Dieter Quast

Riding equipment is one of the characteristic objects of richly furnished early medieval men's graves in the eastern Merovingian Empire. It is therefore hardly surprising that there have been numerous studies on bridles, saddles, stirrups and spurs. All these works have sorted the material typologically and chronologically, analysed ornaments and discussed developments and derivations of certain forms. However, hardly anyone has addressed the question of what these artefacts might tell us about Frankish equestrianism. In my lecture I would like to attempt such a synthesising study.

А small assemblage of Roman vessels in a showcase
of the museum in Kuresaare (formerly Arensburg) in
Estonia is an unusual evidence of the interest of the
bourgeoisie in "national antiquities" in the 19th century.
Far away from the Roman Limes, Johann Baptist
Holzmeyer from Mainz, senior teacher and deputy
chairman of the "Association for the Knowledge of
Ösels", bequeathed Roman and prehistoric finds that
he had probably collected in his old homeland to the
museum in Arensburg.

In the area north and northeast of Paris, ceramic vessels were decorated with inscriptions by means of roller stamps between c. AD 530 and 630. This decoration technique allows the uniform decoration of large series of vessels, so that a far more extensive occurrence of »inscribed« biconical beakers can be assumed. The short inscriptions mention Christian contents as well as the names of manufacturers or patrons. Most of the letters are framed by equal-armed crosses. The space in which they appear is only relatively loosely integrated into ecclesiastical structures in the 6th century.
We assume that the vessels with inscriptions were a continuation of Late Antique practices and that the beakers were used to disseminate and visualise the new common religious superstructure. The few Merovingian vessels with individual, incised graffiti are imitations of the vessels with roller stamped decoration that may have been distributed at festivals.

Aus den altbekannten Gräbern von Wrocław-Zakrzów und Krakovany-Stráže stammen zahlreiche römische Importe. Zum Teil stellen sie eine „Standardausstattung“ dar, die sich in zahlreichen zeitgleichen „Prunkgräbern“ findet. In einigen Fällen wurden römische Gefäße zweckentfremdet, denn die als Trinkgeschirr beigegeben Gläser und Silberschälchen dienten ursprünglich als Saucengefäße (Acetabulum).  Zusätzlich enthielten die Gräber aus Zakrzów und Stráže „ungewöhnliche“ Importe, nämlich kostbares Silbergeschirr und Drei- bzw. Vierfüße. Diese Objekte waren zur Zeit der Grablegung bereits mehrere Generationen alt und sie (bzw. ihr Erwerb) waren wohl mit besonderen Erinnerungen verknüpft. Derartige Objekte spielten in oralen Gesellschaften eine bedeutende Rolle und ihr Besitz bezeugte Prestige und legitimierte Herrschaft.

Im Grab 95 des Gräberfeldes von Holubice fand sich beim linken Unterschenkel am Amulettgehänge als kostbarer Ersatz für einen Bergkristallanhänger – ein römischer Bergkristallring aus dem 1./2. Jh. Derartige Ringe sind fast ausschließlich aus dem Rheinland und Gallien bekannt. Das Exemplar aus Holubice stellt einen „östlichen Ausreißer“ dar, und wurde zudem außerhalb des römischen Reiches entdeckt. Daher ist auszuschließen, dass er zufällig von seiner letzten Besitzerin gefunden wurde. Er gelangte wohl durch Handel oder Gabentausch ins langobardische Gebiet. Dieses Verbreitungsmodell von kostbaren Antiquitäten war anscheinend üblich im Frühmittelalter, setzt aber eine systematische Inbesitznahme zufällig entdeckter aber auch zielgerichtet ausgegrabener Funde voraus.

Rezension zu: Lyn Blackmore / Ian Blair / Sue Hirst / Christopher Scull, The Prittlewell Princely Burial. Excavations at Priory Crescent, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, 2003. Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) Monograph Volume 73. MOLA, London 2019. ISBN 978-1-907586-50-7. 514 Seiten mit 339 zumeist farbigen Abbildungen und Sue Hirst / Christopher Scull, The Anglo-Saxon Princely Burial at Prittlewell, Southendon-Sea. MOLA, London 2019. ISBN 978-1-907586-47-7 (Paperback). 108 Seiten mit durchgehend farbigen Abbildungen

Pietas et Virtus – Aurum et Memoria. Concerning the Interpretation of the Find Complexes from Pietroasa
and Şimleul Silvaniei in Romania
Rich protohistorical hoards are often interpreted as hidden finds that were buried in politically turbulent times. To this
is added a connection with events mentioned in the written sources. These moments of crisis, however, are mostly
of local importance, whereby »local« can also mean a larger area, for instance the Balkans. Yet, in the first half of
the 5th century, a more extensive horizon of rich depositions appears between southern Scandinavia and the Ukraine.
Consequently, a different approach is followed in this article: The extensive Migration period treasure troves from
Şimleul Silvaniei and Pietroasa are set within a large geographical context. Thereby it appears that they often served
the design of landscapes of remembrance in the direct vicinity of central places. Especially the large gold hoards show
how north of the Danube something new developed and new spatial structures were created

This article shows what archaeology can contribute to the topic of “reliquaries” within the framework of interdisciplinary studies. It presents how archaeology can contribute to questions of chronology and the distribution of the artefacts, but also to their production and use. This includes information on the manual realisation of an object, iconography, materials and colours used for the decorations, but also data on the "lifespan" of the reliquaries, on repairs and translations. This can reveal networks between ecclesiastical centres, but also aspects of regionalisation.

Asturius vivas! Pictorial Programme and Function of a Late Roman Belt Buckle
A Late Roman brass belt buckle in the collection of the RGZM is decorated with the portrait medallion of a man between victories and two persons likely to represent apostles. An inscription on both sides of the portrait reads Asturius vivas. The object is likely to have been manufactured in North Italy or Pannonia in the second half of the 4th century. But its decorative features include elements known from a golden belt buckle from Asia Minor which belongs to a class of artefacts known to have been distributed as imperial largesse. In this paper, it is argued that the more humble piece it discusses was an object of largesse belonging to a dignitary or officer named Asturius who distributed it among his followers in imitation of imperial custom. In analogy to the golden imperial example, the decoration of the brass buckle is interpreted as an advertisement that its bearer was a loyal follower of Asturius.

This paper deals with the study of the royal treasures found in so‑called princely graves dating
from the Great Migration period in Western Europe and Barbaricum. Part of these treasures must be consi‑
dered as « objects of memory », with a strong cultural and political value that used to legitimate power.

Gallien war im späten 5. Jahrhundert ein Gebiet begrenzter Staatlichkeit und konkurrierender warlords. Der Tod eines dieser Heerführer konnte schnell zu einer Krisensituation führen, besonders
wenn seine Nachfolge nicht eindeutig geregelt war. Eine solche Situation lag 481/482 n. Chr. vor, als der fränkische König Childerich I.
verstarb. Eine Neuinterpretation seines bereits 1653 im belgischen
Tournai entdeckten Grabes unter Einbeziehung der Nachgrabungen
der 1980er Jahre lässt erkennen, dass es bei diesem Grab nicht um
eine dauerhafte Erinnerung ging. Vielmehr stand die Inszenierung
der Beisetzung im Vordergrund. Sie glich einem Theaterstück mit
Akteuren und einem Publikum und diente hauptsächlich der Kommunikation des neuen Herrschers. Damit zeigte sein erst 16-jähriger
Sohn Chlodwig, dass er die Nachfolge des Vaters erfolgreich angetreten hatte.

Flic-flac across the Alps? Short Study on the Manifestation of Cultural Contacts in the Younger Nordic Bronze Age Three figures of flic-flac jumping male and female acrobats are known from Grevensvænge (Amt Præstø, Sjælland / DK) which research has occasionally associated with Etruscan Italy. In Italy, comparable bronze figurines exist, however the examples from Seeland are likely to be earlier. West Swedish petroglyphs show flic-flac jumping male and female acrobats in contexts which are centuries older. It is of special interest that the materialisation of these rituals took the shape of models – probably cultic boats. The models from Grevensvænge and from the comparable deposition / hoard at Fårdal (Midtjylland, Jutland / DK) enabled a small group of people to appropriate the rituals and their rhythms. Although there are only two cultic boats they could indicate a political change. Both hoards would then reflect two important religious and the corresponding two political centres.

Numerous studies of the Migration Period and the early Middle
Ages endeavour to corroborate historically documented
migrations archaeologically, while others, more or less conversely,
auribute changes in archaeological source material
to migralions. Consideralions of what eise the specific
sources of protohistorical arch.aeology can contribute to th.e
topic of migration have largely been missing, however. Migrations
often bring about clashes of different value systems.
I would therefore like to discuss in my paper the shifts which
migralions brought about in the values of protoh.istoric societies.
As different processes of adaptation evolved over time,
which values were re tained langest? Studiesofthis kind must
beware of a few obstacles; •foreigners« must initially be
identified, »acculturation processes« must be traceable, and
•values« have to be inferred. Three subject areas (not studied
with equal thoroughness), which apparently represent constants
of human behaviour when analysed diachronically,
and which are somewhat simplislically termed here »cooking
- children - church«, are employed to discuss values. Late
Roman cemeteries in Straubing-Azlburg and Neuburg an der
Donau are used to represent cooking, some women's graves
(including a number from Visigothic-era southwest France,
and Vandal-era north Africa) are used to represent children,
and the Christianisation of early medieval Alamannia is used
to discuss church.