Einige Bemerkungen zu den römischen Bronzegefäßen in markomannenkriegszeitlichen Fürstengräbern

Abstract

To the two so-called princely graves of Mušov (CS) and Czarnówko (PL), a new elite grave, from Kariv in Western Ukraine, can now be added. Since all three graves are characterized by striking similarities, they can arguably be considered as contemporaneous and placed in the same historical context. Among the most striking grave goods is a set of bronze vessels of a previously unknown type, consisting of a bucket with handle attachments in the form of faces (variants of type E 28) and a cauldron with handle attachments in the form of Germanic busts. Both vessel types are Roman imports, custom-made products that were used as drinking utensils, probably made by mid-2nd century Noric-Pannonian workshops. They were very likely to have been diplomatic gifts presented by the
Romans to leading representatives of the Germanic tribal elites, prior to the Marcomannic Wars. However, the burials in the three grave sites took place at different times; the grave at Mušov appears to be the earliest and the one at Czarnówko the latest.