Slovakian - Danish: Vannius?

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In 1969 J. Tejral restudied the Czech materials of K. Motykowa together with materials from Moravia, Slovakia and Southern Germany. He discovered some groupings that differed somewhat from those proposed by Motykowa. Two phases were clearly discernible for stage B1 in both time and space. The first phase is characterised by fibulae Almgren 67, Eye fibulae Almgren 45, burdock-like collared fibulae, and military bronze scoop-casseroles or dippers Eggers 131-136 with swan heads on the handles, situlae with dolphin attachments Eggers 18, oinachoaie-jugs Eggers 124 some others. They were associated almost exclusively in the the Czech lands. But the layer of co-finds associated with Almgren fibulae 68 - the more developed forms of Eye fibulae Almgren 46, 55 and 60-61; dippers Eggers 137-138 with semi-circular openings in the handle, as well as Eggers 139 with circular openings; jugs Eggers 125 and Eggers 127; etc. - are rare in the Czech lands, but frequent in Moravia and Western Slovakia. If items of Czech Phase I occur in camps of Augustan and Tiberian times, then the Slovak ones of Phase II occur in camps from the time of Claudius, Nero and the early Flavians. The maps prepared by Tejral are most expressive and the distribution of imports they depict is not accidental (Illus. I). Apparently, Phase I provides archaeological evidence of the times of Maroboduus, who after 6 AD enjoyed close contacts with the Romans, and in whose camp the Gothones found many Roman merchants in 19 AD. After that, the Romans created another client barbarian state from what was left of Maroboduus's kingdom, which was situated on the territory of Moravia and Slovakia, between the rivers "Mara and Kuz": the flow of Roman imports now concentrated on the kingdom of Vannius and his successors. This explains the wider range of items characteristic of Phase II. Tejral moved the upper limits of stage B1, as we have seen, to 70 AD, after Hachmann.
Tejral's idea was immediately seized upon and developed by the Polish scholar Ryszard Wol/a,giewicz.69 Relying on the successes of chronological studies, newly defined complexes with characteristic sets of imports, changes in the chronology of terra sigillata, and evidence from new excavations of Roman camps on the continent and in England, he undertook a thorough review of the Eggers system. He compiled illuminating tables of correlations not only for imports, but also for fibulae. His research confirmed the relative chronology of Eggers, but separated stage B1 into two parts - Bla and B1b. But Wol/a,giewicz went further than Eggers and tested the correlation of objects in different parts of Europe - the western zone, including Thuringia, Saxony, Altmark, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg; the eastern zone, including Slovakia and Poland; and also Denmark, the Czech lands, Western Pomerania and Scandinavia. Some interesting aspects came to light as a result; the inflow of imports was not standard, but strong similarities emerged between the Czech lands and Western Pomerania (whose stages B1a and B1b, coincided with those of the western zone, but differed sharply from those for the eastern zone, Denmark and Scandinavia).
The patterns discerned by Tejral for the Czech lands and Slovakia are generalisations. Imports of the Czech phase or stage B1a whose dating is placed by Wol/a,giewicz between 10 and 40 AD, were channelled towards the western zone, into Germany and Western Pomerania. Imports of the Slovak phase (B1b) were channelled towards the eastern zone, in Slovakia and Poland. These datings were determined against finds from camps of 40-70 AD. Wol/a,giewicz's observations confirmed maps drawn up by Eggers to show the distribution of different forms of Roman bronze vessels. Thus, the political relations along the Roman-barbarian frontier regulated the waves of Roman imports destined for Europe. In Maroboduus's time, the Czech wave penetrated the western zone, after which the situation changed and "regnum Vannianum" in Slovakia became the main distributor.
The next changes came in the 70s AD, with the advent of Flavian rule. The waves of imports for the hundred years from 70 to 170 were labelled "Slovakian-Danish" by Wol/a,giewicz. The distribution of these imports was fairly even, following the old Amber Route through Slovakia and also a new sea route along the Baltic coast.'


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