The Roman bronze situla comes from a collection of archaeological artifacts confiscated at customs and transferred to the holdings of the National Museum of History of Moldova in 2009. Its place of discovery remains unknown.
A situla (Latin for "bucket") is a metal vessel-usually made of bronze-shaped like a pail and equipped with two movable handles at the top, traditionally used for mixing wine with water. The handles are attached to the vessel via two decorated ears that are welded to the rim.
The body of the situla is truncated-conical in shape and features two decorative bands with small circular patterns formed by hammering, located just below the rim.
Its base is double-layered: the inner bottom is hemispherical and hammered, while the outer bottom is flat and lathe-made. The outer base is welded to the inner bottom, serving as the vessel's foot-support.
This object was crafted using a combination of casting, hammering, and partial lathe-finishing. Dimensions: Maximum height - 31.7 cm; Maximum diameter - 22.8 cm; Base diameter - 13.5 cm
Situlae of this type originated in the Roman Empire and were later adopted by various ancient peoples, including those from the northwestern Pontic region.
Галина Кущ, Гульнара Джумабекова, Сергей Демиденко, Галия Базарбаева
A Late Bronze Age hoard with a riveted vessel from East Kazakhstan
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. X [XXV], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Keywords: East Kazakhstan, Bronze Age, hoard, metal tools, cauldron.
Abstract: This article presents a hoard of the Bronze Age metal objects found in the East Kazakhstan region. Paralels to the items from the hoard are found among antiquities of the Andronovo culture of the Altai, the Tien Shan area, Jetysu, Xinjiang. The assemblage from Zaisan published here enlarged the group of hoards typical for the Late Bronze Age. The most interesting objects among the ones included in the hoard are the riveted cauldron and the axe with curved butt and grid decoration.
Archaeological studies revealed the wide distribution of axes with curved butts that allow us to consider them as characteristic instruments of the Late Bronze Age period in the areas of East Kazakhstan, the Altai, Jetysu, Central Asia, and the northern part of Central Asia. Researchers came to the conclusion that this type of axes can be dated to the 12th - 9th (poss. 8th) centuries BC.
Metal vessels of the Late Bronze Age (especially, the copper ones) are rarely found in the eastern part of the Euasian steppes. Besides the cauldron described in the article, some metal vessels were discovered in Central Kzakhstan at the cemeteries of Ashchisu and Nurataldy-1 (20th - 19th centuries BC). Also, similar objects are known among the materials of the Izmailov cemetery in East Kazakhstan, and metal items of the Andreevka hoard from south-eastern Kazakhstan dated to the 12th - 9th (poss. 8th) centuries BC.
Meanwhile, the closest parallels to the cauldron from the Zaisan hoard can be seen in the western part of Eurasia. Taking into account V.S. Bochkarev's classification that consists of three main groups of metal cauldrons, the vessel from East Kazakhstan may occupy an intermediate position between the groups IIB and IIIB. This allows us to date the cauldron to the end of the 13th - 12th centuries BC, while the more probable date for the Zaisan hoard as a whole lays within the range of the 12th - 9th centuries BC.
List of illustrations: Fig. 1. Localization of the hoard in relation to the settlements of Oskemen, Zaisan, Kokjyra, and Daiyr (prepared by D. Duisenbay). Fig. 2. The Zaisan hoard. 1-2 - Chisels; 3-5 - adzes (photo by S. Starikov). Fig. 3. The Zaisan hoard. 1 - Axe; 2 - axe fragment; 3 - punch; 4 - socketed hammer (photo by S. Starikov). Fig. 4. The Zaisan hoard. 1 - Hook; 2 - bronze rings (photo by S. Starikov). Fig. 5. The Zaisan hoard. Metal vessel (photo by S. Starikov).
The Roman bronze situla comes from a collection of archaeological artifacts confiscated at customs and transferred to the holdings of the National Museum of History of Moldova in 2009. Its place of discovery remains unknown....
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
