Late antique small finds

Villa und burgus von Obermendig »Im Winkel« (Lkr. Mayen-Koblenz) im Kontext der römischen Besiedlung des Segbachtals
Im Bereich des Hauptgebäudes der villa »Im Winkel« konnten mehrere Besiedlungsphasen von der Mittellatènezeit bis hin zur Spätantike unterschieden werden. Sehr auffällig ist eine Brandschicht der Zeit um 260-270 im Hauptgebäude. Auf eine Mühlsteinproduktion vor Ort verweisen verworfene Halbfabrikate von Mühlsteinen im Keller des Hauptgebäudes und die Verbreitung von Steinbearbeitungsabfall bis dicht an den Siedlungsplatz. In der Spätantike wurde »Im Winkel« ein burgus als Getreidespeicher errichtet und sein Vorfeld für eine Nutzung als Umschlagplatz mit Drainagen trockengelegt.

Villa et burgus d’Obermendig »Im Winkel« (Lkr. Mayen-Koblenz) dans le contexte de la colonisation de la vallée de Segbach à l’époque romaine
La partie centrale de la villa »Im Winkel« a révélé plusieurs phases d’occupation depuis La Tène moyenne jusqu’à l’Antiquité tardive. Elle présente également une couche d’incendie très marquée, datée de 260/270. Des demi-produits de meules abandonnés dans la cave du bâtiment principal ainsi que des déchets de taille éparpillés jusqu’au bord de l’habitat signalent une production de meules sur place. Dans l’Antiquité tardive, un burgus fut construit à cet endroit en guise de grenier et son glacis fut asséché pour y établir un point d’échanges. (Traduction: Y. Gautier).

In the present study we want to present a number of seven fibulae specific to the 6th century AD discovered at Ulmetum. The brooches are divided into two main categories: 1. Fibulae with bent stem - five objects; 2. Cast fibulae with bent stem - two objects. Both types represent a category of clothing accessories very common in the Byzantine provinces of the Balkan Peninsula during the mentioned century. They are found very frequently in civil settlements, fortifications, and necropolises. Although their manufacture is not very complicated, they were produced on a smaller scale in barbaricum also. The considerable number of fibulae discovered in various contexts indicates both their demand and their large-scale production, being a phenomenon of the "clothing fashion" of the 6th century AD.

The crossbow brooch is one of the most iconographic Late Roman objects. The golden and silver specimens of this brooch type are highly valued for their splendour and their often outstanding decorative techniques. Their inclusion in depictions of important historical figures and on monuments from Late Antiquity only adds to their reputation as elite Roman symbols. The full story of the crossbow brooch is much more complex, however. What started out as a simple copper-alloy-based functional object became one of the most compelling symbols of Roman power. These objects were found in every province throughout the Roman empire between the 3rd and 6th centuries AD. Despite its prominent place in iconography, there are no known antique textual sources that discuss the significance of this artefact, its owners or the reason for its importance.
This paper seeks to contribute to the debate on the social and historical contexts of the crossbow brooch by applying a cultural biographical approach to an object-based material culture study. The purpose is to track the changing series of meanings attributed to this artefact type by incorporating archaeological, historical and art historical evidence into anthropologically attested models that consider how complex social structures are reflected in objects.

La reapertura y nueva adaptación museográfica del Museo Histórico - Etnográfico de Villafranca de los Barros (Badajoz, España) ha dado a conocer algunas piezas de sumo interés para la toréutica de la Antigüedad Tardía en la Lusitania, que se suman a otras piezas conocidas en la bibliografía tradicional procedentes de la comarca. El conjunto de piezas inéditas que aquí se presenta (tres anillos, dos hebillas de cinturón y tres placas de broches de cinturón) entraron a formar parte de la colección del Museo a través de la donación de particulares y, por tanto, sin contexto arqueológico cierto. Sin embargo, su tipología y la singularidad de la iconografía de algunas de ellas, hacen que merezcan un estudio detallado.

The paper deals with the Early Christian objects in the Middle Danube Limes from Singidunum to Aquae. According to their function, shape or decorative content, it is possible to divide them into items that used in liturgical practice (silver chalices, bowls, spoons used during the Eucharist, flagon, procession crosses, lamps) and various objects, which shape, inscription or ornamental elements indicate Christian character, but which were intended for secular purposes (jewelry, steelyard, crest application with Chi–Rho monogram, fibulae etc.). In addition to the local products, a certain number of objects consist of imported material produced in some major production centers, most often in the East, from where they were distributed to the other parts of the Roman Empire. A significant number of imported items indicate Egyptian origin, with their separate production centers, and from where they had been brought as an import to the Balkan region by trade routes. Some of the products were manufactured in western centers of manufacture. All registered Early Christian items, in their own way shed light on a turbulent period in this region from the 4th to the beginning of the 7th century.

Keywords: Early Christian objects, local and imported products,
Middle Danube Limes, 4th to the beginning of 7th century.

This poster aims to explain, to the wider world of the Digital Humanities, the ambition and approach of Artefacts, a Cnrs project held at the University of Lyons 2 (artefacts.mom.fr) in collaboration with a group of c. 120 specialists around the world.

In this paper I discuss two gold pendants, from the Late Antique
or Early Medieval Period, which are somewhat unique finds for
Slovenian territory. The first pendant is from the Late Antique site
of Kranj-Lajh (Carnium); it is leaf-shaped, and the chronologically
older pendant of the two. The child grave in which this pendant
was found is interpreted as belonging to an individual of the local
Late Antique elite. The grave is notable also because some of
the grave goods were made in the middle of the 5th century AD,
even though the burial presumably dates to the first half of the
6th century AD. On the basis of a single-sided comb with low handle, I assume that the individual did not belong to the Gothic cultural
milieu. The second pendant, a tear-shaped specimen, was
found in one of the oldest settlement layers of Early Mediaeval
Koper (Iustinopolis), at the site of Kapucinski vrt. I argue that it
was worn not as a pendant on a necklace or earring, but rather
as an integral part of an earring. This interpretation is based on
earrings from another time (the second half of the 3rd century AD
and the 4th century AD) and place (south-western Crimea), with
which the pendant from Koper shares many features.

The burgus of Obermendig ,Im Winkel' is located on a small hill dose to the Mayen-Kottenheim millstone quarries. In addition to a function as a horreum, it was also inhabited and served as a fortification as it is indicated by its topographical position, construction, militaria and indications of a defensive wall. The building was used from the first half of the 4th century to the first third of the 5th century. Cause to a fire, apart of the deaned spelt stock has been preserved. In addition there was evidence for stored fruit and bread or porridge. The burgus granary would have been much too large for a villa of 46 ha. It probably contained supplies for the workmen in the quarries.

Der burgus von Obermendig ,Im Winkel' liegt auf einer kleinen Anhöhe bei den Mayen-Kottenheimer Mühlsteinbrüchen. Neben einer Funktion als horreum war er bewohnt und diente nach topografischer Position, Bauweise, Militaria und Hinweisen auf eine Umwehrung als Wehrbau. Die Anlage wurde von der ersten Hälfte des 4. Jahrhundersts bis in das erste Drittel des 5. Jahrhunderts genutzt. Aufgrund eines Brandes blieb ein Teil des gereinigten Dinkelvorrats erhalten; daneben fanden sich noch Hinweise auf eingelagertes Obst sowie Brot oder Brei. Als Kornspeicher wäre der burgus für eine Villa von 46 ha viel zu groß gewesen. Er enthielt vermutlich Vorräte für die Steinbrucharbeiter.

Kučar near Podzemelj represents one of the most significant archaeological sites not only in Slovenia but also in the wider southeastern alpine region. It is an extensive complex composed of an Iron Age and Late Roman settlement upon the hill Kučar, as well as numerous necropoli that are distributed throughout the villages of Podzemelj, Zemelj, Škrilje and Grm. The site is well-known all over the world for its elaborate material finds originating from the cemeteries there. The book presents the results from rescue excavations that were carried out between the years 1975 and 1979 on the northern top of Kučar by the Institute for Archaeology. Substantial remains of a settlement dating to the Early and Late Iron Ages (8th –1st centuries BC) were excavated, as well as the even more surprising discovery of an Early Christian building complex (5th century AD) incorporating two churches, a baptistery and a large building with an enclosing wall that was reinforced with two towers.

Herbstvortrag der Stiftung Pro Augusta Raurica, 16.10.2019

Was geschah eigentlich in Augusta Raurica nach dem Ende der Römerzeit? Anhand von archäologischen Beispielen aus dem spätantik-frühmittelalterlichen Kaiseraugst begegnet Anna Flückiger mit verschiedenen Ansätzen dem Problem, dass archäologische Überreste von Siedlungen aus dem späten 4. bis frühen 6. Jahrhundert häufig schwer erkennbar sind. Die Resultate zeichnen ein lebhaftes Bild der Siedlungstätigkeit im Umfeld der spätrömischen Befestigung – des Castrum Rauracense – und zeigen damit einmal mehr, wie irreführend der Begriff der «dunklen Jahrhunderte» ist.

J. Soulat, « 2.5. Le mobilier funéraire », dans Newman C. et al., Le Cavé ZAC des Portes, 4ème tranche, Val-de-Reuil (Eure) – Région Haute-Normandie, Rapport final d’opération de fouilles archéologiques préventives, Rouen, service régional de l’Archéologie de Haute-Normandie, Oxford Archéologie Grand Ouest (Chronoterre), janvier 2014, p. 105-111.

The artefact was found at Capidava in this campaign, without archaeological context. It is made from bronze in to a mould. We dont know if it is a fibulae or an ormanet for the  roman military costume. Or something of a barbaric origin?
Capidava it is a roman military fortress located on the Danube frontier in Moesia Inferios/Scythia Minor, from the 2nd century AD up to the end of the 6st century AD.  In the principate period from the epigraphic source there are two cohors mentioned which stationed there: Coh I Ubiorum and Coh I Germanorum.

https://berner-zirkel.ch/veranstaltungen
Was geschah mit der römischen Koloniestadt Augusta Raurica (Augst BL/Kaiseraugst AG) am Ende der Römerzeit? Der Vortrag geht zwei spannenden Aspekten dieser Frage nach: Einerseits den Möglichkeiten, wie sich die Zeit zwischen Spätantike und Frühmittelalter neuerdings besser erforschen lässt, andererseits mit der facettenreichen Siedlungsgeschichte selbst. Beides erfolgt u. a. anhand einer Kaiseraugster Ausgrabung in der Nähe der ca. 300 n. Chr. erbauten spätantiken Befestigung am Rhein, des Castrum Rauracense.

The article discusses the accidental discovery of the exact location of Emperor Zeno's tremissis near Smarjeta in Dolenjska, Slovenia, which led to the uncovering of a significant late Roman fortification at Gradec near Velika Strmica in 1993. This site, known for over a hundred years but previously assumed medieval, features well-preserved remains of a defensive wall, five towers, and an Early Christian church with a cistern. A surface survey revealed various metal finds dating from the 2nd to the 6th century AD, including bronze coins, fibulae, and a cross pendant. The fortification, similar to another at Korinjski hrib, was likely built at the end of the 5th or beginning of the 6th century AD for strategic reasons. The article also mentions two 6th-century cemeteries discovered in the vicinity of Smarjeta.

The potters' quarter of the ancient city of Sagalassos, southwest Turkey, was one of the largest and most enduring ceramic-producing manufactories in the eastern Mediterranean. The objective of our study was to determine environmental circumstances that favored development of different clay resources in the territory of Sagalassos and to assess utilization of these resources in the local pottery manufactory. The potters' quarter was established where, owing to favorable geological circumstances, a large clay body had developed. The bedrock in the potters' quarter, a tectonized ophiolite sequence, has synclinal structure; hence, surface runoff and groundwater tend to accumulate in its center. The weathering of the basic rock formed a smectite-rich clay with vertic properties. This clay was mined in antiquity, and mineralogical and chemical analyses indicate that it was used for the production of local ceramics from Hellenistic to Byzantine times. It is likely that colluvium on top of the ophiolitic clay at the potters' quarter is related to deforestation and slope processes after the potters' quarter was abandoned. In sum, environmental circumstances determined the location of the artisanal quarter of Sagalassos, with its clay quarrying operation and ceramic manufactory. However, for the local mass-produced Sagalassos red slip ware, the results of our chemical and mineralogical analyses indicate that a different, more suitable clay was used: detrital lake sediments, rich in chlorite and chlorite/smectite mixed layers, located about 8 km from the original artisanal quarter. The choice for this clay was determined both by the presence of a suitable clay deposit, as well as socio-economic circumstances such as land ownership. The site of Sagalassos yielded unique evidence of mining of clay at a ceramic production site, as well as import of nearby clays. The local and imported clays were used side-by-side, but one for the production of common wares and building ceramics, and the other for the manufacturing of luxury fine tablewares. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Two  christograms, a bronze lamella in the form of a dolphin, part of a candelabra leaf and some small bronze fragments were found in 1993 on the Late Roman upland fortified site of Vipota above Pečovnik. The author suggests that they were brought there from a church in Celje, due to proximity of Roman Celeia and the size of the artefacts. The artefacts in all probability were part of the internal furnishing of a church in Celeia, that was abandoned sometime in the first half of the 5th Century. The artefacts were taken at that time to a nearby hilltop site, the naturally well protected Vipota. The artefacts are dated on the basis of analogy to the second half or most likely the end of the 4th Century.

The author presents an overview of research on the Late antique hilltop sites of Slovenia with a particular concentration on the results of work over the last 20 years. The use of hilltop sites is discussed in chronological order from the 3rd to the 6th Centuries AD. As well as existing as a tightly defined chronological group, different types of sites can be recognised. The author particularly discusses the late hilltop sites, a homogenous group of permanently settled sites from the 5th-6th Centuries AD.

A theoretical and practical guide on the illustration of archaeological objects. The books provides a historical survey of images processed to communicate about finds kept in a remote location, from the 16th c. to the present time. The succesion of techniques, from copperplate engraving to digital images, is described and discussed, each of them showing advantages and disadvantages for its time. Practical examples, accompanied by numerous images, will enable the reader to learn how to imagine and produce the illustration required for each use.

Archaeology has maintained a long-standing interest in ‘the tool’. In light of recent theoretical approaches to tools and technology, this paper presents the results of material analysis on a corpus of artifacts used in red-slipped ceramic production from Roman-period Sagalassos in southwest Turkey. Conceptual themes concern technological choices and the process by which tools were selected and appropriated for use in ceramic production. The tools demonstrate a variety of activity patterns—from reuse and adaptation to design and production. Objects were accordingly employed in complex and creative ways to meet the technical requirements of the artisan. Such needs in some instances also seem to reflect the role of the individual artisan within the organization of the workshop, whereby individuals demarcated their own toolsets within a larger production setting. Patterns of adaptation also highlight a need for interpretive flexibility when assigning functionality and social meaning to material culture. Such processes of selection appear to have been socially situated within the broader urban, suburban, and rural material worlds of Sagalassos.