A Herman Ottó Múzeum évkönyve 53. (2014)
Régészet - Tóth Krisztián: Noteworthy Findings of the Roman Age and Early Migration Period from Borsodszirák, Northestern Hungary. First Investigations
Noteworthy Findings of the Roman Age and Early Migration Period from Borsodszirdk 163 Plate XXXIV, 3). The authors have associated this grave with the IVA phase of the cemetery, which could be synchronized with phases C1B, C2 or C2a (Natuniewicz-Sekula-Okulicz-Kozaryn 2011,132). 3. Returned foot exterior chord brooch made of a single metalpiece A returned foot exterior chord brooch made of a single bronze piece has been revealed at the southwestern corner of the site; 2 m from the Roman silver coin. Its foot and spring are broken; its bow is flared, flat and slightly convex in cross section (Fig. 3. 4). Its length is 3.2 cm, its width is 7 mm and its thickness is 2 mm. This brooch is quite similar to Oscar Almgren’s VI.158 type (Almgren 1923, Tafel VII, 158.), although its fragmentary state leaves some doubt. The research of this type of fibula has a long history, most recently summarized by Vitalie Bärcä (Bärcä 2014, 21—39). Although in the Central European Barbaricum it can be found in large numbers, it has no detailed chronology or typology (Bärcä 2014, 26). It seems that the one from Borsodszirdk is similar to the classic t)rpe, thus it can be dated between the end of the second century and the beginning of the fourth century (Bärcä 2014, 30). 4. Fragment of a bronze object A small bronze object has been also revealed at the south-western part of the site, which is semicircular in cross section, has rounded ends and is slighdy curved. A semicircular protrusion connects to its body (Fig. 3. 5). A channel runs along the centre of the object. It was probably part of a larger object, however, no additional fragments were found. The length of it is 2.4 cm, its maximum width is 6.5 mm and its thickness is 2 mm. The protrusion’s width is 4.5 mm, and it extends the body of the item by 6 mm. 5. Roman coins At the same place two Roman coins were found too. One of them is a bronze preserved in a poor state, on which just a ray crowned head is visible, which may refer to the third century origin of the object, possibly to (the time of?) Gallienus (Fig 3. 3). The other one is Iulia Mammaea’s silver denarius (Fig. 3. 2). On the front Iulia’s head can be seen with a diadem, facing to the right. Next to the head only the MAE A AVG inscription can be read. On the back-side Vesta holds a palladium in her left, and a sceptre standing up straight in her right. Only the letters T and A are readable. This silver denarius is definitely the same as the Roman Imperial Coins IVB Volume No. 360 (Mattingly- Sydenham-Sutherland 1938, 99). On the basis of the publications, this coin is extremely rare in the area of the Barbaricum of the Carpathian Basin; however, this research situation could be amended by a large number of finds forgotten in museums’ stores. The Coin Collection of the Museum of Miskolc which has two Mammaea denarius from unknown sites also supports this statement. 6. Iron plate Few meters from the finding place of the bust we found a drilled steel disc, the precise coordinates of which could not be recorded in absence of a GPS measuring device (Fig. 3. 6). Its length is 4.8 cm, its maximum width is 2.8 cm, its thickness is 3.5 mm, and it narrows to the lower end. The hole with 2.5 mm diameter is not exactly in the middle of the upper, wide part. It is strongly corroded; smaller pieces have detached from it on many spots. Its belonging to the examined epoch raises doubts; its recent nature cannot be ruled out. Yet, when looking at it, one might think of the words of Tacitus about the blitz of Moesia by the Roxolani and the iron or leather plates of their scale armours (Borzsák 1980, 75). Pieces of this kind of armour were found in the wood-ground construction camp near Iza, however, they have more holes (Rajtár 1996, Abb. 7). Vitalie Bárcá published a piece similar to the Borsodszirdk one from the East, from the archaeological site of Kovilovka, which also has one hole (Bärcä 1997, Abb. 1,1). Although this faraway parallel does not seem realistic, the hundreds of years of co-existence of Germans and Sarmatians in this area (as I mentioned above) gives some credence to this suggestion. 7. Further bronze objects In addition to the items presented above, seven further smaller and larger pieces of bronze plates were found, among which two are folded and one is pierced. In addition, four pieces of molten bronze clots also came to light beside the plates (Fig. 9). THE CERAMIC MATERIAL In this study I would like to point out some fragments in better condition from the Roman and Early Migration Periods. Although 197 ceramic fragments were found at the archaeological site, the greater part of them belonged to the Neolithic, Copper, Bronze and Iron Ages as well as to the Medieval Era. During the field survey in the year 1998
