19401 S5002310

168 MAockó Żohrovico in Bohoinia

168 MAockó Żohrovico in Bohoinia

traiuition (Waldhnuscr ct al. 1987, 54, 123-125), which mak ca it one of the oldeat in Bohomia. Howeyer, it is excoptionaI for i ta rcparations in-dicating probably ita ranty. The ring has not been analyaod and therefore it ia not known whethor it was mado of the Kounov-type aapropelite. No bracelet mado of Kounov-type snpropolito was found in tho LT BI or earlior contoxt. Tho black HC-D or LT A bracolota wero mado of matorial of non-local origin and were imported to Bohomia as finished producta (Rochna 1962, 67,70,71,77,82; cf. VencIovó ot al. fortheoming). Tho black bead from Bflina, grave 4/1908, dated to LT BI (Bfert 1955, 30, no.5) is mado of clay, not sapropolito (baaod on the atudy by the prosont author). Plain braceleta wero produccd in the LT B2-C1 period while the ribbed specimens are dated os lato as LT Clb (Citm&t 1978, 137; Waldhauaer 1987a, Abb.4), according to R.Gebhard already to LT Cla (Gcbhard 1989, 99-103, 183).

No grave find of Kounov-type sapropolito ring in Centra] Europę is dated to a period latcr than LT Cl(b). Infrequent latcr finds are known only from settlemont contexts, where they demonstrate the period of use, if not a secondary function, of the rings or their fragments (cf. Vendovś et al. fortheoming). The technical specifications and other characteris-ticB of sapropelite artefacta are described in Chap-ter 14: Sapropelite industry.

IRON ARTEFACTS

Although the Early Horizon on the site comprises, according to the find context, 32 iron objects, dis-regarding a few others from settlement laycrs, which might also belong to this horizon, it is pos-sible to determine the approximate function of only 6 artefacta of the to tal count (see Chapter 14: Dwelling and domestic activities), of which only one exhibits distinctive spatiotemporal charac-teristics.

It is an iron linch-pin with an oblong piąte head, horizontal eye and a bont storn ending in a knob (Fig. 90:1), with traces of a bronze coating, visible even today on the head and on the knob (analysed by J.Frśna in the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Ret). It originates from a settlement layer in the NE comer of the enclosure thus making it impos-sible to determine whether it belonged to the Early or Late Horizon of the site. It is related to the linch-pins with a roctangular head, dated by G.| Jacobi to LT B-C (Jacobi 1974, 216-219 with ref.,

Abb. 53, Taf. 854,855). In West, or South Europę, similar linch-pins, usually with a richly dccoratcd head and typically combining iron and bronze, are part of the inventories of rich graves with chariots ofthe 4th-3rd century B.C. (Condó-sur-Mame, Les Celtes 1991,716,775, no. 198d;Mezokin Bułgaria,

ibid., 384-386). Ono of tho latost oxumplos, an iron linch-pin with a bronzo-und-enomol decor-ated head from La Garonno - Colom bo "Nantorro", Iiauts-de-Scino is attributod to tho ond of middlo La Tóne, if not to the tum of tho middlo and lato La Tóno period, and similar finds from Bouqueval to tho ond of the 3rd to tho boginning of the 2nd eon tury B.C. (Challot 1992,112-116, Fig. 72). A hoard dopositod in an enclosod sottlomont in Southern England yioldod two iron linch-pins with round heads, partly coated with bronze, dated to the Middlo Iron Ago, i.o. Srd-lst century B.C. (Davies 1994, 59-61, Fig. 18.2:16, 17). Hased on thiB dating, tho linch-pin from MAockó Żchrovice could be dated somewhere around the end of the Early Horizon, i.e. LT Cl or the LT C1/C2 transi-tion.

The Late Horizon produccd a collection of 23 iron objects, a number of which are diagnostic of LT C2-D1.

An iron fork with two prongs from feature 20/84 (Fig. 78:7) can be matched with finds from Stra-donice (Pić 1903, Tab. XXXV: 11,20), Manching( Jacobi 1974, 126-128, Tab. 32:565-568, 572-574) or the walled enclosure in Holzhausen (Schwarz 1975, Abb. 14:5). The fork from MAeckć Żehrovice appears to have been twisted in two places, as is quite common with these objects.

The triangular iron belt end-piece from the same feature (Fig. 78:10) can again be matched with numerous counterparts from the oppida of Stra-donice (Pfć 1903, Tab. XXXIII: 22-23,25-29,39-44, bronze examples: Tab. XXI11), Starć Hradisko (Me-duna 1970, 94, Tab. 7:6) and Manching (bronze specimen of type 1: van Endert 1991, 30-32, Tab. 8:211).

The inventory of feature 20/84 includes a bent iron strip, fiat on the lower side but with a plastic relief on the upper side, maybe fitting or a dccorative ring, the assumed decoration of which, howeyer, could not be identifled even by X-ray analysis (Fig. 78:3). The same feature also provided an iron chisel (Fig. 78:13), a file (Fig. 78:8), a knife (Fig. 78:11) and other iron fragments whose function could not be determined.

Unfortunately only one fragmentary brooch came to light in the feature 2A/83 (Fig. 73:5). It is an iron fibula with 2+2 coils, spring with an extemal chord and foot attachcd to bow by a plain holder close to the spring. It is probably the Kostrzcwski A-variant. This type is - infrequently - representod at, e.g., the oppida of Stradonice and Zóvist, where it was dated to tho poriod between the LT C2 and C2/D1 (Rybovó - Drda 1989,399, Tab.l; Drda -Rybovd 1992,336,338-341, Fig. 21:1, Pl.l). Similar broochcs from Manching are attributed to LT C2 |as well (Gebhard 1991, group 16 or 17b, 17-18,81, Tab. 24:372,375, Tab. 27:418).

(HLLllfU

/».i •>’aA'Aj1AJ!Aa/UA

SB

Chronology and cultural background of artefacta    109

Chronologically unspecific iron artefacta This includca objecte that can only bc dated to the La Tćne period in generał, however, it is impas-Bibie to determine whether they can be aacribed to the Early or Late Horizon in MAeckć 2ehrovice, i.e. to LT B-Cl or LT C2-D.

The dating of a knife from the aurface layer of the filling of feature 3/83 in the NEcomer of the walled oncloaure ia uncertain, aa the fili may be highly contaminated by the objects firom the overlaying settlement layer containing both earlier and later materiał. The iron knife (Fig. 13:12) has a straight wide handle with holea, aome of which contained bronze riveta for holding the outer handle madę of a different materiał. The handle was separated from the blade by two transverae bronze strips. Six fragments of iron objects from the banka and ditchea (Fig. 88:8,9) or gul li es of the enclosure as well as other fragments (of chisels or nails, Fig. 86:3,9-19) from the pita and area around feature 0/87 remain undated as well.

Further iron objects should be mentioned herc-although they do not originate from the 1979-88 investigations but from earlier aurface prospect-ing. In terma of function they are relatively easy to identify but their chronological position remains uncertain. It ia a ploughahare, a chisel and a spoon-shaped drill (Fig. 13:10,7,8, for description aee Chapter 5). Similar finds were described by G. Jacobi (1974: ploughahare: Tab. 27:473*478, chisel: TabJ6, 7, drill: Tab. 10:159-162), however their dating is very approzimate. Spoon-shaped drills closely related in shape to the La Tćne ones were also used in the Roman period (Jacobi 1974,39). Narrow ploughshares similar to the find from MAeckć Źehnmce have been known in Central Europę from the Early La Tćne period, as is documented by finds from Ledce and Cer-nov (Bfichśćek • Beranovś 1993,256-258) or from Steinsburg (Spehr 1992, Abb. 6:6), although most of the finds are dated to the later part of the La Tćne period (Beranovś 1980,74). A.Rybovś and KMotykovA (1983,133-138) have prescnted other example8 from the Middle to Late La Tene period. Ascribing the variants of narrow ploughshares to the individual phases of the La Tćne period is at preaent impossible. Different, predominantly wider, shapes of ploughshares were used in the Roman period (Spehr 1966,172-175).

The two iron knives with straight handles with upwards tumed ends (Fig. 13:1,3), uncovered in the area of the walled enclosure during the 1943 oxcavation are also of uncertain dating.

BRONZE

A bronze belt end-piece (Fig. 78:5) from feature 20/84 has numerous parallels at Stradonice (Pfć

1903, Tab. XXIII), Manching and elsewhere (van Endert 1991. 30-34, Tab.8: 206-212).

The same feature provided a fitting of a vessel rim madę from a thin sheet of bronze (Fig. 78:6) and a smali bronze rod of unidentified function. The other two bronze objects, a wire and an amorphous fragment, both uncovered in the NE comer of the enclosure near feature 20/84 can probably be ascribed to the same chronological horizon on the mte.

GLASS

A smali blue glass ring (Fig. 85:14) of the Venclovś 32 type was revealed in feature 9/86, typical of the H D1-D2 horizon, and also infrequently found in the Early La Tćne context (cf. Sedlóćek -Venclovś 1983; Venclovś 1990,108-109). The ring may have belonged to the Late Hallstatt occupa-tion of the site and the inhabitants of the La Tćne settlement could used it secondarily.

The ploughsoi 1 above feature 3/86 yielded a yellow bead with stratified blue-white eyes (Fig. 85:13), of the VendovA 533 type, i.e. with 4 pairs of eyes composed of 3 white and 3 blue glass layers. It is one of the most commonly found types of eye-beads in Bohemia and elsewhere. Eye-beads of the type concerned were manufactured in H D 2-3/ LT A, but they still occur in LT B-Cl graves and rare finds come even from later contexts (Vendovś 1990, 74-85). Consequently, the bead may be related both to the Late Hallstatt and La Tćne ac-tmties an the site.

The surface layer in the NE comer of the enclosure above feature 20/84 produced a fragment of a glass bracelet (Fig. 93:3). The blue bracelet with yellow decoration is of the Haevemick type 8b, occurring in grave complexes of the later part of LT Cl, and in settlement finds as late as LT C2 (Vendovi 1990, 124). Its unusual width (15 mm) would rangę the specimen from MAeckć 2ehrovice among the LT C2 types, for which such a width is characteristic (Gebhard 1989,128, Abb. 50: type 8b = LT Clb). In this particular case the relation of the find to the LT C2-D settlement on the site is dubious and the bracelet could have been in use by the local LT B2-C1 community as well.

Two other fragments of blue glass bracelets were earlier surface finds (see Chapter 5). One of them represents another 8b type specimen, the other is a knobbed bracelet of Haeveraick type 14 (Fig. 13:6,5). Type 14 is typical of the earliest horizon of glass bracelets in Europę, dated to LT Cl. Its dark blue colour could shift its dating to the later part of this period although it might still have been in use much later (Venclovó 1990, 129-130). R. Gebhard (1989, Abb. 50) ascribes the blue knobbed bracelets to LT Clb.