Arrabona - Múzeumi közlemények 9. (Győr, 1967)

Gabler D.: The earliest sigillatae of Arrabona

45 of the sigillatae, uncovered in the territory of the town as far, may be dated to the first century; to the specimens published here those described by Gabler, Arrabona 6 (1964) should be added. Table 1 presents the material from the Po region, embracing also specimens with the stamps of the masters CT SVC and QLC. On the basis of ornamental motives we may attach the pieces 4 and 5 to the activity of L-MAG-VIRILIS or Q\SP. Outside Italy, the sigillatae of the Po region may be found in Raetia, Noricum and Pannónia, in the first place; here we attempt to define the area of extension of the products of the group L«M»V — Q»S-P, dated to the period of Claudius-Titus, In Pannónia such sigillatae are found along the main commercial routes or in their neighbourhood. Our tables present the South Gallián material too, making the majority of the material. Most of the embossed sigillatae belong to the types Drag. 37, 30, or Knorr 78, respectively; a single fragment of the type Drag. 29 has been found in Győr territory. The plain, undecorated South Gallián sigillatae are enlisted into the types Drag. 27, or 18, respectively. The former is a cup type, rather frequent in Pannónia, occurring both along the Amber Route and the limes. Its specimens may be dated to the age of Domitian-Traian, in fact to a later time .possibly; this suggestion is confirmed by the stamps (SEC)VNDI, L« COS «VIRIL, appearing on them. Both the shape and the stamp SENNICIV date piece 8 to the age of Claudius; this is the earliest vessel of our complex. The remaining South Gallián sigillatae are derived from the period of Flavius; the decorative motives support their identification with the products of Germanus, L.Cos.Virilis, Mercato-BiracilVitális and Crucuro. Among the ware of the period of Domitian three may be attached to the workshop of Germani servus, one to that of Mascuus. The vessels manufactured by Germanus are occuring almost all over Pannónia, those of Mascuus mainly in Carnuntum. The latest Banassac workshop, that of the Natalis group, is represented by 5 fragments in our complex. Outside Arrabona, the products of this workshop did not extend to Pannónia, except for the limes. The sigillata workshops of South Gallia have influenced the pottery of the province as well. Surveying the complex, we find that 12 pieces were produced in North Italian and 33 in South Gallián workshops (La Graufesenque, Banassac). Since the territory of Arrabona did not yield a specimen dated earlier than Claudius' rule, these vessels reveal the commercial connections in the second and last third of the first century of our era. Together with the earliest products of the Po region the sigillata of Sennicio, a ware derived from La Graufesenque, appears as well; in fact, the latter maj Je dated to the age of Claudius certainly, whereas a similar dating is but a conjecture as regards the ware of the North Italian masters. This cup bears out the inference that the unornamented plain bowls and cups, being cheaper, have reached the Pannonian market earlier, overtaking the influx of embossed vessels by several decades. The distinction between the Italian and South Gallián import, however, does not mean that the trend of commerce ha,s changed. The Italian merchant families, importing mainly the products of North Italian workshops to our province in the decades between Claudius and Titus, circulated South Gallián ware later; this the latter have arrived to the province through North Italy equally. From Claudius' time commerce has supplied some undecoraited products of South Gallia together with Italian ware: later, as the workshops of the Po region were in decay, the consignments contained an ever increasing number of sigillatae from La Graufesenque and Banassac. Chronologically the sigillatae of the first century may be classified as follows: The age of Claudius 1 piece Claudius-Titus 7 Nero-Nerva 5 Vespasian 2 Vespasian-Domitian 4 Domitian 11 Domitian-Nerva 2 Domitian-Traian 7 NervarTraian 6 The increase in the intensity of commerce is due to the extending occupation. Judged by the small number of early, Claudian sigillatae, Arrabona may have been occupied by one military unit or the other transitorily, without constructing a lasting 52