Zalai Múzeum 11. Kereszténység Pannóniában az első évezredben (Zalaegerszeg, 2002)

Migotti, Branka: Early Christianity in Aquac Iasae

56 Migotti, Branka known fact that people of Germanic stock were settled all over Pannónia, Valeria included. In short, the documentary evidence does not contest an equation of Iovia with Alsóheténypuszta, while the archaeological evidence supports it strongly, and the only detail lacking to prove it finally is an epigraphic document. Only on account of this, and for the sake of scholarly impartiality, should we still hold this issue as unresolved and wait for a definite proof in favour of any of the candidates for the see of Iovia. If, in the face of the above data, we still consider the possibility of an equation of Ludbreg with the see of Iovia, the weakest point of this theory lies in the almost complete lack of early Christian material from Ludbreg. Small finds with even remote associations to Christian symbolism have until recently been lacking altogether. However, when preparing this paper I learned that in the course of private building works last year in Ludbreg two tiles came to light, both ornamented by means of shallow grooves. Before having seen these artefacts I had been told that one of them bore a motif of a fish, while on another a diagonal cross was depicted. The first one with the alleged fish (Fig. 9) actually shows a fish-like motif, differing, however, from the average early Christian fish-graffittos in that its head is rounded instead of being pointed and its tail is not completed. If indeed rare, such stylizations of the fish in early Christian art are still not unparalleled.

38 Nevertheless, the motif in question should most probably be interpreted as a sign for a letter with a variety of possible meanings. It should consequently be classified among similar signs, often grooved by means of fingers onto the surface of Roman bricks and tiles, whose meaning or purpose remains obscure.

39 First of all, a sign usually described in the literature as an omega-like design, may actually denote the letter "o" of the late Roman epigraphy.

40 It also figures (though not in an oval, but an angular form) in the runic script with the same vocal value and the meaning of "inherited property". Similar signs occur frequently on bottoms of late antique and medieval pottery and tiles in the Danube area and are accorded apotropaic-religious significance. 41 It may also be worth mentioning in this context that the omega-like sign resembles closely the hieroglyph SA, meaning "protection".

42 The omega-like pictogram appear also to represent a measure for liquids (sextarius) and is accordingly frequently found on Roman amphorae. Because of the sign's occasional appearance on amphorae within Christian contexts, Leclercq suggested it contained a crypto-Christian meaning

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. If such a hypothesis may not sound convincing regarding amphorae, it cannot be rejected in some other situations. For instance, a marker for the capacity of liquid would not make sense on a tile, such as the one from Ludbreg. If now we bring to mind an appearance of the sign in question in the context of an early Christian grave, its cryptic symbolism becomes more plausible. 44 Another tile (Fig. 10) bears an ornament of a diagonal cross all over its upper surface. Lines of various shapes designed on bricks and tiles are at times interpreted as a technical device to help the surface stick to a mortar bedding. Yet, if a tile with a cross-like motif on its upper surface is found on the floor of the crypt of an early Christian church, as is the case at Gata in Dalmatia (Fig. 11), Christian symbolism should be envisaged. In short, the depictions on both tiles from Ludbreg should be comprehended as symbolic rather than being just a technical device or fortuitous scribble, but a more accurate interpretation of their symbolism depends on the archaeological context. Unfortunately, such data is missing, but it appears that the two tiles were most probably found within the area of the southern cemetery of Iovia, stretched along the road to Aquae lasae. Significantly, several late Roman sarcophaghi stem from this place

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, indicating a probably early Christian surroundings and giving more liability to a possible Christian interpretation of the two newly found tiles. Understandably, the whole story remains highly hypothetical for the moment. The Christian architecture in Ludbreg is slightly more revealing, but its authenticity is yet to be verified. It has namely been hypothesized that the 2nd century. baths were in the 2nd half of the 4th century remodelled and converted into a Christian church. (Fig. 12) The excavation of this architecture has never been completed; however, two strata were identified. First comes the thermal baths comprising a large east-west oriented hall and three oriented apsed pools. Only one metre long stump of the parapet of the thrid (northernmost) pool was discovered, which did not yield enough data for a plan of the initial phase of the three-apsed baths to be reconstructed. In the later restructuring the northern apse was demolished to make way for a narrow tiled chamber on the northern flank, producing thus a building in the form of a double-apsed hall with an elongated lateral room on the northern side. The excavators Vikic and Gorenc interpreted this restructuring as an adaptation to the needs of Christian liturgy.

46 The reconstructed building does not reveal what one would name a typical early Christian ground plan, yet it does fit into the basic scheme of a certain type of early Christian architecture. What I have in mind is not exactly the double-apsed church, which is indeed rare in early Christian contexts. The supposed Christian building in Ludbreg should better be compared to a type of early Christian architecture consisting of the main building and an apsed ancillary room, or even better to the socalled double or twin-church, widespread in early Christian building and symptomatic particularly of episcopal centres.

47 The double-apsed building recovered at Ludbreg, particularly in the light of the supposed bishopric, should therefore be comprehended as a "condensed" variation of the twin-church. Anyhow, the whole story, although it cannot yet be completely