Consideraţii privind vasele de sticlă edite provenind din aşezările dacice de la est de Carpaţi (secolele II î.Hr. - II d.Hr.)

Abstract

Some Considerations Regarding the Edited Glass Vessels from the East-Carpathian Dacian Settlements (2nd century B.C. – 2nd century A.D.)

In this study the authors aim to present a series of considerations regarding the distribution and circulation of imported glassware in the East-Carpathian territory. The main sources of analysis are represented by the dava fortified settlements like Poiana, Barboşi, Răcătău, Brad and Bîtca Doamnei, which were in that period the nuclei of political authority but also, strong centers of commercial demand. Thus, the Dacian elite were continuously supplied by merchants and craftsmen with Roman-type luxury goods, among which the glass vessels can also be counted. Although the edited glass fragments are until now quite scarce and the most important group of glass fragments comes from Poiana (about 98 fragments) – as can be seen in Graphic No. 1 –, some important observations can be made. By analyzing the data from Graphic No. 2 which shows the percentage recorded by the main categories of glass vessels, we can notice the high values of the tableware (especially all types of bowls, beakers and cups), as compared to  the small amount of unguentaria, which are widespread in large quantities mainly in funerary contexts, throughout the Roman Empire. This situation is somehow similar, in terms of percentage, to the one encountered in the area of free Germans, and it reflects the taste of the barbarian elite for luxury goods of daily use. Another observation can be made in regard to the origin of these goods. Taking into consideration shapes and decorative techniques, it seems that the great majority of the vessels have an oriental origin (Syrian-Palestinian and Asiatic workshops), although we cannot deny the possibility of Italic provenance, at least for some types of beakers and bowls. Their ways of penetration in the East-Carpathian territory are not easy to trace, but we can assume that they came either from the North Pontic area in the case of oriental products, or following the main water routes from the Danube to the Siret River. The hypothesis of a local production, by itinerant craftsmen, can also be taken into consideration, due to the evident high demand. Still, the overall picture is far from being complete. We hope that future study of the unpublished archaeological material stored in museum collections will throw new light on the issue.

Keywords: East-Carpathian region, Geto-Dacian davae, glassvessels, imports.