-
Early La rene Between Pannonia and the BalkansPETAR POPOVIC,
Archaeological Institute, Beograd
The appearance and the spread of the La Tene styleinto the areas
north ofthe Alps and the subsequent conse-quences of the Celtic
movements towards northern Italyand the Carpathian basin, present a
complex and long-last-ing process which gradually, by different
paces, changedthe cultural pattern of the Early Iron Age. By the
begin-ning ofthe IV century the Celtic expansion, after Moraviaand
Lower Austria, reached Slovakia, northwesternHungary and then the
areas all the way tothe eastern partsof the Carpathian basin. Bythe
end of the same century,descending towards south, the Celts reached
the CentralBalkans and came to a stop there.' According to
thearchaeological record, the consequences of these eventsare
considerable cultural changes - mortuary practices,ceramic
production, arms and tools, costume and, espe-cially, jewellery,
all markedly changed. At the time, thebasic trait of the Carpathian
area was the Hallstatt culture,along with a strongly felt presence,
or influence, of theScythians from the east and of the Balkan
populationsfrom the south. With the appearance of the La Tene
style,the forms of the Early Iron Age gradually integrated withthe
new ones, until most of the area was dominated bytheLaTene culture.
The fact is especially marked along themain directions ofthe Celtic
movements - the area alongthe middle Danube and the parts of
Transdanubia.Southern Pannonia and especially western
Balkansretained the Late Hallstatt character for a long time, that
is
I M.Szab6, Les Celtes enPannonie. Paris, 1988, 11-21; idem,
LesCeltes de Pest. Errance, Paris, 1992, 9-29; B. Jovanovic,
TheFormation of the Scordisci on the Basis of Archaeological
andHistorical Sources. InLesMouvements celtiques du Ve
auIersteeleavant notre ere. P. -M. Duval - V. Kruta, eds. Paris,
1979, 179-187; id.in PJZ V, 836-838.
the features of the last phases of the Early Iron Age.?Speaking
of the problem of the direct or indirect Celticinfluences into the
area ofPannonia and the Balkans, aswell as of the way in which
these influences were trans-mitted, several interesting questions
are always posed anddifferent solutions offered to them. In this
paper, all thesuppositions and conclusions are grounded on the
mostnumerous and most characteristic kind ofjewellery - fibu-lae,
dated into the early LaTene period and registered inthis area. Most
ofthe material is already published.
Zoomorphic fibulae from the cemetery atSzentlorinc(Fig.
1.2-6)
There are only two significant sites from the southernparts of
Pannonia, besides from a stray find from Sisak(Fig.I.l).3 One is
from the Hungarian Baranja, ami theother, that will bediscussed
later, is from Slavonia. NearPees, at the place Szentlorinc, a
biritual cemetery has beenregistered, with 72 excavated graves
dated into the end ofthe Vand the IV centuries B.C. The grave
offerings con-sist mainly offibulae - variants ofthe Certosa type.
Inthesoutheastern outskirt ofthe cemetery three graves are
reg-istered containing fibulae of the early La Tene
pattern(Fig.I.2-6).4 These pieces, according to their basic
traits,
2 Z. Marie, Keltski elementi u mladem zeleznom dobu Bosne
iHercegovine. elM 18, 1963, 63-83; B. Covic, in n: V, passim.
3 N. Majnaric-Pandzic, Keltsko - latenska kultura u Slavoniji
iSrijemu, Vinkovci, 1970, 1. 22.1.
4 E. Jerem, The Late Iron Age Cemetery of Szentlorinc, ActaArch.
Acad. Scient. Hungaricae, 20,1968,159 sqq. 1. 25 (Gr. 40.),
1.29(Grs. 63,65); B. Terzan, Certoska fibula, Arh. vest.
27/1976,1977,380.
-
106
correspond to the fibulae preceding to the horizonDuchcov, or to
the many variants influenced bythe typeMarzabotto. These are mainly
dated into LT B1, i.e. to thefirst decades up to the third quarter
ofthe IV century B.C.5
Petar Popovic
ants ofthe Certosa type, and we shall extensively discussthese
forms below (Fig.2.1). The majority of the rest ofthe fibulae with
a low bow and a horizontally curved footending ina stylized
zoomorphic head, isvery close to the
3 4
Fig. 1. 1-Sisak; Szentlorinz: 2 - Gr. 40, 3-4 Gr. 63, 5-6 Gr.
65. Scale 2/3.
Jewellery from the grave at Velika: Early La Tenefibulae (Fig.2)
and other finds (Fig.3)
Inthe village Velika, north ofSlavonska Pozega, intheyear 1979,
while digging a septic tank, a rich grave of afemale deceased was
registered, belonging tothe Early LaTene period. In the discarded
earth, along with the poorlypreserved bones, 12 bronze fibulae,
three bronze and twosilver bracelets, a silver ring, a ceramic
spindle whorl, adamaged plate fibula and a great number of amber
andwhite, blue and green glass beads were found. On thesame spot,
in 1980 a small-scale excavation was underta-ken, yielding few bone
fragments, beads and ceramicsherds. The grave was approximately at
the depth of 1,5m, roughly oval in shape and lay on the
layerofpebbles.s
The Early LaTene fibula with a zoomorphic head onthe foot and a
winged bow isderived from the many vari-
5 V. Kruta, Duchcov-Munsingen: nature etdiffusion d'une
phaselatenienne. In Les Mouvements celtiques du Ve auIersteele
avantnotre ere. P.-M. Duval - V. Kruta, eds., Paris, 1979, 81 sqq.;
P.Holodnak - 1. Waldhauser, Predduchcovsky horizont (faze LT Bla)
vCechach. Archeologicke razhledy 36, 1984, 31 sqq.; G.
Kaenel,Recherches sur la periode de La rene en Suisse
occidentale,Lausanne, 1990,223 sqq. with bibliography.
6 D. Sokac -Stimac, Arheoloiki pregled 21, 1980,200; ead.
inArneoloika istraiivanja u istoinoj Slavoniji i Baranji, Zagreb,
1984,
pieces from Szentlorinc. The ornamented bow and the V-shaped
details, appearing inseveral cases, have their near-est analogies
in the graves from northern Austria(Durrnberg), Czech and Moravia
(Fig.2.2-6).7 The high-curved bow fibulae bear some traits
ofsomewhat youngerforms, close to certain pieces of the Duchcov
phase(Fig.2.l 0-11). The bronze bracelets correspond to theEarly
LaTene fortnsf while the ones out oftwisted silverwire belong to
the repertoire of thewestern Balkans andsoutheastern Pannonia
(FigJ.7-11). Territorially and typo-logically, they are very close
to the silver bracelets from agrave inBaranja (Beremend), dated
into the end of the Vcentury B.C.9 The necklaces ofglass paste
beads are quitea frequent find and among the ones from Velika the
whitebeads, more precisely the translucent ones shaped as vasesor
amphoras are especially interesting (FigJ.l,4). Theyoccur ingraves
of the western Balkans and are particular-ly numerous in the
Carpathian basin from Srem toSlovakia. Their Mediterranean origin
is frequently citedand they are mainly dated into the end of the
Early Iron
129-141.7 E. Penninger, Der Diirrnberg bei Hallain I,Munchen,
1972,1.
28 A; 1.Waldhauser et aI., BRGK 68,1987,1. 17.15; 1.
Meduna,Arheologicke rozhledy 17.6, 1965, Obr. 226.4.
8 V. Kruta, op.cit., (n. 5)Fig. 1(Hostomice); H.Sedlackova -
J.Waldauser, Pamitky Arheologick678, 1987, Obr. 41 (LT Bla).
9 E. Jerem, Acta Arch. Acad. Scient. Hung. 25, 1973, Abb.
7.2-5.
-
Early La rene Between Pannonia and the Balkans 107
2
~'lD>~4
~ou....>~
5
~n~,~
~ ~~ 7 8~ ~
~ ~~ ~10 11 12
~ ~ ~ ~ 'Fig. 2. 1-12 Velika. Scale 2/3.
Age and the beginning of the La Tene period (LT-B).IODue to the
character of the offerings and the large amountof the beads
(probably two necklaces), the grave atVelikawas maybe a double one
(woman and child).Conclusively, the contents of this find points to
the IVcentury, more precisely to the second halfof the century.It
isworth noting that from this part ofSlavonia originateonly a few
stray finds from Pletemica, also inthe vicinityof Slavonska Pozega,
belonging to the somewhat laterhorizon." Adeformed fibula, most
probably belonging toLT B2, several bracelets and glass beads, some
in theshape ofvases, are mentioned.
Early La rene fibulae from the graves at DonjaDolina (Fig.4)
Donja Dolina, the site continually inhabited for morethan a
thousand years - from the Late Bronze Age to the
10 N. Majnaric-Pandzic, op.cit., (n. 3), T. 23.5-6; I.
Bognar-Kuzian in Les dossiers d 'archeologie 77, 1983, 37; N.
Venclova,Prehistoric Glass inBohemia, Praha, 1990,59.
Roman conquest - represents one of the most importantsites
inthis part ofEurope. Due tothe very favorable posi-tion many
routes intersected inthe spot, and therefore thearchaeological
material reflects the fusion of the west-Balkanic traditions and
the influences from many sides."At Donja Dolina, the early LaTene
forms are representedalmost exclusively byfibulae, regularly
appearing alongwith the repertoire of the Early Iron Age finds.
Five fibu-lae originate from the double grave 9 (SJakari6).13
Theyvary from bow fibulae, characteristic of the older forms,over
the hybrid design (bow with hemispherical "wings"as on the numerous
fibulae of the Certosa type and springand foot corresponding to the
early LaTene construction),to the developed forms of LT B1
(Fig.4.1-5). Formally,they encompass the period of at least a
hundred years. Apair offibulae from a later grave (No.8) presents
an infor-
II N. Majnaric-Pandzic, op.cit., (n. 3), 62, T. 55.7-10.12 Z.
Marie, Donja Dolina. GlM 19, 1964; B. Covic inPll V;
232-286, passim.13 C. Truhelka, WMBH9, 1904, 107, T.
54.7,11-14.
-
108 Petar Popovic
4{....'c'cB~G:.:....~
~:g~
9
36
7
Fig. 3. 1-14 Velika. Scale 2/3.
mation on the chronological sequence of the jewelleryused at
this site (FigA.6-7).14
The grave 6 (M'Petrovic Jr. ridge) comprised ofa richfemale
setcharacteristic of the Early Iron Age. lsAmongthe many offerings
was a fibula with a bent serpent-shaped foot and a side spring,
similar to the Certosa fibu-lae (FigA.8). Judging byall the traits,
this piece representsan early form. In the grave 41 there was a
pair of plate
fibulae (as the piece from Velika), glass beads and a fibulawith
a ribbed bow, similar to one of the five pieces fromthe mentioned
grave 9 (FigA.9).16
In the double grave 47 (M.Petrovic Jr. ridge) therewere glass
beads and three fibulae: apair with a zoomor-phic ring on foot (in
the shape ofa dragon ora griffin) andone piece bearing the traits
of the Duchcov variants(FigA.lO-12).17 The fibulae are often in
pairs connected
14 ibid106, T. 54.8-9.15 ibid. 91. T. 43. It
16 Ihid. 101, T. 47.27.17 Ihid. 102, T. 51. 18-21; B. (ovic,!nv.
arch. 1961, Y29.
-
Early La Tene Between Pannonia and the Balkans
by a chain, or combined with a variant of the Duchcovtype. Such
is the case with the mentioned pieces fromDonja Dolina and a pair
of fibulae on a chain from
109
registered fragmented fibula from the vicinity ofViminacium is
also decorated by a cross-hatched bandalong the bow (Fig.l2.3).20
This piece bears a certain
3
/~~.~~~
Fig. 4. Donja Dolina, 1-5 Gr. 9;6-7 Gr. 8 (S. Jakaric); 8 - Gr.
6; 9 - Gr. 41; 10-12 Gr. 47 (M. Petrovic, Jr.); 13 - chance find;
14 - Gr. 18 (N.Sokic); 15 - chance find; 16-18 ridge N. Sokic.
Scale 2/3.
Szentendre onthe Danube.is The zoomorphic fibulae areregistered
on a number ofsites inthe Carpathian basin andare considered to
beexecuted inthis area after theexam-ples of the older LaTene forms
originating from the west.Incidentally, when affronted, as inDonja
Dolina example,they remarkably invoke the affronted dragons from
theearly LaTene sword scabbards. Based onthe fact that allthe sofar
registered fibulae are ofthe same shape, differ-ing solely in
details on the bow, ornamented by incisedzigzags and cross-hatched
bands, the assumption is pro-posed that a single workshop is in
question.'? Arecently
18 M. Szabo, Folia Archaeologica 25, 1975, Fig. 1.
chronological relevance, since theLa Tene finds in thispart of
the Balkans appear as late asthe end ofthe IV cen-tury B.C. The
fibulae with the zoomorphic ring onfoot,thanks to the pieces of the
Duchcov type, are dated intothe second halfof the IVor the
beginning ofthe IIIcentu-ry B.C.21
19 Ihid. 83 sqq.20 During surface surveying in the area around
Viminacium,
along with some other finds, several early La Tene fibulae were
regis-tered (Fig. 12.3,5; 13.6). For the information, I am grateful
tomy col-league M. Stojic, Archaeological Institute, Belgrade.
21 M. Szabo, OfJ. cit., (n. 1),1992,18; 1.Bujna-M.Szabo, in
TheCelts (Bompiani), 1991,283.
-
110 Petar Popovic
13121132
5 6
9
~
7
8
~~~ '#....."r~
4
Fig. 5.1-14 Vrucica, Scale 2/3.
The double grave from the NSokic ridge should bementioned
separately. On the occasion ofthe excavationsat Donja Dolina in
1904 this grave is moved and exhibitedin the Museum inSarajevo.v
The male skeleton, with aniron spear and a dagger, lay below the
feet ofa richly fur-nished female skeleton. Around the neck ofthe
deceasedthere was a glass bead necklace (83 pieces), on the
shoul-ders there were two plate fibulae, below each three earlyLa
Tene fibulae, and an iron blade on the chest. On eitherside there
was a fibula with a long band bow and a ser-pent-shaped foot and
two fibulae of the Duchcov type.(FigA.16-l8). According to the
basic traits these fibulaeare dated into the second half orthe end
ofthe IV centuryB.C.
22C. Truhelka, elM 18,1906,343; Z. Marie, elM 19,1964,
T.17.4,6-8,11-12; 26.34; Keltoi. Kelti i njihovi suvrenTenici na
fluJugoslavije, Ljubljana, 1984, Fig. XI.
The Vrueica find (Fig.S)
About 70 km southeastern from Donja Dolina anotherfamous find
dated into the early LaTene period is regis-tered. Above Usora, on
an isolated hill by Vrucica, intheyear 1900 two graves were found
on the occasion ofrockexploitation.e Two spears, two needles and
eleven bronzefibulae are preserved. Due to the vague information it
isunclear whether two graves are mentioned solely becauseofthe
number ofthe spears, orthere may have been someother indication.
Judging by the forms, the pieces fromVrucica correspond tosome
finds from Szentlorinc, Velikaand Donja Dolina. However, the fact
recorded on some ofthe pieces from Donja Dolina, is well manifested
on allthe pieces from Vrucica: the back-bent foot finishes
inaserpent's head and is executed inthe same way on almost
23 C. Truhelka, czu 13,1901,14, T.I.
-
Early La rene Between Pannonia and the Balkans III
all the fibulae. The head is triangular inshape, the eyes
areemphasized and the muzzle is raised and bears a bifurca-ted
tongue. It seems that these fibulae represent the pro-ducts ofthe
same master.
The group burialfrom Vratnica (Fig. 6)
Further down south, near the village of Vratnica byVisoko, inthe
year 1966, during some construction worksa chamber tomb was
registered with several skeletons.
The subsequent rescue excavations revealed an uniqueexample of
sepulchral architecture. The slab stone con-struction isoval,
containing a rectangular inner room (3,5x 2 m) where 16
to20individuals were buried. The skele-tons with the grave goods
were not found in situ, and anassumption was motioned that they
were brought herefrom some other place of primary burial. In spite
of thediverse origin, it is assumed that a single cultural
andchronological assemblage is inquestion. Nineteen spears,several
curved knives, 29 fibulae, 16 double pins, buttons,
4
-r-~.. )
I
0- -
3
.- -
I
11..~"'-'~~ 'FI
~..~-r
5
0- - .
- -.
,.
".,
": ~./
15
17
12
+I
13
11
I
~, ;..... I .. e :10~
.--
I
~ 8
~;~~~7
I~ 9
~~.~::
-
112
appliques, pendants, six rings, three amber and 64 glassbeads
(seven ofthem vase-shaped) were found.>
The grave goods from the tomb cover the period oftheVand
IVcenturies B.C. and are characteristic ofthis partofthe Balkans,
where the traditions ofthe autochthonousculture are mixed with the
influences oreven the presenceof the forms coming from across Sava
or from theMediterranean. Various types ofjewellery already well
inuse in the Balkans, originate from the south: five fibulaewith
square foot (Fig.6.1-2), various double pins, rarelypenetrating
further north from Sava, being especiallynumerous during the
VIIVcenturies, bronze "seal" ringsand glass beads. This all comes
from the Greek lands asimports, or the objects were produced in the
westernBalkans after the Greek models. Along with numerousfragments
ofcrude hand-thrown pottery, several pieces offine wheel-thrown
vessels were registered, aswell as se-veral crude fragments with
comb ornament. The local pro-duction is represented quite poorly by
ceramic fragments,arms and small pieces of jewellery characteristic
of theGlasinac cultural circle." It isobvious that the majority
ofthe jewellery originates from the eastern Alps orPannonia. Four
Certosa type fibulae show the autonomousdevelopment in the western
Balkans, while three boat-shaped bronze fibulae with iron pins
indicate the connec-tions with Pannonia, having a close analogy
from a graveinSzentlorinc (Fig 6.3-4).26 Two fibulae display the
earlyLa Tene pattern, but the back-bent foot with a loop
origi-nates from the local fibulae from the lands of
Delmatae,Liburnae or Iapodes (Fig.6.5).27 The group often
fibulae,though displaying numerous similarities to the examplesfrom
Vrucica, points tocertain differences. Along with theones with a
low bow, arch fibulae also appear, and the footornamented by a
serpent's head differs in some detail,making it obvious that they
belong to the different series(Fig.6.6-8). Four arch fibulae bear
all the traits ofthe earlyLa Tene pattern and an original solution:
the serpent'shead is stylized, with three rows ofgranules and two
sepa-rate granules inthe place of the nose orbifurcated tongue
24B.Covic, in Yisoko i okolina kroz historiju I.,Visoko 1984,
37sqq.
25 B.Covic, op.cit., (n. 24); R. Vasic, PZ57.2,1982,220
sqq.;idem, Arh. vest. 38,1987,51 sqq. Pr. 1.
26 B. Terzan, op.cit., (n. 4)Fig. 30, 375 sqq.; E. Jerem,
op.cit., (n.4), Fig. 19, Grave 2.
27Cf. PJZV, Fig. 20. 13-14; 26.15-16.
Petar Popovic
(Fig.6.9). The last fibula belongs to the variants of theDuchcov
type and is supposed tobe the decisive piece ofevidence in solving
the chronological puzzle of thisremarkable find (Fig.6.l 0).
B.Covic, having completedthe analysis of the material, stated that
the most likelychronological frame ofthe tomb atVratnica would
bethelast quarter of the IV century B.C. and it is hard to addmore
precision to his words" It is possible, not asmuchbecause ofthe
flexibility ofthe chronological limit LT B1-B2, but more due to the
circumstances of the disclosureand the setting, to leave a somewhat
wider range - the endofthe IV and the very beginning ofthe III
century B.C.
The group of thefibulae of theZagrade type (Fig. 7)
Apair of fibulae of the early LaTene pattern, but oflocal
manufacture, from a grave at the northwestern fringeofGlasinac,
seeks separate analysis (Zagrade, tumulus II2,Fig.7.5-6).29 The
first piece is derived from the variants ofthe Certosa type: the
foot is short and terminated in asmall head; the knee-shaped bow
bears "wings" and curvi-linear incisions. This kind ofshape is
frequent inthe areasofthe western Balkans and eastern Alps. Aclose
analogymay be sought for in the area around Priboj
(Zabrnjica),where a piece is registered representing a rare find
fromthe southeastern parts of the Glasinac circle (Fig. 7.2)30and
in Slovenia (Idria pri BaCi).31 Similar fibulae, butbearing the
traits of the early La Tene pattern, are thehybrid variant from
Lower Austria, a small fibula fromDurrnberg orapiece from
Velika.v
The second fibula from Zagrade is of a different ori-gin.
Namely, in a tumulus from the site Rudine-Rusanovici (Glasinac)
five bronze hinge fibulae, doublepins, rings, a silver earring, a
pendant, glass beads (4 ves-sel-shaped) and a LaTene fibula with a
side spring (Fig7.3) are registered inthe second group ofsix
skeletons.f
28B. Covic, op.cit., (n. 24), 48.29 F. Fiala, WMBH 6,1899,51,
Fig. 50; PJZV, T. 65.8-9.30 For the information 1am grateful tomy
eollegue S. Derikonjic,
the Museum ofPriboj.31 M. Gustin, Posocje indel' jiingeren
Eisenzeit, Ljubljana,1991,
T. 22.21.32S.Nebehay, inKeltske studije. ed. M. Gustin, Brezice,
1977.
Fig. 1.13; L. Pauli, Del' Diirrnberg beiHallain 1lI, Miinchen,
1978,102, Abb. 4.9; Velika - Fig. 2.1.
33 A. Benae - B. Covic, Glasinac 2, Sarajevo, 1957,24 sq. T.
-
Early La rene Between Pannonia and the Balkans 113
.~ 3~ 7 B
10
9
~~YJ~I4
~I
~I I
5
Fig. 7. 1,4 - Gorica; 2 - Zabmjica; 3- Rudine-Rusanovici; 5-6
Zagrade, tumulus II2; 7- Gosinja planina, tumulus 21; 8 -
Podilijak; 9 - Varvara;D. Dolina: 10-12 Gr. 43 (M.Petrovic Jr.).
Scale 2/3.
Avery similar piece, but bearing three coils oneach side,is
registered among the numerous fibulae from Gorica(Fig.7.4).34 Both
these pieces are fragmented, lacking thefinitial ofthe foot, which
is the crucial element for attribu-tion. It ispossible that these
are the fragmented fibulae ofthe early La Tene pattern, but it
seems more likely thatthey are influenced bythe same exemplar - a
local variantof knee-shaped fibulae with short foot and a small
head,and a side spring, also from Gorica (Fig.7.1).35 Goingback to
the other fibula from Zagrade, it may benoted thatit consists of a
knee-shaped bow with a cross-hatchedband, three coils on each side
and a horizontally back-bentfoot bearing a stylized cross-hatched
serpent's head with abifurcated finitial (Fig.7.6). The connections
are obviousbetween the fibulae with the cross-hatched bow
fromRudine and Gorica, and the piece from Zagrade. The repli-cas of
the fibula from Zagrade are registered on severalspots - Gosinja
planina (tumulus 21), Podilijak and the siteVarvara by the spring
of Rama (Fig.7.7-9).36 The designwith the cross-hatched head
appears onthefibulae from
49.11; F. Fiala, WMBH 4, 1896,26, Fig. 59.34 C. Truhelka, WMBH8,
1902, 19, Fig. 24.35 Ibid. 18, Fig. 20.36 F. Fiala, WMBH5, 1897,21,
Fig. 33; B.Covic, GZM 14,1959,
67, T. 10.5; Z. Marie, op.cit., (n. 2), T. 1.5.
Debelo Brdo and Sanski Most, butthey represent remoteanalogies
(Fig. 9.5).37 The last in the sequence of thesefinds is the fibula
from a grave at Donja Dolina." It is alocal product of Duchcov
variant, bearing the details ofthe Zagrade type - cross-hatched
band onbow, serpent'shead onfoot (Fig.7.10). The chronological
frame for thisgroup of fibulae is provided by two grave
assemblages.The entire contents with the hinge fibulae from
Rudine-Rusanovici is dated into the IV century B.C. and repre-sents
the Greek influences originating from the southernBalkans.'? The
offerings inDonja Dolina are ofthe formscharacteristic of the end
of the early Iron Age and twoearly LaTene fibulae (Fig.7.10-12).
One is already men-tioned, while the other ofthe type Duchcov
appears alongwith the zoomorphic fibulae (Donja Dolina,
Szentendre),oron the other sites from the Carpathian basin." Thus
therange may be determined from the appearance of thehinge fibulae,
the characteristic shapes ofthe type Zagrade
37 F. Fiala, WMBH6, 1899, 132, Fig. 11; 94, Fig. 116.38C.
Truhelka, WMBH9, 1904, 101, T. 50.22-24.39R. Vasic, Godiinjak. CBI.
21,1985,145 sqq.40 K. Ludikovsky, Pamatky archeologicke 55, 1964,
Obr. 1.2;
Corpus of Celtic Finds in Hungary I, Transdanubia 1 (CCFH);
T.Kovacs, E,Petres, M. Szabo, eds., Budapest, 1987, PI. 18.4;
N.Majnaric-Pandzic, op.cit., (n. 3), T. 2.3; 4.4; D. Dolina, Fig.
4.12; seen.21.
-
114
tothe pieces of the Duchcov type, from the middle of theIV tothe
beginning ofthe III century B.C.
The zoomorphic fibulae of the western Balkans(Fig. B)
The following examples illustrate the frequency oftheearly
LaTene fibulae in the central parts of the westernBalkans. They
mainly belong tothe forms from the afore-
Petar Popovic
of fibulae from a grave in the cemetery at Sanski
Most(Fig.9.1-2).43 The first piece points to the mixture of
theCertosa type and the early LaTene forms. The back-bentfoot
finishes ina triangular plate and a rivet, most proba-bly wearing
an amber, coral or glass bead. The secondpiece has an ornamented
bow ofthe boat-shaped fibulae, across-bow spring and a back-bent
foot with a button styl-ized in a form of an animal's head. The
fibula from thenext grave is typologically similar to the previous
one, but
3
~~~i. ...,.
Fig. 8. 1- Rusanovici, tumulus 33/1; 2- Debelo brdo; 3 -
Pod-Bugojno; 4-6 Gorica; 7 -Gradac Posusje, Scale 2/3.
mentioned sites, having the common feature that they cor-respond
to the local variants executed according to theexemplars of
thefibulae of pre-Duchcov horizon. Acer-tain clustering of these
fibulae in the vicinity of theAdriatic coast seeks an additional
note (Fig.8.4-6): name-ly, the architectural object by the village
Gorica is wellknown for the numerous finds of jewellery and
armsbelonging toa wide chronological range." It isconsideredthat in
this spot a sanctuary was situated, a fact .thataccounts for the
different objects from various parts ofthewestern Balkans being
deposited here during many cen-turies (from the VII tothe I century
B.C.).42
The early La rene fibulae of the northwesternBalkans (Fig.9)
The types of fibulae considered inthis paper are veryfew inthe
outskirts of the western Balkans, bearing somedistinct features.
Agood example is provided bythe pair
41 C. Truhelka, WMBH8, 1902,3 sqq.
still represents the next step towards the early La Teneforms
(Fig.9.3). The whole group of fibulae reflects theadopting of
thevarious technological patterns present inthe late Hallstatt,
i.e. early LaTene period. The piece fromthe site Jezerine is
obviously of the local manufacture(Fig.9.4), while the offerings
from a grave at Kompoljeconsist ofa fibula of theCertosa type and
one belongingtothe variants ofthe type Marzabotto (Fig.9.6).44 All
thesepieces are hard to determine chronologically in moredetail.
Roughly, they belong to the IV century B.C. andwere probably
manufactured under the influence of theforms from the eastern Alps
and northern Italy. This direc-tion is also indicated by the sparse
finds of the early LaTene fibulae from Istra and Slovenia.s
42 B.Covic, inPJZ V. 473 sq.43 F. Fiala, WMBH6, 1899,
Fig.112-l11, 107.44 V. Radimsky, WMBH 3, 1895, Fig. 481; T.
Tezak-Gregl, VI
Arh. muzo Zagreb 14, 1981,44, T. 5.9.45 M. Gustin, Arch. Jug.
24,1987, Fig. 2.2; 4.1.
-
Early La Tene Between Pannonia and the Balkans 115
3
4 5
Fig. 9.Sanski Most, 1-2 Gr. 107; 3 - Gr. 104; 5 - Gr. 109;
Jezerine, 4 - Gr. 414; Kompolje, 6 - Gr. 364. Scale 2/3.
Southeastern Pannonia and the central Balkans:Early La rene
forms (Fig.10.1-5; 12.2-3) and the fibulaeof theDuchcov-Miinsingen
horizon (Fig.10.6-7; 12.1,4-14)
The appearance of the early La Tene fibulae in thesoutheastern
parts of Pannonia, compared to the men-tioned regions, offers a
different picture. The oldest exam-
sion that the advance movements came along the Danube,over
Transdanubia and the eastern parts ofthe Carpathianbasin,
superseded by the gradual settling ofthe Celtic po-pulation all the
way down tothe central Balkans. In lackof the more conclusive
information, the archaeologicalmaterial from the graves consisting
of heterogeneouspieces (earlier-local and later-Celtic), may serve
as achronological starting point. Among the finds ofthis type,
~~~ 1 ~",_.,.,,,........ 2 ~,,..... 3..~ . . > . -i-'~."'
..-.~_'>~ _ ". . .. ~~4i~ ~5 6~. :.::i:'~::j.
.J.;.::......"..... _;~'. "'~."
"::L\. .
~7CL. '.
. ':..
Fig. 10. Osijek-Donji Grad, 1- Gr. 9;2-3 Osijek; 4-6 Dalj; 7 -
Kupinovo. Scale 2/3.
ples are rare and mainly without precise information, suchas
several pieces from Osijek (Donji grad) and Dalj (Fig.10.1-5).46
All the other material belongs to the typologi-cally later forms,
corresponding to the numerous variantsofthe Duchcov horizon. From
this point stems the conclu-
the prominent place is reserved for the hoard (or grave?)
46 E. Spajic, Osijeiki zbornik 4, 1954, T. 4.27 (Gr. 9); cf.
D.Bozi~, Arh. vest. 32, 1981, Tab. 2;N.Majnaric-Pandzic, op.cit.,
(n.3), Osijek T. 25.1-2: Dalj T. 3.5; 4.1-2.
-
116
from Curug in Backa, The best part of the assemblagebelongs to
the silver jewellery originating from the southofthe Balkans, while
the bronze "loop" fibulae are associ-
A ...B ...
OJ c ,::: Land over 500m
Petar Popovic
Donja Dolina should benoted." Some common featuresare also noted
on the silver jewellery from the graveunearthed at the beginning
ofthe century inBogdanovci
Fig. 11. The frequency of the pre-Duchcov (LT B I) horizon
fibulae: 1 - Szentlerinz, 2 - Velika, 3 - Donja Dolina, 4 -
Vrucica, 5 - Vratnica, 6 -Zagrade, 7 - Gosinja planina, Podilijak,
Rudine-Rusanovici, Rusanovici, 8 - Zabrnjica, 9 - Debelo brdo, 10 -
Varvara, II - Gorica, 12 - Gradac-Posusje, 13 - Pod, 14- Sanski
Most, 15 - Jezerine, 16- Kompolje, 17 - Sisak, 18- Osijek, 19 -
Dalj, 20- Juzac. (A- cemeteries or graves, B-chance finds, C-
fibulae ofthe Zagrade type).
ated to the Pannonian area. The only piece of the Celticorigin
is the large bronze fibula of the Duchcov variant(Fig.12.1). Based
of this fact, the hoard is usually datedinto the second halfof the
IVcentury, butthe rest of thejewellery, as is often the case,
belongs to the somewhatearlier period." Some close analogies
between Curug andthe cemetery Pilismarot-Basaharc byEstergom, a
fibulafrom a grave byGyor (Menfocsanak) or the pieces from
47 R. Vasic, The Chronology of the Early Iron Age in Serbia,BAR
Suppl. Ser. 1977,54; idem in Radionoce i kovnice srebra,Narodni
mizej Beograd, 1995,83 sqq.; cf. D. Bozic, op.cit., (n. 46),315
sqq.
by Vukovar. Two silver bracelets with serpent's heads,
likeinCurug, and three bronze fibulae ofthe variant Duchcowwith a
medallion-shaped bow and several chain-pendantswere found there. In
the immediate vicinity two pairs ofbronze fibulae with broadened
bows were found, orna-mented bya broad zigzag band.'? They are
probably a partof the inventory of a devastated grave corresponding
tothe same chronological horizon. Silver twisted earrings of
481. Bognar-Kuzian, in The Celts inCentral Europe. Alba
Regia14,1975,35 sqq.; ead. (n. 10) 30sqq.; CCFH(n. 40), 36, PI.
18.5; D.Dolina, see n.22.
491. Brunsrnid, Vj. Hrv. arh. dr. 10,1908-1909,232 sqq. Fig.
23.
-
Early La rene Between Pannonia and the Balkans 117
~:. " . ~. ~.;.;. .'. .. . r-: ~'7. ~. -4~"'"."k.,
~;:"t:.....:i;' ~/', ~ "
s 5 6
~'Y' " " : \"" ""\.' \,)... " " "" i, ""' wi,.,. ;.,i~~.7~)
~... n,3f@C~8~
~ ~\ ..'''';." -..., .. \. - .. M ~""" ':"u14~16
2019
15
..~ .. /~t~ ..
18
c:t:(.:..~ ~.... ~.,., z .23Fig. 12, 1-Curug; 2 - Juzac; 3,5 -
Viminacijum, vicinity; 4 - Sabac; 6- Kostolac; Pecine: 7 - Gr.
G3-1201, 8- Gr. GI-3 - 378,10-12 Gr. G3 982,
9 - Basaid; 13-14 Karaburma, Gr. 60; 15 - Gosinja planina,
tumulus 3511; 16 - Jezerine, Gr. 161; 17 - Rusanovici, tumu1us
41/1; 18,21,23 D.Dolina; 19 - Pod; 20 - Majdan; 22 - Jezerine, Gr.
116. Scale 2/3.
-
118
local origin from Karaburma, Pecine and Kostolac aredetermined
into the horizon ofthe oldest Celtic graves inthis part of the
Danube valley. The fibulae from theseassemblages are dated into the
end of the IV and the verytransition into the III century
B.c.50
An unique example of a bronze fibula of the early LaTene
pattern, the only find of the LaTene period in thecentral Balkans,
was registered onthe occasion ofthe test-trench excavations of the
hill-fort settlement on the siteJuzac, over themonastery of
Sopocani, by the spring ofthe river Raska (Fig.l2.2). According to
the discoveredpottery fragments, the remnants of the drywall
fortifica-tion are dated into the final stages of the Early Iron
Age(V-IV centuries). The settlement was abandoned and re-inhabited
as late asintheLate Roman period. 51 This fibu-lacorresponds
typologically tothe early forms with a highbow and back-bent foot,
ending in a stylized serpent'shead with a bifurcated tongue.
Chronologically, the pieceprobably belongs to the second halfofthe
IV century B.c.and it reached the remote area via the Glasinac
circle,from the western Balkans.
It has already been mentioned that from the end oftheIV century
on, along the Danube and Sava valleys manyfibulae ofvarious
variants ofthe Duchcov horizon appear.However, besides fairly
detailed information onthe gravesinvestigated at Donji Grad in
Osijek.:" most of the sitesyielded numerous finds from destroyed
cemeteries. Suchis the case with the pieces from Dalj
(Fig.l0.6),53Vukovar.v or, in the Sava valley, from
SremskaMitrovica> and Kupinovo (Fig.l 0.7).56 Some chancefinds,
thefibulae from Gradina byBosut, Novi Banovci,Zemun, and a piece of
the Milnsingen type from Banat(Basaid, Fig.l2.9),57 should be
mentioned. Along with
50 B. Jovanovic, in Kulture gvozdenog doba
jugoslovenskogPodunavlja, ed. N.Tasic, Beograd 1994, III sqq.
51 M. Popovic, Arheoloiki pregled Tl, 1987, 115, Fig. 3.52 E.
Spajic, op. cit., (n.46), 1. 3.19; 6.37,42-44; idem, Osijeeki
zbornik 5, 1956, 1. 10.6; 11.1-2; idem, Osijeiki zbornik 8,
1962,1.14.8; 15.9; N. Majnaric-Pandzic, op.cit., (n. 3),1. 25.
3.
53 N. Majnaric-Pandzic, op.cit., (n. 3),16sqq., 1. 3.1-2,4,10;
4.3-5;5.5.
54 Ibid., 59sq. 1. 51.10.55 Ibid., 44sqq. T. 23.1-2.56 Ibid; 25
sqq. 1. 9.1-2, 9-10.57 The piece found near Gradina atBosut isnow
inthe Gallery of
Sava Sumanovic in Sid; Novi Banovci: N.Majnaric-Pandzic,
op.cit.,
Petar Popovic
several older forms, the collected material
chronologicallybelongs toLT B2, i.e. to the end of the IV century
and thefirst halfof the III century. It is worth emphasizing
thatmost of these cemeteries remained in use well into the Icentury
B.C. The oldest pieces from this part of theDanube valley are the
ones from the cemeteriesKaraburma-Rospi Cuprija in Belgrade and
Pecine byViminacium. Atthe Belgrade cemetery, a small
percentageofthe graves contained an early LaTene fibula, since
the:majority of the burials belongs to the later phases,
espe-cially to the late La Tene period (Fig.l2.l3-14).58 Thegraves
from Pecine byViminacium are ofspecial interest,due to some
exceptional finds offering information onthefirst settling of the
Celts in the Central Balkans.'? Thecemetery ispartially excavated
and the publication ontheworks in 1981 is inpreparation. Therefore,
only a numberoffibulae pointing to the connections between the
easternparts of the Carpathian basin and the Danube valley inSerbia
will be treated here. These are widely representedvariants of the
forms Duchcov-Mlinsingen which appar-ently follow the Celtic
expansion southwards(Fig.l2.7,8,10-12), such asthe example ofthe
small fibu-lae with a segmented bow, which expanded from the
westtothe eastern fringe ofthe Carpathinan basin and, over
thecemeteries such as Piskolt and Gyoma, finally reachedKaraburma
and Pecine (Fig.12.8).60 Acertain clustering ofthe archaeological
finds around Pozarevac, Kostolac andthe site ofViminacium becomes
clearer inthe light ofthefact that an important communication,
leading from thesouth, crossing the Danube and continuing
intoTransilvania, run over this area. Thus LaTene finds alsoare
frequent in this region (Fig.l2.6).61 Two fibulae are(n. 3), 1.
27.5; 1. Todorovic, Katalog praisiorijskih predmeta,Beograd, 1971,
T. 61.11; 60.9 (Zemun); Basaid: M. Giric, RVM,1997, inprint.
581. Todorovic, Praistorijska Karaburma. I, Nekropola
m1adeggvozdenog doba, Beograd, 1972, T. 21.6,8-9; 22.4; 23.2; 24.3;
id. Inv.arch., fasc. 6,1963, feuilles Y 47-Y56, Y 49.4; cf.D.Bozic,
op.cit.,(n. 46), Tab. 3.
59 B. Jovanovic, Etudes Celtiques 21, 1984, Fig. 3.1-2;
6.1-5;idem, in P1Z V 829 sqq. T. 79. 1-4,7; idem, in Scordisci
andtheAutochthons, N. Tasic ed., Beograd 1992, 19-32,83-94.
60 I. Nemeti, Thraco-Dacica 10.1-2, 1989, 103(A
6);B.Maraz,Archeologiai Enesito, 1977, 104-1, Fig. 5.8,10-12; 1.
Todorovic,op.cit., (n. 58),1.24.3.
61 P. Popovic, Starinar 43-44, 1992-1993, 1994, 17 sq.;
D.Jacanovic, Viminacium 2, 1988, T. I,III; D. Spasic, Viminacium
7,1992,1.1.1.
-
Early La rene Between Pannonia and the Balkans
chronologically interesting, with bows bearing broadbands of
incisions. One is from the vicinity ofViminacium, and the other is
kept in the museum ofSabac, and was probably found near the river
Sava (Fig.12.5-4).62 The pieces of this kind are rare and may
beassociated to the mentioned ones from Bogdanovci or afind from
Dalj.63
The Duchcov-type fibulae from thewestern
Balkans(Fig.12.15-23)
The chance finds of the fibulae of the Duchcov hori-zon in the
western Balkans come from Semberija(Rapanic Polje),64 upper Vrbas
valley (Pod, Majdan,Fig.12.19-20), as well as several pieces from
thedestroyed graves atDonja Dolina.v At Glasinac, severalexcavated
graves contained, among other, the fibulaechronologically
attributed into the final phase of theGlasinac culture. At that
time, by the beginning ofthe IIIcentury B.C, "a complete silence
ensues of the archaeo-logical sources, as if the area was totally
depopulated".66In a grave (Gosinja planina, tumulus 35/1,
Fig.12.15),along with the jewellery of the Mediterranean origin,
afibula of the Duchcov type was registered, hardly laterthan the
end of the IV century, according to its basictraits.v The contents
ofa grave from Rusanovici (tumulus22/1) is partially similar and
there was a fibula with anornamented bow, tobe discussed later
(Fig. 114).68 Fromthe same site (tumulus 41/1, Fig.12.17) there are
six fibu-lae-repliques, having very close analogies in a cemetery
inSlovakia (Chotinj.s? The fibulae from the grave by Gospic
62 I am grateful for the information to my colleague
M.Vasiljevic, from the Museum of'Sabac.
63 1. Brunsmid, op.cit., (n. 49), Fig. 23.2; cf. N.
Majnaric-Pandzic, op.cit., (n. 3), T. 3.2: 1.Todorovic, op.cit.,
(n. 57), T. 61.12.
64M. Kosoric, CIanci i grada zakulturnu istoriju lstoine
Bosne14,1982,125, T. 4.35.
65 Pod near Bugojno: PlZ V, T. 53.26; Majdan: V. Radimsky,WMBH
1, 1893, 182, Fig. 13; D. Dolina: C. Truhelka, WMBH 9,1904,143,
Fig. 88-89; T. 81. 9.10-11.
66 B.Covic, inPlZ V, 633.67 A. Benac-B. Covic, op.cit., (n. 33),
23, T. 47.8; P1Z V, T.
65.12; cf. a similar fibula from thetumulus Podilijak see
B.Covic,GZM 14,1959, T. 3.5.
68 A. Benac-B.Covic, op.cit., (n. 33),24, T. 48.4.69 Ibid. 25,
T. 50.1-6; cf. L.Zahar, Keltske umenie na Slovensku,
1987, Fig. 27.
119
(Vrebac)," from the cemeteries by Una (Jezerine,Fig.12.16;
Ribic, Golubic)," bySanski Most," orDonjaDohna (Fig.12.18,21-23)73
correspond to the type LT B2,but often bear individual solutions
with local traits, beingexecuted in the middle LaTene period
according to theolder patterns.
The group offibulae of the Duchcov horizon fromtheDanube andSava
valleys andthe western Balkans(Fig.13.1-11)
The Danube valley and the western Balkans bear sev-eral other
common traits, represented bythe fibulae withornamented bow bearing
an oval plaque with a frame. AtKaraburma, inthe grave 63, along
with silver earrings, afibula of this kind was registered with two
pairs of longchains (Fig.111).74 The same trait - the bow in the
shapeof a medallion, is apparent on three fibulae with chainsfrom
Bogdanovci, as well as on apair offibulae, also withchains, from a
grave in Osijek (grave 27, Fig.13.3).75Similar examples were found
in Kupinovo and west ofDrina, at the site Rapanic Polje." The
fibula fromRusanovici, atGlasinac, from the above mentioned
grave,has its closest analogy in the piece from
Karaburma(Fig.13.4). To the wider group of these finds belong
afragmented fibula from the Negotin Museum, probablyfrom the Danube
bank, and a piece from the vicinity ofViminacium (Fig.13 .5-6).77
Furthermore, a fibula from agrave at the cemetery Jezerine
(Fig.13-2) morphologicallycorresponds to the older forms, while the
pieces fromRibic and Golubic merely follow the example."
Inwidersense, to the same family belong the fibulae with an
oval
70R. Drechsler-Bizic, Vj. Arh. muzo Zagreb 1,1958, T. 10.79.71
Z. Marie, GZM23, 1968, (WMBH 1971), T. 3. 16,27,29; 8.
25,27; 9.5: Tab. 2-5; B.Raunig, GZM23, 1968, T. 5.58.72F. Fiala,
WMBH 6, 1899, 77, Fig. 55.73 C. Truhelka, see n.65.741.Todorovic,
op.cit., (n. 58), T. 23.2.751. Brunsmid, op.cit., (n. 49), Sl.
23.1; E.Spajic, op.cit., (n. 52),
T. 14.8; 15.9.76 N.Majnaric-Pandzic, op.cit., (n. 3),T. 9.2; M.
Kosoric, seen.
64.77G.Janjic, Nalazista i metalni nalazi mladeg gvozdenog doba
u
Kljucu i Negotinskoj Krajni, Beograd 1989 (manuscript of
graduatestudy, Faculty ofPhilosophy, Belgrade).
78Z. Marie, op.cit., (n. 71), T. 3.16; see n. 71.
-
120
5
Petar Popovic
6
9
Fig. 13. 1- Karaburma, Gr. 63; 2 - Jezerine, Gr. 88; 3 - Osijek,
Gr. 27; 4 - Rusanovici, tumulus 22/1; 5 - Negotin; 6 - Viminacium,
vicinity; D.Dolina: 7 - Gr. 13 (I. Stipancevic), 10 - Gr. 23 (M.
Petrovic Jr.); 9, II chance finds; 8 - Kupinovo. Scale 2/3.
plaque on bow, bearing the S-shaped spiral. Such piecescome from
Kupinovo, while the similar, though schema-tized and simplified
ones were registered atDonja Dolina(Fig.13.7-11).79
The entire series of these finds bears some similarsolutions,
appearing as early as inthe early LaTene peri-od, but it seems that
they were manufactured somewherebetween Sava and the Danube, after
the older examples.These forms were transposed to the western
Balkans andwere later manufactured there after the similar
examples.
79 N. Majnaric-Pandzic, op.cit., (n. 3),T. 9.9-10; C.
Truhelka,WMBH9, 1904, T. 76.3; 45.4; 81.11; Z. Marie, op.cit., (n.
12), T.18.7-9.
Chronologically, these fibulae are placed into the periodfrom
the IV century till, at least, the middle ofthe III.
**
Even the superficial glance at the early LaTene fibu-lae shows
that they undergo certain changes fromSlavonia to Sava and the
western Balkans. The piecesfrom Szentlorinc orVelika correspond to
the early formsthat came into these parts most probably from the
north-west ornorth, across the Transdanubia and the Balaton. Inlack
of other information, one may safely assume thatthese pieces are
the direct La Tene influence into thePannonian millieu. As Sava is
crossed, the cemetery at
-
Early La rene Between Pannonia and the Balkans
Donja Dolina presents a different picture, and furthertowards
the hinterland the forms become even more elab-orated and, along
with the LaTene patterns, many hybrid
A [.J] B Land over SOOm
121
having a long tradition in the Balkans.t? Atany rate, sty-lized,
or having all the basic traits (triangular head,emphasized eyes,
bifurcated tongue), the representation of
Fig. 14 The frequency of the fibulae ofthehorizon
Duhcov-MUnsingen (LT B2): I - Osijek, 2 - Dalj, 3 - Bogdanovci,
Vukovar, 4 - Curug, 5 -Basaid, 6 - Pecine, Viminacium, Kostolac, 7
- Negotin, 8 - Karaburma, Rospi Cuprija, 9 - Zemun, 10 - Novi
Banovci, II - Kupinovo, 12-Sremska Mitrovica, 13 - Sabac, 14 -
Gradina naBosutu, 15 - Rapanic polje, 16 - Gosinja planina,
Podilijak, Rusanovici, 17 - Pod, 18 - Majdan,19 - Donja Dolina, 20-
Pletemica, 21 - Sanski Most, 22 - Ribic, Jezerine, Golubic, 23 -
Vrebac (A - cemeteries orgraves, B- chance find).
and pseudo-La Tene forms emerge, with the traits of theolder
local production.
One of the most conspicuous details pointing to thedifferences
between the areas north and south of Sava, isthe way inwhich the
foot of the early LaTene fibulae ismodelled. Inthe first group, the
foot isstylized, very oftenina zoomorphic finitial, most frequently
in a form of anaquatic bird, known from the end ofthe Bronze Age
on. Inthe west parts of the Balkans, instead ofthe birds, the
ser-pent's heads often appear. Apparently, inthese parts,
espe-cially among the Illyrians, serpents bore some specialmeaning
- they are associated to the chtonic symbolism,
a serpent holds a prominent position inthe ornamentationon
fibulae, along with bracelets and other objects. In thewestern
Balkans they probably had an apotropaic functionaswell, or some
other meaning, butthey surely were notmere decorative details.
Besides the serpent's heads, some other details point tothe fact
that inthese parts the majority of the fibulae wasmanufactured in
local workshops after the La Tene proto-types. These are above ali
various hybrid or extremely
so A. Stipcevic, Kultni simbol kod Ilira, CBl, Sarajevo,
1981,47sqq.
-
122
inventive solutions which have noadequate parallels out-side
these regions. Forthis kind of activity, basic precon-ditions were
raw materials, a certain level of technologyand the artistic
inclination to respond to the taste andneeds of the people who wore
the jewellery. Some parts ofthe western Balkans were rich inores,
and arms, tools andjewellery were intensely produced there from the
lateBronze Age, and from the Vlll century on iron is also inuse."
We areprimarily concerned with bronze, the metalsuitable for the
production ofjewellery due to the techno-logical process. So the
source ofraw material was athand,but the major part of the alloy
used for the manufacture ofsmall objects was gained by recycling -
recasting of thebroken pieces.v The skill of the masters is best
testifiedby the numerous finds from the cemeteries around therivers
Una and Sana, and theprosperity of the settlementatDonja Dolina
depended largely notmerely ontheapti-tude of the masters, but also
on the ore sources in the hin-terland.v Masters-craftsmen, besides
executing the localforms, often imitated or copied the objects
taken overfrom the neighbors and fellow-artisans. The string
thusenlarged, making it difficult to discern whether we aredealing
with cultural influences, population movements ortechnology
transfer. A good example is the case of theCertosa type fibulae,
spreading from the V century onfrom the west and penetrating to
Pannonia and the westernBalkans. Many pieces from these parts gain
local traitsand, indeed, must have been executed onthe spot.84
Thesefibulae thus played anoutstanding role in the appearanceof the
new La Tene style, not only in the other parts ofEurope, butalso
inthe western Balkans.
There is another, maybe even better example, relatedto the
buckles or plate fibulae of the Sanski Most type.85Long ago,
M.M.Vasic suggested the possibility that platefibulae with discs
might originate from theparagnatidaeof the Montefortino type
helmets (Fig. IS .1-2).86 Thesepieces are roughly halfof the size
and executed inbronzefoil fastened by iron rivet with cross-bow
spring, charac-
81 B. Covic, Godi.fnjak. CBnO, 1984, 129 sqq.82 Ibid. 132; cf.
S. Champion in Settlement and Society, 1. C.
Champion-J. V. S.Megaw, eds, 1985, 134 sqq.83 Z. Marie,
op.cit.,(n. 12); B. Covic, op.cit., (n. 81),131, sqq.84 Cf. B.
Terzan, op.cit., (n. 4),375 sqq.85 B. Covic, inPJZV, 260 sq.86 M.
M. Vasic, Starinar4, 1928,253 sqq.; cf. U. Schaaf, Jahrb.
RGZM21. 1,1974, Abb. 31.
Petar Popovic
teristic of certain types of the Certosa fibulae (Fig.lS.3).All
the pieces, in spite of theminor differences indetails,are executed
in the same way and, for the time being, theydo not have other
analogies. They areregistered ina rela-tively restricted area, in
the graves of Donja Dolina andSanski Most, and a piece at Ribic and
Velika respectively(Fig. lS.4-9;3. 14).87 Regularly they belong to
female cos-tume and are placed inpairs onshoulders of the
deceased.The other offerings from these graves are dated into
thesecond half or the very end of the IV century B.C. andencompass
the period of the final phases ofthe Early IronAge and early La
Tene. The only exception is the piecefrom a grave at Sanski Most,
found together with a middleLaTene fibula, that cannot beolder than
the end ofthe IIIcentury B.C.88 Inthis case, a question rises if
these buck-les were produced over a long period, or had been
wornfor several generations before the moment of burial. Inthese
parts there are many examples of a vast typologicaland
chronological range ofofferings in graves, especiallyfemale ones.
It is highly likely thatina conservative mil-lieu - a trait for
which thearea of the western Balkans isrenown - traditional
jewellery was worn for several gene-rations successively,
purposefully and perfectly intention-ally.
The paragnatidae of the helmets of theMontefortinotype make for
anonly, butvery close model inmaking thebuckles of the Sanski Most
type. The shape is partiallymodified and reduced in scale, due to
the completelychanged function of the new objects. The helmets of
thekind were surely very rare in this part of the Balkans
and,besides the one from Vrankamen - without paragnatidae -the
closest places of find arefurther to northwest - Smar-jeta (Bela
Cerkev) and Trbinc." In both these cases thereare three discs on
the paragnatidae, and the one fromSmarjeta is of the same type as
theVrankamen find. Forthe time being, it is safe to assume that
these helmetsreached the Balkans over northern Italy, and somewhere
inthe workshops around Sanski Most orDonja Dolina a newtype
ofbuckles was made inspired bythe shape and orna-
87 C. Truhelka, WMBH9, 1904,1. 41.2-3; 44.9; 47.29-30; 54.17-19;
81.2; Keltoi, op. cit., (n. 22), Fig. XI; F. Fiala WMBH 6,
1899,104, Fig. 154; Z. Marie, op.cit., (n. 71),1. 8.13.
88 F. Fiala, ibid. Fig. 153; cf. P. Popovic, Zbornik
Narodnogmuzeja 15-1, 1994,54.
89C. Truhelka, WMBH 4, 1896,381; S.Gabrovec, Arh. vest. 41,1990,
Fig. 2.
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Early La rene Between Pannonia and the Balkans 123
5
6
Fig. IS. 1-2 Montefortino; Donja Dolina: 3 - chance find: 4 -
Gr. 9 (M'Petrovic Jr.), 5 - Gr. 10 (S. Jakaric), 6 - Gr. 41, 7 Gr.
61 (M. PetrovicJr.); Sanski Most: 8 - Gr. 150; 9 - Ribic, Scale
1/2.
ments on the paragnatidae. Taken into account that all thepieces
are uniform, may it be possible that only one mas-ter was producing
them? In the manufacture of thesebuckles, or any other jewellery
for that matter, only onemodel was sufficient, testifying that the
masters were notlacking technical knowledge, but much more the
skillsand inspiration to make the objects look new, more variedand
prettier.
There are several more clues to the activity of theseworkshops.
Almost all the fibulae from Vrucica are exe-cuted after the same
fashion and make an impression ofagifted master, who was apt to
include the early LaTeneforms into a completely Balkan symbolism
(Fig.5). Thecase is similar with the fibulae from Vratnica; there
areseveral groups ofvery similar oreven identical executionthere.
Aseries offour fibulae is interesting, with a stylizedfoot omated
with granules (Fig.6.9). Here also, like in the
other cases, the message is quite clear - the serpent pro-tects
the owner from misfortune and evil. The group offibulae from
Glasinac, associated to the type Zagrade, pre-sents a different
example (Fig.?). The cross-hatched bandover the bows appears on the
local fibulae ofthe Certosatype, and is susbequently transferred to
the four samepieces of the early LaTene pattern with serpent's
head;finally, the same details are repeated on a locally
manufac-tured fibula of the Duchcov horizon. Disregarding
thetypological, as well as chronological changes, the
sameornamental motive is retained. The appearance of thesame
fibulae on four different sites testifies for a relativelylarge
production and it is highly probable that the work-shop was
somewhere in the Glasinac plateau. Certaintypes of fibulae of the
early Iron Age concentrated pre-cisely in this territory
additionally back up the assump-tion.9o
-
124
The examples of the Duchcov horizon from the val-leys ofSava and
the Danube primarily originate from theCeltic workshops in the
Carpathian basin, which thenmoved towards south, following the
Celtic settlement. Theproduction ismuch larger and the repertoire
of the formsmuch wider, making it more difficult to detect and
com-pare the pieces belonging to the same or similar series.Maybe
the only exceptions are the pairs orgroups offibu-lae which were
acquired, worn and finally buried together.
**Finally, a few words about the Celtic presence in the
Balkans. The beginning of the IV century isconventional-ly
considered to witness the beginning of their settling inthe
Carpathian basin." The ancient authors scarcely knewof these parts
and, when mentioning these events, theirdata is contradictory,
meager and consist mainly of thereminiscences of the past events."
There are grounds tohope that the vast territorial and
chronological lacunaewill gradually bebridged by the future
archaeological dis-coveries. The Celts, as well asthe La Tene
culture, spreadfrom the west towards theeastern parts of the
Carpathianbasin, keeping within the wide valley of the Danube.
Itthus seems that the southern parts and Slavonia, asopposed to the
northern Transdanubia, remain in theperiphery of the main stream
ofevents. The sites such asSzentlorinz and Velika, for the time
being, merely indicatea strong influence or the Celtic presence in
a foreign -Pannonian millieu.
On the occasion ofthe recent excavations ofthe settle-ment at
Donja Dolina, a mighty layer of burning, datedinto the first halfof
the IVcentury B.C. was registered. Itis considered possible that
the destroy of the horizon ofhouses should beassociated with one of
the Celtic raids.Furthermore, the settlement was renewed after the
samelayout, and the way of life of the autochthonous popula-tion
did not change after the great fire." The informationis very
indicative but a more detailed report from theexcavations isyet to
come.
The Celtic finds from the western Balkans consistalmost
exclusively offibulae, mainly corresponding to the
~~ B. Terzan, Arch. lug. 24,1987, Fig.l 1-14.9J M.Szab6,
1988.(n.l), 13sqq.- Cf. L. Pauli, inSettlement and Society, T.C.
Champion-J.V.S.
Megaw, eds., 1985,23 sqq.; M. Szabo, 1992 (n. 1), 13 sqq.93 Z.
Zeravica, Materijali 20 (1980), Beograd, 1985,29 sqq.
Petar Popovic
early La Tene forms executed in local workshops. Animpression is
thus formed that an indirect influence oftheLaTene style was in
question, or a technology transfer,coming over Slovakia and
Transdanubia into this part ofthe Balkans; a direct Celtic influx
bythe means of import-ed objects is less likely and there are no
archaeologicalfinds from these parts to testify more clearly to the
Celticpresence. The only undoubtedly Celtic find, registered inthe
vicinity ofthe Adriatic coast, dated into the IV/III cen-turies,
presents a real rarity. It is an early LaTene swordwith a leather
scabbard and a bronze reinforce onbottom,taken outof the river
Cetina.?' But, in spite of the verymeager information, it is
impossible, at least theoretically,to discard the assumption that
during the IV century theCelts may have undertaken an impact from
Pannoniatowards south, probably by the valleys ofVrbas orBosna,and
then reached the Adriatic via the river Neretva. It ishard to
expect more abundant finds after such an event.Besides, for the
time being even the great Celtic invasiontowards Macedonia and
Greece in the year 279 is notarchaeologically traced. The probable
finds would indeedbe a nice confirmation of the existence of the
AdriaticCelts, who came toAlexander the Great in the year 335,as
reported byArianus.?' Nevertheless, all these specula-tions remain
theoretical.
The Celts came into the Balkans over the eastern partsof the
Carpathian basin and the Danube. From the end ofthe IV century B.C.
on, they inhabited the region aroundSava and the Danube, expanding
onto a narrow belt oftheCentral Balkans. Along with their presence
from the endof the IVcentury and the beginning ofthe III, the La
Teneinfluences spread westwards, via the valley of Sava,towards the
western Balkans. After the aborted campaignin the south and the
formation of the Scordisci, after theyear 279, the Celts retained
the lands they had inhabited inthe first coming. The same way as
the Celtic influencesspread over Transdanubia from the middle ofthe
IV cen-tury on, now the Scordisci brought, peacefully
orforceful-ly, in these parts a graduallatenization, but the
history ofthis process is a whole new chapter, devoted to
theScordisci and the middle La Tene period.
94 A. Milosevic, Arheo 15, 1992,87, Fig. 2.95 Cf. M. Garasanin,
in Adriatica Praehistorica et Antiqua,
Zagreb, 1970,393 sqq.; M. Szabo, Acta Antiqua Acad. Scien.
Hung.32,1989,55 sqq.
-
Early La rene Between Pannonia and theBalkans
Abbreviations:GZM - Glasnik Zemaljskog muzeja u Bosni i
Hercegovini,
SarajevoPJZ - Praistorija jugoslovenskih zemalja V, A. Benac
ed.,
Sarajevo, 1987WMBH - Wissenschaftliche Mittheilungen aus Bosnien
und der
Herzegovina, Wien
Sources of ilustrations Fig. 1: 1 - Majnaric-Pandzic (n. 3), 2-6
-Jerern (n.4); Fig. 2-3 - Sokac Stimac (n. 6); Fig.4: 1-9 Truhelka
(n.13-16),10-12 Covic (n. 17),13-15 - Truhelka (ibid. T.
81.15,64.7,Fig. 87),16-18 - Marie (n.21,22); Fig. 5: 1-14 Truhelka
(n.23); Fig.6: 1-17 Covic SI. 8-9 (n. 24); Fig.7: 1- Truhelka (n.
35),2 - (n. 30), 3- Fiala (n. 33), 4 - Truhelka (n. 34),5-6 - PJZ
(n.29), 7 - Fiala (n. 36),8 - Covic (n. 36), 9 - Marie (n. 2,
36),10-12 - Truhelka (n.38); Fig. 8:1- Benac-Covic T. 48.1 (n.33),
2 - Fiala (WMBH 4, 1896,36),3,5-
125
PJZ (T. 53.29, 50.28), 4, 6 Truhelka (n.41), 7 - Fiala-Patsch
(WMBH3,1895,264); Fig. 9: 1-3 - Fiala (n. 43), 4 - Radimsky (n.
44), 5 -Fiala (n. 37), 6 - Tezak Gregl (n.44); Fig. 10: 1 - Spajic
(n.46), 2-7Majnaric-Pandtic T. 25.2, 25.1,4.1,3.5,25.7,9.1 (n.
3);Fig. 12: 1-PJZ(T. 57.1), 2 - Popovic (n. 51), 3, 5 (n. 20),4
(n.62), 6 - Jacanovic(n. 61), 7, 8,10-12 - PJZ (n. 59), 9
(n.57),13-14 Todorovic (n. 58),15 - PJZ (n. 67),16 - Marie T. 3.27
(n. 12), 17 - Fiala (WMBH 4,1896,16. cf.n.69),18 - Truhelka (WMBH
9,1904,145),19 - PJZ (T.53.26),20 - Radimsky (n. 65),21,23Truhelka
(WMBH 9,1904,145,T. 81.9),22 - Radimsky (WMBH 3,1895,90);Fig. 13:
1- Todorovic(n. 74),2- Marie (n. 78),3 - Spajic (n. 75), 4 -
Benac-Covic (n. 68), 5- (n.77), 6 - (n. 20), 7 - Covic (Inv. arch.,
1961, Y30), 8 - Majnaric-Pandzic (n. 79), 9-10 Truhelka (WMBH 9,
1904, T. 81.11, 45.4),Marie T. 1.20 (n. 2); Fig. 15: 1-2 after
Montelius, 3,5 - PJZ (T. 29.14,16),4,6-7Truhelka (WMBH 9, 1904, T.
44.9, 47.29,41.2), 8 - Fiala(n. 87),9 - Marie (n. 87)
Translated byStoia BABIC
UDK 903.25(497)"6387":739.03 l.l8(497)