Izvorni znanstveni članak
Relief fragments bearing portrayals of Silvanus and Diana from the Tršćenica site in Split field
Ante Rendić-Miočević
Sažetak
The locale Tršćenica (Trišćenica, Trstenik) obviously derives its
name from the word trstika (reed), a plant that succeeds where
it has sufficient water to grow. At a site located in the Split Field
(Splitsko polje), near the Church of St. Lawrence of Pasdigrad
and the current Split city cemetery Lovrinac, two fragmentary
stone reliefs depicting the popular domestic pastoral/forest
deity Silvanus and his female counterpart Diana were discovered
on different occasions and under different circumstances. Their
cultic portrayals were not discovered at the same location, but
it is certain that the discovery sites were close to each other.
Today both artefacts are held in the Archaeological Museum in
Split. It should be noted that both reliefs were already previously
mentioned in the professional literature, although only in passing,
without the corresponding pictorial documentation.
The first relief pertains to Silvanus (only the upper half of
an altar preserved), shown between two trees, wearing a toga
clasped at the right shoulder.
The other relief, featuring a portrayal of Diana, was found
among numerous Roman-era artefacts found in a well located
across the way from the site of the aforementioned Church of St.
Lawrence of Pasdigrad.
It is interesting that a little farther off, on the road to nearby
Kamen, a fragment was discovered at one point bearing a relief of
two nymphs (the third was unfortunately not preserved). Next to
the head of the first nymph the remains of a reed were preserved which was obviously held in her right hand. Also preserved on the
relief is a portion of an inscription which shows that the monument
was dedicated to some deity (Silvanus?), but the preserved remains
of the letter at the very edge from the right can also be interpreted
as an F, which would probably mean that the relief was dedicated
to the “water” nymphs, Nimphis Fontanis (?). If one adds to these
monuments the inscription dedicated to nymphs from Split’s
Pojišan, the fragment of the relief from Duplančić dvor at Lučac,
or Radunica (published on several occasions; cited in the earlier
literature as coming from Stobreč), depicting semi-naked nymphs
with shells and shepherd’s staff (pedum) obviously belonging
to Silvanus, and the relief portraying Diana in the image of the
goddess of night-time lights (also from Lučac), then the conclusion
arises that the Split region, once the ager Salonitanus, did not
essentially differ from the Salona area. Silvanus, Diana and the
nymphs were very popular certainly before Diocletian’s Palace was
constructed in Split.
Ključne riječi
Silvanus; Diana; nymphs; cultic relief portrayals; Split Field; Tršćenica; Trstenik; Dragavode
Hrčak ID:
20487
URI
Datum izdavanja:
1.12.2007.
Posjeta: 3.723 *