K. Palágyi Sylvia szerk.: Balácai Közlemények 1997/5. (Veszprém, 1997)

SZIRMAI, KRISZTINA: Niello decorated Horse Harness Ornament from Albertfalva -Niellóval díszített lószerszámdísz Albertfalváról

of M. Sacrinus Primigenius from Cologne also belong here.

9 The next group includes representations using the four ring harness disc as marked on the haunch of the horse. This arrangement is shown on the Flavian-Traianic period tombstone of C. Iulius Primus kept in Bonn Musuem.

10 Finally, the use of breast junction and haunch disc phalerae may be seen together on the tombstones of Albanus from the Claudio-Neronian period in Gaul

11 and on the Flavian period monuments of Romanus Dardanus and T. Flavius Bassus from Cologne and of M. Aemilius Durises from Bonn.

12 All these groups recall the various types of Celtic-Roman horse harnessing (Bishop b, c, d): the use of the three-quarter and full harness.

13 According to inscriptions on the previous tombstones these monuments belonged to cavalrymen of the ala Thracum, ala I. Hispanorum, ala Asturum, ala Noricorum, ala Afrorum and ala Sulpicia. These as well as iconographie evidence show this "fashion" of horse harnessing spread among the cavalry-troops in Britain, Gaul, and Germania Inferior and Germania Superior between the Claudian and Traianic periods. On the basis of these representations it can also be demonstrated that this four rings, concentric circle decorated phalerae type was used in pairs on the breast and haunch of the horse and that this style was very widely distributed among the cavalrymen of different troops. Consequently, direct parallels to the front disc decorated with concentric circles and back disc with four rings to the horse harness ornament from Albertfalva may be found among analogous finds and representations from Britain, Gaul and Rhineland. (fig. 4) Tumuli that have been excavated to date at the sites of Inota, Baláca, Kemenesszentpéter, Sárszentmiklós and Nagyberki-Szalacska contained horse harness elements.

14 At Inota the disc had silvered coating, the harness and the bit fittings were decorated with niello and their surfaces were tinned.

15 There were silver traces on the reins at Kemenesszentpéter and at Fig. 2. The niello decorated phalera from Albertfalva 2. ábra. Niellódíszes phalera Albertfalváról