Preliminary communication
https://doi.org/10.33254/aia.21.1.6
Fragment of a soldier’s sepulchral monument depicting a convivium scene from Kupinovo, Serbia (southern Pannonia Inferior)
Mihajlo N. Džamtovski
orcid.org/0009-0002-1497-3156
; Department of Classical Archaeology, Faculty of Historical and Cultural Studies, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
*
Stefan D. Novaković
orcid.org/0009-0003-7109-8375
; Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
In 2024, during a visit to the medieval church of St Luke in Kupinovo, Serbia, a Roman-period sepulchral monument featuring a convivium (banquet) scene was identified within the apse wall. While the spolia at Kupinovo have been noted for over a century, this particular monument had never been studied. The limestone monument features a fragmented convivium scene including a reclining male figure on a klinē (couch) embracing a bust of a woman, interpreted as his wife. Before the klinē, a mensa tripes (tripod table) bearing offerings is positioned slightly to the right. Unique iconographic elements, particularly the background depiction of armour, suggest a military connection. This distinguishes the piece within Roman sepulchral art, making it unparalleled in Pannonian – and potentially broader Roman – contexts. The authors explore iconographic parallels in nearby provinces and review local necropoli to infer its origin, considering its placement within the ager of Bassianae. Although the monument may have originated from a necropolis linked to Bassianae, it could also derive from the nearby municipium Spodent(). Despite its poor craftsmanship, the monument reflects multiregional artistic influences, blending motifs from the Greek-dominated southeastern Balkans with local Pannonian portraiture traditions.
Keywords
Kupinovo; Serbia; Pannonia; Pannonia Inferior; convivium; Roman period; sepulchral art; spolia
Hrčak ID:
342670
URI
Publication date:
30.12.2025.
Visits: 404 *