Page 33 - Lazar, Irena. 2022. Pogled skozi steklo / A Look Through the Glass. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem. Libri universitatis hereditati, 1
P. 33
a rivers to the Pannonian plain, it also super- a Semitic population. His workshops probably glass finds in slovenia and neighbour ing ar eas 33
vised the river traffic along the Sava (Savus). The operated in Sidon. Ennion‘s products stand out
settlement grew up along the Roman road on the in the mould-blown objects group on account of
narrowest part of the terrace between two small their precision and clear design, modelled on the
hills that certainly served as observation points. products of Roman toreutics of that time. How-
Furthermore, crammed between the Sava Riv- ever, the decorations and moulds were special-
er and the northernmost slopes of the Gorjanci ly adapted for working in glass. As asserted by
Hills, it occupied the narrowest point of transi- Marianne Stern, his work was innovative and
tion between the hilly area of Dolenjska and the technically refined (1995, 69).
flatland of Pannonia.
On the basis of finds, his production is con-
New excavations were conducted at the site sidered to have started in the first quarter of the
under the aegis of ZVKDS (Institute for the 1st century, while during the second quarter, his
Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia), the products became widespread even in the west-
Novo Mesto Regional Unit (Breščak 2005, 40). ern part of the Roman Empire. Beakers pre-
They uncovered an extensive settlement and ne- dominate among the finds from Italy; in Hard-
cropolis area. The structures date from the late en‘s opinion, these are later examples of Ennion‘s
1st century BC to the 4th century AD. The heart production. The increase in the number of prod-
of the settlement was located on a terrace of the ucts in the west also gave rise to ideas about the
Sava to the east of a brook, where an official master‘s workshop being moved from the Near
building of the post, strengthened by buttress- East to Italy (Harden 1935, 165; Price 1991a, 72).
es, was unearthed within the foundations. Ex- However, recent finds prove that his products
cavations also uncovered foundations of sever- were also distributed in Spain, Greece, France
al production buildings, a local temple (?), traces (McClellan 1983, 76), Slovenia and Croatia (La-
of shed-like structures on the east bank of the zar 2005b; Buljević 2004b; 2015).
brook, several segments of the Roman road and
the station’s western necropolis with over 120 To return to Ribnica (Romula), a partly pre-
graves (Lazar 2020a). served one-handled beaker made from yellow-
ish glass, blown into a mould was found among
It is, therefore, not surprising that the site the site’s glass material. The decoration con-
yielded rich and variegated glass material, con- sists of pillars, palmettos, concentric circles and
firming thus the lively trade route leading a part of a star (?), while in the centre, inside a
through this station from the north to the south. partially preserved square frame, there is the in-
scription in Greek MNHΘH O AΓO PAZΩN
Besides the already mentioned group of (mnesthe ho agorazon – Let the buyer be remem-
mould-made vessels, mould-blown products are bered!). The inscription on the other side ENNI
also present, albeit in smaller quantities. Some / ΩNEΠ / OIHCE N (Ennion made me) is not
finds, however, are worth a particular mention. preserved (Lazar 2005b, 40, figs. 1, 2).1 On the
One such is a one-handled beaker signed by En- wall, the remains can be seen of the fixing of the
nion (Lazar 2004b, 53, fig. 17; 2005b, 40). handle, which is now missing.
Among the names of Roman glass masters The two most suitable comparisons with
preserved on their products, the best-known the find from Ribnica are a beaker of greenish
name is certainly Ennion. He worked in the glass found at Tremithus (Cyprus) (Price 1991a,
Near East and his products include jugs, ampho- 66, fig. 9, Pl. XVIb) and a beaker of dark blue
ras, small angular bottles and several types of glass from Vid (Narona) in Croatia (Buljević
beakers. Ennion is not a common Greek name 2004b, 188, 203, fig. 7). These completely pre-
and is probably a Hellenized Semitic one as stat-
ed by Marianne Stern (1995, 69). Perhaps he was a 1 For more detail see the chapter ‘Ennion Beaker and Other
Jew, Phoenician or from some other region with Fragments of Mould-Blown Glass’ in this volume.
vised the river traffic along the Sava (Savus). The operated in Sidon. Ennion‘s products stand out
settlement grew up along the Roman road on the in the mould-blown objects group on account of
narrowest part of the terrace between two small their precision and clear design, modelled on the
hills that certainly served as observation points. products of Roman toreutics of that time. How-
Furthermore, crammed between the Sava Riv- ever, the decorations and moulds were special-
er and the northernmost slopes of the Gorjanci ly adapted for working in glass. As asserted by
Hills, it occupied the narrowest point of transi- Marianne Stern, his work was innovative and
tion between the hilly area of Dolenjska and the technically refined (1995, 69).
flatland of Pannonia.
On the basis of finds, his production is con-
New excavations were conducted at the site sidered to have started in the first quarter of the
under the aegis of ZVKDS (Institute for the 1st century, while during the second quarter, his
Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia), the products became widespread even in the west-
Novo Mesto Regional Unit (Breščak 2005, 40). ern part of the Roman Empire. Beakers pre-
They uncovered an extensive settlement and ne- dominate among the finds from Italy; in Hard-
cropolis area. The structures date from the late en‘s opinion, these are later examples of Ennion‘s
1st century BC to the 4th century AD. The heart production. The increase in the number of prod-
of the settlement was located on a terrace of the ucts in the west also gave rise to ideas about the
Sava to the east of a brook, where an official master‘s workshop being moved from the Near
building of the post, strengthened by buttress- East to Italy (Harden 1935, 165; Price 1991a, 72).
es, was unearthed within the foundations. Ex- However, recent finds prove that his products
cavations also uncovered foundations of sever- were also distributed in Spain, Greece, France
al production buildings, a local temple (?), traces (McClellan 1983, 76), Slovenia and Croatia (La-
of shed-like structures on the east bank of the zar 2005b; Buljević 2004b; 2015).
brook, several segments of the Roman road and
the station’s western necropolis with over 120 To return to Ribnica (Romula), a partly pre-
graves (Lazar 2020a). served one-handled beaker made from yellow-
ish glass, blown into a mould was found among
It is, therefore, not surprising that the site the site’s glass material. The decoration con-
yielded rich and variegated glass material, con- sists of pillars, palmettos, concentric circles and
firming thus the lively trade route leading a part of a star (?), while in the centre, inside a
through this station from the north to the south. partially preserved square frame, there is the in-
scription in Greek MNHΘH O AΓO PAZΩN
Besides the already mentioned group of (mnesthe ho agorazon – Let the buyer be remem-
mould-made vessels, mould-blown products are bered!). The inscription on the other side ENNI
also present, albeit in smaller quantities. Some / ΩNEΠ / OIHCE N (Ennion made me) is not
finds, however, are worth a particular mention. preserved (Lazar 2005b, 40, figs. 1, 2).1 On the
One such is a one-handled beaker signed by En- wall, the remains can be seen of the fixing of the
nion (Lazar 2004b, 53, fig. 17; 2005b, 40). handle, which is now missing.
Among the names of Roman glass masters The two most suitable comparisons with
preserved on their products, the best-known the find from Ribnica are a beaker of greenish
name is certainly Ennion. He worked in the glass found at Tremithus (Cyprus) (Price 1991a,
Near East and his products include jugs, ampho- 66, fig. 9, Pl. XVIb) and a beaker of dark blue
ras, small angular bottles and several types of glass from Vid (Narona) in Croatia (Buljević
beakers. Ennion is not a common Greek name 2004b, 188, 203, fig. 7). These completely pre-
and is probably a Hellenized Semitic one as stat-
ed by Marianne Stern (1995, 69). Perhaps he was a 1 For more detail see the chapter ‘Ennion Beaker and Other
Jew, Phoenician or from some other region with Fragments of Mould-Blown Glass’ in this volume.
