S5002311

170 Mdeckć Źohrovico in Bohomin

A boad mado from colourless glnss (Fig. 73:7) fbund in featurc 2A/S3 is a chronologically distinct objoct. According to i ta tcchnical and optical properties it can bo ranged amongst tho ring beads of the Lato La Ttoe period, and by its metrical chararteristics (proportions) it may be dassified as the Haevemick type 22. This type is dated to LT D in Bohemie, or possibly C2-D. The largest coilection of beads of this type is known from Stradonice, while its occurrence reaches a peak in western parta of Europę (Venclora 1990,138-140). R Gebhard (1989, 175-176) dates the colourless ring beads mostly to LT C2, however, he records their occurrence as lato as LT D.

AMBER

The only amber object fbund was a spool-shaped bead (Fig. 86:5), discovered in the north-era vicinity of building 0/S7. There is no evidence of its relation to the structure and it may have been connected with the earłier settiement.

BONĘ AND ANTLER ARTEFACTS

Ali of the 8 objects were uncovered in the La te Horizon features or in the areas surrounding them. Four of them are related to this period by their formał characteristics as we 11.

Antler dice from feature 20/84 (Fig. 78:1.2) of prismatic shape, 31 and 25 mm long and c.10 mm wide, with stamped single or double rings (S-5-4-6) on the 4 longer faces eonie from two different sets. There are numerous ezamples of dice of this type to be fbund in Central Europę both in the oppida, particularly freąuent finds coming from Stradonice (Pić 1903, Thb. XLIV) and Stare Hradisko (Meduna 1970,45, Tab. 10:1) or Manching (Maier 1961,354-360), and open settlements, e.g. Berch-ing-Pollanten (Fischer - Rieckhoff-Pauli - Spindler

1984,    235-236. Abb. 20:1-3). A half-finished dice was brought to light on a LT Dl settiement in Dmholec in South Moravia (Ćiźmar - Jel£nkovś

1985,    Fig. 2:4), and other half-fabricates in the settlements in Krenovice and Mistfin (Meduna 1980, 134. Tab. 63:22, S0:6,7). These finds show that dice were used but also manufactured not only at the oppida but also outside of them. It is generally assumed that the Celta adopted the gam es using dice from the Etruscans (Maier 1961, 356-358 with ref.), and its popularity continued into the Roman period although the dice them-selves took on a different form (Motykovń 1974 with ref.).

A bonę spatula-shaped implement from the same feature (Fig. 78:4), madę of a cattle rib (cf. Beech this Yolume) has similarly shaped counterparts in the Stradonice coilection (Pić 1903, Tab. XLVI). The implemenfs function and age are ambiguous.

From the finds outside feature 20/84, a bono handle decorated by stamped rings (Fig. 93:5), related to pita 2A/S3 or 2B/83, shows numerous parallels in the oppida (Manching: Jacobi 1974, 241, Taf. 82:1631; Stradonice: Pić 1903, tab. XLII:19) and may therefore even in MSeckć Żohrovice be ascribed to the LT C2-D horizon (and therefore to the content of pit 2A/83). Other bonę artefacta -an antler handle of an awl or chisel from feature 4/83 (Fig. 74:18), awls madę from antler or pig bonę from feature 1/83 (Fig. 71:7,14) and a cattle bonę point from feature 20/84 repreeent objects which were common in the La Tćne period.

STONE ARTEFACTS

The most prominent stone artefact from the site is undoubtedly the well-known ni ar 1 stone sculp-ture in the shape of a human head. This has been the centro of attention elsewherc and a number of chapters of this publication also deal with various aspects of the sculpture including its find-and site context, petrographical characteristics as well as art-historical analysis and symboli-cal interpretation. For moro detailed informntion we refer the reader to the related parta of this book (cf. Chapter 5, and Megaw - Megaw this yolume).

The most freąuently occurring stone artefoct on the site is the whetstone, which unfortuBiftely is a chronologically non-diagnostic object The whet-s ton es from features and other contexts of the Early Horizon (11 items) occur in various shapes, often being fiat (features 11/82 or 3/86, Fig. 69:10, 84:3) or irregular. In some cases they are only rocks with traces of polishing. One fiat whetstone from feature 3/86 shows a groove (Fig. 84:2), per-haps for polishing of narrow objects (sapropelite bracelets?).

In a number of cases the rock used may be cf chronological significance. Feature 3/86, particularly rich in whetstones (5 items), contained 3 whetstones madę of quartzite sandstone originat-ing from NW Bohemia (cf. Kuivartova. this volume). A rock fragment from feature 1/79 ezhibited the same characteristics. This rock has not been found on the site in other find contezts. Other whetstones or fragments with traces of polishing found in the Early Horizon features were madę of local rocks - sandstone (feature 7/81,3/86) or marlstone (feature 7/81, 9/81, 5/86, ploughsoil above feature 3/86). Of these materials, only marlstone has been repeatedly found as the raw materiał for whetstones in the La te Horizon.

The whetstones from the Late Horizon have a morę regular prismatic or cylindrical shape. Three of the five whetstones in feature 20/84 were madę of marlstone, of which one featured a groove on one face (Fig. 79:1). Another two whet-

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Chronology and cultural background of artefacts    171

stones from the same feature (Fig. 79:4,7), two whetstones from features 1/83 (Fig. 72:18) and 4/83 (Fig. 74:21) and two marę whetstones from the settiement lnyer in the NE and S part of the northem half of the endosure, were madę of quartzite from the deposits between Beroun and Hyskov I Kużvartovń this volume).

The rounded or cylindrical, perforated artefacts were used probably as spindle whorls or weighta. They were madę of local sandstone (feature 1/79, Fig. 59:17), unidentified grey rock (feature 11/82, Fig. 69:14), one half-finished object from marł (settiement layer in the NE córo er of the endosure). Artefacts that could be used for comparison are rare and their chronological firame wide.

A strikingly reguł ar marlstone cube (feature 15/86) is a unique find of undetermined funethm. A smali giobular bead of white stone (Fig. 65:19) was uncovered on the surface of the feature 7/81 and the possibility that it originates from modern times cannot be ruled out.

The earlier surface finds on the site include an upper rotary ąuemstone (Fig. 13:9) madę of quartz porphyre originating from the Maić 2ernoseky -Opamo ar es (according to erpertise by M.MAg). The ąuernstone is of the BI type, which was madę and used as early as the end of LT B2, probably in LT Cl and continued to be used in LT C2-D1 (Waldhauser 1981,210-211). Consequently, deter-mining whether it should be dated to the Early or La te Horizon is impossible.