Tomb stella with a whole human figure found on the East Adriatic coast

Abstract

Human figure is a dominant motif on different types of tomb monuments in the estern parts of the Adriatic. Man (the deceased) is usually presented as half figure (down tot he waist) and it rarely can be found as a whole figure. There have been only five Stellas of this type preserved on the eastern parts of the Adriatic but one to them is tectonically and iconographically different from the others and It is usually left out (stella Lupe from Sović in Hercegovina). The other- four are iconographically similar and three tilso tectonically. Three have been discribed (Stella no. 1 from Cavtat, today An Vienna, no. 2 from Narone, no. 3 from Salona, and no. 4 unknown site, probably from Salona, all in the Archeological Museum in Split). Three Stellas have architectonic characteristics (naiscos with niche or only the niiiche) while the fourth (monument no. 3) is a simple slab with engraved rectangular. All stellas have as their main motif a whole human figure of the deceased in a standing position (comtraposto). It is interesting' that the four monuments belong to the soldiers which lis confirmed on stella no. 3 with the inscription and on the others we find items belonging to the military (clothing, sword, belt, vitis or some other kind of commanding stick, codex ansatus, etc.). H. Hoffmann named this type of stella »Greek« which quite correct when origin is considered but the whole figure of the deceased spread to other tomb monuments throughout the whole of the Roman empire and became a monument. for soldiers and civilians. The direct connection with the Orient that used Greek as a language and the type of stellas found there is typical, however, only for the monument no. 3 [engraved rectangular with the whole figure). The »Greek« type can be explained with he fact that the deceased Aurelius Pontian. a soldier of Italic legion I (Legio I Italica) as a number of other soldiers In this unit were of Trachian origin. Olhei* stellas are of architectonic character known in the whole of the Roman empire and especially in its Western parts.
All of these stellas are from a late period. Stellas no. 3 and 4 can be placed in the third or fourth decade of the 3rd c. especially stella no, 3 on the basis of the head of the deceased, the hairstyle and some other stylistic characteristics. Stella no. 4 could be traced back to the middle of the 3rd c. The dating is further confirmed with the fact at that time part of Italic legion I was in Dalmatia up to the end of the 2nd century and it wias still there at the time of Alexander Sever who gave it a honorary title of Severiana. Stellas no. 1 and 2 are much harder to date. The optical effect (light and shadow) on the capitels of stellas no. 1 and 2 indicate that they cannot be dated before the middle of the 2nd c. This is in agreement with the architectonic details (ipillasters with capitels) which disappear from the eastern coast of the Adriatic around the middle of that century. The lack of contrastive effects in the folds of the dresses and a completely conservative sculptural treatment indicates that stella no. 2 could be dated at the time of the first introduction of the stylistic changes from the end of the 2nd' c. A.D. which is further supported by the rather monumental size of the stella which, is later quite reduced in stellas from the period after the middle of the 2nd century. Stellas with the whole figure begin to appeal’ at the time when atelia begins to lose popularity as a type of the monumental tomb monument. They were present for more than a century and were used practically only for soldiers for whom they were suitable because the whole figure could show numerous military items and thus chairaeterize the profession the deceased.