Kopče tipa Laminci iz donje Posavine
Buckles of the Laminci type from the Lower Sava Basin

Summary/Abstract: The Museum of Vojvodina has received for examination photographs of three Laminci type buckles, which, according to the statement of the finder,originate from the region of the Lower Sava Basin. Two of them belong to thevariants of the Laminci B group, while the third one belongs to the Jarak group.The buckle of the Laminci type, from the Jarak group, is distinguished by anornament on the rectangular leather belt fitting (Figs. 2–4).There is no precise data available on any of the buckle findings from thesite of the Lower Sava Basin and the „surroundings of Sremska Mitrovica” (Fig.5), but their shape and ornaments indicate that they originate from a widerregion of Sremska Mitrovica. This is principally confirmed by a representativefinding from Jarak with an extremely large silver astragal fibulae of the Jaraktype (Fig. 1) as well as by the valuable grave inventory from the „surroundingsof Sremska Mitrovica” including gorgeous silver bracelets and typical Celticface representations found on small fittings.The Laminci buckles, which belong to the groups A and B, the same asthe buckles from the groups Craiva and Hunedoara/Popeşti, are numerous andlargely present on both sides of the Carpathians. They spread along the middleand lower Danube, on a wide area of Southeast Europe, from the hinterland ofthe Black Sea to the region lying between the Sava and Danube rivers, and theyinclude examples varying form the representative specimen from the Lamincihoard and Sisak to the ones originating from the slopes of eastern Alps (Fig. 8).The belt buckles of the Laminci type in the figures from 1 to 5 are highlypresent in the wider surroundings of Syrmia, Bačka and Banat, which confirmstheir status of favourite objects representing an important part of the traditionalcostume and a status symbol for the local Celtic inhabitants Scordisci. Given itsspecial shape, the buckle in the figure 4 belongs to the Laminci type and tothe large buckles of the Jarak group, which are geographically limited to anarea between the surroundings of Vršac and the Sava, with only one examplecompletely outside of that space, in Breza near Sarajevo (Fig. 8). The bucklesbelonging to that group, featuring large decorative coatings made of bronzeor silver, are rare. Besides our example from the Lower Sava Basin in thefigure 2, there is a valuable specimen of extremely large dimensions from the„surroundings of Sremska Mitrovica” shown in the figure 5. Similar bukles canbe found among the examples from the sites of Hrtkovci, Sisak – kod Silosa,of Breza near Sarajevo can also be included in this group. The shape, ornamentand context of the buckles of the Jarak group concentrated in Syrmia, as well asof both buckles of the Nyergesújfalu group in the north, distinguish them fromthe distribution of belts with buckles belonging to more modest groups of theLaminci type, which are largely represented among the tribes on both sides ofthe Carpathians (Fig. 8).A scene including an equestrian motive (Figs. 4 and 5) completely differsfrom the buckles with antropomorphic motives that we have known so far. Thoserare buckles including motives of female figures are found in the eastern part ofthe distribution of the Laminci type from the Hunedoara/Popeşti group (sitesof Poiana and Popeşti) in Wallachia. Therefore, the precisely realized motiveof an equestrian with a spear in his hand represents an important innovationin the artistic expression comparing to the usual geometrical ornaments. Theappearance of an equestrian – warrior or horseman – hero is not limited toa single region, although it is clear that our two examples of buckles withequestrian motives from the Jarak group are local and manufactured for theelite population of Scordisci. Obviously, many details of the equestrian groupbelonging to the so called Hellenistic concept show that it is closely related tothe Illyrian tribes between the Adriatic Sea and the Sava, while a large groupof decorative phalerae and ceramic vessels with equestrian motives is related tothe Thracian and pre-Dacian population (Figs. 6 and 7).The context of the findings from Jarak, the Lower Sava Basin and the„surroundings of Sremska Mitrovica”, as well as the prestigious manufactureof the Jarak group buckles confirm the existence of a strong female elite inthe Celtic community of Scordisci concentrated in the territory of Syrmia.However, the examples with equestrian figures on valuable belts show that itwas not only female elite. The existence of an elite population in that regionis also demonstrated by exceptional findings of graves with chariots fromthe territory of the village of Hrtkovci, male graves with swords and spears,findings of horsemen’s spurs and rich grave goods consisting of iron barbecueequipment and bronze and ceramic vessels. Good examples of this are the grave3 from the site of Sotin – Zmajevac or grave 92 from Belgrade – Karaburma.The best example related to the status of a horseman is the finding of 14 ridersfrom Veliki Vetren, treasured in the east, in the region of the Upper MoravaBasin.The buckles of the Laminci type represent relatively frequent parts of femalecostumes. We find them in the graves of Lt D1 stage and in the settlementlayers, some of which belong to the Lt D2 stage where burial practice radicallychanged. Consequently, today we do not know anything about the graves fromthat phase in the territory of Scordisci. The use of the buckles of the Lamincitype in that period is confirmed by the findings of these buckles in graves, thatis, in the layers from the time of the Early Roman Empire.For the moment, there is still an open question. Those artisans, whoused to provide the elite of Syrmia with large and expensive fibulae of theJarak type and extraordinary buckles with the equestrian figures on fittings,have they also manufactured silver jewellery for those Celtic elites who buriedthe famous hoard of silver jewellery in Židovar, at the edge of the Deliblatskapeščara, and a more modest one in Kovin? That was a transitional period forthe local population of Scordisci, whose warrior elite in the territory of theeastern Slavonia and Syrmia, along the Sava and Danube, participated in theprocess of establishing and Romanisation of the Roman provinces of PannoniaInferior and Upper Moesia. The ruling social class, that is, the warrior eliteusing luxury objects helped the Romanisation of those provinces. Thanks totheir participation in the defence of the border, this elite population managedto keep a special status and some privileges and customs acquired during thewar alliance, which is again demonstrated, as in Novo mesto (Dolenjska), bygrave goods of Celtic and Roman character.Two or three generations later, during the wars of Domitian, old/new localelite treasured exceptional silver hoards with silver jewellery and Domitiancoins (sites of Radenković, Mačvanska Mitrovica, Bare, Tekija and Rovinari inthe far Oltenia). They were buried in the wider surroundings of Sirmium, onthe right bank of the Sava and in a territory south of the Iron Gates, close to aseries of defence garrisons. Although we still do not have any adequate, preciselydated and appropriate findings of silver jewellery from the 1st century, we cansuppose that those hoards of the horizon of Tekija–Bare demonstrate a highquality and tradition of the local craft workshops, which used to manufacturesilver jewellery for the elite of Scordisci on the left bank of the Danube evenone century earlier.

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