Osječki zbornik, Vol. Vol. 28 No. xx, 2007.
Professional paper
Antefixes from the Mursa Area
Vedran Katavić
; Muzej Slavonije Osijek
Abstract
The problematic case of antefixes from ancient Mursa has already been touched upon by Mirko Bulat who published an article on twenty two antefixes in Osjeeki zbornik XIII in 1971.
On the basis of style and execution of the decorative parts on faces and cornices the antefixes were typologically divided into three main groups, namely mythological group, portraits and a group of tragic masks. I was hoping to offer answers to Mr. Bulat's open questions with the help of contemporary means of gathering information and new insights unto this matter. For that reason, this paper combines the published antefixes with nine new antefixes found during rescue excavation at Mursa and three antefixes from Mursa at the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb.
Unfortunately, scientific approach to studying antefixes has not changed so that even those rare analogical examples of antefixes together with their photos have been mainly published in catalogues. Such situation makes the context of the finds as well as their
chronological and typological characteristics from being defined.
Numerous and varied in style, thirty four antefixes from the area of Mursa refer to the existence of local workshops which distributed their products over a small area of the province. It is possible that the local workshops developed specific decorative group of portraits. A number of antefixes carrying the image of the empress Sabine, but similar examples have not been found, apart from the antefix from Vinkovnci which substantiates the hypothesis about the distribution of antefixes made in local workshops in Mursa.
Regardless of the inadequate scientific approach to this problematic case, antefixes from Mursa point out to the importance of a colony in trade and crafts in that time. Hopefully, future archaeological investigations would determine the location of local workshops and that a more thorough scientific approach would resolve at least some of the issues related to these architectural elements.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
154489
URI
Publication date:
5.12.2007.
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