# Last edited on 2025-03-27 16:22:52 by stolfi # NEW CLAY BREAD LOAF BOXES FROM THE LOWER DANUBE BASIN 1 by Monica Şandor-Chicideanu Location list # The so-called "bread loaf idols" have been discussed frequently in the specialist literature, with their distribution, function, and chronology being investigated. 2 . Six examples recovered from the area around Lake Bistreţ can be added to the list of published pieces, which will be briefly described here. # 1. Cârna- Rampă . Surface research, 1991. The piece consists of two fragments, which make up more than half of the object. Rectangular in shape. At one end are four grooves filled with furrows, with a round depression in the center. The grooves continue on the sides. Towards the middle of the piece, there is an undecorated surface, and on the fracture surface, the trace of another round depression has been preserved. It can be assumed that the piece was decorated symmetrically on both surfaces and had a total of eight grooves. Good clay, coffee-gray in color. Preserved length = 0.079 m; Added total length = approximately 0.13 m; width = 0.038 m; thickness = 0.019 m; ( Plate 1/4) . # 2. Cârna- Rampă . Surface research, 1992. Fragmentarily preserved piece. Rectangular in shape, with rounded and tapered ends. At one of the ends there is a round depression, similar to a fingerprint. Only two grooves filled with furrow engraving have survived, each with a central dotted circle with lateral rays. The sides were not provided with grooves. Well-fired clay of gray color. Preserved length = 0.052 m; width = 0.027 m; maximum thickness = 0.012 m; ( Plate 1/3) . # 3. Cârna- Rampă . Surface find, 1993. Fragment of a "bread loaf idol," rectangular in shape with rounded ends. Only one of the simple, undecorated grooves remains, with a dotted circle in the center and lateral rays. Good clay, black-gray in color. Preserved length = 0.028 m; width = 0.025 m; maximum thickness = 0.011 m; ( Plate 1/2 ). # 4. Cârna- Rampă . Systematic excavations, 1995. Fragmentary piece from section 9 at a depth of -0.85 m, in a Gârla Mare layer. Rectangular in shape with rounded ends. Only two grooves filled with furrows have survived, each with a round depression surrounded by rays in the center. The trace of a third groove is still preserved on the fracture surface. Well-fired clay, brown in color. Preserved length = 0.061 m; width = 0.028 m; Strength. = 0.021m; (Plate 1/1 ). # 5. Plosca- Cabana de metal. Surface research, 1995. Fragmentary preserved example. Rectangular shape with rounded ends. More than half of the object has been preserved. On the fully preserved end section there are two grooves filled with furrowed engraving, in the center of each of which is a circle surrounded by rays. It can be assumed that the piece was decorated symmetrically and had two grooves at the opposite end, where the trace of a round depression has also been preserved. The grooves continue on the sides and even slightly on the back. On the side of the fully preserved end section there is a round depression similar to a fingerprint. Well-fired clay of coffee-grey color. Preserved length = 0.06 m; added total length = approximately 0.08 m; width = 0.024 m; thickness = 0.02 m; ( Plate 1/5 ). # 6. Plosca - Cabana de metal . Surface research, 1996. Fragmentary specimen. The piece is broken along the long central line. Two grooves decorated with furrow engraving are preserved, some of which continue on the sides of the piece. Well-fired clay of gray color. Preserved length = 0.068 m; preserved width = 0.014 m; added total width = approximately 0.03 m; thickness = 0.022 m; ( Plate 1/6 ). # With these pieces, the number of previously recovered specimens increases to 195-196 . The recently discovered pieces do not significantly change the previously known distribution pattern, which was well-defined by earlier analyses. They merely extend it eastward, along the Danube Valley (see list of finds and the distribution map on Plate 2 ). The mapping of the so-called "bread loaf bidole" shows three zones of concentration. # I. Northern Italy, primarily around Lake Garda and in the Po Valley, a distribution area generally attributed to the Polada culture; # II. The middle Danube basin (Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia), an area in which pieces were recovered in Unterwölbling V and Madarovce contexts; # III. The lower Danube basin (Serbia and Romania), an area corresponding to the settlement zone of the Žuto Brdo-Gârla Mare culture. # In addition to these areas of maximum distribution density, two further # Determine areas: one area along the Tisza River and its tributaries, and another in southwest Germany. In the former, the pieces belong primarily to the Otomani culture (only in one case to the Wietenberg culture), in the latter to the Arbon culture. "Idols" are also known, loosely scattered, from Germany and Poland, which occur in combination with ancient objects from the Urnfield culture or originate from unclear contexts. Also noteworthy are two examples: one from Rubiera, in combination with Bell Beaker pottery, which is dated earlier, and another from Großhöflein (Austria), which was recovered together with Litzen pottery . Of the "idols" known to date, most belong to the Polada culture, followed by the Mad'arovce and Žuto-Brdo-Gârla Mare cultures, and finally, the Unterwöbling/V te ov group. Of the 195-196 pieces, 149 come from settlements, one from a cave (Grotta Gigante), and one from a necropolis (Franzhausen). For the others, the circumstances of their discovery are unknown or uncertain. # Twenty-four "idols" are known from the Žuto Brdo-Gârla Mare culture. These may include two other pieces: one from Vršac- At , assigned to the Szeremle group, and another from Cârcea 4 , from a Verbicioara culture settlement, which can probably be considered an import from the classical phase of the Gârla Mare culture. The pieces from this culture area are formally related to each other due to their typically rectangular shape with more or less rounded ends. On the front of the pieces there are simple grooves or grooves filled with furrows, in the middle of which various indented motifs were placed ( Plate 2/8The majority of the pieces (9 examples) were decorated with a dotted circle along the center line (decorative motif no. 2), while six pieces were decorated with two concentric, radially positioned circles connected by lines (decorative motif no. 4). Some of these may also have a dot at the center of the circle. Three "idols" were decorated with two concentric circles (decorative motif no. 3), two with a simple circle (decorative motif no. 1), and two with cross-like motifs (decorative motif no. 7). Decorative motifs no. 5 (two circles adjacent to each other on either side of the groove), 8 (two dots surrounded by semicircular rays), and 6 (a very elongated rectangular decorative motif) each appear on only one piece. One "idol" broke off along the center line, so its type of decoration remains unknown. The Prahovo "idol" was decorated with an additional motif in the center: a hatched rhombus with spiral hooks at two of the opposite corners and heart-shaped extensions at the other two. This decorative motif no longer occurs on other clay slabs, but is known from the pottery of the Žuto Brdo-Gârla Mare culture 5 and appears to have played an exclusively decorative role. Only two exceptions to this rule are known, both from Ostrovu Mare- Bivolării 6 : one piece that was also decorated with a small cross on the reverse, and another with cross-shaped motifs and no grooves. The positioning of the grooves varies, as shown by the symmetrical and asymmetrical pieces. The number of grooves is not uniform and can reach a maximum of eight. The decorative motif, regardless of its composition, was consistently positioned at the intersection of the elongated central line with the grooves, one motif on each groove. The dimensions of the pieces vary. Unfortunately, very few pieces have been preserved in their entirety: one example from Prahovo, for which the dimensions are not specified 7 , two pieces from Lepenski Vir 8 , measuring 0.069 m in length and 0.079 m respectively, and one piece from Ostrovu Mare- Bivolării 9 of 0.071 m in length, as well as a piece from Ostrovu Mare- Colonie 10 with unspecified dimensions and a piece from Cârcea- Viaduct of approximately 0.10 m in length 11. Two pieces, although fragmentarily preserved, appear to be the longest: one from Ostrovu Mare-Bivolării 12 , with a preserved length of 0.09 m, and another from Cârna- Rampă ( Plate 1/4), which was probably approximately 0.13 m in size. The width of the pieces varies between 0.022–0.038 m, and the thickness between 0.011–0.03 m. # The "idols" from the Gârla Mare culture are similar to the idols from Slovakia in terms of their shape, dimensions, and decoration, sometimes to the point of complete similarity. Only motif no. 8 and that of the plate from Prahovo can be identified in the motif repertoire of Slovakia. The similarity to the pieces from Italy is very limited. These are wider, usually oval, sometimes even round in shape. Only four of the decorative motifs from the Lower Danube region (nos. 2, 4, 6, and 7) are also found in Italy, but their position on the plates is quite different: the motif is repeated several times on the same groove. In Italy, two or three different motifs can often be observed on the same piece. It cannot be ruled out that these noticeable differences could also express a different function. Decorative motif no. 1 can be found on the pieces from Rovinj 13 , Biskupin 14 , Veselé 15 and on a piece recovered near Trnava 16 . Decorative motif no. 2 occurs on the "idols" from Hoste 17 , Nitriansky Hrádok 18 and Bande di Cavriana 19 . Decorative motif no. 3 appears only in Slovakia, at ata 20 , Nitriansky Hrádok 21 and Slovenská Nová Ves 22 . Decorative motif no. 4 occurs in Nitriansky Hrádok 23 , Vráble 24 , Hoste 25 , Mad'arovce 26 , Veselé 27 , Waidendorf, Steinfurth 28 , Absdorf 29 , Sütt 30 and Kisterenye 31. It has recently been established that this motif represents the imprint of the plant Lavatera Thuringiaca or other plants from the Malvaceae family 32. Decorative motif no. 5 appears on pieces from Boheimkirchen, Bodman 33 and Freising 34 . Examples of decorative motif no. 6 come from Nitriansky Hrádokhref 35 , Skalica 36 and Prestinari 37 , and examples of no. 7 come from Nitriansky Hrádok 38 , Lucone and Bor di Pacenego 39 . The function of these pieces has not yet been clarified, so that the designation "mysterious objects" proposed by L. Fasani 40remains the most cautious. Nevertheless, several hypotheses have been proposed regarding their use. D. Berciu speaks of pintadere and believes that they were used to decorate ceramics 41. G. Bándi believes that their area of ​​distribution is linked to the postulated amber route and that the pieces themselves were used as a stamp for amber in its trade, a kind of standard of quality and quantity 42 . Cornaggia-Castiglioni considers them talismans and links their signs to cosmogonic symbols of Babylonian origin 43 . In a recent article, J. Fogel and J. Langer propose a peculiar interpretation based on mathematical analysis. They believe that the clay tablets allow a numerical interpretation and suggest that the users of these pieces employed a number system based on 12. The number 12 should not be considered coincidental, especially considering that this number was considered a magical number by some civilizations, such as the Babylonian one, symbolizing the order of the cosmos and perfection. Without clarifying the question of the pieces' function, the two authors tend to interpret them as talismans . 44 R. Rašajski, who introduced the term " bread loaf idol ," only appears to favor a ritual use, since the name actually refers strictly to the pieces' morphology. He does not rule out the possibility, and even suggests, that identical pieces from different cultures actually served different functions. He bases his assumption on the observation that the pieces from Italy and Slovakia were found in settlement contexts, while those from Yugoslavia and Romania come from burial grounds. 45 G. Trnka opts for a ritual use and excludes two perforated pieces from Steinfurth and Windpassing, which are considered pendants. He further points out that the presumed burial contexts for the pieces from Banatska Palanka, Vršac-At, and Prahovo are uncertain . 46 The assumed different function of the pieces from the Lower Danube region, which are supposed to come from burial contexts, cannot be conclusively proven. The pieces recently recovered from Cârna- Rampă , Ghidici, and Ostrovu Mare- Colonie indicate that the "idols" do not necessarily have to be considered components of grave goods. In fact, there is no reliable evidence for any of the pieces from Gârla Mare as belonging to a grave. Not even for the clay plates from Ostrovu Mare-The context of the grave is completely certain for Bivolării as long as the pieces remain unpublished. For the assumed ritual character of these pieces, there is currently no clear evidence for a provenance from clear cultic associations. Even if the clay tablets from Bivolării did come from graves, their connection to ritual practices cannot be convincingly argued. The piece from Franzhausen, Grave 205, lay on the left hip of the deceased, probably in a pouch, next to a banal burin, a circumstance that rather supports a profane use of the object. The two pieces from Steinfurth and Windpassing mentioned by G. Trnka and interpreted as pendants can also be considered perforated utensils hanging from the belt. The connection with the amber trade assumed by G. Bándi is also unlikely. Most European amber finds are concentrated in the upper basins of the Rhine and Danube, i.e., where "idols" are very rarely documented. The latter, however, are missing along the Oder-Elbe rivers, along the presumed branches of the Amber Trail. Only a single piece of amber is known from the Gârla Mare culture 47 . Furthermore, no amber pieces with idol-like inscriptions have been found anywhere. Their direct use as stamps for decorating pottery must be ruled out for two reasons: their use for stamping motifs on the raw vessel wall would have resulted in highlighted rather than indented motifs, and their size and rigidity would not have been able to envelop the vessel wall. However, their role in the decoration of certain types of pottery, such as that from Ghidici 48 , Cârna- Rampă ( pl. 1/7 ) or Ostrovu Mare- Colonie 49, cannot be completely ruled out. One indication of this, with few exceptions, is the co-occurrence of motifs on clay tablets and on pottery from the Gârla Mare culture. However, this hypothesis is also unlikely. It is difficult to explain the presence of horizontal grooves decorated with furrow engraving, which apparently served no purpose at all. Moreover, while identical pieces exist in both Slovakia and the Lower Danube region, Slovakia lacks pottery decorated with such motifs. The hypothesis that some of the idol motifs represent imprints of fruit does not help resolve the question. Unfortunately, the function of these pieces remains unknown. There are also several views on the question of the chronology of the clay tablets. G. Trnka placed the pieces recovered from late Unterwölbling and Polada media in Bz. A 2, and those recovered from the Mad'arovce/V te ov distribution area in the period Bz. A 2-B 1. The pieces from the Žuto Brdo-Gârla Mare culture were considered later. 50 G. Bándi placed the finds from Italy and Slovakia in the 15th-13th centuries BC. 51 The late dating of the "idols" is explained by the fact that authors such as Vladár, Bándi, and Bader originally advocated southern sources of inspiration . 52 Similarities were drawn from clay tablets from Crete, dated to the MM Ib-II stage, or from Antioch and Tell Halaf. The Cretan counterparts cited by Bándi are more than questionable (the tablets are mostly rectangular or oval in shape and decorated with simple circles or with concentric, vertically positioned circles forming two parallel rows, and the grooves are missing), which strongly argues against a southern, Cretan inspiration for the European pieces that are said to have reached Italy by sea. If this were the case, one would have expected that at least the Italian pieces would be related to the Cretan models, but this is not the case. The pieces from Tell Halaf or Antioch can be dated very late (1600-1200), and considering them as models leads to late dating of the European pieces. The dating of the "idols" has recently been attempted using carbon nitrate and dendrochronological data from find contexts with such pieces. J. Körner concluded that, with the exception of the Rubiera case, the earliest pieces belong to Stage B of the Polada culture, which belongs to the Bz. A 2 stage according to Reinecke, which corresponds to an absolute date of around 2050–2850 BC. Some Italian pieces recovered from Middle Bronze Age layers are certainly later. The "idols" from southwest Germany (Arbon culture) were dated between 1850 and 1600 BC, from the Unterwölbling group between 2000 and 1750 BC, from the V te ov area between 1700 and 1500 BC, and those from the Mad'arovce area between 1850 and 1400 BC. BC. Consequently, the oldest idols are found in northern Italy, an area from which they probably spread north-northeast across the Alps 53 . The pieces from the Gârla Mare culture belong to a more developed phase of the culture, a fact confirmed by the examples recovered from Dwellings I and II of Ghidiciu. According to his internal classification, M. Nica assigned the settlement objects to the III stage of the Gârla Mare culture (we prefer to call it the Classical phase). The dwelling with such a loaf-shaped idol from the Ostrovu Mare colony also belongs to this phase . The "idols" from the Cârna- Rampă settlement probably also belong to the Classical phase. Given the similarity in shape and decoration of the "idols" from the Lower Danube and Slovakia, there can be little evidence of significant chronological differences between the pieces from the Mad'arovce area. As already shown above, the pieces from the Žuto Brdo-Gârla Mare culture originate from the Classical phase (Level II) of the culture. There is evidence of partial contemporaneity with the Postclassical phase of the Mad'arovce culture; therefore, a dating between 1600 and 1400 BC seems very likely. back to top [Back to Top] [Back to content] [Home] Citation of paper/Citation de l'article Monica ŞANDOR-CHICIDEANU - NEW CLAY BREAD LOAF BOXES FROM THE LOWER DANUBE BASIN , in EA-online, February 2002 (www.archaeology.ro/mcs_brot.htm)