RÖMISCHE GLASGEFÄSSE AUS DER SLOWAKEI

In Slovakia there are altogether 261 fragments of Roman glass vessels familiar to the scientific audience (i.e. published), which, however, due to the nature of this material do not necessarily have to refer to the real number of Roman vessels. They come only from the southwest and east Slovakia and they are not to be found in the area of Púchov culture (i.e. the middle and north Slovakia). The first matter discussed in this paper is whether Roman glass was considered a luxury article by the ancient inhabitants of the territory of modern Slovakia. Probably it was, but only in the 1st and at the beginning of the 2nd century AD, when a mass production of the blow glass begun and its prize therefore in Roman Empire and elsewhere begun to fall. Another matter discussed is the question of its origin. It was possible to specify the vessels as products of Italian, Syrian, Rhineland’s, but above all Pannonian manufacturers (i.e. Aquincum, Carnuntum, Arrabona, Brigetio or Gorsium). Typologically there are three kinds of the vessels: drinking service, table set and cosmetics’ vials. There is no archaeological evidence of glass store jars or transport containers. Another interesting phenomenon compared to use in Roman Empire is the fact that none of the glass vessel found in Slovakia was used as an urn for burial purposes and there are no windows glass present (maybe just between the unpublished Materials from Cífer-Pác).