Zur Struktur und dem Zustandekommen reicher Geschirrinventare römischer Herkunft der Stufen B2/C1, C1 und C2 im südskandinavischen Barbaricum – ein Diskussionsbeitrag

Abstract

In southern Scandinavia, the goods produced in the Roman Empire, primarily eating and drinking vessels, have so far been analysed mainly on the basis of burials. On the one hand the spatial heterogeneity of funerary rites and grave goods has received insufficient attention, and on the other, supraregional comparisons with other Barbarian regions are still largely lacking. In contrast to other regions, however, many of the Roman small finds, especially those with military connotations, are quite rarely found in the North. This also applies to samian ware and basaltic lava quern stones. Analysis of inhumations from phases C1 and C2 on the Island of Zealand has clearly shown that both the extent and composition of the Roman tableware deviate markedly from corresponding finds in continental  Europe, for example from the area of the so-called Haßleben-Leuna group. Imported eating vessels are thus largely absent from the  Danish island, while drinking vessels predominantly consist of the stereotypical combination of a non-ferrous metal bucket, a ladle/sieve set, and one or more drinking glasses. The other elements are locally produced ceramic or wooden vessels. In addition, the combination of glass vessels and buckets in the graves indicate that it was probably not individual items but rather fixed combinations of vessels that came northwards, and these can be divided into eastern and western sets of tableware according to their distribution patterns in the Barbarian territory. Although both a compilation of grave inventories and, to some extent, a spatial analysis of the inhumations result in a typical combination of vessels, this must not be interpreted as evidence of the adoption of “Roman drinking customs” through direct observation – especially when compared with Central German inhumations with Roman imports. The
range and composition of Roman tableware in the inhumations on Funen clearly differs from that found on Zealand. The Funen assemblages are much more similar to Central European features and, together with other artefacts, may also indicate individual links
between the deceased and their families and people in Central Germany. Nevertheless, we can state that no close connections can be made apparent between the southern Scandinavian region and the Roman provincial area through the tableware found in graves;
instead, one could perhaps make a case for various degrees of transformation between the Roman regions and the Barbarian territories, as exemplified by gifts of precious objects in the mouths of the deceased (Charon’s obol). Displaying a “Roman” style in the selection of vessels as grave goods in the North clearly played a secondary role in favour of concepts such as “élite”, “exotic”, or “unique”.