late Sarmatian period5. In this late period still, a great variety of brooches are found in Sarmatian graves – a mark of a local or regional fashion. Brooches have reached the Barbaricum especially via the neighboring Roman provinces. However, we do not exclude the possibility there existed travelling artisans making either Roman or Barbarian brooches, such a workshop being recorded in the Sarmatian Barbaricum at Tiszaföldvár, in the middle of the Hungarian Plain6. 1 This work was supported by grants of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research, CNCS – UEFISCDI, project number PN-II-RU-TE-2012-3-0216 and a grant of the Ministry of National Education, CNCS – UEFISCDI, project number PN-II-ID-PCE-2012-4-0210. 2 KULCSÁR 1998, 113. 3 Brooches are rare in early Sarmatian graves. Dress objects of Roman origin become interesting for the Sarmatians starting with the late-1st c. – early-2nd c. AD (Cf. VADAY 1989, 75). 4 KULCSÁR 1998, 113. 5 VADAY/DOMBORÓCZKI 2001, 77. 6 VADAY 2005, 151-198. Journal of Ancient History and Archeology No. 1.4/2014 76 Studies A special category of brooches, rather popular in At Madaras - Halmok there are two disc brooches the Middle and Late Sarmatian periods (late-2nd – early- with human depictions, in graves 42114 and 162 (Plate 1/7, 5th c. AD), is the disc brooch (Scheibenfibeln/ Kapselfibel/ 8)15. Both graves belonged to females. In grave no. 421, Dosenförmigefibel). They were made of silver or bronze plate, a girl aged 10-12, with a very rich funerary inventory was often decorated in the filigree and granulation technique. In buried. The bronze circular brooch in this grave had a black certain cases, there are glass, amber, bone or semiprecious glass intaglio16 in the centre. A bronze disc brooch with dark stone intaglios in the centre7. The diameter of these brooches blue glass intaglio, with a female depiction was also found at is between 2.5 and 6.2cm, while the thickness is between Tiszaföldvár, Brick factory, grave 24 (Plate 1/4, 2/3)17, and 0.5-1cm. They are provided with a hinged fastening system, another similar intaglio at Öcsöd, Kerekes zúg (Plate 1/5)18. a device made of a pin revolving around an axis, fixed in a The finds were dated by A. Vaday to the 3rd c. AD19. A glass closed space. These brooch types are of a wide typological human face with bronze mesh was also found at Aszód20 and variety. A distinct category among this typological series is Kecskemét - Szentkút21. In grave no. 9 at Csongrád - Határút the disc brooch of box type, seldom flat, with a central male only a small glass human face was recorded22, similar to or female anthropomorphic depiction glass intaglio. that of Endrőd - Kocsorhegy (Plate 1/6), possibly parts of Most numerous such brooches, of bronze and silver, brooches. The latter find comes from a cemetery dating to were recorded in the cemetery at Vršac - Dvorište Eparhie the end of the 2nd – 4th c. AD23. Banata, graves nos. 3, 9 and 10. In grave no. 3, the disc brooch Therefore, in the Western Sarmatian environment an is made of bronze, flat and small (D = 2.5cm), with a black important market for such brooch types was in existence. glass central intaglio depicting a human mask in the centre. The specimens in the south Banat were dated by S. Petković The eyes and nose are projecting and wide, the face is round between the end of the 3rd c. – early 4th c. AD, being deemed and the beard slightly outlined. S. Petković considers it as by the scholar as typical for the south of Banat (Petković type 8 24 a depiction of Sol’s bust (Plate 1/2, 2/2). A similar bronze 21 D1) and even manufactured there . brooch with thin plate (D = 3.3cm) was found also in grave The origin of these dress items is not known with no. 10 of the same cemetery. The intaglio is of blue glass and certainty. S. Barački, the first who published the human-mask renders the portrait of a male (the same god Sol, according to brooches from the south of Banat, believed that analogies Petković)9, who seems to be smiling (Plate 1/3, 2/1). should be sought among the earlier Sarmatian material or In grave no. 9 at Vršac - Dvorište Eparhie Banata a even in the Dacian environment. To this effect, the author silver, large (D = 4.1cm), box type (Dosenförmigefibel) disc mentions N. Fettich’s study from the 1953 dedicated to the brooch was identified. It is surrounded by four decorated phalerae-brooches (Phaleren-Fibeln), with human depictions registers, each separated by the rest by pearled circles (Plate and apotropaic function25. S. Barački does not exclude the 1/1, 2/4). In the centre of the piece under study, there is a idea that the brooches in the cemetery at Vršac - Dvorište glass gem (?) of dark colour, depicting a human portrait en Eparhie Banata, combining the central intaglio with the face, a male head, carefully depicted and rendered in detail, human depictions on a flat brooch, are in such shape, with even a laurel crown being visible on the head10. In originating in the Dacian environment26. Sofija Petković’s view, the portrait may be the depiction of Glass beads with human mask representations any of the emperors in the Constantinian dynasty, possibly (Maskenperlen/ Medaillonperlen) appear in the Roman Constantine the Great himself or even one of his sons11. provinces. In this case, the beads are always flat and the This brooch type is a special feature of the Sarmatian human face covers the entire bead body27. A. Vaday believes cemetery at Vršac - Dvorište Eparhie Banata. A similar brooch that glass human depiction brooches are Roman imports and comes from the cemetery at Foeni - Cimitirul Ortodox, grave includes them in her corpus of Roman finds in Barbaricum28. 14 (Plate 1/9, 2/5). In 2011, when publishing this cemetery, Human depiction brooches also appear in large we stated that the upper plate of the disc brooch (D = 3.5cm) numbers in the western Roman provinces and the North - had a spiraled decoration, placed in circular stripes, with a Pontic area, yet of other types29. Commonly, these are circular central floral motif12. After having been found, the brooch or oval brooches, rectangular or pelta shapes being rare30. was restored on several occasions that partially altered the 14 KŐHEGYI/VÖRÖS 2011, 265; T. 257/4. decoration and the central part of the item. Thus, it may not 15 It is likely that their numbers were higher within the cemetery; see KŐHEGYI/VÖRÖS 2011, 298, 394 T. 273/6. be excluded that in the centre, the brooch had no gem with 16 KŐHEGYI/VÖRÖS 2011, 265. floral decoration, but a dark glass anthropomorphic face/ 17 VADAY 2005, Taf. 10/1; 27/2. bust instead13. 18 VADAY 2005, Taf. 10/2. These brooch types, though rare among the 19 VADAY 2005, 82, 114. 20 PÁRDUCZ 1950, 53. archaeological finds of the Barbaricum, appear with the 21 PÁRDUCZ 1931, 127. Sarmatians in the Carpathian Basin in considerable numbers. 22 PÁRDUCZ 1944, Taf. XXXI/3. 23 JUHÁSZ 1978, 87, Taf. I/1. 7 VADAY 1989, 90. 24 PETKOVIĆ 2010, 169, 356, 364, cat. no. 946 – 948, Taf. XXX/ 8-10. 8 PETKOVIĆ 2010, 174. 25 FETTICH 1953, 137-138. 9 PETKOVIĆ 2010, 174-175. 26 BARAČKi 1961, 121, with references. 10 PETKOVIĆ 2010, 175. 27 VADAY 1989, 93-94. 11 PETKOVIĆ 2010, 175. 28 VADAY 2005, Taf. 10/1-2; 27/2. 12 GRUMEZA 2011, 187. 29 Thus, the production workshops could either be located in the western 13 In the excavation journal, F. Draşovean argues that the brooch had a provinces or in the Pontic area, see EXNER 1939, 64-65; VADAY 1989, 94; pottery/amber core. When discovered, it was poorly preserved (information PETKOVIĆ 2010, 170. F. Draşovean). 30 KŐHEGYI/VÖRÖS 2011, 349, with references. Journal of Ancient History and Archeology No. 1.4/2014 77 Studies They date starting with the 2nd to the 5th c.