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

I. BONE CARVINGS DECORATING WEAPONS AND MILITARY EQUIPMENT - 1. Sword and dagger pommels

Sixty per cents of the bone carvings of the Hungarian National Museum have come from the line of the limes respectively from the area of military camps (Szőny, Dunapentele, Nagytétény, Adony, Pilismarót). Still, it is not the quantity of bone finds belonging to weapons but the richness of forms in the weapon types to be reconstructed which is more remarkable. Almost all forms that can be made of bone occurring in the weaponry of the Empire's soldiers can also be found in the Collection of the Museum. This richness of types as compared to other European provinces can be explained with the ethnic diversity of corps protecting the Pannonian limes. 1. Sword and dagger pommels Literature distinguishes at present two types of bone pommels. In the collection of the Hungarian National Museum there are examples for both types. One type is semi-globular

26 (No. 1.) with a circular bore in the middle for fitting in the metal hilt. These semi-globular pommels occur more seldom than the other, flattened variety. Oldenstein records only two examples of this type. (Zugmantel: 10/11, 15.) In Szőny, too, there is but one semi-spherical pommel while five specimens have remained from the other type. Oldenstein was able to publish only pommels made of ivory, but this find from Szőny was not made of ivory. The analogies mentioned above hint at a possible early dating; the find from Vindonissa is from the middle of the last century. The pommels belonging to the other group

27 (Nos. 2-7.) are special segments fiattemed on both longitudinal sides. The central hole made for the hilt is rectangular. All pommels from Szőny to be ranged into this type were made of ivory. They are varying in size; the smallest belonged most probably to a dagger. This group of pommels — on the basis of their analogies — date from the middle of the 2nd century to the beginning of the 3rd. On early Pannonian tombs large, globular pommels were often represented, however, lacking the appropriate indication of space it is impossible to distinguish the above described two types; similarly we are not able to determine whether the pommels represented on stone carvings were made of bone or wood.

28 The five profiled bone buttons constitute another, minor, decorated variety of pommels applied with bore. Their employment is demonstrated by the enclosed reconstructions. (Fig. 2. and Nos. 8-12.) Fig. 2. Fastening of different bone pommel types