- Roman Army, Archaology, Celtic Archaeology, Underwater Archeology, Ancient Shipwrecks, Ancient Weapons and Warfare, and 13 moreLate Iron Age (Archaeology), Mesolithic Archaeology, La Tene Period in Middle Europe, Roman aqueducts and water supply, Underwater Archaeology, Roman military archaeology, Roman Period, Maritime Archaeology, Archaeology of Roman Pannonia, Przeworsk culture, La Tene culture, Medieval Swords, and Gallo-roman sanctuariesedit
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In: TURK, Peter, Janka ISTENIČ, Timotej KNIFIC, Tomaž NABERGOJ (eds.) 2009, Ljubljanica – a River and its Past. – Ljubljana : Narodni muzej Slovenije.
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Underwater survey of the bed of the Bistra stream on the Ljubljansko barje, in the area of the Mali Otavnik fallow, uncovered remains of a pile-dwelling settlement from the Early Bronze Age. The site revealed a layer of sand... more
Underwater survey of the bed of the Bistra stream on the
Ljubljansko barje, in the area of the Mali Otavnik fallow, uncovered remains of a pile-dwelling settlement from the Early Bronze Age. The site revealed a layer of sand with organic detritus that had been deposited around wooden piles and contained remains of ceramic vessels, stone flakes and tools as well as unworked animal bone remains. Particularly noteworthy among the ceramic vessels are fragments of cups and a jug of fine grey pottery decorated with cord impressions as well as more numerously represented coarse belly-shaped vessels with funnel necks. The settlement is situated on the westernmost edge of the distribution area of the Litzen pottery and supplements the fragmentary knowledge of
the final phase of the pile-dwelling sites in the Ljubljansko barje. It is dated, through radiocarbon analysis, between the end of 21st and beginning of the 18th century BC. Also surveyed was the deeper lying part of the stream bed parallel to the remains of the pile-dwelling site. It revealed pottery comparable to that around the piles, but also an axe made of red deer antler, a harpoon of caprine horn and some fragments of vessels with analogies in the settlement and burial contexts from the area between central Slovenia, the Kras, Istria and Lika. These finds may represent traces of a later settlement phase from the final part of the Early Bronze Age or from the Middle Bronze Age.
Ljubljansko barje, in the area of the Mali Otavnik fallow, uncovered remains of a pile-dwelling settlement from the Early Bronze Age. The site revealed a layer of sand with organic detritus that had been deposited around wooden piles and contained remains of ceramic vessels, stone flakes and tools as well as unworked animal bone remains. Particularly noteworthy among the ceramic vessels are fragments of cups and a jug of fine grey pottery decorated with cord impressions as well as more numerously represented coarse belly-shaped vessels with funnel necks. The settlement is situated on the westernmost edge of the distribution area of the Litzen pottery and supplements the fragmentary knowledge of
the final phase of the pile-dwelling sites in the Ljubljansko barje. It is dated, through radiocarbon analysis, between the end of 21st and beginning of the 18th century BC. Also surveyed was the deeper lying part of the stream bed parallel to the remains of the pile-dwelling site. It revealed pottery comparable to that around the piles, but also an axe made of red deer antler, a harpoon of caprine horn and some fragments of vessels with analogies in the settlement and burial contexts from the area between central Slovenia, the Kras, Istria and Lika. These finds may represent traces of a later settlement phase from the final part of the Early Bronze Age or from the Middle Bronze Age.
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The exceptional Late La Tène style scabbard and its sword discussed in this contribution are today kept in the Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins, but came there from the international antiquities market, more precisely from Christie’s... more
The exceptional Late La Tène style scabbard and its sword discussed in this contribution are today kept in the Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins, but came there from the international antiquities market, more precisely from Christie’s auction house
in London, which reported its origin in an old private collection in Germany. The scabbard, made of silver and copper alloy, is in excellent condition, with a large part of the sword surviving in its interior. It is a representative example of the Late La Tène style scabbards with openwork mounts. These objects were in use roughly between 40/30 BC and the first few decades AD, mainly in the south-eastern Alps, the Moselle Basin and the middle reaches of the Rhine, but also between the southern Baltic coast and the Rivers Vistula and Odra. The technological features, particularly the probable use of brass, as well as individual decorative elements suggest that these items of prestige were produced in Roman workshops for the prominent members of the Celtic, Germanic and Thracian military elites. The condition of the scabbard indicates that the weapon most probably came from a watery context, possibly on the territory of the Taurisci between the Ljubljansko barje and the lower Krka valley, which is an area known for such finds of weaponry.
in London, which reported its origin in an old private collection in Germany. The scabbard, made of silver and copper alloy, is in excellent condition, with a large part of the sword surviving in its interior. It is a representative example of the Late La Tène style scabbards with openwork mounts. These objects were in use roughly between 40/30 BC and the first few decades AD, mainly in the south-eastern Alps, the Moselle Basin and the middle reaches of the Rhine, but also between the southern Baltic coast and the Rivers Vistula and Odra. The technological features, particularly the probable use of brass, as well as individual decorative elements suggest that these items of prestige were produced in Roman workshops for the prominent members of the Celtic, Germanic and Thracian military elites. The condition of the scabbard indicates that the weapon most probably came from a watery context, possibly on the territory of the Taurisci between the Ljubljansko barje and the lower Krka valley, which is an area known for such finds of weaponry.
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In: TURK, Peter, Janka ISTENIČ, Timotej KNIFIC, Tomaž NABERGOJ (eds.) 2009, Ljubljanica – a River and its Past. – Ljubljana : Narodni muzej Slovenije.
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The article discusses 14 iron objects, kept by a local collector in Velenje, which are supposed to have come from an as yet unknown Celtic warrior grave at Slatina v Rožni dolini near Celje. A sword with a scabbard, a belt set, a shorter... more
The article discusses 14 iron objects, kept by a local collector in Velenje, which are supposed to have come from an as yet unknown Celtic warrior grave at Slatina v Rožni dolini near Celje. A sword with a scabbard, a belt set, a shorter spear head, a shield umbo, scissors, a razor, and fibulae form a characteristic inventory of a male burial from the late phase of the middle La Tène period (LT C2), and corresponds well both with the chronology and the forms of the other material from Slatina. Among the objects, which display a similar degree of patina and preservation, stand out an slashing knife (Hiebmesser) with a rivet, the first such find in the territory of the Mokronog Group, a decorated curved knife, and a forked tool, which primarily have analogies in the late La Tène graves from the region of the Scordisci, as well as a longer spear head. The possibility cannot be excluded that some of the objects could have been excavated from later burials, but they could also come from illegal excavations in the Danubian basin.
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Eleven Augustan cremation graves were found in two groups adjacent to the northern wall of Roman Emona (Ljubljana, Slovenia). These are the earliest known Roman graves from the Ljubljana basin. Amongst these, there are two military... more
Eleven Augustan cremation graves were found in two groups adjacent to the northern wall of Roman Emona (Ljubljana, Slovenia). These are the earliest known Roman graves from the Ljubljana basin. Amongst these, there are two military graves. These findings raise in- triguing questions about the origins of the deceased and the relationship between Early Roman graves and the prehistor- ic tumulus necropolis, as well as Roman military and civil finds dating to approximately the same period, and from the central Ljubljana area
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The contribution discusses the phenomenon of the unusually high number of medieval swords recovered from the River Ljubljanica in its stretch across the Ljubljansko barje. The majority of the over 56 sword finds is marked by an absence or... more
The contribution discusses the phenomenon of the unusually high number of medieval swords recovered from the River Ljubljanica in its stretch across the Ljubljansko barje. The majority of the over 56 sword finds is marked by an absence or lack of context data, which call for a more in-depth analysis of the so-called internal markers of individual finds, such as the state of preservation upon discovery, traces of damage or manipulation and presence/absence of scab- bard remains. The results of this analysis add to those of the typo-chronological analysis of weapons and even, to a certain degree, help focus the study on the interpretations or hypotheses concerning the circumstances and causes that brought the swords to the bottom of the river. Given the results of the analyses, the author argues that the chronological structure of the swords, with a peak between the 12th and the mid-14th century, coupled with difficulties in categorising such finds from later periods, a relative paucity of the finds of contemporary pole weapons, as well as horse and riding gear that would suggest more intensive movements in the riparian areas, a concentrated occurrence of swords in certain sections of the riverbed and finally limited risks of accidental loss deriving from the natural environment largely exclude the possibility of repeated accidental loss and support the supposition of an important part of the weapons under discus- sion being immersed as the result of conscious decisions or intent.
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MASON, Phil, LOVENJAK, Milan, KOSI, Miha, GOLEC, Boris, GASPARI, Andrej, WEISS, Janez, Črnomaljski zbornik : zbornik historičnih razprav ob 780-letnici prve omembe naselja in 600-letnici prve omembe Črnomlja kot mesta. Črnomelj: Občina,... more
MASON, Phil, LOVENJAK, Milan, KOSI, Miha, GOLEC, Boris, GASPARI, Andrej, WEISS, Janez, Črnomaljski zbornik : zbornik historičnih razprav ob 780-letnici prve omembe naselja in 600-letnici prve omembe Črnomlja kot mesta. Črnomelj: Občina, 2008.
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From the discovery of the famous Ljubljana cargo ship of sewn construction onwards, excavated in 1890/1891 at the site of Brezov log near Lipe in the Ljubljansko barje (Ljubljana Moor), other important remains of capable watercrafts came... more
From the discovery of the famous Ljubljana cargo ship of sewn construction onwards, excavated in 1890/1891 at the site of Brezov log near Lipe in the Ljubljansko barje (Ljubljana Moor), other important remains of capable watercrafts came to light in the Ljubljanica riverbed, in the area of ancient Nauportus (present-day Vrhnika, Slovenia) that provide physical evidence for the writings of ancient Greek geographers who report on large-scale waterborne cargo traffic between the Latin colony of Aquileia, on the one side, and the Transalpine Celts in the hinterland of the northern Adriatic and the peoples of the Danubian regions, on the other.
The book focus on the results of the preventive underwater research of the Ljubljanica riverbed conducted in 2015 at Vrhnika. This revealed an approximately 14.5 m long and 1.38 m wide oak logboat from the late 2nd c. BC, with repairs and features of presumed Mediterranean origin. These include the use of woollen textile soaked in resin for caulking of the joint between substituted half of bow and parent log as well as an unlocked mortice and tenon joint featuring on detached board of approximately the same age (but of yet unverified provenance). Excavations also partially exposed the wreck of a contemporary sewn cargo ship, with constructional details very similar to those of the Lipe (Ljubljana) ship that make it one of the earliest known representatives of the Northern Adriatic shipbuilding tradition. Both add to the important role that the trade and military post at Nauportus played in the transfer and innovation of naval technology at the end of prehistory and in the early period of the Italic/Roman presence in the region.
The book focus on the results of the preventive underwater research of the Ljubljanica riverbed conducted in 2015 at Vrhnika. This revealed an approximately 14.5 m long and 1.38 m wide oak logboat from the late 2nd c. BC, with repairs and features of presumed Mediterranean origin. These include the use of woollen textile soaked in resin for caulking of the joint between substituted half of bow and parent log as well as an unlocked mortice and tenon joint featuring on detached board of approximately the same age (but of yet unverified provenance). Excavations also partially exposed the wreck of a contemporary sewn cargo ship, with constructional details very similar to those of the Lipe (Ljubljana) ship that make it one of the earliest known representatives of the Northern Adriatic shipbuilding tradition. Both add to the important role that the trade and military post at Nauportus played in the transfer and innovation of naval technology at the end of prehistory and in the early period of the Italic/Roman presence in the region.
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Preventive underwater archaeological surveying in the bed of the Ljubljanica River, conducted at Sinja Gorica in 2008, revealed the remains of an Early Roman wooden barge from the beginning of the 1 st century AD. Detailed documentation... more
Preventive underwater archaeological surveying in the bed of the Ljubljanica River, conducted at Sinja Gorica in 2008, revealed the remains of an Early Roman wooden barge from the beginning of the 1 st century AD. Detailed documentation of the 4.5m long and 2.8m wide section of the boat followed in October 2012 and included photogrammetric three-dimensional modelling. The construction characteristics and size revealed a boat of the Mediterranean shipbuilding tradition, with an elongated oval shape and a flat bottom and vertical sides, constructed using the shell-first technique and planks fastened with iron clamps, while the hull was reinforced with floor-timbers in a manner not yet published in the relevant literature. The barge, made mostly of beech wood, was built soon after AD 3 according to the dendro-chronological analysis. The wood is very poorly preserved. The barge was presumably used to transport cargo between Nauportus and Emona.
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In: TURK, Peter, Janka ISTENIČ, Timotej KNIFIC, Tomaž NABERGOJ (eds.) 2009, Ljubljanica – a River and its Past. – Ljubljana : Narodni muzej Slovenije.
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In: TURK, Peter, Janka ISTENIČ, Timotej KNIFIC, Tomaž NABERGOJ (eds.) 2009, Ljubljanica – a River and its Past. – Ljubljana : Narodni muzej Slovenije.
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This article deals with an underwater site in the Savinja River near Celje. Numerous objects ranging in date from the UrnfieldCulture period to the recent past were discovered during regulationsof the river bed. Of particular interest was... more
This article deals with an underwater site in the Savinja River near Celje. Numerous objects ranging in date from the UrnfieldCulture period to the recent past were discovered during regulationsof the river bed. Of particular interest was a find of Norican silver coins, evaluated as including at least 10,000 coins. Particular attention was paid to the study of how the site was formed and the provenience of the artifacts, as well as to the use of virtual reconstructionof the discovered topographical situation. Through the analysis of thearchaeological evidence and the morphology of the broader region,Seidl’s theory of the bifurcation of the Savinja River and a Romansettlement on an isle was again presented and additionally illuminated. The article includes a description of a small bronze statuette of Harpocrates, while the catalogue includes 78 specimens of typicalmetal finds with specific locations of discovery
In: Nase jame 41, 1999, pp. 100-104.
Early endeavours of cave diving in Kolpa (Kupa) spring and search for a cave with possible paleolithic mammoth painting, allegedly situated in vicinity.
Early endeavours of cave diving in Kolpa (Kupa) spring and search for a cave with possible paleolithic mammoth painting, allegedly situated in vicinity.
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The contribution presents three stray finds of iron spearheads with decorated blades; one from Britof near Kranj and the other two from the riverbed of the Ljubljanica in the western part of the Ljubljansko barje (Slovenia). The spearhead... more
The contribution presents three stray finds of iron spearheads with decorated blades; one from Britof near Kranj and the other two from the riverbed of the Ljubljanica in the western part of the Ljubljansko barje (Slovenia). The spearhead from Britof has close parallels in Pomerania and the Scandinavian Baltic Isles, indicating its most probable origin in the area inhabited by the ‘East Germanic’ cultural groups of the late pre-Roman Iron Age. The two spearheads from the Ljubljanica also rank among rare forms, with parallels known across wide regions between the south-western edges of the Alps and the southern coast of
the Baltic Sea. Both are most likely local ‘Celtic’ products, with decoration again close to that on spearheads from the ‘Germanic’ milieu. These exceptional artefacts might perhaps be associated with the movements of Germanic peoples between the late 2nd and the mid-
1st century BC.
the Baltic Sea. Both are most likely local ‘Celtic’ products, with decoration again close to that on spearheads from the ‘Germanic’ milieu. These exceptional artefacts might perhaps be associated with the movements of Germanic peoples between the late 2nd and the mid-
1st century BC.