Naslov
Annular brooches in the archaeological context as a rich source of information – case study of Gora, Croatia

Autori
Belaj, Juraj

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
Medieval material culture in the Carpathian basin (11th‒16th centuries). Small finds between function, use and reuse. Program and Paper Abstracts / - Târgu Mureș : Archaeology and History museum, 2016, 8-9

Skup
Medieval material culture in the Carpathian basin (11th‒16th centuries). Small finds between function, use and reuse

Mjesto i datum
Târgu Mureș, Rumunjska, 08.12.2016. - 10.12.2016

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Nije recenziran

Ključne riječi
Croatia ; Gora ; Annular brooch ; archaeological context

Sažetak
Annular brooches are a relatively common find in the Carpathian Basin. They are an exceptionally interesting type of objects due to their multiple functions that transcends sheer fastening of clothes. In this paper I shall use the example of an annular brooch discovered in a grave adjacent to the Templar church in Gora, Central Croatia, to highlight the various types of information that we can obtain from this type of finds, provided they were discovered in an archaeological context. The Gora find reveals the social status of its bearer, whose female sex is known to us—naturally—based on the results of anthropological analysis of the osteological remains from the grave. Our knowledge of the manner in which the brooch was worn at the time of funeral is based on the position of the find in the grave, while the visible traces of wear tell us also which side of the bifacially decorated brooch was “the right one” during the life of its bearer. The partially coded inscription on the brooch speaks of its apotropaic function, revealing also one of the methods of coding similar inscriptions. Such a concept of the inscription, in combination with other typological features, reveals also the region in which the brooch was made and from which its bearer—most probably—arrived in Croatia. Based on analogies, in combination with the stratification of the site, we can also reach the conclusion about the approximate date of the annular brooch, while the mapping of similar finds helps us to also “map the fashion” of the 13th and 14th centuries. Based on all of this and taking historical sources into consideration, I conclude that the brooch was taken into the grave by a woman of high social status, who arrived in Croatia from France together with the Knights Templar. It is also quite likely that she herself was a member of the Templar Order.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Arheologija

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