Folia archeologica 45.

Beszédes József: Dioscuros ábrázolású sarokkő Alsóhetényből

FOLIA ARCHAEOLOGICA XLV. 1996. BI DAPEST THE LOVAS CASKET Mihály NAGY Flóris Römer had reported first of a Roman wooden casket, mounted with bronze sheets in repoussé-technique (Fig. I)

1 which he saw on 29th August, 1875 in the possession of the Bishop Miklós Bezerédy in Veszprém. According to Rómer's informations the casket was found in the chapter's vineyard in Lovas, between Alsóörs and Paloznak, near the northern shore of Lake Balaton.

2 Römer described the fragile casket, and from this description turns out that certain parts of the mounting were lost after that time (Fig. 2).

3 Compared to the condition of 1875, two small roundels, showing Belleroplion, are missing form the left end of the first (upper) row today, furthermore the fragments of the standing figure, third in the row from the left, were lost

4, and the lower part of the fourth standing figure's body had suffered damages too. After Rómer's description, the casket remained unstudied for a long time."' The first detailed study was published by Géza Supka in 1914.

6 Supka in his article had dealt with the influence of Asian art during the Roman period, and identified this artefact as a "Mithraic casket".

7 Bálint Kuzsinszkv had found new details regarding the former owners of the casket.

8 He shortly described the female figure, emerging from the earth, holding two snakes in her hands, on the lower left 'Römer 1876, 176-179. Our Fig. 1. is a reproduction from Kuzsitiszky 1920, 179, Fig. 216. Although Fig. 10. in Supka 1914, 13 shows a further fragment in the left upper corner, now missing, we did not reproduce this picture because of its poor quality. Witdh of the box: 229 mm; height of surviving board: 103 mm; thickness of board: 14 mm. (All photographs were taken by Mr. András Dabasi. Hungarian National Musuem). Here, 1 would like to express my gratitude to Professors János Harmatta and Zoltán Kádár for their valuable remarks regarding llie manuscript of this article. 2 Magyarország Régészeti Topográfiája 2. A Veszprémi járás (Budapest, 1969), 126: a more precise location cannot be ascertained. 'The restoration works were done by Mr. Tamás Szabó, Hungarian National Museum. 'As it is visible on Fig. 1, its posture is similar to the previous one. According to Römer, he holds a curved dagger in Ins left hand, and because of the mask between the second and third standing figure, he identified them as Athena and Perseus. 5 Hampel 1881, 144 mentions the casket still in the bishop's possession. It was acquired by the Hungarian National Museum only in 1899. (Inv. no: 67.1899). Following Hampel, 1 '.ngelmann 1908a, 243 and 1908b, 357, writing about 4th century- caskets from Pannónia, mentions it in the possession of the bishop. Laczkó 1912, 11, no. 22 adds that the casket was found together with a skeleton in a brick grave, at the above mentioned site. 6 Supka 1914, 11-16. 7 Supka 1914, 16 writes, that "The main standpoint of our discourse was to demonstrate, that the lower right plaque of the casket shows Iranian influence, contains mainly Iranian religious emblems, or at least the main figure was borrowed from this circle." * Kuzúnszky 1920, 178. He states, that after 1881 the casket came into the possession of Dezső Véghelyi, sheriff of Veszprém county. After his death, the National Museum had purchased it from his widow in 1899.