Original scientific paper
GLASS BOTTLE WITH A RELIEF OF A HUMAN HEAD FROM SENJ
IVO FADIĆ
Abstract
At the location called Varoš, precisely Dolac, in the town of Senj, in 1978. and 1979. the protective archeological investigations were undertaken at the occasion of laying of a foundation for Ivica Prpić hause and a cisterne. There were found the thirteen skeleton graves with the grave architecture, made of unsym-metrical stone blocks with or without the use of the mortar. Of all the graves, only one had a burial object, the glass bottle with the relief shape of a human head, actually that of a child.
Up to now, the glass bottle with the relief shape of a child's head is the unique find from the group — graves on the explored part of the necropolis. It has been made of a rather thin, pale, yellowish-green glass. Its hight is 15.5 cm, diameter o fa base is 4.4 cm to 5 cm,that of a body is 7.3 cm, and 4.5 cm is the diameter of a base is 4.4 cm to 5 cm, that of a body is 7.3 cm, and 4.5 cm is the head e.g. the body of the bottle with a funnel — shaped neck wich gradually spreads towards the rim. The rim of the hole is unregularly circled without the ringged thick edge.
The face of the child is oval with great distinct eyes, flat wide nose and slightly relief lips (upper lip being stronger). On both sides of the face, where the two parts of the mould join, the ears are visible in a shallow relief. The hair is shown in the manner of the grains of the grape, imitating the curls of a hair.
As the circumstances about the finding of the glass flask from Senj (e.g. burried skeleton, the grave architecture and the still explored part) do not indicate the early Empire necropolis, the same facts have been derived from the comparative glass materials Although this bottle is being mould-blown, such as the other bottles of this type, we do not find identic bottle elswhere, and by means of comparatively — typological method, taking a few elements, this bottle may be dated at the end of 3rd or 4th cent. A. D. Probably it was imported from the Gauls where the head- flasks were favourite in 3rd and 4th cent. A. D.
According to the circumstances of this find and the bottle analogue to this, from the child grave in Jajce (the arched tomb found beside) and the child head-flask from Karanis, accompanied with Christ monograme, it is possible that our bottle was used for a certain cult or ritually symbolic occasions.
In our case this find presents the probable trace of an old christian necropolis, what would be in the same time the first of that kind in Senj. This hypothesis which I bring to light, with understanding reserve, should be cleared by future protective or systematic archeological researches.
Keywords
Senj; glass bottle; human head in relief mode
Hrčak ID:
120749
URI
Publication date:
15.12.1982.
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