M. Vujović, J. Cvijetić - Mortaria From Komini - Municipium S. (Montenegro) (GSAD 26, '10)

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JOURNAL OF THE SERBIAN

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY

201026Број

Volume

Београд Belgrade



ГЛАСНИК СРПСКОГ АРХЕОЛОШКОГ ДРУШТВА

Уредник: Мирослав Вујовић

Редакциони одбор: Анастасиос Антонарас (Солун), Роберт Вејлон (Ан Арбор),Мирослав Лазић, Софија Петковић, Дејан Радичевић, Јелена Цвијетић (секретар).

За издавача: Драгана Антоновић Издавач: Српско археолошко друштво, Чика-Љубина 18-20, Београд

Лектура: Наташа Стојиљковић и Милена Богдановић Лектура апстракта и резимеа на енглеском: Крис Прикет

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ISSN 0352-5678UDC 902(497.11)

JOURNAL OF THE SERBIAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY

Editor : Miroslav Vujović E-mail: [email protected] Editorial Board : Anastassios Antonaras (Thessaloniki), Miroslav Lazić, Soja Petković,Dejan Radičević, Robert Whallon (Ann Arbor), Jelena Cvijetić ( Editorial Assistant ).

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Гласник Српског археолошког друштва Journal of the Serbian Archaeological Society

26 (2010) 105–112.

MORTARIA FROM KOMINI–MUNICIPIUM S.

(MONTENEGRO)Miroslav B. Vujović

Jelena Lj. Cvijetić

University of Belgrade, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Philosophy

Мирослав ВујовићФилозофски факултет,Одељење за археологију

Чика Љубина 18–2011000 Београд[email protected]

Miroslav VujovićFaculty of Philosophy,

Department of ArchaeologyČika Ljubina 18–20

11000 [email protected]

Abstract: This paper deals with the ndings of roman mortariа from Komini near modern Pljevlja, in

Montenegro. The most interesting nding is a large fragmented mortarium with a massive spout anda workshop seal with an inscription stamped in two lines. The name of the manufacturer or workshop

owner was conducted in the threepartite name formula (tria nomina): Ap(pius). Vlpi(us) | Ulpiari(vs).

A workshop seal with this name has not yet been recorded, which makes the entire nding even more

important. The presence of mortaria deep within the provincial territory refers to the period when

a more intense migration of populations with an already adopted Roman way of life, particularly

regarding nutrition, might be expected. According to the aforementioned, the gentilicium (Ulpius)

mortarium from the Grad site near Komini can be dated to the 2nd or 3rd century AD, corresponding

to the archaeological context of the nd and the period of the greatest rise of Municipium S.

Keywords: Municipium S, Komini, Montenegro, mortarium, Roman pottery , stamps, workshops

Апстракт: Рад је посвећен налазима римских мортаријума из Комина код Пљеваља, који су

први пут забележени на тлу Црне Горе. Најинтересантнији налаз је фрагментовани већи

мортаријум са масивним изливником и радионичким печатом са натписом утиснутим у два

реда. Име произвођача или власника радионице изведено је у трочланој именској формули (tria

nomina): Ap(pius). Vlpi(us) | Ulpiari(vs). Радионички печат са овим именом није до сада забе-

лежен, што цео налаз чини још значајнијим. Присуство мортаријума у дубини провинцијске

територије упућује на време када би се могло очекивати интензивније досељавање станов-

ништва са већ усвојеним римском начином живота, а посебно исхране. Судећи према наведе-

ном гентилицијуму (Ulpius), мортаријум са локалитета Град код Комина може се датовати

у II–III век, што одговара археолошком контексту у коме је откривен и периоду највећег ус-

пона Муниципијума С.

Кључне речи: Municipium S, Комини, Црна Гора, мортаријум, римска керамика, печати,

радионице

Jelena CvijetićFaculty of Philosophy,

Department of ArchaeologyČika Ljubina 18–20

11000 Beograd [email protected]

Јелена ЦвијетићФилозофски факултет,Одељење за археологију

Чика Љубина 18–2011000 Београд

[email protected]



ГСАД/JSAS 26 (2010)

106

The archaeological site of Municipium S. near the Komini village (Map 1), notfar from today’s Pljevlja (Northern Montenegro) has been subject of scientic inter-

est for more than two centuries. The rst archaeological and epigraphic data about thissettlement, one of the most important Roman urban centers in the southeastern part ofthe Roman province Dalmatia, weregathered as early as in late 17th cen-tury (Цермановић-Кузмановић1998, 1). Its late Roman necropoleiswith stone grave stelae of an exqui-site, expressive nature were men-tioned by Sir Arthur Evans during

his travel through Montenegro inmid-19th century, which was soonfollowed by the rst archaeologicalexcavations (Evans 1885, 25–43).Since the 1960s, the Municipium S.necropoleis were systematically re-searched by professors D. Srejovićand A. Cermanović-Kuzmanović(Department of Archaeology, Fac-

ulty of Philosophy, Belgrade). Dur-ing those excavations, the subjectsof the investigation were two ne-cropoleis with over 750 graves con-taining the remains of the burnedand buried deceased (Цермановић-Кузмановић 1966; 1981; 2009).

The research at the Grad site, located near the necropoleis, conrmed the exis-tence of settlement structures and the assumed line of city ramparts. The archaeological

research in Komini was resumed after a long pause in 2007 and 2008 when the researchof the area east of the necropoleis (Sector I) began. On that occasion, two rectangular buildings were found, 30 m apart, with remains of walls which were assumed to bethe remains of city ramparts mentioned by previous researchers in their reports. During2008, the research was spread to Sector II, where two luxurious buildings were found,one with a hypocaust, as well as several epigraphic monuments, one of which represent-ing a dedication to the god Sylvanus, the favorite deity among the local population ofMunicipium S (Ружић 2009, 103–118). Among the various nds, the most numerous areremains of ceramic pottery – among them especially interesting the vessels with painted

ornaments which are most probably the product of some of the local pottery workshops(Cermanović-Kuzmanović 1976).

Карта 1. Комини (Municipium S.)Map 1. Komini (Municipium S.)

From Archaeological Collections



107

This study, however, is dedicated to another interesting form of Roman vessel, al-most unknown in the territory of Montenegro. Namely, the nds of two fragmented

mortaria discovered during the archaeological research carried out in 2008 at the Gradsite. The rst mortarium fragment (Pl.I/ 1, 2) was discovered during the investigationof the residential buildings in Sector II. It is a fragment with a brim slightly bent to theside (dimensions: outer diameter of the vessel 48-49 cm, thickness of the walls 2.2 cm,width of the brim 6 cm). The vessel was wheel thrown, with a coarse structure and anadmixture of ner sand, small gravel and shells, colored white in the process of baking.The inside of the vessel, beneath the brim whose transition into the wall of the vessel isemphasized with a narrow carved canal of a 2 mm diameter, was roughened with imprinted quartzite grits (diameter up to 0.5 cm). The rounded form of the quartzite grits,

particularly noticeable in their imprint, suggests river or sea small-grained gravel. Still,the largest part of the vessel is missing, and the preserved fragment does not suggest theform of the pouring lip and bottom of the vessel, so therefore it is not possible to fullyreconstruct the mortarium’s appearance. Also, a closer chronological assessment of themortarium is not possible. It was found in the foothill created by the depositing andwashing off of construction debris from objects which were previously characterized asresidential buildings. This certainly provides no precise data for a closer chronologicaldetermination.

The other nd of mortaria is much more inspiring, based on the fact that it is better

preserved and has a seal of a craftsman, i.e. workshop. A mortarium was found during

M. Vujović and J. Cvijetić Mortaria from Komini - Municipium S.

Fig. 1 Building II (tower?), KominiСл.1. Грађевина II (кула ?), Комини

ba




108

protective excavations carried out in 2008 at the Grad site, Sector I in building II (Fig. 1)which was primarily characterized as a tower.1

It is a massive vessel of large dimensions (outer diameter 56.5 cm, height 19 cm, bottom diameter 24 cm, thickness of the walls in the upper zone varies between 3 and3.5 cm, and in the lower zone it increases towards the massive bottom) (Fig. 2, Pl. I/ 2).The vessel was wheel thrown, made of rened clay with admixture of ner sand, colored brown with a white coating. The inside of the vessel is roughened with smaller grits ofwhite, grey, yellow and brown quartz of adiameter up to 0.5 cm, which were imprint-ed in the clay during the manufacturing ofthe vessel. The transition of the brim into

the wall of the vessel is emphasized with atransversal canal, 1.2 cm wide. On the rightside of the pouring lip, the brim of the ves-sel, there is a stamp of the craftsman, i.e.workshop where the mortarium was manu-factured.

The seal is imprinted on the brim ofthe vessel (Fig. 3, Pl. I/ 3), on the rightside of the pouring lip. It was made in the

form of an irregular rectangle with roundededges, its dimensions 4.5 x 2.7 cm. The in-scription within the geometrical frame was performed in Latin capital in two lines; thesize of the letters 0.9 cm. It represents athree-part name formula (tria nomina) ofthe craftsman or the owner:AP·VLPI | VLPIARI. The rst letter A is partially merged with the frame and not en-

tirely clear. The second letter P is followed with an interpoint. Abbreviation AP suggeststhe praenomen Appius that often occurs throughout the Roman Empire, primarily inItaly and the western provinces. The inscription reads: Ap(pius) Ulpi(us)| Ulpiari(us).

1 It is a building of a nearly square base with dimensions of 7 x 6 m, walls built in the technique of stone and mortar,0.60 m thick. During the building, brick was also used (for transoms), with the seal mark of the workshop. It con-tains the abbreviation PAS, which represents the products of some local glina or a product of a Northern Italianworkshop Pansiana (Цвијетић 2011). Along with the mortarium, at the depth of 0.40 m – a level which representsthe oor – several fragments of local Komini ceramics were found. Judging from their shapes, they may be clas-sied as kitchen utensils. The majority are pots, as well as a few fragments of glass goblets, which might be datedto the 3rd or 4th century. Beside the mortarium, a ceramic weight was found along the inner face of the north wall,with perforations at the top through which a rope could have been pulled. For lack of a stone mortaria, the weightmay have been used for the pounding and mixing of food in the mortarium.


Fig. 2 Mortarium from Building II(Tower?), Ko-miniСл. 2. Мортаријум из Грађевине II, Комини

Fig. 3 Workshop stamp with the name of crafts-men (owner?)Сл. 3. Печат са именом мајстора (власника?)



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When it comes to the characteristics of the inscription, we point out the ligature Vand L in the second line – Ulpiari(us) – while a separation mark is noticeable in the rst

line between P and V in the rst line.The following letter shapes are characteristic:- V, with horizontal serifs, characteristic of the second half of 2nd century and the

rst decades of the 3rd century (Петровић 1975, 120);- P, with pronounced triangular serifs is characteristic for the second half of the 2nd

century and the beginning of the 3rd century (Петровић 1975, 117);- R, with a rounded oblique line bent upwards, unique to stone inscriptions in the 2nd

or the early 3rd century (Петровић 1975, 118).

The inscription shows that it represents a threepartite name formula of the craftsman(or owner). In front of the praenomen, on a part which was damaged, there probably wasan F - F(ecit) which related to the craftsman who produced the mortarium, i.e. the nameof the craftsman which in this case, not common for this type of seal, was stated in fullform ( praenomen, nomen, cognomen). This would indicate an earlier period when it wasstill common to specify one’s name.

The nomen gentile or nomen of the craftsman shows his Roman civil right which he,or more probably his father, obtained during the rule of Emperor Marcus Ulpius Traia-nus. If his father had obtained civil rights during Emperor Traianus, the nomen would be

followed by the cognomen of the craftsman, which is derived from the father’s cogno-men, as was a common case in Roman nomenclature.

Based on the nomen2 (nomen gentile) of the craftsman and the paleographical fea-tures of the inscription, the mortarium could be dated to the period between the 2nd cen-tury and the rst decades of the 3rd century. That is indeed the period when the settlementin Komini acquired the status of a Roman city – municipium, and when the settling offoreign, predominantly Italic ethnic elements had begun. During that period, the localIllyric element, otherwise very conservative, slowly began to adopt Roman ways of life,which among other things was mirrored in the change of nutrition and cuisine.

Conclusion

The nd of the mortarium may be dated to the late 2nd or early 3rd century when thesettlement in Komini reached its full economic prosperity. The settlement near Pljevljaacquired the status of municipium in the mid-2nd century, i.e. the period of EmperorMarcus Aurelius’ rule when the largest percentage of local, i.e. autochthonous Illyric

2 Nomen or nomen gentile Ulpius is already known from Municipium S. in Komini (Alfoldy 1969). It appears ona votive monument of Serapis and Isida from the 2nd or the begining of the 3rd century. The Inscription reads:Serapidi / et Isidi M(arcus) / Ulp(ius) Gellia/nus eq(ues) R(omanus) / cur(ator) Arben/sium Met(u)lensi(um) /

Splonista(rum) / Malvesati(um), ( AE 1948, 0242 ).





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population obtained the status of Roman citizen. This is primarily suggested by theirname formula (nomen Aurelii) from the epigraphic material discovered during the inves-

tigation of the necropoleis in the mid-20th

century. During this period, there is a smallerinow of foreign ethnic elements, mostly Italics (from Northern Italy). The biggest eco-nomic growth that took place in the interior of the province is connected with the periodof the late 2nd, i.e. early 3rd century, when due to a general economic crisis which spreadto its largest extent in the coastal area of the province, a large percentage of the popula-tion (mostly of Italic origin) from the coastal area took refuge deep in the interior ofDalmatia (Statii, Paconii, Baberii, Egnatii...) (Цермановић-Кузмановић 2009, 59). The province’s continental area, primarily South-Eastern Dalmatia, was not directly hit or jeopardized by the crisis since it had disposed of enormous and unused natural wealth –

mainly ore.The presence of mortaria deep in the province of Dalmatia suggests a period ofa stronger inux of population with an already adopted Roman way of life, which isclearly shown by the adopting of Roman cuisine and nutrition. The greatest inuence inthe coastal area of the province, as well as in the neighboring early-Romanized parts ofthe Balkans was made by the Roman army which brought a new way of life, previouslyunknown to the local population. In this case, we cannot count on the inuence of thearmy, which as early as after the nal crushing of the Dalmatian-Pannonian uprising hadonly a minor role in the province until its shift to the neighboring Moesia in the second

half of the 1st

century. This would suggest a period when the settlement in Komini hadalready acquired the status of Roman city and when under the pressure of the newlysettled ethnic element there was an inuence on the local population. The mortariumitself has no closer known analogies within the territory of southeastern Dalmatia, whilein the territory of Montenegro it represents a lone nd. This is primarily due to the in-sufcient level of research on the territory of Montenegro, where in the Roman period, besides Doclea, the most advanced and important Roman city was in Komini. The sealof the craftsman, i.e. workshop in which the mortarium was produced, also representsa unique case for the time being, given the fact that we have no known analogies from

the territory of the Roman province of Dalmatia, as well as the neighboring provinces(Upper Moesia, Lower Pannonia), (Brukner 1981; Bjelajac 1992-1993; Krekovič 2004).Therefore, the mortarium (i.e. mortaria) might represent the product of a local craftsmanwho may have settled in Municipium S. during migrations within the province in the 2nd century, i.e. the period when the settlement acquired the status of a city.

Given the fact that vessels of this type are rare on the territory of the province ofDalmatia – particularly in its interior – and completely unknown in the territory of Mon-tenegro, the nds from Komini are all the more signicant.




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BIBLIOGRAPHY

AE

= L’année épigraphique.Alföldy, Geza. 1969. Die Personennamen in der römischen Provinz Dalmatia. Heidelberg: CarlWinter Universitätsverlag.Bjelajac, Ljiljana. 1992–1993. Moratria in the Moesia Danube Valley. Старинар 43–44: 138– 148.Brukner, Olga. 1981. Rimska keramika u jugoslovenskom delu provincije Donje Panonije. Be-ograd: Disertationes et monographiae.Цвијетић, Јелена. 2011. Опеке са жигом из Муниципијума С. Гласник Српског археолошког

друштва 25: 50–63.Цермановић-Кузмановић, Александрина. 1966. Резултати археолошких истраживања наподручју Муниципија С... код Пљеваља – село Комини. Материјали IV: 77–84.

Cermanović-Kuzmanović, Aleksandrina. 1976. Pregled i tipologija keramike u jugoistočnomdelu rimske provincije Dalmacije u doba Carstva. Arheološki vestnik XXVI: 64–77.Цермановић-Кузмановић, Александрина. 1981. Археолошка истраживања античких не-кропола у селу Комини код Пљеваља. Старинар 31: 43–52.Цермановић-Кузмановић, Александрина. 1998. Комини. Београд: Филозофски факултет,Центар за археолошка истраживања.Цермановић-Кузмановић, Александрина. 2009. Пљеваљско подручје у римско и рано-византијско доба, у Историја Пљеваља. ур. Славенко Терзић, 49–69. Пљевља: ОпштинаПљевља.Evans, Artur. 1885. Antiquarian Researches in Illyricum. Archaeologia 49: 1–167.Krekovič, Eduard. 2004. Mortaria with name-stamps from Pannonia. Acta Archaeologica, Vol-ume 55, Numbers 1–2: 93–100.Петровић, Петар. 1975. Палеографија римских натписа у Горњој Мезији. Београд:Археолошки институт.Ружић, Мира. 2009. Силван и Херкул у загробним веровањима становника МуниципијаС... Архаика 2: 103–118.

Мирослав Б. вујовић

јелена Љ. Цвијетић

МОРТАРИЈУМИ ИЗ КОМИНА - MUNICIPIUM S .

Резиме

Археолошки локалитет Комини ( Municipium S .) код данашњих Пљеваља, насеверу Црне Горе (Karta 1) предмет је научног интересовања већ пуна два века. Одшездесетих година XX века некрополе су систематски истраживали Александрина

Цермановић-Кузмановић и Драгослав Срејовић, професори Филозофског факулте-та Универзитета у Београду, Тада су констатоване и истражене две античке некро-




112

поле са преко 750 гробова. На локалитету Град, лоцираном недалеко од некропола,откривени су и остаци камених зидова који су опредељени као бедеми античког

насеља.Након деценијског прекида, систематска истраживања овог значајног локали-тета обновљена су 2007. и 2008. године на простору источно од некропола. Тадасу откривени архитектонски остаци две мање грађевине правоугаоног облика којесу прелиминарно окарактерисане као куле и део већег резиденцијалног комплекса.Међу разноврсним покретним налазима најбројније су керамичке посуде, а посеб-но се издваја сликана керамика израђена у некој локалној радионици.

Овај рад, међутим, посвећен је мортаријумима, веома интересантном типу римских посуда које нису до сада биле забележене на тлу Црне Горе. Поред јед-

ног фрагмента обода мортаријума (T I/1) нађеног приликом истраживања резиден-цијалне зграде на Сектору II, најинтересантнији налаз потиче из објекта (куле?)лоцираног на траси претпостављеног јужног градског бедема (сл. 1). Реч је офрагментованом већем мортаријуму (висина: 19 cm; пречник 56.5 cm) са масив-ним изливником и дном (сл. 2, T I/2). На основу очуваних елемената било је мо-гуће извршити потпуну реконструкцију посуде. Мортаријум је рађен на витлу одпречишћене глине смеђе-црвене боје печења. Унутрашња страна посуде огрубље-на је комадима кварцита, који су утиснути у меку глину током израде. На ободумортаријума уочен је радионички печат (сл. 3, T I/3) са натписом датим у два реда:

AP. VLPI | VLPIARI. Натпис је изведен словима латинске капитале у пољу непра-вилног правоугаоног облика. Највероватније се састоји од имена произвођача иливласника радионице које је наведено у трочланој именској формули (tria nomina)која се може прочитати: (fecit). AP(pius). Ulpi(us) | Ulpiari(us). Радионички печатса овим именом, колико је нама познато, до сада није забележен, што цео налазчини још значајнијим. Присуство мортаријума у дубини провинцијске територијеДалмације упућује на време када би се могло очекивати интензивније досељавањестановништва са већ усвојеним римском начином живота, а посебно припреме иконзумирања хране. Судећи према наведеном гентилицијуму (Ulpius), мортаријум

са локалитета Град код Комина може се датовати у II–III век, што одговара архео-лошком контексту у коме је откривен и периоду највећег успона Муниципијума С.

Изворни научни рад/ Original scientic articleПримљено: 10. 12. 2010.Одобрено: 10. 03. 2011.UDC: 904:738”652”(497.16)




M. Vujović and J. Cvijetić Т. I

1. Mortarium fragment with cross section, Sector II, Komini1. Фрагмент мортаријума са пресеком, Сектор II, Комини

2. Mortarium fragment with cross section, Building II (Tower?), Komini2. Фрагмет мортаријума са пресеком, Грађевинa II, Комини

3. Stamp with the name of craftsmen (owner?)3. Печат утиснут на обод мортаријума


M. Vujović, J. Cvijetić - Mortaria From Komini - Municipium S. (Montenegro) (GSAD 26, '10)

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Transcript of M. Vujović, J. Cvijetić - Mortaria From Komini - Municipium S. (Montenegro) (GSAD 26, '10)