Arrabona - Múzeumi közlemények 6. (Győr, 1964)

Gabler D.: Contributions to the question of italian terra sigillata decorated en barbotine

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE QUESTION OF ITALIAN TERRA SIGILLATA DECORATED EN BARBOTINE Beside the embossed Italian sigillata, found rather infrequently in our province, Italian products with applied ornaments or decorated en barbotine reliefs respectively, come to light relatively often. We have dealt with the latter in our paper. These vessels are showing forms Drag. 35 and 36 the most frequently, whereas in areas near Northern Italy also Drag. 46 is found. Contrary to the barbotine decoration appearing on the Gallián cups, these have a stylized lily or a bunch of grapes as typical features, visible not only on the rim but also on the surface of the cup sometimes. Such ornamental motives appear also on pottery of Italian make decorated en barbotine reliefs in similar forms. On the other hand the glaze of our sigillata and the potter marke appearing on the type Drag. 46 bear out the relations with the workshop of the Po-region vessels with applied patterns. In any case parallels tend to prove Northern Italy as the centre of their production; this seems to be supported by one or two passages of Pliny and Martial, though the interpretation of their data is open to doubt. Also their dating strengthens the supposition of an Italian workshop. The age of the finds discovered in the Tessin cemeteries coincides with that of the Po-region vessels; it is the second half of the first century, generally the reigns of and Domitian. Their circulation may pass this date, as it is proved by some Pannonian sites of the early second century. Beside the Italian border areas the sigillata decorated en barbotine reliefs have found a market in Noricum and in Pannónia in the first place. Their extension was limited to territories hardly penetrable for the products of Gallián industry. (Probably they were manufacfured for export only.) In our province such ware is found mainly in the archaeological material of the towns and settlements situated along the amber route, having an immediate connection with Aquileia; nevertheless it reaches the principal junctions of the limes and the Balaton region too, nay one or two specimens have been found also in the Barbaricum. The Italian ware decorated en barbotine was able to influence the activity of the provincial workshops. Fine copies are found in Arrabona and Savaria in the first place, but also the form is imitated by unglazed pottery. The circle of the Italian sigillata may furnish additional data to a more adequate delineation of Pannonian economic history. D. Gabler 2 Arrabona 17