479
weiter zeitlich gegliedert werden, die Besiedlungsdauer scheint
ebenfalls eher beschränkt gewesen zu sein. Der direkte Vergleich
von Gefäßformen der beiden Siedlungen auf Abb. 19 unterstreicht
die kulturelle Zusammengehörigkeit aufs Engste. Das Fehlen
gewisser Typen im Material aus Rabelčja vas wird eher auf
lokale Besonderheiten und die größere Materialbasis in Dolnji
Lakoš zurückgeführt und scheint nicht auf eine kürzere Dauer
der Siedlung hinzudeuten. Problematisch ist eine Datierung
der beiden Siedlungen, fehlen doch verwertbare Parallelfunde
aus Slowenien. Aufgrund dessen stützt sich eine chronologische
Einordnung auf Funde aus Ungarn, der Slowakei und Mähren,
wo vergleichbares Material vorliegt, das gut in einzelne
Zeithorizonte abgegrenzt werden kann. Eine Analyse aussage-
kräftiger Funde aus Dolnji Lakoš und auch Rabelčja vas ergibt,
dass der Beginn beider Siedlungen am Ende der Mittelbronzezeit
anzusetzen ist, in die Zeit der ausgehenden mitteldanubischen
Hügelgräberkultur. Für die Masse der Funde finden sich
Vergleichsstücke in den Horizonten Vor-Čaka und Čaka in der
Slowakei, Blučina-Kopčany in Mähren und Baierdorf-Lednice
in Niederösterreich. In Zentraltransdanubien im Bereich des
Bakony-Gebirges entspricht dies der älteren und jüngeren Stufe
der Hügelgräberbronzezeit (Bz D bzw. Bz D-Ha A1). Während
die Besiedlung in Dolnji Lakoš spätestens in Ha A abbricht,
deuten vereinzelte unstratifizierte Metallfunde (Keulenkopfnadel,
abgeflachte Kugelkopfnadel) eine etwas längere Benutzung des
Siedlungsareals von Rabelčja vas an, die sich allerdings im
Keramikmaterial nicht abzeichnet. Nach dieser chronologischen
Positionierung der beiden großflächiger erforschten Siedlungen
gibt Dular einen Überblick über die übrigen zeitgleichen Fundorte
in Slowenien. Neben den drei Flachlandsiedlungen Šiman bei
Gotovlje, Črnolica bei Šentjur und Podsmreka bei Višnja Gora,
den Höhensiedlungen Brinjeva gora bei Zreče, Veliki Korinj
und Semenič oberhalb von Gaber pri Semiču sind auch wenige
Grabfunde bekannt geworden. Es sind dies Gräberfunde aus
Podsmreka bei Višnja Gora, Ptuj, Kamnik und zerstörte Gräber
von der Krka. Alle diese Fundstellen haben Material geliefert,
das in formaler oder ornamentaler Hinsicht mit der Virovitica-
Gruppe in Verbindung gebracht wurde.
In einem umfassenden Konspekt werden von Janez Dular
zuerst die westtransdanubischen jungbronzezeitlichen Gruppen
(Bakony- und Balaton-Gruppe), und dann die Gruppen im
Einzugsgebiet der Drau und der Save (Virovitica- und Gređani-
Gruppe) in ihrem Verbreitungsgebiet, kulturellem Habitus und
ihrer chronologischen Stellung referiert. Jedes dieser beiden
Kapitel schließt mit einem Vergleich zwischen Dolnji Lakoš
und den jeweiligen Gruppen, wodurch das weitere Umfeld der
Siedlung im Prekmurje nachgezeichnet wird. Die Gesamtanalyse
ergab, dass das Keramikmaterial von Dolnji Lakoš klare
Verbindungen mit Stücken aus Westtransdanubien, Nordwest-
kroatien und Nordbosnien aufweist. Obwohl die materielle Kultur
dieses größeren Gebietes untereinander enge Parallelen besitzt,
kann Transdanubien und das Einzugsgebiet von Mur, Drau und
Save keineswegs als einheitlicher Kulturraum bezeichnet werden,
fällt doch besonders die Bakony-Gruppe durch ihre
Brandbestattungen in Tumuli aus dem Rahmen, auch die Gređani-
Gruppe weist eigentümliche Bestattungsweisen und -sitten auf.
Das bislang bekannt gewordene jungbronzezeitliche Fundmaterial
aus Slowenien läßt seine Ähnlichkeiten zu Virovitica nicht
verleugnen, und auch Dolnji Lakoš sowie Rabelčja vas verfügen
über viele Berührungspunkte, wenngleich auch Formen vorliegen,
die ihre besten Entsprechungen in den Siedlungen und
Gräberfeldern im Bereich des Balaton finden. Dular betont
deshalb ausdrücklich, dass eine Einordnung der Fundorte von
Slowenien in den Kreis der Virovitica-Gruppe nur als präliminare
Lösung angesehen werden darf. Erst die Publikation der westtrans-
danubischen ungarischen Fundorte wird es ermöglichen, hier
eine präzisere und zuverlässigere Definition anzubieten. Während
die Anbindung von Dolnji Lakoš an östliche bzw. südöstliche
Kulturgruppen evident ist, vermisst man einen Versuch,
Berührungspunkte nach Westen bzw. Nordwesten herauszufiltern.
Obwohl der katastrophale Publikationsstand besonders im
anschließenden Gebiet der österreichischen Steiermark dieses
Unterfangen erheblichst einschränkt, lassen sich aus den wenigen
vorgelegten Funden vielleicht doch Verbindungen herauslesen.
In erster Linie muß dabei an eingedrückte bzw. eingestempelte
Ornamente (Ornament O 16) gedacht werden, die in Dolnji
Lakoš selten vorkommen und in Rabelčja vas zur Gänze fehlen,
hingegen in den weststeirischen zeitgleichen Flachlandsiedlungen
(z. B. Hörbing bei Deutschlandsberg) häufig auftreten und an-
scheinend auf Kontakte zu Gebieten nördlich der Alpen (Salzburg
und Oberösterreich) zurückzuführen sind. Auch die Ähnlichkeit
gewisser Gefäßformen im steirischen Material deutet auf inten-
sivere Beziehungen zu Dolnji Lakoš hin, doch wird eine Beurteilung
erst nach Vorlage der noch unpublizierten großen Materialmengen
möglich sein. Besonders unter diesen Gesichtspunkten wird
abermals die Bedeutung und der große Wert der Monographie
über Oloris / Dolnji Lakoš unterstrichen, die dank ihrer detaillier-
ten Analyse von Befund und Funden sowie der kulturhistorischen
Einordnung einen Grundstein für weitere Arbeiten zur
Jungbronzezeit im Bereich der Ausläufer der Südostalpen,
Westtransdanubiens und dem Drau-Save-Gebiet bildet.
Georg TIEFENGRABER
Borut Križ: Kelti v Novem mestu. Katalog razstave (The Celts
in Novo mesto. Exhibition Catalogue). Dolenjski muzej, Novo
mesto 2001. ISBN 961-6306-04-9. 168 pages, 498 illustrations
(including 32 in colour).
The late Sir Mortimer Wheeler, in the 1950s BBC television
quiz show ‘Animal, vegetable or mineral’, when identifying an
object often used to preface his remarks with the statement
‘Ah, I was there when it was dug up!’. So too with some of the
material from the large cemetery of flat cremation graves on
Kapiteljska njiva which I saw in process of excavation on my
last visit to Novo mesto in 1994. While the total excavation of
the cemetery is planned to continue under the direction of the
author of this sumptious exhibition catalogue until 2005, the
present publication follows on the long tradition of attractive
publications from Novo mesto. Its general format is close to
that another catalogue devoted to earlier finds from the Kapiteljska
njiva cemetery (Križ 1997). Illustrated summaries of the site,
whose prehistory extends back into the late Urnfield period,
have appeared previously, for example in the volume issued to
mark the centenary of Ferdinand Schulz’s pioneering work in
the area (Knez 1990, esp. sl. 80-89), while in 1993 Tone Knez
published what was to be his last important contribution in a
sumptious series on excavations in Novo mesto, devoted to
the great ‘dynastic’ Ha C-D barrow I (Knez 1993).
In the present case, as before, there is a generous selection
of colour photographs - not always, it must be said, as crisply
printed as might be - while the actual catalogue section has
the added bonus of every object being illustrated. Following
the admirable practice of many recent Slovene archaeological
publications, the text is given in toto in an almost perfect English
translation - provided as previously by Phil Mason. In fact, the
exhibition and its catalogue are not restricted to the 708 flat
graves discovered so far on the Kapiteljska njiva, the largest
cemetery of its type and one of the largest in Central Europe.
There is a selection of material from the 63 Middle La Tène
graves from the Kandija site excavated by Tone Knez as well
as some of the finds from the late La Tène settlement discovered
in the course of rescue excavations in the vicinity of the parish
church of Sv. Nikolaj; this is contemporary with the cemetery
at Beletov vrt below the Marof hill-fort which continued into
the Roman period.
The catalogue proper is prefaced by a general introduction
Knjižne ocene in prikazi

480
by Mitja Guštin (pp. 19-38) placing what he firmly terms ‘Celts’
in the context of the later Iron Age - that is, La Tène-archaeology
of Slovenia; he titles, with reason, his opening section ‘The
Celts on the march’ and it would be churlish to pick up some
minor errors, probably due as much as anything to the need
for compression. For example, despite previous claims, there
is no certain evidence for silk in either the late Hallstatt or
early La Tène period in Central Europe with the exception of
a fragment from the Dürrnberg salt-mines. On the other hand,
Guštin offers a valuable summary down to the gradual annexation
of the Balkans by Rome in the first century BC. While pointing
out the difficulties of relating the archaeological evidence to
the wider historical picture in the absence of ancient sources
referring to Slovenia, Guštin largely follows the present orthodoxy
concerning the ethnogenesis of Celtic tribes in Slovenia. He
begins with the arrival of the Taurisci in the middle of the
third century BC - one aspect of the historically attested migrations
which were to bring Celts and Celtic culture to as far east as
the Anatolian Plateau - and their dominance over the local
Illyro-Venetic population. This is represented by the hill forts
and the great barrows of the region containing evidence of the
Middle La Tène material culture of the former that was first
characterised in 1966 by Stane Gabrovec as the ‘Mokronog
group’ after the key cemetery site of that name.
In contrast to the karst region to the south-west there was
little penetration and indeed the local communities remained
virtually independent until the Roman occupation in the first
century; the newcomers seem to have rapidly become
acculturalised. Thus, with regards to their pottery as contrasted
with that found in such cemeteries of the Scordisci along the
Danube further to the east (Karaburma, Pećine) the pottery
found in the graves is mostly of poor quality and sometimes
hand-built with only a few hand-thrown carinated bowls and
miniature vases to compare with the normal repertoire of
contemporary Middle La Tène fine wares. Guštin is puzzled
by the realtive frequency of coil-built pottery (a better term
than ‘hand-thrown’ used in the catalogue). However, there are
other examples of local pottery side by side with rich warrior
graves - for example in the case of the so-called ‘Arras culture’
graves of North-eastern Yorkshire, best explained as the
continuance of local pottery traditions in a community to a
lesser or greater degree intrusive to the region. Vessels such as
the famous kantharos with its human- and monster-heads from
Kandija grave 40 (cat. no.532; Knez 1990, sl. 90-92) must be
regarded like that from Blandiana in north-western Romania,
as imports, outliers of a distribution centred on the Danube
Valley. Whether however there is a stylistic link between the
faces on the Kandija kantharos and the well-known pair of fourth-
century bronze fingerrings from Vače as claimed by Guštin is
another matter entirely.
Guštin is on surer ground when emphasising the warrior
element emphasised in the grave archaeology of Novo mesto
where both the burial rite and associated grave goods - weapons,
shears, single-edged knives (‘Hiebmesser’) and animal bones,
most frequently of pig, are typical of Middle La Tène groups
from Western France to the Balkans. A useful summary of the
complexities of the relative chronology of the region emphasises
the differences between Middle La Tène (LT C) which in general
- though not in detail; see above - is typical of the south-eastern
Balkans while the late period (LT D) as exemplified by the
Beletov vrt cemetery contains some Roman imports and shows
contacts with western Balkan neighbours as well as a range of
local types.
Following, Guštin’s essay is a longer analysis (pp. 53-70)
of the various classes of material represented in the later Iron
Age graves of Novo mesto preceded by a brief summary and
detailed location maps for each of the four main cemeteries
and concluding with a brief but useful polyglot bibliography.
Križ comments that the occasional occurrence of early La Tène
objects such as the typical example of a bronze LT B1 ‘Duchcov’
brooch from Kapiteljska njiva grave VII / 37 must be interpreted
as trade goods (?heirlooms); a similar pedigree might be suggested
for the ‘bent (finger-) rings’ one in silver and one in bronze
respectively from Kapiteljska njiva graves 436 and 656; such
finger-rings are typical of LT Ic graves from the Swiss plateau
but occur right across the track eastwords of Celtic migration.
Križ offers a summary of the various classes of artefacts
represented in the Novo mesto cemeteries of the La Tène period
- ‘Weapons and [military] equipment’; ‘Dress fittings [sic; better
‘accessories’] and ornaments’; ‘Pottery’; ‘Coinage’ - the only
coinage are two first-century BC silver tetradrachms of the
‘Samobor’ type (Kos 1977, esp. Kat. Nr. 22A-B) from the Beletov
vrt; and ‘Metal vessels’ - again only two examples also from
late graves in the Beletov vrt. Here I can only draw attention
to one class of artefact which has for me a particular interest;
this is the decorated iron sword scabbard as occur on twelve
of the more than 100 swords so far recovered from the Kapiteljska
njiva graves. What is particularly noticeable is the variety of
styles represented by the decorated scabbards - as of course is
the case of the most remarkable of all Middle La Tène weapon
finds. This is the sanctuary site of Gournay-sur-Aronde, Oise
with more than 700 swords, 40 of which having been shown to
have been decorated. In contrast, the type-site of La Tène, Marin-
Épagnier, Ct. Neuchâtel where of some 160 swords recovered
from the lake about a quarter had decorated scabbards shows
greater conformity of styles, allowing retention of the term
‘Swiss sword style’ or, more properly, ‘Swiss sub-style’. Of the
Kapiteljska njiva scabbards those from graves 239, 522 and
642 fit very much into the conventions of the Swiss scabbards
and the presence of punched surface decoration or ‘chagrinage’
as found on the grave 239 and at other Slovene site such as
Veliko Mraševo indicates clearly that on occasion we must be
dealing with importations - or foreign settlement - rather than
local manufacture. Other scabbards, particularly that from grave
115, fall within the ‘vegetal- based’ conventions of the other
main sub-style, that found mainly but far from exclusively on
Hungarian soil. But one must observe caution; when compared
with the ‘classic’ examples as found in the great cemeteries of
Kosd, Nógrád mm. and Szob, Pest of the Budapest region -
both alas still waiting complete publication - the scabbard from
grave 115 appears as very poor workmanship. As with other
LT C weapon finds outside the main area of fine metalwork
production such as those from the so-called ‘Gailtal’ hoard
actually from Förker Laas Riegel in Carinthia, one may postulate
local imitations of unfamiliar forms by local craftsmen. There
are also several examples of that ubiquitous heraldic badge,
the so-called ‘dragon pair’ most clearly to be seen on the sword
scabbard from grave 555 which belongs to De Navarro’s earliest
form, his Type II which appear first of all in LT B1-2. These
‘dragon pairs’, whatever their significance, have a distribution
from the northern Balkans to Iberia in the south-west and the
River Thames in the north-west; they now number about 150
and more continue to be found by excavation of new material
or re-examination of old finds (see most recently Frey 1995,
esp. pp. 169-171).
The other important Slovene sites contemporary with
Kapiteljska njiva - Dobova, Brežice, Formin and sites in the
Celje region exhibit much the same range of material, the quality
and variety of particularly the material equipment contrasting
with the - mostly - poor level of pottery and other domestic
objects. This contrasts with the situation in Transdanubia and
Lower Austria (see most recently Ramsl 2002) where large-
scale cemeteries and matching settlements exhibit all the features
of ‘classic’ developed La Tène forms - including a wide range
of fine wheel-turned pottery. What was the situation in Slovenia?
Are we dealing with the last resting places of the first military
groups moving south and east into the Balkans - or more likely
their immediate descendants? Have we the intermingling of
Knjižne ocene in prikazi

481
an intrusive and largely male group with the local population?
Whatever may be the correct answer, these communities remained
in touch with the latest developments in military equipment,
in particular fine swords and their decorated scabbards; nothing
so clearly establishes the complex and widespread nature of
such contacts.
All this and much, much more is inspired by the publication
which I have before me but not everything in the Dolenjski
muzej is perfect. In his ‘Forward’ (sic) to Kelti v Novem mestu
the current Director of the Dolenjski muzej, Zdenko Picelj
concludes his remarks with a hard-hutting appeal for some
semblance of adequate support for the Museum and its work,
starting off with a new purpose-built building. Looking at the
photographs of metalwork included in this catalogue, one can
guess that an on-going programme of conservation is also a
priority.
As I have remarked, this has not been the place for detailed
discussion of the results of this fascinating and still on-going
research. Such must await the full publication of the material
- as one waits also for full publication of other of the interesting
La Tène cemeteries in Slovenia such as Dobova and Brežice,
not to mention, from Serbia, Pećine. Recent decades have certainly
not made such work easy and one must hope for a better research
environment in the future.
I have made mention of the distinguished tradition of
publications emanating from the Dolenjski muzej. Indeed over
the last two decades the former Jugoslavia in general and Slovenia
in particular has been well supplied with publications on the
La Tène period whether they be in other catalogues of special
exhibitions (Božič 1983; Pirkmajer 1991; Tasić 1992) or overviews
(Guštin 1984; Jovanović, Božič 1987) not to mention more
general surveys placing the region within its wider geographical
and cultural conrext (Szabó et al. 1983; id. 1991; id. 1992).
Indeed, what is wanted now is an up-to-date synthesis which
will incorporate the wealth of recent discoveries within the
framework of current European research into the period.
Notwithstanding, I began this brief review on a personal note
and I may conclude in similar vein. My first visit to Novo mesto
was in 1969 and from then until his untimely death Tone Knez
used to keep me supplied with his latest publications accompanied
by comments written in a somewhat old-world English that Sir
Mortimer Wheeler himself would have approved of - though
Tone himself never visited an English-speaking country. Several
of the finds from his earlier excavations find their place in the
present catalogue - including of course the splendid kantharos
from Kandija grave 40 (here cat. no. 532; see also Knez 1990,
sl. 90-92). Despite the obvious need for better resources, I’m
sure Tone would approve of the way in which his work is being
continued; indeed I can hear him say: ‘Good show, old chap,
good show …’
BOŽIČ, D. (ed.) 1983, ΚΕΛΤΟΙ. Kelti in nijhovi sodobniki na
ozemlju Jugoslavije (Die Kelten und ihre Zeitgenossen auf
dem Gebiet Jugoslawiens). - Ljubljana.
FREY, O.-H. 1995, Some Comments on Swords with Dragon-
Pairs. - In: B. Raftery, V. Megaw, V. Rigby (eds.), Sites and
Sights of the Iron Age. Essays on Fieldwork and Museum Research
presented to Ian Mathieson Stead, Oxbow Monograph 56,
163-176, Oxford.
GABROVEC, S. 1966, Srednjelatensko obdobje v Sloveniji. -
Arh. vest. 17, 169-242 = Kelti v Sloveniji.
GUŠTIN, M. 1984, Die Kelten in Jugoslawien. Übersicht über das
archäologische Fundgut. - Jb. Röm. Germ. Zentmus. 31, 305-363.
JOVANOVIĆ, B. and D. BOŽIČ 1987, Keltska kultura u Jugoslaviji.
- In: Praist. jug. zem. 5, Željezno doba, 803-899, Sarajevo.
KNEZ, T. 1990, Sto let arheoloških raziskovanj v Novem mestu
(Hundert Jahre archäologische Forschungen in Novo mesto.
1890-1990). - Novo mesto.
KNEZ, T. 1993, Novo mesto III, Kapiteljska njiva. Knežja gomila
(Fürstengrabhügel). - Carn. Arch. 3, Novo mesto.
KOS, P. 1977, Keltski novci Slovenije (Keltische Münzen Sloweniens).
- Situla 18.
KRIŽ, B. 1997, Kapiteljska njiva. Novo mesto. Katalog arheološke
razstave. - Novo mesto.
PIRKMAJER, D. 1991, Kelti na Celjskem. Arheološka razstava
Pokrajinskega muzeja Celje. - Celje.
RAMSL, P. C. 2002, Das eisenzeitliche Gräberfeld von Pottenbrunn.
- Fundber. a. Österr. Materialh. A 11, Wien.
SZABÓ, M. 1991, The Celts and their movements in the third
century BC. - In: S. Moscati: (ed.), The Celts, 303-319, Milano.
SZABÓ, M. 1992, Les Celtes de l’est. Le second âge du fer dans
la cuvette des Karpates. - Paris.
SZABÓ, M. et al. 1983, L’expansion des Celtes de la Gaule vers
l’Orient. - Histoire et archéologie. Les dossiers 77.
TASIĆ, N. (ed.) 1992, Scordisci and the Native Population in
the Middle Danube Region (Skordisci i starosedeoci u Podunavlju).
- Pos. izd. Balk. inst. SANU 48.
J. V. S. MEGAW
Marjeta Šašel Kos: Pre-Roman divinities of the eastern Alps
and Adriatic. Situla 38. Ljubljana 1999. 227 S., 75 Abb. ISBN
961-6 16 9-11- 4. Mit SW-Fotos und Karten, Abkürzungsverzeichnis,
Bibliographie, Gesamtindex.
Das Buch geht aus einer längeren Beschäftigung der Autorin
[vgl. “Autochthonous Cults between Emona and Poetovio” in:
Jenő Fitz (ed.), Religions and Cults in Pannonia (Székesfehérvár
1998) 17-22 und “Sacred Places and Epichoric Gods in the
Southern Alpine Area - Some Aspects” in: Les cultes polythéistes
dans l’Adriatique romaine, Séminaire Bordeaux, 1997, Textes
réunis par Christiane Delplace et Francis Tassaux. Ausonius-
publications, Études 5 (Bordeaux 2000) 27-51] mit dem Thema
hervor und besteht aus einem Vorwort und acht eigenständigen
Beiträgen von unterschiedlicher Länge. Vier davon sind
überarbeitete Versionen publizierter Aufsätze (The Goddess
Aecorna in Emona; Matres Magnae in Salonae - a Note; Savus
and Adsalluta; Iuppiter Depulsor - a Norican Deity?); vier weitere
wurden eigens für das Buch verfaßt (From Fons Timavi to Aecorna
in Savaria: Epichoric and Imported Divinities; Histrian and
Liburnian Goddesses; The World of Local Divinities from Celeia
and Its Territory; Nutrices Augustae Deae). Wiederholungen
sind dabei unvermeidlich, fallen aber nicht ins Gewicht;
Druckfehler sind fast keine vorhanden (p. 41 Poggendorf - richtig:
Poggersdorf; p. 55 Tiefen - richtig: Tiffen). Jeder Beitrag enthält
eine Übersichtskarte mit den darin genannten Orten und
qualitätvolle Inschriftenfotos. Im Schlußbeitrag werden die
lokalspezifischen Kultdenkmäler der Nutrices aus Poetovio
katalogmäßig aufgelistet, wobei die soziale Bedeutung des Kultes
aus der Analyse der Inschriften hervorgeht. Auffällig ist, daß
zumeist der Kindesvater als Dedikant auftritt [siehe weiters:
M. Šašel Kos, The Nutrices of Poetovio - Three Lost Fragments,
in: M. Vomer Gojkovič u.a. (Hg.), Ptuj v Rimskem cesarstvu.
Mitraizem in njegova doba, Archaeologia Poetovionensis 2 (Ptuj
2001) 343-347].
Das Werk hat also kein einheitliches Gepräge, bietet aber
eine nützliche und längst fällige Studie [vgl. eine ältere Liste
bei G. Alföldy, Noricum (London, Boston 1974) 239-241: Appendix
IV “Celtic names of deities in Noricum”] zu Quellensituation
und Sekundärliteratur. Trotz der hohen Informationsdichte ist
eine gut lesbare Darstellung gelungen, wozu das präzise und
leicht verständliche Englisch wesentlich beiträgt. Leider fehlt
ein Inschriftenregister, was den Nutzen der Arbeit als
Nachschlagewerk erhöht hätte.
Quellentheoretische und religionswissenschaftliche Ansätze
werden zwar nicht ausdrücklich erörtert, doch geht manches
Knjižne ocene in prikazi