The Illyrian Burial Place at Zgornja Hajdina near Ptuj

Abstract

Hie results of the most im portant^ discovery of the Illyrian settlem ent on the C astle of P tu j (1946-47) and of the excavation of the Illyrian-H allstatt necropolis in L jubi ja n a (1948-49) — both m ade by Professor Korošec — w ere a series of im portant archaeological data solving chiefly problem s of the Slavonian culture in its final phases; at the sam e tim e those results are throw ing light upon the origin and the first periods of the Iron Age on our te rrito ry . I lie problem s of th at period will be solved by the help of the m aterial of some necropoles w hich has not been sufficiently treated as yet. In our m useum s the m aterial of those necropoles was labelled as »Earlier H allstatt«. It is chiefly from some burying places in the surroundings of M aribor (Pobrežje, Sp. R advanje, M aribor — Titova ulica, Sv. Benedikt v Slov. goricah), from earlier necropoles of Rifnik, Vače, L jubljana, O strožnih, and, finally, from the burying place at Zg. H ajdina near Ptuj. In 1906 at Zg. H ajdina near P tu j a burial place w ith flat bu rn t graves was excavated; the excavations w ere going on in 1907. Two short reports only (see note 3 and 5) w ere published about those investigations by Škabar. The g reater p a rt of the m aterial becam e the property of the Museum of P tu j; some p o tte ry was divided betw een the Museum of M aribor and the Johanneum in Graz. The author is m ainly referring to the objects displayed in the Museum of P tu j and, partly, to the ones of the Museum of M aribor, w ithout considering the m aterial of the Johanneum in G raz as it was not available. The data about the site being scarce it is im possible either to form an opinion about a more, exact w ay of interm ent o r to arran g e th e m aterial according to the graves. Even the num ber of excavated graves is unknown, b u t judging by the objects, th ere m ust have been at least 150 graves. This is w hy we are com pelled to tre a t the object from typological point of view which at the same tim e is the only resource of the following reflections. F irst of all the necropolis of H ajdina has yielded a m ultitude of pottery. Besides tw o m edium -sized urns the graves contained mostly sm aller vessels none of w hich w ere higher than 20 cm. The pottery m ay b e divided into six m ain types : sm aller tw o-handled urns, egg-shaped oval pots, cups w ith ribbon[1]shaped handles rising above the rim, conical or sem i-spherical vessels, terrines and m edium -sized urns. Of all above-m entioned pottery types the most cha[1]racteristic for the H ajdina b u rial place are sm all urns w ith ribbon-shaped handles, and terrines. A fter having analyzed the shapes we m ay form the opinion th a t th e developm ent has taken place from baggy forms w ith a wide rounded-off m axim al periphery and a low cylindrical neck to vessels w ith a conical neck sharply distinguished from the shoulder, to vessels w ith definitely longitudinal necks; the neck had become higher by th e low er p a rt of the vessel having been lowered. In su d i cases the vessel is very conical and has a shatp m axim al periphery. W hen th ere is an ornam ent it does not rep resen t only a decoration, but develops sim ultaneously w ith the shape of the vessels, helping to form a new shape by localizing on a certain p a rt of the vessel, nam ely on the shoulder; thus it is dependent on the shape of the vessel. The developm ent refers m ostly to the neck w hich finally is high, to the sharply distinguished shoulder w hich is pressed deeply dow nw ards, and to the generally biconical shape of the vessel. The earliest types represent d egenerated rem ains of form s w hich in the inventory of the Slavonian culture are labelled as am phorae w ith cylindrical necks and w ith two small handles. T here is-a rich com parative m aterial for th a t type of H ajdina po ttery from the b u rn t graves of the above-m entioned b u rial places at M aribor and its surroundings. Specimens of very sim ilar shapes w ere yielded by some Bosnian sites (Jezerine). O w ing to slight differences in ornam entation it is possible th at, typologically, th e shapes of the Slavonian culture are either the p re[1]cursors of the urns from Jezerine, or th e ir shape m ay h av e'o rig in ated in the south (Dipylon style). A sim ilar developm ent of shapes w hich in my opinion was going on from the Slavonic am phora w ith a cylindric neck and two small handles to the typologically earliest sm all H ajdina urns w ith two sm all handles has tak en place w ith th e type of the L usatian urn. In its latest phases the la tte r is very sim ilar to the shapes of H ajdina, Typologically, also terrin es a re very im portant; here we m ay notice two stages of developm ent. The e a rlier one has m ore rounded-off shapes in its profile; for th e la te r one — as w ith th e above-m entioned small urns — sharp transitions betw een single p arts of the vessel, and th e biconical scheme are characteristic. Also in ornam entation very sim ilar tendencies of developm ent m ay be traced w hich are characteristic for the sm all handled urns. In earlier specim es on the ornam ental base th e re are m otives in th e stru ctu re of w hich tendencies of v ertical dism em bering are united; in la ter specim es a conse[1]quently horizontal motive, is characteristic. A lm ost all H ajdina po ttery is m ade of a w ell-refined clay w hich is m ore o r less m ixed w ith sand, som etim es also w ith mica. The w alls of the vessels are often m echanically polished; it seem s th a t the polishing as well as the ornam entation have taken place in a half-dry stage. The vessels w ere well and intensely bu rn t, the proof thereof being th eir yellow ish brow n and grey colour. Technically, the ornam entation was perform ed by a sim ple cutting-in ; in some cases it was filled by w hite incrustation. Yet also stam ped motives (e. g. im itation of a cord) are found. Among m etal objects are to be m entioned smooth and also torded neck[1]laces w ith backw ards w ound ends, bracelets and finger-rings of tw isted wire, pins w ith conical or round heads, and frequent pins w ith rolled ends (Roll[1]nadel), spectacle fibulae o r fibulae w ith figure 8 loops, one specim en of a double looped violin-bow fibula, and flat bracelets w ith longitudinal ribs. The m ajo rity of pottery shapes of the H ajdina burying place are to be considered as a typological legacy of the Slavonian culture. In the develop[1]m ent of .the shapes of single types we m ay trace certain tendencies of m etam orphosis w hereby single shapes, being characteristic for the earlier Illyrian-H allstatt culture on th a t territory, have developed. W hile w atching this interesting transition of forms we ask: w hat relation is there betw een the representatives of the Slavonian culture and the representatives of the successive culture of the early Iron Age? W hen trying to answ er th at question on the base of typology we have several explanations. F irst: as to the m en[1]tioned typological relation and connection betw een the last Slavonian and early Iron Age culture- we have to do only w ith a sedim entation of earlier forms w hich w ere included into the culture of the representatives of later periods w ith quite an original culture. These later forms w ere transform ed on account of new tendencies of developm ent into types w hich are repre[1]sented at H ajdina, too. In such case w e should have to do w ith two different ethnic groups w hereof the later-arrived one would have taken over some forms from the earlier one on th a t territo ry , and transform ed them in the long run in its own way. Then the tendencies th a t in our w ork have dictated the already m entioned form al m etam orphoses would be the property and characteristics of the second ethnic group, and it would be this group that ought to be considered as the representative of th e Iron Age culture on that territory. Second: the m etam orphosis of a certain shape, e. g. from th e Sla[1]vonian am phora w ith two sm all handles into a double-handled urn from the H ajdina b u rial place m ay be Considered as a continuation of a shape under[1]going a necessary and law ful developm ent, respectively m etam orphosis. In the case of continuity of forms undergoing a developm ent in course of time, we must, bow erer, expect a g reater relation ais to w hat ethnic group the rep re[1]sentatives- of cultural rem ains of the H ajdina and sim ilar b u rial places belong. Beyond doubt it is possible th a t on a certain stage of developm ent the representatives of the Slavonian culture had adopted a new elem ent w hich definitely influenced the typical forms of the Slavonian culture; and it is ju st owing to the tendencies of the new elem ent m aking their infuence felt th at in the long run they lost th eir originality. O nly in th at w ay th e existence of the most elem entary features of the Slavonian culture — which was preserved as a sufficiently convincing elem ent, though degenerated in the transitional and first stages of the Iron Age — can be explained. C on[1]s e q u e n t l y the forms of the S la v o n ia n c u l t u r e w ere t r a n s ­ f o r m e d u n d e r the i n f l u e n c e of new t e n d e n c i e s and owing to the n e c e s s i t y of d e v e l o p m e n t in to ty p e s of vessels w h i c h a r e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of t h e s o - c a l l e d H a l l s t a t t c u l ­ tu r e , or, b e t t e r , of the l a t e r Iron Age c u l t u r e of the Illyrians. This supposition refers, of course, only to our territory. Owing to lack of d ata about the site the chronological definition of the H ajdina b u rial place is rendered rath e r d ifficu lt The relative chronology w ould be the following: The graves of H ajdina are prior to the beginning i. of the burial place at Vače and Rifnik, except some elem ents th at might be chronologically p arallel o r even earlier than th e Illyrian-H allstatt necropolis in L ju b ljan a (1948-49). They are sure to be later than the b u rial place at Pobrežje near M aribor, than the earlier graves from Titova ulica at M aribor, than som e graves from Sp. R adovanja, and th an single specim ens from Sv. Be[1]n ed ik t v Slovenskih goricah. T he low er lim it of absolute chronology is probably represented by the latest elem ents of the H ajd in a b u rial place; these are not p rio r to Benacci II, i. e. to the p erio d of the transition into 8th century. As to the num ber of graves and very different developm ent of shapes in single specim ens of pottery, the b u rial place m ight have originated during th e tran sitio n into 9th century, adm itting th a t some graves m ay be p rio r to th a t date. From typological point of view, m ore especially on account of lack of iron in the graves of H ajdina, we m ay in fe r th a t the m aterial of the H ajdina b u rial place is presenting a p ittu re of the m aterial culture of the transition betw een th e Bronze and Iron Ages.