During the excavations carried out in 2004 in Palestrina by the Soprintendenza, in the Colombella necropolis was found a “pilozzo” containing a high-level kit, belonging to a female person of the Praenestine élite. The kit was made up a large number of plates of bone referring to the covering of a wooden casket. The two triangular plates that constitute their pediments are decorated with incised busts of youth with Phrygian cap (Dioscuri?). Together they were found a fragment of an unguentarium in alabaster gypsum, a silver handle, a bronze handle with a chain connected to a bronze cap in the shape of a male bust and the mouth of a small wooden container attached to an iron chain. Extraordinary is the presence of two spindles and many other carved items, all bone, including the box set hinges, drilled elements, perhaps disks for the spindles, and several rods decorated with complicated moldings, enhanced by mobile rings, whose “assembly” is still uncertain. They are, in part, identical to some objects belonging to kit from Praeneste, attributed to the so-called cist Pasinati, kept in London. The new bone objects belong to a more complex tool compared with the simple winding wires, as assumed by H. Brunn. They are carved, refined, delicate and fragile: these characteristics make it difficult their practical use. Therefore, it seems that we should think to a distaff or to a complex apparatus for sewing, perhaps used for embroidery or twists or mixtures of different threads, but certainly with symbolic character, not intended for an actual use
Durante gli scavi condotti nel 2004 a Palestrina dalla Soprintendenza nell'area della necropoli della Colombella, è stato rinvenuto un "pilozzo" che ha restituito un corredo di alto livello, riferibile ad un individuo di sesso femminile dell'élite prenestina. Il corredo, era costituito da un cospicuo numero di lastrine di osso riferibili al rivestimento di un cofanetto ligneo. Le due lastrine triangolari che ne costituiscono i frontoncini sono decorate ad incisione con busti giovanili con berretto frigio (Dioscuri?). Insieme sono stati rinvenuti un frammento di unguentario in gesso alabastrino, un'ansa d'argento, un'ansa di bronzo con una catenella collegata ad un tappo di bronzo configurato a busto maschile e l'imboccatura di un piccolo contenitore di legno ancorato ad una catenella di ferro. Straordinaria appare la presenza di due fusi e molti altri elementi lavorati, tutti di osso, fra cui cerniere relative del cofanetto, elementi forati, forse dischi di fusi, e diversi bastoncelli torniti a complicati profili, arricchiti da anellini mobili, il cui "rimontaggio" resta ancora incerto. Essi sono in parte identici ad alcuni oggetti appartenenti al corredo prenestino attribuito alla cosiddetta cista Pasinati, conservata a Londra. I nuovi elementi di osso appartengano ad una strumentazione più complessa del semplice avvolgimento di fili, come ipotizzato dal Brunn. Sono lavorati, raffinati, delicati e fragili: queste caratteristiche ne rendono difficile un uso pratico. Sembra pertanto che si debba pensare o a conocchie o ad un complesso apparato per il cucito, forse utilizzato per ricami o per intrecci o mescolanze di filati diversi, ma di certo con carattere simbolico, non destinate ad un uso reale.
Strumenti in osso per la filatura e tessitura da vecchi e nuovi scavi di Palestrina (Italia)
AMBROSINI L;
2018-01-01
Abstract
During the excavations carried out in 2004 in Palestrina by the Soprintendenza, in the Colombella necropolis was found a “pilozzo” containing a high-level kit, belonging to a female person of the Praenestine élite. The kit was made up a large number of plates of bone referring to the covering of a wooden casket. The two triangular plates that constitute their pediments are decorated with incised busts of youth with Phrygian cap (Dioscuri?). Together they were found a fragment of an unguentarium in alabaster gypsum, a silver handle, a bronze handle with a chain connected to a bronze cap in the shape of a male bust and the mouth of a small wooden container attached to an iron chain. Extraordinary is the presence of two spindles and many other carved items, all bone, including the box set hinges, drilled elements, perhaps disks for the spindles, and several rods decorated with complicated moldings, enhanced by mobile rings, whose “assembly” is still uncertain. They are, in part, identical to some objects belonging to kit from Praeneste, attributed to the so-called cist Pasinati, kept in London. The new bone objects belong to a more complex tool compared with the simple winding wires, as assumed by H. Brunn. They are carved, refined, delicate and fragile: these characteristics make it difficult their practical use. Therefore, it seems that we should think to a distaff or to a complex apparatus for sewing, perhaps used for embroidery or twists or mixtures of different threads, but certainly with symbolic character, not intended for an actual useI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.