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Original scientific paper |
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| Roman Pottery from Ilok |
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Kristina Jelinčić
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Fulltext (Croatian)
Pages 79
- 88
(pdf, 197.28 KB)
downloads: 1120
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Abstracts
When the Romans conquered the area around Ilok in the first
century AD, it became part of Lower Illyricum. After Trajan’s
division of Pannonia into Upper and Lower sections, Ilok, i.e.
Cuccium, was part of Lower Pannonia until Diocletian’s division.
Diocletian divided Lower Pannonia into Pannonia Valeria
and Pannonia Secunda. The center of Pannonia Secunda was
Sirmium, and Cuccium belonged to this province.
Cuccium was an important point in this part of the Limes,
because it defended the Empire where the Danube was easy to
cross. The site of the fortress itself has still not been discovered,
but it is mentioned as Cucci, Catio, Cuccio, Cuccium, Cuccis
castelum. On the other side of the Danube there were barbarian
tribes: the Sarmatians and the Iazigians. The Romans adapted
their military approach in order to be able to conquer them more
easily, so they placed their cavalry and infantry along this part of
the Limes. Thus in Cuccium the following units were stationed:
“Cuneus equitarum promotorum” and “Equitas sagittarii”
(ŠARANOVIĆ-SVETEK, 1966/67, 61-65; BATOROVIĆ, 1994, 11,
12; JANKULOV, 1952, 16; VULIĆ, 1939, 73).
Traces of the rich history of Ilok were found in the broader
territory of the town in the rescue excavations and construction
works, and almost always a part of these finds related to
Antiquity. Thus a number of pottery fragments, inscriptions,
coins, reliefs, sarcophagi, etc. were found.
The pottery that was analyzed here is connected with the
material found in the systematic archaeological excavations
conducted by the Institute of Archaeology in 2001 in the
castle of Ilok’s princes.
The excavated artifacts are highly fragmented and modest,
which makes a thorough analysis impossible. The excavations
were conducted in the courtyard of the castle, which
was covered with earth that was brought subsequently from
different sites, thus excluding the possibility of stratigraphy
in the analysis of the goods.
The finds of Roman pottery in the Roman Province of
Pannonia are connected with the invasion of the Roman army
and the Italics in this area. Trade and contacts with distant regions
were made possible by roads and rivers. In the beginning,
trade was related only to military camps and other military facilities,
as well as the newly settled towns, and only after a while
did it include the local population (LENGYEL, RADAN, 1980, 330-
332). This might have happened under the rule of the Emperor
Augustus during the transition from the Old to the New Age or
after the Pannonian-Dalmatian ribellion in the first half of the
first century. Such pottery has already been found at several sites
in Pannonia (DAUTOVA-RUŠEVLJAN, 1986, 72), so that it is possible
that it exists in the territory of Ilok. In the earliest stage, all
goods needed by the soldiers and the civilians came to Pannonia
from Aquileia or from other parts of northern Italy across
Aquileia. There are not many finds from this earliest period, and
some of the existing rare finds are fragments of pottery with thin
walls, a jug with one handle and a pot in the La Tčne tradition
that might have served as an urn (Pl. 2, 8, 16, 17).
In the second century products of western workshops are
present in Pannonia as well, and they are predominant until
the crisis in the mid-third century. The representatives of this
period are examples of sigillatae from the Rheinzabern workshop
(Pl. 1, 1-3), and as local production became increasingly
intense, there are also local imitations of sigillatae (Pl.
1, 4, 5). Products from other neighbouring provinces were
not imported in significant quantities.
Most of the finds can be dated to the third and the fourth
centuries. There are many fragments of glazed pottery in dark
green and brown, jugs (Pl. 2, 9), bowls (Pl. 1, 6, 7), and a
mortaria (Pl. 2, 12-15), which is frequent in this period in
Pannonia, when glazed pottery was massively produced even
in Pannonia itself; apart from that, there is also pots (Pl. 3,
24-31) and lids (Pl. 3, 18-23).
After the death of Emperor Valentinian in 375 there was
stagnation in development, reconstruction, trade and production.
By the time of the invasions by barbarian tribes, i.e. the
Goths and the Alans, the developed Roman civilization in
this area in the first half of the fifth century went through
changes in the composition of its population as well as in
lifestyle. According to the treaty of 405, a part of Pannonia
came under Alaric’s rule, which brought Roman life in this
part of Pannonia to an end (PINTEROVIĆ, 1970, 82).
Without specific research it is not possible to determine
when and where exactly the fortress was erected, how life
surrounding it developed, and how it stopped functioning.
From the time immediately after this there are only a few
finds, the most significant being that of a pair of silver
Ostrogoth fibulae from the fifth century.
Pottery was found in this excavation, and it can be approximately
dated from the middle of the first to the end of
the fourth century. It should be noted that the earliest pottery
is the smallest in number, and the pottery from the third and
fourth centuries the largest. We encounter pottery of a different
origin, from local workshops, as well as Roman pottery
under the strong influence of local manufacturers, i.e. pottery
in visible Celtic tradition, imitations of Roman pottery and
imported Roman pottery produced in different workshops.
Such material is present also in the remaining part of
Lower Pannonia; therefore it was to be expected that it would
be found in Ilok as well. The material is unfortunately rather
modest and fragmented, so one cannot gain a clear picture of
everyday life or of the entire extent of trade connections and
the relationship between the citizens of Cuccium with the rest
of the Roman Empire. It is clear that in the beginning there
were connections with Italy, the influence of the La Tčne heritage
is felt. Later they were connected with the Rhineland
(the areas of Pannonia and Noricum were the main export
destinations of the Rheinzabern workshop (VIKIĆ-BELANČIĆ,
1962/63, 95; FREMERSDORF, 1937, 167-172)) and products
of local provincial workshops were used.
In order to reach better and more complete conclusions,
further research is necessary, because due to modest materials
at present this is impossible, and the fragments can only build
a framework which can help in further analysis. Cuccium was
probably not as big and as developed as Cornacum or Cibalae,
but owing to its position it was of extraordinary significance
and it represents one of the vitally important points on the
Danube limes. This is what necessitates additional research. |
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Keywords
Ilok; Roman Pottery; Antiquity |
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