Germanic princely graves in Zohor

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Zohor lies in southwest part of the Záhorie region (Slovakia), which had been crossed by one of the branches of so-called Amber Route in the Roman period. Just at these places the route left the Empire territory, namely the province Pannonia in the area north of Carnuntum, and passed over to Barbaricum. The location Piesky, where the graveyard was found, lies in the inundation area of the Morava River. All the graves so far known were situated on low heights. There were total 5 burials uncovered in 1949 – 1957. All of them were found during the exploitation of gravel, without any attendance of an archaeologist; the grave units had been arranged just on account of the information offered by finders. To these possibilities correspond also the data related to the characteristics of particular grave pits, depths a. o.
The burials discussed were richly equipped with imported antique goods. By their quality and amount they considerably exceeded in number the average wealth status of the local Germanic community.


Description of graves:

Burial 1

The grave was supposedly 200 cm long, 130 cm wide and 200 cm deep. It is said to have contained a skeleton of an adult person in extended position with his head in the Northwest.

Grave content:

  1. Two bronze skillets, cast and additionally turned off, vase-shaped. Below the rim they are decorated with a narrow strip with chiselled-out arcades. The handle ends in a circular opening. This vessel form is known after a Swedish site as a skillet of the Gödåker type. The origin thereof has been sought in Capuan or South-Gaulish workshops. Height 10 cm, max. width 21 cm, length of handle 17,8 cm.
  2. Iron buckle, corroded.


Burial 2

There is no information about the finding situation available. From the equipment only some fragments of an indefinable brooch are preserved as well as a biconical bronze bucket, height 37 cm, mouth diameter 28 cm.


Burial 3

The grave pit, supposedly 150 cm in length, contained a skeleton with its head in the Southeast.

Grave content:

  1. Embossed bronze bucket of spherical shape with flat bottom. Semicircular handle with end hooks is mounted in tags on the vessel body. Dimensions: height 20,3 cm, max. diameter 23,5 cm, bottom diameter 15,5 cm
  2. Bronze skillet with almost vertical walls, slightly concave bottom is fluted. The flat handle ends in a circular opening. Dimensions: height 12,5 cm, rim diameter 19,2 cm, length of handle 16,8 cm.
  3. Bronze strainer of hemispherical shape, perforated by circular holes arranged in patterns. The flat handle with broken-off end is extending like an oar. In its middle occurs the name-stamp ILLIOMARUS F. Dimensions: height 10 cm, length 24 cm, rim diameter 16 cm.
  4. Bronze ladle of hemispherical shape with flat handle ending in a knob. Dimensions: height 5,5 cm, rim diameter 10 cm, length of handle 20 cm.
  5. +
  6. Two bowls of blue millefiori glass, spherical in shape, decorated with 18 ribs perpendicular to the bottom. Dimensions: height 4,8 cm, rim diameter 17 cm.
  7. +
  8. Two bowls of light blue glass, hemispherical in shape, with plastic ribs perpendicular to the bottom. Dimensions: height 7,2 cm, rim diameter 13,7 cm.
Bowl of blue millefiori glass
Bowl of light blue glass

Burial 4

Dimensions undetermined, depth ca 2-3 m.

Grave content:

  1. Bronze bucket of biconical shape with flat bottom. Semicircular handle made of a massive bar is mounted in tags riveted to the vessel rim. Dimensions: height 22 cm, mouth diameter 19,4 cm, max. diameter 23,1 cm, bottom diameter 17,7 cm.
  2. Bronze skillet, cast, with vertical walls and circularly ending handle. Dimensions: height 9,2 cm, mouth diameter 15,5 cm, bottom diameter 9,7 cm, length of handle 13,3 cm.
  3. Bronze ladle of spherical shape with long stick-like handle. Dimensions: height 5,7 cm, mouth diameter 9,7 cm, length of handle 21,8 cm.
  4. Bronze strainer of spherical shape with long stick-like handle. Dimensions: height 5,3 cm, mouth diameter 9,7 cm, length of handle 21,7 cm.
  5. Glass bowl of transparent glass with touch of blue-green, decorated with plastic ribs perpendicular to the flat bottom. Dimensions: height 7,2 cm, mouth diameter 14 cm.
  6. Bronze knife with crescent-like cutting edge. Dimensions: length 10,1 cm.
  7. Razor, arched. Dimensions: length 9,0 cm.
  8. Clay bowl, handmade, with conical lower part. Dimensions: height 4,9 cm, mouth diameter 9,6 cm, bottom diameter 3,9 cm.


Burial 5

Dimensions undetermined, depth supposedly 200 cm. From the skeleton only one single human tooth is preserved.

Grave content:

  1. Bronze situla with straight neck and conical lower part. Dimensions: height 26 cm, rim diameter 19 cm, bottom diameter 16,5 cm.
  2. Bronze bucket, strongly deformed, originally probably cask-shaped. Dimensions: height ca 25 cm, rim diameter ca 16 cm, bottom diameter ca 13,5 cm.
  3. Bronze dish of hemispherical shape with low cylindrical base. Dimensions: height 16 cm, rim diameter 39 cm, base diameter 10,5 cm.
  4. Bronze jug of conical shape, the neck ending in a narrow spout. The ribbon-like handle is provided with a felid protome on its elevated arc. Dimensions: height 16,8 cm, mouth diameter 3 cm, base diameter 5,5 cm.
  5. Bronze platter with low base and with massive soldered-on handle ending in a plastic dog head. Dimensions: height 3,9 cm, rim diameter 19,8 cm, base diameter 7,3 cm.
  6. Bronze jug with ovoid body and funnel-shaped neck. The plastically shaped handle in form of swan heads ends in its lower part in a plastic vine leaf. Dimensions: height 20,7 cm, rim diameter 8,6 cm, bottom diameter 7,8 cm, length of handle 18,8 cm.
  7. Fragment of a bronze ladle of hemispherical shape with flat handle. Dimensions: rim diameter 10,2 cm, length of handle 14,5 cm.
  8. Bronze strainer of hemispherical shape with flat handle ending in a knob. Dimensions: height 5,7 cm, rim diameter 10 cm, length of handle 20,5 cm.
  9. +
  10. Two silver bowls of spherical shape on a low base, with pairs of ribbon-like handles risen over the rim. Dimensions: height 6,4 and 6,7 cm, rim diameter 13 cm, base diameter 6 cm.
  11. Golden bracelet of round stick in form of a wrapped spiral. The body decorated with stamped rings, the ends formed into snake heads. Fineness 770/1000 Au. Dimensions: overall diameter 9 cm, stick diameter 0,8 cm. Weight 304,7 g.
  12. Silver trumpet brooch, single-piece. Dimensions: height 2 cm, length 4,2 cm.
  13. Silver trumpet brooch, single-piece. Dimensions: height 1,7 cm, length 3,5 cm.
  14. Bronze scissors, so-called sheep shears. Dimensions: length 17,5 cm, width of cutting edge 1,8 cm.

 

 

Bronze dish

 

Bronze jug

 

Bronze platter with low base

 
Silver bowl
Golden bracelet
Silver trumpet brooch

The rich grave goods said above, pertaining to burials of the Germanic elite dominating the region north of Carnuntum, come mostly from South-Italic workshops. In the case of skillets even the names of their producers can be quoted, the Capuan bronze workers Cipius Polybius and Ausius Epafroditus. An exception is represented through the golden bracelet with parallels on the North European territory, however, according to some researchers it could be a Noric product. Compared against so far the only Germanic princely grave in Vysoká pri Morave, from Zohor we know as much as 5 graves of the local elite. In this case the existence of some local noble family can be discussed, the wealth and position of which resulted from close contacts to the Roman Empire.

 

References

Kolník, T.: Germánske hroby zo staršej doby rímskej zo Zohora, Žlkoviec a Kostolnej pri Dunaji. Slov. Arch. 7, 1959, S. 144 – 162.

Kraskovská, Ľ.: Hroby z doby rímskej v Zohore. Slov. Arch. 7, 1959, S. 99 – 143.

Ondrouch, V.: Bohaté hroby z doby rímskej na Slovensku. Bratislava 1957.