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Roman Sculpture in Pannonia between imports and local production

Roman sculpture as an artistic and sociological phenomenon does not appear before a substantial amount of political and economic interest of Roman society for the territories located in the broader region of Illyricum. The stone monuments or sculptures of stone or marble could be of local origin or could be finished products imported from leading workshop centres. In terms of limestone monuments, clearly these were of local production, as limestone was not imported. The dichotomy of sculpture made of local limestone from that made of imported marble is clearly visible. Local limestone was a material that had enough quality and was easily obtainable at that, and its use became widespread because it was suitable for sculpture even though it did not possess the compactness and shine of marble. It is most unfortunate that marble represented a much sought material that was often employed in a secondary context at a later date, or even used for the production of high-quality mortar, all of which resulted in a modest number of such monuments that somehow survived. A relatively large number of sarcophagi have been found in Pannonia, mostly made of Pohorje marble. They have a tabula in the centre of the coffin, while the lateral fields are roofed over with the so-called Noric volutes. Standing images of the deceased are usually located to the sides of the tabula. The design is closest to that of the Aquileian workshops, but the sarcophagi were produced in Pannonia. However, one relief from Mursa with an image of an unclothed Maenad in the ecstatic dance of a Dionysiac procession comes the reliefs on attic sarcophagi. All Roman marble monuments in Pannonia, sarcophagi included, were sculptured in Noric marbles. The sarcophagus from Bastaji is made of marble from the Pohorje quarries near Ptuj (Poetovio). It can, therefore, reasonably be assumed that it was made in one of the Poetovian workshops, as is also suggested by its artistic style. Since the production and trade of stone (including marble) monuments in the Roman province Pannonia has as yet not been thoroughly investigated, this paper should be considered as a small contribution towards the elucidation of this archaeological problem.

Roman sculpture, Pannonia, import, local production, limestone, marble

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