Roman Province Research Articles

Tymphaia(ns): Molossian(s) or Macedonian(s)?

The Tymphaians, like the Orestai, were considered as Molossian tribes by the end of the sixth century BC. One should not make the common mistake of interpreting the Macedonian expansion in these areas with the help of much later literary sources depicting the conditions in these areas under Roman rule, especially those of the Roman province of Macedonia, thus ignoring the earlier sources; therefore, one should not include Tymphaia in the “original” Macedonian regions. Tymphaia was incorporated in the Macedonian kingdom after 351 or 342 by Philip II, thus becoming thereafter an integral part of Macedonia and the theater of crucial decisions regarding the Macedonian throne. The preexisting institutions of the Tymphaians were not abolished after this incorporation. Their characterization as “Macedonians” by Arrian is related to the political use of the “national” adjective “Macedonians”, i.e., subjects of the Macedonian king. The tribal organization of the region must also have played an important role in the perception of the Tymphaians by the southern Greeks. In this context, one can only admit one’s inability to proceed to further suggestions or assumptions, as the surviving written testimonies are scarce. Perhaps, vital in this direction will be the data given to the historians through the archaeological excavations conducted in the area and the possible identification of the settlements mentioned in the scarce literary sources.

Wandalowie w Hiszpanii i Rzymie, czyli Macieja z Miechowa (1457–1523) metoda badania dziejów

In the article Robert K. Zawadzki examines the representation of the Vandals in the historical work entitled Chronica Polonorum of Maciej of Miechów. This race who settled on the south coast of the Baltic Sea provided fertile ground for the Polish writer to articulate his ideas about the origins of the Polish nation. By examining these historical tales, the author shows how the author constructed an image of journeys of the great nation in keeping with the patriotic and moralistic goals and context of his own work, while individually creating a vision of Poles as Vandals who occupied Transdanubian Pannonia, attacked the Roman provinces, devastated wide areas of Gaul, crossed into Spain, moved into North Africa and captured Rome. This combination of such historical narrative material aims to highlight both the splendor of ancient Polish history and the fundamental unity of the Polish and European history.

Hermeneutic Cartography for the Restitution of a Lost Antique Seaport

This article deals with the reconstruction of an ancient seaport in the town of Bejaia, known as Muslubium Horrea. This settlement, ignored by the official historiography, would nevertheless have played an important role in wheat exports and trade with the Roman port of Ostia. Moreover, of all the ancient ports known to date, the Algerian coast has only two port warehouses, and Muslubium Horrea is the only granary belonging to the Roman province of Mauretania Sitifensis (400AD). The methodology adopted to locate and reconstruct the topography and the settlement’s structures is based on the concept of cartographic hermeneutics. The compilation of existing historical accounts and the interpretation derived from the superimposition of ancient geographical maps and 19th century archaeological and geological maps identified all the natural resources necessary for its construction, in particular the abundance of water sources and deposits of geomaterials for construction (clay, stone, gypse, marble, etc.). These data were confirmed by field and photogrammetric surveys, resulting in a map showing the archaeological context of the Muslubium Horrea port and the remains of structures still visible today. The approach adopted allowed to delineate the size of the port site and scale the structures that make it up, as well as identify the water supply source and its primitive topography prior to its establishment.

Analysis of the Impact of the Qaliwarma Program on the Academic Performance of Students in Primary Schools in San Roman Province, Puno, Peru

The research work had the general objective of analyzing the impact of the Qali Warma Program on the quality of life of students in primary educational institutions in the province of San Roman, the quantitative approach of non-experimental design was used, the study population and sample consisted of 80 parents of primary educational institutions in the province of San Roman, the results revealed that the satisfaction of students with the food provided by the program is neutral, with 56. 25% of parents perceiving it this way, 33.75% not very satisfied and only 10% very satisfied, likewise there is an increase in the number of approved students making a difference of 1336 students between the periods 2016 - 2023, and a reduction of disapproved students of 84, as a final conclusion it was determined that the Qali Warma Program has a moderate impact on the quality of life and academic performance of primary students in San Roman, with a majority of parents who perceive the program in a neutral way. However, the program has demonstrated success in improving academic performance and increasing the number of beneficiaries, contributing to the development of skills and progress in reading comprehension and mathematics.Feeding

Towards a Study of the Architectural Decoration of Public Buildings in Parion During the Early Roman Empire

Parion was one of the principal centers of the Roman province of Asia, and the remains of several public buildings adorned with intricate architectural decorations have been uncovered and partially explored. Among these structures are a theater, an odeon, and thermae, all dating to the Roman Empire. In addition to these edifices, other public buildings in the central part of Roman-era Parion remain undiscovered, raising im-portant questions about the organization of public space and the architectural character of the city’s core during the Early Empire. One of the most promising areas for further exploration is the “Agora” sector, bordered to the south by the odeon and to the north by the theater and thermae. This article offers an architectural and histori-cal analysis of the Corinthian order details found in this sector. The architectural elements discussed were un-covered during archaeological excavations conducted between 2015 and 2022 (Figs. 1-6). Although the availa-ble materials are insufficient to definitively identify the specific structures to which these decorative elements belonged, their forms, ornamentation, dimensions, and modules exhibit notable similarities to the architectural details of the southern façade of Hadrian’s Gate in Ephesus. This resemblance suggests a commonality in their architectural compositions and, by extension, the types of structures they adorned. Consequently, it is plausible to infer that these architectural elements were part of a portico associated with a building complex in the Agora. The design of this complex (or at least part of it) likely reflects Hadrian’s extensive building program in the Ro-man province of Asia.

“Cui Bono?” An Agricultural Turning Point in the Roman Provinces Upper Germania and Raetia

“Cui Bono?” An Agricultural Turning Point in the Roman Provinces Upper Germania and Raetia

A Whole Range of Cattle-An Isotopic Perspective on Roman Animal Husbandry in Lower Austria and Burgenland (Austria).

In this study, we try to combine traditional archaeozoological biometry, based on outer bone measurements, with stable isotope analyses of bone collagen. Right from the start of archaeozoological research in Central and Western Europe, the important size variability in Roman domestic cattle has puzzled scholars. According to an established view, these differences in bone size are attributed either to the simultaneous presence of different types or even breeds or to the result of crossbreeding of smaller, native, and larger Roman cattle. Likewise, the episodic import of large-sized animals has been considered. First, we selected thirty proximal phalanges of cattle from three sites including five archaeological contexts from eastern Austria (Roman provinces of Noricum and Pannonia). The bone sample comprised the whole hitherto observed metric variability in Roman provincial cattle, and we tried to include minimal and maximal specimens. The results from stable isotope analyses (δ15N, δ13C, δ18O, δ2H) carried out on thirty proximal phalanges indicated that isotope signals were rather site-specific and, generally, not related to bone size. Therefore, we conclude that at least in the area investigated, small and large cattle types were raised and herded in the same areas and not spatially separated. There are, however, uncertain indicators of intra-site differences in isotope signals related to bone size, which should be checked on much larger sample sets.

Statuary Qualities of White and Black Göktepe Identified in the Hispanic Valdetorres de Jarama Marble Collection

This paper focuses on the role of the most common mineralogical techniques applied to the identification of the different statuary qualities in white, grey, and black Göktepe marble. For this purpose, the case of a Roman sculpture marble collection from the rural villa of Valdetorres de Jarama (central Iberia), dating to the 4th century AD, is presented. The mythological statuary, combining white, grey, and black marbles, is one of the most outstanding marble collections in the Aphrodisian style found in Hispania. The analytical results (achieved through Petrography, Cathodoluminescence, C and O isotopes, and Sr and Mn concentration) support the identification of two varieties of “black” Göktepe, traditionally referred to as bigio morato and bigio antico, as well as the best statuary quality of white Göktepe. In addition, the analytical identification of other Asiatic marbles in the Valdetorres collection, a white coarse-grain originally from the quarries of Aphrodisias city, and one small piece identified as Carian red from Iasos, corroborates the already suggested strong connection existing between artists and the stone material they chose for their works. Finally, the identification carried out on the marble of the bases that served as seats for the sculptures is noteworthy, as it is a white marble of lower quality whose analytical characteristics are consistent with the Microasiatic marble of Denizli. The use of these exotic and exceptional raw materials confirms the taste for luxury and decorative richness in Late Antique Hispanic rural villae and contributes to a better understanding of the distribution of Aphrodisian production and trade networks with the Western Roman provinces.

Palaeoparasitological evidence for a possible sanitary stone vessel from the Roman city of Viminacium, Serbia

The aim of this research is to determine whether palaeoparasitological analysis of mineralized concretions found within a stone vessel from the Roman city of Viminacium can shed light on its past use. The ruins of Viminacium, the capital of the Roman province of Moesia Superior, are situated 90 km southeast of the Belgrade in Serbia, and about 12 km from the town of Kostolac in the vicinity of villages Stari Kostolac and Drmno. It was established as a military camp in the first century CE with a legion permanently stationed there. The stone vessel was discovered during systematic archaeological excavations of the public bath complex with a public toilet near the amphitheater in Viminacium. The finding is dated by relative chronology in the second half of the third century. The vessel is topologically defined as a mortarium according to shape and size. Mineralized deposits were preserved inside the vessel rim, sides, and base. Microscopic analysis of the mineralized deposit revealed eggs of intestinal nematode roundworms (most likely Ascaris sp., but possibly Pterygodermatites sp.) from the sides and base of the vessel. This is the first time that parasite eggs have been identified from concretions inside a Roman stone vessel, and have strong parallels with a previous finding of parasite eggs in mineralized deposits from a ceramic chamber pot from late antique Sicily. The finding suggests the possible use, or secondary use, and function of the stone vessel as a sanitary item (such as storing wiping implements) for personal hygiene in the public bath of Viminacium. Further paleoparasitological research requires a systematic analysis of calcified deposits from Roman period stone vessels for more clear insights into their function, use and reuse.

Pervading Empire: Relationality and Diversity in the Roman Provinces

Pervading Empire: Relationality and Diversity in the Roman Provinces

Prehistoric Landscape Development and Romano-British Farming near Rossington, South Yorkshire

In 2016–2017 Wessex Archaeology undertook excavations between Rossington and Doncaster in South Yorkshire prior to the development of a strategic rail freight interchange. The earliest evidence related to peat formation within two different parts of the site, with a pair of sequences radiocarbon dated to between the Mesolithic period and the Bronze Age. Pollen preserved within the peat provides evidence for woodland development over this period, with no clear signs of any contemporary human impacts on the palynological record. The majority of the archaeological evidence relates to the Romano-British period, when the site contained settlement/farming enclosures and fields used for grazing and cultivation. Archeologically detectable activity was focussed on the enclosures; a stone-built ‘T’-shaped crop-dryer reveals malt production was undertaken in one. The animal bone is relatively informative when compared to regional norms and this evidence, which is accompanied by the results of the analysis of organic residues within the pottery assemblage, suggests a husbandry strategy focussed on cattle carcase products, with some dairying. Charcoal evidence and charred/waterlogged plant remains reveal further information on the agricultural economy of the site including aspects such as crops grown, fuel use and the local environment. The finds assemblage from the site is also relatively rich for the area; such a reasonable degree of integration with the economy of the wider Roman province may have been facilitated by the close proximity of a villa at Stancil.

On the occurrence of kalsilite in melilite-bearing ultrapotassic lavas from the Roman Province (Vulsini Mts., central Italy)

The Montefiascone Volcanic Complex belongs to the Vulsini Mts. volcanic district, one of the several leucite-bearing ultrapotassic Pleistocene volcanoes of the Roman Province (Central Italy). It is characterized by abundant pyroclastic successions and minor lava flows emplaced during a caldera formation phase occurred ∼0.3–0.2 Ma. The volcanic products span from leucite-basanites and leucite-tephrites to rarer leucitites and melilitites, occasionally associated with very rare kalsilite melilitolite ejecta. Here we report for the first time the presence of primary kalsilite in two lava flows in Forcinella and Feltricci localities, identifying a kamafugitic component among the Montefiascone volcanics.Detailed petrographic, SEM and EPMA studies on ten samples from the two localities revealed, in addition to kalsilite, variable amounts of clinopyroxene, melilite, leucite and nepheline plus rarer olivine coupled with carbonate-bearing segregation pockets in the groundmass. Geochemical and isotopic data confirm the exotic nature of the analysed rocks, showing ultrabasic/basic (SiO2 = 42.15–45.94 wt%) and ultrapotassic (K2O = 6.17–8.48 wt%; K2O/Na2O = 5.3–8.7) compositions, as well as strongly radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr (0.71038–0.711068), poorly radiogenic 143Nd/144Nd (0.512057.512091) and uniform middle radiogenic 206Pb/204Pb (18.76–18.78). Boron isotopes (δ11B ranges from 7.36 to 8.82‰) almost overlaps the typical MORB-OIB range values.These geochemical features recall those of the nearby kamafugite rocks from the Intra-Apennine Province. Major oxide and trace element modelling support fractionation links among the Italian kamafugite types. The overall geochemical and isotopic signatures speak for a common strongly subduction-metasomatized and orthopyroxene-free lithospheric mantle source. As already proposed for some nearby kamafugite centres in central Italy, limestone assimilation during magma ascent is a viable option to explain the mineralogical and whole-rock composition of Montefiascone lavas (i.e., the presence of carbonate plagues in the lava groundmass). This is particularly relevant considering the thick sedimentary sequence pierced by the limited volume of the upwelling magma. On the other hand, many other key features (such as the general lack of crustal xenoliths, the overall incompatible element fractionation and the radiogenic Sr isotopic ratios) clearly require also derivation from subduction-modified mantle sources.

Ancient DNA and paleoproteomic analysis on Roman Imperial-era individuals from Histria, Romania

Ancient biomolecules have become an increasingly important part of archaeological investigations interested in understanding population movements and health. Despite their ability to elucidate historically-attested contexts of human mobility and interaction between different cultural groups, biomolecular techniques are still underutilized in certain historical and archaeological contexts. One such context is the Roman Imperial limes, or border zone, along the lower reaches of the Danube, which saw more than five hundred years of migration, conflict, and accommodation among a wide range of populations, from Mediterranean settlers to steppe pastoralists. In this region, more than a century of archaeological investigation has unearthed the remains of tens of thousands of Roman-era individuals. However, only a limited number of contexts have undergone biomolecular analyses. While these deceased humans may offer an untapped reservoir of biomolecular information, many were collected during a period when the standard precautions and protocols for ancient biomolecular research were not yet established. Because contamination is a major barrier for successfully recovering ancient DNA and proteins, conducting a pilot study to assess bimolecular preservation of a small representative dataset of human remains before embarking on a more extensive research program may prevent unnecessary sampling. This study applies ancient DNA and paleoproteomic techniques to human remains from a Roman-period cemetery at Histria, a site located just south of the Danube at the edge of the Roman province of Moesia Inferior. The individuals from whom we sampled dentin and dental calculus were excavated between the 1940s and 1980s and were housed at the Francisc J. Rainer Institute since. Our results suggest that both microbial and human ancient DNA is preserved in the dental calculus and dentin samples. We also successfully recovered sex-specific amelogenin peptides in tooth enamel from three individuals, including a juvenile. In conclusion, our results are encouraging, signifying the feasibility of future aDNA and paleoproteomic research for this skeletal collection. Our analyses also showcase how sex estimation with genomic and proteomic methods may contradict traditional osteological approaches. These findings not only offer deeper insights into the lives of these individuals but also show promise for the investigation of broader anthropological questions, such as the impact of Roman annexation in this region.

Особливості поширення раннього християнства у римській провінції Африка

The purpose of the article is to research the first origins of Christianity in the Roman province of Africa, to establish the geographical and chronological origin of early Christian doctrine in this region, and to determine the nature of its initial development. The research methodology is based on the principle of historicism and social approach. The article uses chronological, comparative historical approach, and analytical methods. The scientific novelty consists in the wide use of various source: written (early apologetic, hagiographic), archaeological and epigraphic, linguistic comparison of written sources, as well as the involvement of the latest historiographical research on Christianity in Roman Africa. Conclusions. Roman Africa underwent its initial Romanization after victory of Rome in the Punic Wars, and Proconsular Africa became a province of the Roman state in the first century B.C. The extensive trade network of Proconsular Africa with the Eastern and Western provinces of the Roman Empire contributed to the rapid urbanization and economic growth of the region. The constant trade and economic communication of the province made it possible for early Christianity to spread to the area. The first references to Christians date back to the second half of the second century AD and are typically written Christian texts of an urbanized nature. The Latin and Greek versions of these sources indicate the initial bilingualism of the early Christian ecclesia of Africa. The spread of Christianity in Africa came from both the Roman church and the churches of the Eastern provinces, and from there thanks to the Jewish trade diaspora. The beginning of the third century AD is characterized by the rapid development of the church in Africa and the work of the early Christian apologist Tertullian, who left behind a large written heritage. The earliest references to Christians in Proconsular Africa also indicate sporadic conflict between pagan society and local authorities against Christians.

PXRF and Polychromy: Identifying Pigments on Limestone Statuary from the Roman Limes, Preliminary Results

This paper presents the preliminary results of an investigation on the unexplored topic of polychromy on provincial stone sculptures from the Roman provinces in Germania through the innovative application of heritage materials science techniques. A group of three life-sized statues dating to the 1st Century CE recovered from Ingelheim, near Mainz, retains remarkably well-preserved traces of pigments. These are ripe for emerging non-invasive technologies supplemented by micro-sampling to validate results and provide information relating to mixing and layering not available to the naked eye. The most strikingly visible areas of extant polychromy were retained on the sculpture of a young woman, reported on here as the first phase of this programme of research. The results suggest that the statue was originally covered in a gypsum layer before the application of complex and diverse recipes of pigment applied as mixtures and in layers to create required hues and shadowing on sculpted features. The palette includes ochres and green earth mixed with small amounts of minium (red lead), realgar and lapis lazuli (ultramarine blue) added to create skin tones, and a vibrant blue-green tunic created from Egyptian blue, bone black, ochres, cinnabar and green earth; the palla and peplos contained ochres, bone black, and orpiment, and mixes of these created the detail of coloured jewellery. Of great interest was the detection of bone black on many features, particularly as a shading agent to enhance sculpted features, such as folds in cloth, providing a more realistic and flowing articulation. This is a revolutionary observation that provides previously unexplored insights into artistic polychromic practice in Antiquity.

THE BATTLE OF CHAERONEA: 86 BCE

In 86 BCE Proconsul Lucius Cornelius Sulla’s (138-78 BCE) looked over the potential battlefield at the broad plain near Chaeronea. He heard horses neigh, and men rumble as they set up camp. Sulla knew the upcoming engagement of his 30,000 legionnaires against the 120,000-man army of Mithridates VI (135-78 BCE) (Appian 12.3.17, 12.6.41) of Pontus would be bloody, brutal, and deadly. General Archelaus commanded the Pontic forces. Sulla may have reflected on the cascade of events which placed him in this dire situation.In 107 BCE. Consul Gaius Marius (157-86 BCE) initiated policies designed to enhance the efficacy of the Roman army. One of these reforms placed the responsibility to supply and manage an army under the authority of the commanding general, rather than the Consul and Senate. This change allowed charismatic, ambitious generals to divert the primary loyalty of soldiers to themselves rather than the State. Sulla used this change in loyalty to march on Rome in 88 BCE and 82 BCE. (Plutarch 2.3.1)In 89 BCE Mithridates embarked on a policy of military expansionism. He invaded Bithynia and Cappadocia, even though Roman officials warned him to respect Bithynia’s sovereignty. The Roman Senate declared war on Pontus, appointed Sulla to prosecute the war, and the First Mithridatic War began (89-84 BCE). (Appian 12.4.22, 12.5.30) Mithridates’ army overran Roman provinces in Asia Minor. Cassius Dio reported: “All the Asiatic, at the bidding of Mithridates massacred the Romans.” (Dio 31.101) Mithridates then invaded the Roman province of Greece. The seizure of Roman territory and murder of Roman citizens was a grievous affront to the honor of Senatus Populusque Romanus (the Senate and People of Rome). Mithridates must have known from the history of Carthage what fate awaited him and Pontus if his military adventurism failed. Either he must destroy the Roman Republic, or it would destroy Pontus and humiliate, then kill him. Control over the region of the Eastern Mediterranean was at stake. Civil War diverted Sulla’s attention, but he finally advanced against Pontic armies in Greece in 87 BCE. He quickly drove two Mithridatic armies into the fortifications of Athens and the Piraeus. Then he successfully moved against these two fortifications. Archelaus escaped by sea to Boeotia. Sulla followed him with his army to Chaeronea, in central Greece. He had Legates Sulpicious Galba, Licinious Murena, and Lucius Hortensius under his command (Plutarch 15.17).

A contribution to the urbanization and marble supply of Roman Thrace: an interdisciplinary study

The study of marble trade in antiquity has received a lot of scholarly attention in the last few decades; however, numerous deposits of high-quality white marble in the Thracian interior have only recently become pivotal in Bulgaria. Following the establishment of Thrace as a Roman province, investments into transport infrastructure, urban and rural construction works and monumentalizing architecture in marble have led to an increased demand for stone. Local marble quarries close to urban centres and larger imperial quarries were used for civic buildings, villas and sanctuaries. Provenance analysis of marble quarries and artefacts has established a close link between the place of origin and subsequent place of use. This multi-disciplinary study explores marble sources in the Thracian interior via various approaches such as epigraphy, archaeology, and archaeometry regarding urbanization, trade, and transportation. In this paper, we consider and investigate the Berkovitsa marble, a quarry close to Montana in northwestern Bulgaria, and present a broader framework for the marble trade of the region.

ОБСТАВИНИ УКЛАДЕННЯ ТА ПОЛОЖЕННЯ ДОГОВОРУ 568 р. ПОМІЖ ЛАНГОБАРДАМИ ТА АВАРАМИ

As of the early 550s, the diplomatic sphere of the Eastern Roman Empire on the Danube Limes was in a state of relative consolidation. In many ways, this was facilitated by the system of checks and balances between barbarian political associations on the northern border of the Empire. The autocrator Justinian the Great (527–565), professing the goal of political neutralisation of his neighbours, had been engaging the political associations of the Hepidians, Lombards and Antes in alliance relations since the 530s. These associations were fully or partially involved in the cohort of allies and federations of Constantinople, repelling the barbarian attacks of the Empire’s opponents in the region. At the same time, the internal contradictions that were brewing among the rulers of the barbarian associations could not provide the political system of Constantinople on the eastern bank of the Danube with promising development. One of the main reasons for the instability of relations between Justinian’s federates was the involvement of the Kingdom of the Hepidians in the Empire. In the second half of the 6th cent., the latter occupied the Danube and Tisza valleys, bordering the Roman provinces of Pannonia II of the Diocese of Dacia and Moesia I of the Diocese of Thrace. In 526, the Lombards became the Hepidians’ neighbours to the west. Being in a state of protracted conflict since then, both sides could not ensure victory without the participation of third parties. At the same time, the imperator Justinian and his predecessor, Justin I (518–527), were not interested in providing military assistance to their allies. The nature of the confrontation between the Lombards and the Hepidians changed with the arrival of the Avars in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. Having become federates of Constantinople in 557, the Nomads were interested in obtaining the provinces of Pannonia II and Illyric for settlement. A dispute over these territories with Emperor Justin II (565–578) led to the actual breakdown of the nomads’ treaty with the Empire. King of the Lombards Alboin (566–572) proposed to grant the Avars these territories for settlement. At the suggestion of the barbarian monarch, the nomads received the desired lands in exchange for military assistance to the Lombards during the conflict with the Hepids. As a result of the negotiations between Alboin and the Avar Khan Bayan (562–602), an agreement was concluded, the postulates of which formed the basis of relations between the proto-state of the nomads and the newly formed Kingdom of the Lombards until the beginning of the 7th cent.

Better late (Roman) than never! A possible amphora fragment from 6th century Balatonlelle, Western Hungary

This study reports on a unique finding connected to the re-examination of the ceramic assemblage recovered from the Langobard age (6th century AD) settlement of Balatonlelle, situated in the territory of the former Roman province of Pannonia (now in western Hungary). An undecorated body sherd, not picked up by either the initial typological evaluation of the ceramics or by the preliminary petrographic analysis, was now reassessed by thin section ceramic petrography and scanning electron microscopy. The new analyses revealed that this sherd contains rock and mineral inclusions originated from ophiolites, including slightly serpentinised peridotite fragments. Such rocks do not occur on the surface in Hungary, whereas they are commonly found in the Eastern Mediterranean. The presence of ophiolites in the potsherd indicates that this vessel was produced in a distant territory. The macroscopic characteristics of the sherd combined with its petrographic fingerprint suggest that this pot might have been a transport amphora produced in the Eastern Mediterranean. Although rarely found in Pannonia in the Migration Period, several amphora types, including the most frequently found LRA 1 type, were produced in numerous production centres in the Eastern Mediterranean, in territories geologically congruous with the aplastic inclusions found in the fabric of the Balatonlelle sherd. The significance of this finding is that from Langobard age Pannonia, amphorae occur only sporadically, connected mainly to former Roman settlements. While any conclusions drawn from a single sherd must necessarily remain tentative, this sherd nonetheless provides some material evidence for the existence of some sort of contact between Balatonlelle and the Eastern Mediterranean during the 6th century, be it economic, political or cultural. This study also aims to celebrate the career of György Szakmány, who was one of the key figures to establish ceramic petrographic research and education in Hungary, and trained many generations of petrographers – including the present authors. As such, it also serves as an example how ceramic petrography can bring a new dimension of information to archaeological research.

Пряслица со знаками с памятников рязано-окской археологической культуры середины I тыс. н. э. (культурный и исторический контекст)

The paper introduces four spindle whorls with various ornamental signs from the sites of the Ryazan-Oka archaeological culture. As archaeologists have long established, spindle whorls were undoubtedly part of the technological complex of weaving – weights for spin-dles, however, in most cultures of Eurasia they had secondary sacred-magical functions and, accordingly, were often decorated with various signs in which they see calendar or cosmogonic symbolism. In three cases, these spindle whorls were placed in burials as a sep-arate element of grave goods. It is possible that the emergence of the tradition of putting various images on spindle whorls was borrowed by local residents as a result of contacts with the Chernyakhov archaeological culture, where there are finds in the burials of spindle whorls with supposed images of “Germanic” runes. Accordingly, the “Ryazan-Oka” signs on spindle whorls were a kind of import that representatives of the local “Ryazan-Oka” elites received as a result of contacts with provincial Roman limes cultures.