Budapest Régiségei 30. (1993)

TÁRGYI EMLÉKEK ÉS LELETEK = DENKMÄLER UND FUNDE - Topál Judit: A pannóniai mázas serpenyőfogókhoz 245-261

The material and the light greenish-yellow glaze of the two Brigetio specimens may be linked to the early period of the so-called Gerhát potters' settlement. It seems likely that glazed pottery from the Köln workshops, mimicking bronze dishes, served as mental templates for the craftsperson who produced these pieces. The small number and limited distribution area of of these finds again suggest that the potter produced these artifacts for only a short time and at a low intensity, satisfying special needs. According to the excavator, the Aquincum casserole-handle (Figure 8) came to light in one of the barracks of the military camp. It was found in a layer dated to after the period of Marc Aurel. Although the rest of the accompanying finds are as yet unknown, this dating is accepted. Since the surface of the object under discussion here is barely eroded, the date of its manufacture cannot be earlier than the middle of the 2nd century. Deposition probably did not take place before the last two decades of the same century. All aspects of the casserole found in a grave at the site of Győr-Nádorváros have been discussed in exhaustive detail by Edith B. Thomas. She correctly recognized that although this handle was closely related to handles from Aquincum and Mursa (OsijekEszék) characterized by a VALMAX stamp, it could not have been associated with those workshops. From a chronological point of view, she dated the time of manufacture of this object to before the middle of the 2nd century, more precisely to its first quarter. Considering both the burial itself and other grave goods from the same cemetery this date is deemed acceptable. The workshop itself could only be located if several objects of similar type came to light. It cannot be excluded that a workshop adopting Gaulish stylisic elements operated as close by as Carnuntum, which acted as a transmition point of style and taste to Pannónia. Alternatively, it may be hypothesized that some masters from the large pottery manufacturing centers of Central Gallia or the Rhône Valley moved to one or other of the Danubian provinces. Such potters may have experimentally produced vessel types well known-in their home regions which were considered rarities here. Finally, the function of these casseroles should be briefly discussed. It is remarkable that aside from the grave find from Győr and one of the Aquincum specimens, all the remaining 11 casseroles are fragmented. This may be easily explained by the fact that the handles of clay casseroles separated easily, since they mimicked the metal handles that were moulded separately to the original metal casseroles. In the case of the restored and completed Győr specimen the proportion between the handle and the vessel itself is conspiciously awkwardL The relatively deep and voluminous vessel is fitted with a thin and narrow handle. Such a weak handle would soon have been broken if not immediately broken when the casserole was used for such basic functions as holding and pouring liquid. The same possibility is apparent in the case of another, almost intact casserole found in a burial at Matrica Százhalombatta (Figure 14). Although this latter specimen is better proportioned than the casserole found in Győr, in formal terms it may be looked upon as analogous to that artifact. It is obvious, therefore, that these casseroles were not made for practical, everyday use but were decorative vessels serving in cultic activities. In relation to the decorations on the Győr handle, Edit B. Thomas suspected a link to the Terra Mater cult. It is suggested here, however, that these relief ornaments rather display attributes of the Hermes-Mercurius cult. Stylized rams' horns on the top, the male goat or ram standing at the base of the handle as well as the two long-billed birds (possibly cranes) appearing as part of the decoration are all animals sacred to Hermes. Two of the many chores of this deity may be mentioned here. (He is the guide of souls - Psychopompos - who leads the spirit of the deceased safely to the Underworld, or calls on the souls for resurrection from Pandora's jug (not box!). The vessel or basket (cista mistica or panarium), especially shown with a bird nibbling from it, is a symbol of the plenty and joy awaiting the dead. Iconograpic interpretations of the two handles from Brigetio and the Aquincum military town are even more unambiguous. The bunch of grapes shown below the naked figure holding a jug and probably a thyrsus make the identification unquestionable. The character of Dionysos has always been closely linked with the idea of continuously renewing life, lush vegetation, life in the other world and even resurrection. This image is clearly illustrated by a number of adventures from the complications surrounding his birth until his last great deed (when he retrieved his mother, the Goddess Semele from the underworld). By its sheer nature, the character of Eros-Amor is associated with all deities of Greek-Roman mythology by innumerable aspects. Depicting him with a jug may be a reference to the water of life, the waking of Psyche from her deadly sleep. The interpretation of Medusa heads decorating two of the casserole-handles seems more complicated. On the handles of bronze paieras which must have served as mental templates during the manufacturing of these pottery pieces, Medusa heads appear in association with the attributes of Apollo, Fortuna and Mercurius. Within the context discussed here, the use of this motif is not primarily apotropaic as would be the case in the tympanons of tomb steles. It may be connected with less frequently cited mythological events. Aesculapius, the father of medical sciences and the son of Apollo, received two vials full of blood from Athene. Blood taken from the veins running in the left side of the Medusa could be used in resurrecting the dead, while blood from the Medusa's right side caused immediate death. True to his own character, Aesculapius naturally used the first bottle. 251