Mária T. Biró: The Bone Objects of the Roman Collection. (Catalogi Musei Nationalis Hungarici. Seria Archeologica 2; Budapest, 1994)

X. SACRAL OBJECTS, RELIGIOUS RELICS

stract spiritual demand of philosophy and theology are degraded on the level of popular village community and family to magic techniques. But even in these actions the knowledge of historical people which saw material nature in a unity of spiritual reality without separating them is involved. Here mention should be made of the belief to be found in many of the contemporary, narrative sources that for the people of the antiquity the evolving and preventive character of certain raw materials was a reality. As a consequence, the metaphysical character of materials influenced the range of employment of objects made of it. As it is proved by the prescriptions of the way of placing bone bracelets into graves: bone bracelets always on the left arm and bronze ones on the right; they are never placed on the arm together. They also preferred to make necklaces of bone carvings for children.