Journal Analele Banatului N.S. Archaeology-History

Aurel Rustoiu

The ceramic human head from Deta (Timiş County). About the La Tène vessels with anthropomorphic decoration from the Carpathian Basin

Jan. 1, 2012

Abstract

# e ceramic human head discussed in this article was discovered in 1904 at Deta by B. Milleker, being now preserved in the Museum of Vršac. # e main aim of this article is to identify the context of discovery, as well as the chronology and the type of this artefact. At the same time the analysis is taking into consideration the wider cultural signifi cance of the vessels decorated with anthropomorphic elements within the Late Iron Age context in the Carpathian Basin, as well as in connection with the relationships between Celtic communities and the eastern Mediterranean area. # e human head from Deta belonged to a vessel having anthropomorphic handles, a beaker or more probably a kantharos. # e artefact must have come from a destroyed grave. According to its context of discovery and taking into consideration other analogies, the piece can be dated to the La Tène C1, more precisely to the second half of the 3rd century BC. # e vessels with anthropomorphic handles are the result of the contacts between Celtic communities from the Carpathian Basin and the eastern Mediterranean region. # e appearance of these vessels with anthropomorphic details fulfi lled certain demands related to particular rituals and convivial practices, specifi c to the Carpathian Basin. # e contacts with the eastern Mediterranean area, their transmission through Macedonian and northern Balkans fi lters, as well as the local interpretation of these impulses lead to the appearance of certain aspects of culture and civilization specifi c to the eastern Celtic world, having certain inner Carpathians nuances.