Page 37 - Lazar, Irena. 2022. Pogled skozi steklo / A Look Through the Glass. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem. Libri universitatis hereditati, 1
P. 37
ough the products of glass-workers operat- workshop. In her opinion we should reckon with glass finds in slovenia and neighbour ing ar eas 37
ing in the town. A fragment of the base of a large a female glass worker, proving that women also
rectangular bottle with an inscription of Sen- mastered this craft.
tia Secunda from Aquileia was found at Romula
(Ribnica near Brežice), already mentioned post Figure 13: Glass ladles from Emona, graves 408, 526
station lying at the main road Aquilei–Emona and 973, City Museum Ljubljana (photo: Tomaž Lauko).
–Siscia (Lazar 2005c, 41) (figure/slika 12). The Slika 13: Steklene zajemalke iz Emone, grobovi 408, 626
partly preserved inscription can be compared to in 973, Mestni muzej Ljubljana (foto: Tomaž Lauko).
a bottle from Linz (Schwanzar 2003, 333, Abb.
2) which is completely preserved and has an in- A significant group among the 1st-century
scription in three lines impressed on the base glass material in the Slovene area are also small
(SENTIA SECVNDA FACIT AQ(uileia) ladles known from Emona graves (Plesničar-Gec
VITR(earia) – Sentia Secunda makes [it] in Aq- 1976, 35; Demaine 1987, 135; 1990, 129). Ladles are
uileia. The Ribnica fragment could probably be only rarely found on other Roman sites in Slove-
filled in the same way. Comparisons allow the nia (Lazar 2003a, 124, fig. 36) and are not known
conclusion that this fragment belonged to a from the sites in Pannonia and Dalmatia (figure/
two-handled bottle with the name of the glass slika 13). Ladles appear as grave goods slightly be-
worker or the owner of the glassworks, Sentia fore the middle of the 1st century and they con-
Secunda of Aquileia, impressed on its base. The tinue in use until the middle of the 2nd century
connection between Roman settlements from (Demaine 1987, 136). The earlier examples have
the Slovene territory and Aquileia is not unusu- mostly ring bases, while in the late 1st century this
al, since the latter acted as the main trade centre is eliminated and ladles with simple concave bas-
for the south-eastern Alpine region from its very es continued to be in use (Demaine 1987, 137, figs.
foundation onwards. 1, 2; Lazar 2004b, figs. 33–5). Several analogies to
the ladles from Emona are known from Pompei
However, the fragment’s particular val-
ue lies in the fact that there have been only two
other vessels bearing the signature of Sentia Se-
cunda from Aquileia discovered as of yet; those
in the grave at Linz (Schwanzar 2003). Female
names occur only rarely as signatures or imprints
on glass products. Judging by the form of the ex-
tant bottles from Linz, we can conclude that
Sentia Secunda was active in the second half of
the 1st century when her products became wide-
spread and commonly used as storage and trans-
port vessels.
Originally, the name was interpreted as
that of the female owner of the workshop, since
glass-making was considered too difficult for
a woman (Calvi 1968, 1213). However, Mari-
anne Stern argues (1997, 130) that the abbrevia-
tion VITR stands for vitrearius (glass worker)
and therefore refers to a glass worker (male or
female), while the word facit (produced) would
also directly point to the master craftsman who
made the vessel and not to the owner of the
ing in the town. A fragment of the base of a large a female glass worker, proving that women also
rectangular bottle with an inscription of Sen- mastered this craft.
tia Secunda from Aquileia was found at Romula
(Ribnica near Brežice), already mentioned post Figure 13: Glass ladles from Emona, graves 408, 526
station lying at the main road Aquilei–Emona and 973, City Museum Ljubljana (photo: Tomaž Lauko).
–Siscia (Lazar 2005c, 41) (figure/slika 12). The Slika 13: Steklene zajemalke iz Emone, grobovi 408, 626
partly preserved inscription can be compared to in 973, Mestni muzej Ljubljana (foto: Tomaž Lauko).
a bottle from Linz (Schwanzar 2003, 333, Abb.
2) which is completely preserved and has an in- A significant group among the 1st-century
scription in three lines impressed on the base glass material in the Slovene area are also small
(SENTIA SECVNDA FACIT AQ(uileia) ladles known from Emona graves (Plesničar-Gec
VITR(earia) – Sentia Secunda makes [it] in Aq- 1976, 35; Demaine 1987, 135; 1990, 129). Ladles are
uileia. The Ribnica fragment could probably be only rarely found on other Roman sites in Slove-
filled in the same way. Comparisons allow the nia (Lazar 2003a, 124, fig. 36) and are not known
conclusion that this fragment belonged to a from the sites in Pannonia and Dalmatia (figure/
two-handled bottle with the name of the glass slika 13). Ladles appear as grave goods slightly be-
worker or the owner of the glassworks, Sentia fore the middle of the 1st century and they con-
Secunda of Aquileia, impressed on its base. The tinue in use until the middle of the 2nd century
connection between Roman settlements from (Demaine 1987, 136). The earlier examples have
the Slovene territory and Aquileia is not unusu- mostly ring bases, while in the late 1st century this
al, since the latter acted as the main trade centre is eliminated and ladles with simple concave bas-
for the south-eastern Alpine region from its very es continued to be in use (Demaine 1987, 137, figs.
foundation onwards. 1, 2; Lazar 2004b, figs. 33–5). Several analogies to
the ladles from Emona are known from Pompei
However, the fragment’s particular val-
ue lies in the fact that there have been only two
other vessels bearing the signature of Sentia Se-
cunda from Aquileia discovered as of yet; those
in the grave at Linz (Schwanzar 2003). Female
names occur only rarely as signatures or imprints
on glass products. Judging by the form of the ex-
tant bottles from Linz, we can conclude that
Sentia Secunda was active in the second half of
the 1st century when her products became wide-
spread and commonly used as storage and trans-
port vessels.
Originally, the name was interpreted as
that of the female owner of the workshop, since
glass-making was considered too difficult for
a woman (Calvi 1968, 1213). However, Mari-
anne Stern argues (1997, 130) that the abbrevia-
tion VITR stands for vitrearius (glass worker)
and therefore refers to a glass worker (male or
female), while the word facit (produced) would
also directly point to the master craftsman who
made the vessel and not to the owner of the
