Arheološki Vestnik (Jan 2016)
Bronze vessels in northern Italy between the 4th and the 1st century BC. A case study of the Verona area
Abstract
Bronze vessels constitute a particular class of domestic vessels that were made for long-term use, to be handed down through generations. This makes them chronologically less sensitive items, but also items that reflect both status and behavioural practices. The archaeological evidence from northern Italy suggests at least three main phases of use of bronze vessel between 388 BC and the Augustan period, which can be paralleled with the chronological division of the La Tène period. The contribution provides an interpretative overview of the evidence in an attempt to show the continuity, persistence and innovation in the production of individual forms and types of the bronze vessels. The area of Verona is an interesting case study for understanding the distribution of Hellenistic and Late Republican bronze vessels, because it has yielded at least 150 examples so far, dating from the 4th/3rd century BC to the Augustan period, that have mostly been recovered from funerary contexts. The contribution looks at the concentration of these items at some sites (Povegliano in particular) and their ties to a particular social rank. It also supplies a list of the bronze vessels from the area, mainly compiled during the reorganization of the collections in the Museo Archeologico di Verona conducted in the last two decades.