Journal Analele Banatului N.S. Archaeology-History

Daniela Tănase

Observații cu privire la ploscuțele de pelerin cu reprezentarea Sfântului Mina, din epoca romano-bizantină, aflate în colecția Muzeului Național al Banatului / Remarks about the Late Roman and Byzantine pilgrim flasks (ampullae) of Saint Menas from the collection of National Museum of Banat

Jan. 1, 2018

Abstract

The collection of National Museum of Banat (Timişoara) had two artifacts belonging to the Coptic art, coming from the North-West Egypt. These two pilgrim flasks of Saint Menas were previously published in 1986, but a new interpretation about their provenience and their chronology is necessary, because in the scientific literature the places when the objects were discovered, Dierna (Orşova, Mehedinţi county) and Porolissum (Moigrad, Sălaj county), continued to be mentioned, even the information was uncertain from the beginning. The flasks were made from the white clay, with round shape. One piece had two handles (Inventory Number 6572), but from the second one, the narrow neck and the handles are missing (Inventory Number 36.792). The object no 6572 (Pl.I:1a-b, Pl.II.1a-b) was probably discovered near Orşova, based on the data preserved in the Museum archives. Our researches in the archives revealed a possible donation of the task by Zsigmond Ormós, an important collector, political and cultural leader of Timiş County in the 19th century. Nevertheless, it is no certain prove that the artifact was discovered at Orşova or nearby, but it is possible. If we can find some traces for the task no 6572 about its discovery near Danube, at Orşova, the situation is different for the task no 36.796 (which was published with the inventory number 6573) (Pl. III. 1 a-b, Pl. IV. 1 a-b). The place of discovery remains unknown, because the information published in 1986, that the object was unearthed during the archaeological researches made at Porolissum by Marius Moga (archaeologist and manager of The Museum of Banat between 1945 and 1974) is inaccurate. The archive of Marius Moga sheltered in our museum does not contain any information that the object was discovered during the archaeological researches made in 1949. Most likely, the provenance of ampulla no 36.796 is not Porolissum and the moment when the object arrived in the Museum collection remains unknown. It is possible that the artifact belongs to the collection accumulated before 1918 and the place of discovery could be also near Danube River (Clisura Dunării), like the other ampulla supposed to be discovered near Dierna-Orşova. The chronology of the pilgrim flasks discovered in the archaeological site of Komm el-Dikka (Alexandria, Egypt) dates the two objects from the National Museum of Banat in the third stage of the workshop production in the Abu Mina Monastery, between 610 and 650. Another ampulla belonging to the Brukenthal Museum from Sibiu is dated in the same epoch which was considered wrong as discovered at Apulum (Madgearu 2004, 45, Anderson 2007, 228, fig. 3, 231). In the first publication the only information about the discovery was that the provenience of ampulla could possibly be one of the cities from the former Roman province of Dacia (Moga 2000, 430). In conclusion, the pilgrim flasks of Saint Menas and other Coptic objects, like rush lights, discovered in the Eastern part of the Carpathian Basin, were brought here from the roads started to the Adriatic Sea. The artifacts were not particularly liked with the commerce or pilgrimage, because they could represent gifts given by Christian communities from the North of the Adriatic Sea to the local elites. In this situation, the object could not have a religious meaning that a certain Christian community wanted to have as a proove of its devotion to the Saint Menas cult. In this particularly situation, the ampullae were objects of prestige. In the Iron Gates zone, at Orşova, these objects arrived also from the Adriatic Sea space, but not as gifts, the flasks belonged probably to the pilgrims, maybe merchants or even Byzantine soldiers.