Histria antiqua, Vol. 19 No. 19, 2010.
Izvorni znanstveni članak
JET JEWELLERY FROM THE HOLDINGS OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM IN ZADAR
Kornelija A. GIUNIO
; Arheološki muzej Zadar Trg opatice Čike 1 HR - 23000 Zadar
Sažetak
Jet (German Gagat/Pechkohle, French jaïet, jais,
Croatian gagat, Spanish azabache, Italian giaietto) is a type
of bituminous coal of a velvet-black or brown colour, with
a waxy or greasy shine. In fact, it is fossilised wood from the
Araucariaceae family, from the Jurassic period, more than
180 million years ago. Because of its organic origin it is
not considered a stone, but due to its features it is listed
among precious materials. The word jet (Croatian: gagat)
originates from Greek γαγάτης, Latin lapis gagates, after
the town and river of Lycia, in the region in Asia Minor,
where it was first discovered.
Jet is very easily polished and can be used as a gemstone.
It is highly inflammable, and when set on fire it has a very
unpleasant smell. It becomes magnetised if rubbed with
wool, just like amber. Although jet is not hard, it is hard
enough to be worked, engraved and polished, but it requires
great skill. It can also be given a sheen with oak oil. Jet is
found in coal mines in the shape of round stones of different
dimensions. The most famous deposits of jet in the world
are in England (North Yorkshire, in the surroundings of
the town of Whitby), in Germany (in the Rhine and Mosel
river basins), in France (Languedoc), Spain (Asturia, the
province of Oviedo), the United States of America (Colorado,
Utah), the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Portugal.
It is found in amber mines in Germany, where it functions
as a “coat” for the amber which it greatly resembles, and
this is why it is also called black amber.
Jet has been used for making jewellery ever since the
Palaeolithic and Neolithic ages, but only in the Bronze
Age was its full potential revealed, when the production of
finely worked pieces of jewellery, bracelets, pearls, rings
and similar items began. The use of jet as a gemstone also
continued into the Iron Age and the Roman period. In
Antiquity, it was also used for making jewellery: necklaces
(threaded beads and grains of various sizes), pendants and
medallions, bracelets, rings, hairpins, as well as whorls and
spindles, knife handles, gaming chips, and various kinds
of figurines - amulets. The Romans particularly valued jet
for its alleged medicinal qualities.
While working on cataloguing the materials in the depots
of the Archaeological Museum in Zadar, I separated a large
group of fragments that mostly have not been entered into
the inventory or registered, as well as several complete
bracelets and other artefacts made of jet and dark (black)
glass. I managed to separate a group of fragments and
artefacts made of jet and pseudo-jet from the holdings of
the Museum - several hundreds of fragments - which are
now being processed. I selected the most beautiful samples
from this group, and have catalogued these 22 items in
this paper.
Among these pieces of jewellery, the most numerous are
bracelets (armilla). A particularly interesting bracelet is
the one from Zadar, on both sides of which two dog heads
in relief are set toward the bracelet’s rectangular central
part. I have not found any similar example in the literature
available to me. Some people believe that jewellery made of
jet was worn by the priests and priestesses of the Great Mother
(Magna Mater) or Cybele, that is, the men and women
introduced into the secrets of the Metroac religion. Why
a dog, then? A dog is not a typical iconographic attribute
of the Great Mother, but it appears in her iconography in
Gaul, where the cult of the Great Mother was contaminated
by Gallic Mothers (Matres), goddesses of fertility, waters,
and health.
I also processed three necklaces (monilia) made of
threaded beads and several beads of various sizes. There
are also several pendants among the finds. A pendant in
the shape of an eagle’s head can be connected with an eagle
as an attribute of the supreme Roman god - Jupiter, “the
bird king,” the symbol of power, strength, and victory. It
is also the symbol of the Roman state. Two of the pendants
contain impressed male and female busts, and one of
them only a female bust. Pendants with male and female
busts are also called engagement medallions. According
to their typology, two catalogued rings (anuli) do not differ
from the metal rings.
It is impossible to answer the question of the origin of
these pieces of jewellery. There are indications that a jet
workshop existed in Trier, Germany, but there are also
investigators who are inclined toward the thesis that the jet
found in Germany had been imported from England. It
is impossible to answer this question, for these jet finds are
insufficiently investigated. Indeed, it would primarily be
necessary to determine the geological source of every single
item made of jet.
In Europe, artefacts made of jet and cheaper pseudo-jet
are often found among the funerary gifts in the necropolises
of the 3rd and 4th century, in Germany (Trier, Mainz,
Bonn, Cologne, Gellep, Bregenz), then in Italy, Hungary,
Bulgaria, northern France and Belgium. Pseudo-jet is a
somewhat less appreciated version of jet, and is therefore
cheaper, for its structure is worse and its colour is brown
and grey. The richest finds are from England, where the
best quality jet originates from North Yorkshire, from the
surroundings of the town of Whitby.
Ključne riječi
Hrčak ID:
85461
URI
Datum izdavanja:
1.11.2010.
Posjeta: 2.163 *