Folia archeologica 8.
Barkóczi László: Császárkori edényégető telep Bicsérden
Celtic Pottery Kilns 83 ing of the large vessels that have handles and grate-like patterns (Fig. 29. 3—4 and Pl. XIX. 3), in the similar ornaments of another sherd, in the painted wavy lines of a fragmentary jug that came to light from the renewed mudplastering of the grating in Kün No. 3 (Fig. 22 and Pl. XVIII . 7) as well as in the vessels coarsely turned and with deeply impressed comb-hatchings (Fig. 24. 2, 8 and Pl. XXI. 1 — 3, 5). But a similar story is told by the jugs from Pit No. 4 with painted red ribbons and incised tooth-like ornamentation. The quality of the fabrics from Bicsérd stands fairly on a level with the average Roman wares of medium workmanship. This suggests that the Bicsérd potters and their customers, had been subjected to a rather strong Romanised influence for some time. It cannot be assumed that the population of the Roman Bicsérd had grown out of local roots for then the settlement would have retained more of its old, native characteristics. The origin of the pieces cannot be attributed to commercial importation either since fabrics of the same quality appear to have been produced at the settlement, too. As concerns the age of the settlement, it might be stated with some confidence that the kilns were in use in the second century A. D., and that they cannot be dated earlier than the end of the first, or at the latest, the beginning of the second century. No evidence has been forthcoming that would point to a period contemporaneous with early Roman times or to the days of the early Roman empire. An examination of the archeological objects from Bicsérd, should not leave out to mention that Pit No. 3 was filled-in with the rubble of a dwelling that appears to have been burned out. Evidence of a conflagration could be found in the pit itself, but there were signs of it on the sherds, too. The presence of a great number of fragments from daubing undoubtedly points to a material such as would be left over from a destroyed dwelling. Among the objects here unearthed, none have been found that would point to habitation contemporaneous with early Roman times except probably the fragment of a graphite vessel though wares of the same type were found in Noricum, too, dating from the end of the first and beginning of the second centuries. 3, 4 It is significant that the early Roman fabrics are absent from our material, viz. the terra sigillata from the region of the Po in North Italy, the yellow-glazed cups ornamented with scales and barbotine, though these were not uncommon in the early Roman settlements and in the cannabae along the Limes. 4 7 Had the Bicsérd settlement been contemporaneous with Keszthely-Űjmajor, then the Szombathely—Keszthely —Mursa Roman road 4 8 passing through Bicsérd, would have undoubtedly helped to introduce here these early Roman fabrics. The same goods might also have reached the Bicsérd settlement by way of the commerce flourishing along the river Drave. The presence of the military along the Limes would most certainly also have brought with it the early Roman wares. Some of the objects in the Bicsérd find, as e. g. the large-sized, angular-vessels,began to appear in West Pannónia in the latter half of the first century and in the early half of the next. The same period — turn of the first century — witnessed the spread of fabrics with painted red ribbons and incised tooth-like ornaments. 4 9 Nor can we assign an earlier date to the pottery with stamped ornaments of the Resatus type. 5 0 6*
