STEKLENE ZAJEMALKE IZ SEVERNEGA EMONSKEGA GROBIŠČA
LJUDMILA PLESNIČAR
Mestni muzej v Ljubljani
V svojem prispevku o steklenih zajemalkah sem se omejila le na gradivo severnega 
emonskega grobišča, k ije bilo izkopano m ed leti 1961— 1968.1
Čeprav maloštevilne, zavzemajo steklene zajemalke s severnega emonskega grobišča 
v primerjavi z drugimi najdišči Slovenije in Jugoslavije, Italije in zahodnorimskih provinc, 
v repertoarju stekla vidno in važno mesto.
S porastom steklarske obrti sredi 1. stoletja začenjajo ti izdelki včasih zamenjevati 
keramične posode ter mnogokrat tudi imitirajo servise terre sigillate in celo oljenke. P o­
dobno je s steklenimi zajemalkami. K onec 1. stoletja že povsem zamenjajo verjetno dražje 
in kupcem težje dostopne bronaste in srebrne izdelke.
Za razliko od drugih najdišč, Pompejev, Kolina, štajerskih nekropol,2 kjer je znanih 
nekaj zajemalk s horizontalno pritrjenim ročajem {trulla), so vse zajemalke iz severnega 
emonskega grobišča z vertikalno pritrjenim ročajem.
N a podlagi grobnih enot in drugih predmetov je tipološka in kronološka opredelitev 
zajemalk severnega grobišča dobro ugotovljiva. Med najstarejše spada svetlo zelena za­
jemalka, ki s svojo obliko, t.j. prstanastim dnom in polkrožnim trupom povsem posnema 
bronasti izdelek, najden v istem grobu (tab. I, sl. I).3 Kronološko lahko zajemalko opre­
delimo v prvo pol. 1. stoletja, m orda v Klavdijev čas, kar potrjuje krožnik iz terre sigillate, 
tip R itt. 1 in sferično oblikovana keramična steklenica. Potrditev o pravilni kronološki 
opredelitvi teh vrst zajemalk imamo tudi v grobu 408,4 kjer je svetlo zelena zajemalka 
oblikovno podobno izdelana, skupaj s sigilatno skodelico tipa Drag. 24/24, ki časovno ne 
presega polovice 1. stoletja.
Med kronološko mlajše spadajo zajemalke s polkrožno ali cilindrično oblikovanim 
trupom brez prstanastega dna. G robni pridatki krožnikov terre sigiliate, tip Drag. 17 b5 
(tab. I, sl. 2) in skodelice tankih sten z barbotin-ornam entom datirajo ta tip zajemalke 
v čas Flavijcev, t. j. v 2. polovico 1. st. V tretjo tipološko in kronološko najmlajšo obliko 
zajemalk sodijo primerki z nepravilno, včasih valovito, polkrožno ali cilindrično obliko­
vanim trupom , k ijih najdemo skupaj s predmeti s konca 1. stoletja ali na začetku 2. stoletja. 
Nekoliko površno izdelana oblika z nepravilno oblikovanimi stenami daje misliti, da so te 
zajemalke domače izdelave, še posebno zato, ker so v severnem emonskem grobišču najšte­
vilnejše. Najdem o jih v grobovih na prehodu iz 1. v 2. stoletje ter se v nekaterih primerkih 
ohranijo v grobovih iz sredine 2. stoletja6 (tab. I, sl. 4, 5, 6, 7).

7
Tabla I — Plate I. Emona: Steklene zajemalke. Glass Ladles

K akor sem v začetku omenila, so steklene zajemalke glede n a množičnost ostalega 
steklenega inventarja maloštevilne, vendar tipične za severno emonsko grobišče. Vseh 
zajemalk je 19, kar je v primerjavi z drugimi najdišči izredno število, saj v literaturi poznamo 
nekaj podobnih primerkov le iz mest Numaga ob izlivu Rena, Vindonissa, Colchestra in 
Vechtna (rimski Fectio).’ ’
O izvoru steklenih zajemalk iz Em one vemo malo. Zajemalke iz 1. pol. 1. stoletja s 
prstanasto oblikovanim dnom so gotovo im port iz severne Italije ali južnega Sredozemlja. 
Isto lahko rečemo za temno zeleno zajemalko, ki pa časovno sodi v 2. pol. 1. stoletja.8 
Brez dvom a pa so domače izdelave predm eti, ki sem jih opredelila v tretjo skupino z nepra­
vilno oblikovanim trupom, čeprav zaenkrat nimamo nobenih oprijemljivih dokazov o 
steklarski obrti na naših tleh. Lahko pa tudi domnevamo, da je njihova domovina severna 
Italija (Akvileja), od koder prihaja večina izdelkov 1. in 2. stoletja. Povsem pa manjkajo 
med pridatki s k e le tn ih grobov. Prav tako ni znano, da bi bile najdene v naselbinskem 
območju Emone, iz česar lahko sklepamo, da so bile steklene zajemalke v rabi le v 1. in 2. 
stoletju in da so jih rabili ob daritvenih svečanostih pri sežigu pokojnika.
1 L. Plesničar-Gec, Severno emonsko gro­
bišče (1972).
2 C. Isings, Roman Glass from Dated Finds 
(1957), form 75, p. 92, 1957. — S. Pahič, Ma­
ribor v rimski dobi, ČZN, 6 (1970) 190, sl. 15.
3 L. Plesničar-Gec, op. cit. grob 526, tab. 
CXXI, 15.
4 L. Plesničar-Gec, op. cit. grob 408, tab. 
CXI, 8.
5 L. Plesničar-Gec, op. cit. grob 371, tab. 
XCVIII, 9. grob 896, tab. CLXXII, 9.
6 L. Plesničar-Gec, op. cit. grob 35, tab. IX, 
16. V grobu tudi pečatna oljenka FAOR, po 
Loeschkeju tip X. Grob 424, tab. CCII, 8. 
Grob 977, tab. CXCVII, 4. V grobu je bila 
pečatna oljenka FORTIS, po Loeschkeju tip X. 
Grob 194, tab. LV, 8.
7 C. I op. cit. p. 92.
8 L. Plesničar-Gec, op. cit. grob 341, tab. 
CCXXV, sl. 1.
GLASS LADLES FRO M T H E N O R TH ER N CEM ETERY OF EM ONA
Summary
This article on glass ladles is limited to a discussion of the material from the northern cemetery 
of Emona, which was excavated during the years 1961—19681 .
Although few in number, glass ladles from the northern cemetery occupy an important place in 
the total glass inventory, in comparison with other sites in Slovenia and the rest of Yugoslavia, Italy 
and the western Roman provinces.
With the growth of the glass industry in the middle of the 1st century, glass products began 
to replace pottery vessels and often imitated terra sigillata services and even oil lamps. This ten­
dency can also be seen in the case of glass ladles. At the end of the 1st century they were everywhere 
replacing the more expensive and less readily available bronze and silver ware.
In contrast to other sites — Pompeii, Cologne and the Styrian cemeteries2 — where several 
ladles have horizontally affixed handles (trulla), all ladles from the northern Emona graveyard have 
vertically affixed handles.
A typological and chronological classification of ladles from the northern cemetery can be fairly 
accurately made on the basis of grave units and other grave goods. One of the oldest is a light green 
ladle, whose ringed base and semi-spherical bowl completely correspond to the bronze ladle found 
in the same grave (pl. I, fig. I)3 . Chronologically, this ladle belongs to the first half of the 1st century, 
perhaps to Claudius’s reign, which is confirmed by the terra sigillata plate, type Ritt. 1, and the 
spherical ceramic bottle. A confirmation of the accuracy of the chronological classification of this

kind of ladle can be found in grave 4084 , where a similar form can be seen in the light green ladle, 
which was found together with a sigillata cup, type Drag. 24/24, which cannot be later than halfway 
though the 1st century.
A chronologically later type of ladle are those with semi-spherical or cylindrical bowls without 
a ringed foot. Grave goods of terra sigillata plates, type Drag. 17b5 (pl. I, fig. 2) and thin-walled 
cups with a barbotine ornamentation date this type of ladle into the period of the Flavii, in the 
second half of the 1st century. The third, typologically and chronologically youngest form of ladle 
are those with irregular, at times wavy, semi-spherical or cylindrical bowls, and are found together 
with objects from the end of the 1st or beginning of the 2n d centuries. A somewhat shoddily produced 
form with irregular walls supports the idea that these ladles were produced locally, especially as 
they were the most numerous in the northern cemetery of Emona. We find them in graves dating 
from the transitional period at the end of the 1st and beginning of the 2n d centuries and some exam­
ples are also to be found in graves from the middle of the 2n d century6 (pl. I, fig. 4, 5, 6, 7).
As was mentioned at the beginning, the actual number of glass ladles in comparison with the 
large quantity of other glass objects is small. There are a total of 19 ladles, which is an exception­
ally large number in comparison with other sites, as a few similar examples are known only from 
Numag at the mouth of the Rhine, Vindonissa, Colchester and Vechten (Roman Fectioy.
Very little is known about the origin of glass ladles from Emona. Those from the first half of 
the 1st century with a ringed base are certainly imports from northern Italy or the southern Mediter­
ranean. The same can be said of the dark green ladle, although this belongs to the second half of 
the l ts century8 . Those ladles classified in the third group, with irregularly formed bowls, are undoub­
tedly local products, although we do not as yet have any tangible proof that glass-making was a 
trade practised here. We could also theorise that their place of origin was northern Italy (Aquileia) 
where most products of the 1st and 2n d centuries came from.
We find glass ladles in Emona only in cremation graves of the 1st and 2n d centuries. They are not 
found at all among the grave goods of the skeleton graves, neither have they been found within 
the town of Emona itself, from which we may conclude that glass ladles were only in use in the 1st 
and 2n d centuries and were used in the presentation ceremonies at cremation burials.