DOI Artikel:
Dobrowolski, Kazimierz; Piasecki, Karol: Identifying the species of birds depicted on a funerary stela from Novae (Bulgaria)
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41865#0061
Kazimierz A. Dobrowolski
Warsaw
Karol Piasecki
Warsaw
IDENTIFYING THE SPECIES OF BIRDS DEPICTED ON
A FUNERARY STELA FROM NOYAE (BUŁGARIA)
The surviving fragment of a funerary stela from the Roman period comprises
a relief including, among others, ten images of birds. Two are placed in the up-
per part, opposite each other, on either side of a laurel wreath with the yellow
bedstraw flower in the middle; these two are designated further on as “A” (on
the left) and “B” (on the right). They are flanked by two houseleeks (Sempervi-
rens tectorum L.), belonging to the Crassulaceae family, originally occurring in
the mountains of Central, Western and Southern Europę. One should notę the
precision of the drawing, which permits fuli Identification of the species (one
should add that yellow bedstraw flowers and leaves are also present on the tym-
panum at the top of the stela, testifying beyond doubt to the symbolic signifi-
cance of this species).
Three pairs of birds are found in the upper part of the frame of the inscrip-
tion, the fourth pair at the sides. In this paper they are designated as “C” and
“D”, “E” and “F”, “G” and “H” and “I” and “J”. They are all composed to fit in
the vine (Yitis vinifera L.) that frames the inscribed panel.
The bottom part of the stela has not been preserved, but one may assume that
there were morę animal representations there, perhaps also mammals and, not
inconceivably, reptiles.
Representations of animals placed in a scrolling acanthus or vine, and yellow
bedstraw in particular, are relatively rare, whether on ritual buildings or on Ro-
man sepulchral monuments. However, butterflies, birds and other smali animals
appear among the acanthus scrolling ornament on the outer bottom decoration of
the wali surrounding the Ara Pacis of Augustus on the Field of Mars, raised in
AD 9. Swans atop the acanthus branches serve to emphasize the axes of symmetry.
An example of vine, birds and domestic animals being used in sepulchral art
is a blue glass vase (h. 0.30 m, diam. 0.15 m), found in one of the Pompeian
tombs, hence dating prior to AD 79, presumably Late Claudian in style.
The main motif here is the vine, vintage scenes to the musie of the zither, head
of Bacchus, bird (which may be identified as a raven or one of the thrushes).
Warsaw
Karol Piasecki
Warsaw
IDENTIFYING THE SPECIES OF BIRDS DEPICTED ON
A FUNERARY STELA FROM NOYAE (BUŁGARIA)
The surviving fragment of a funerary stela from the Roman period comprises
a relief including, among others, ten images of birds. Two are placed in the up-
per part, opposite each other, on either side of a laurel wreath with the yellow
bedstraw flower in the middle; these two are designated further on as “A” (on
the left) and “B” (on the right). They are flanked by two houseleeks (Sempervi-
rens tectorum L.), belonging to the Crassulaceae family, originally occurring in
the mountains of Central, Western and Southern Europę. One should notę the
precision of the drawing, which permits fuli Identification of the species (one
should add that yellow bedstraw flowers and leaves are also present on the tym-
panum at the top of the stela, testifying beyond doubt to the symbolic signifi-
cance of this species).
Three pairs of birds are found in the upper part of the frame of the inscrip-
tion, the fourth pair at the sides. In this paper they are designated as “C” and
“D”, “E” and “F”, “G” and “H” and “I” and “J”. They are all composed to fit in
the vine (Yitis vinifera L.) that frames the inscribed panel.
The bottom part of the stela has not been preserved, but one may assume that
there were morę animal representations there, perhaps also mammals and, not
inconceivably, reptiles.
Representations of animals placed in a scrolling acanthus or vine, and yellow
bedstraw in particular, are relatively rare, whether on ritual buildings or on Ro-
man sepulchral monuments. However, butterflies, birds and other smali animals
appear among the acanthus scrolling ornament on the outer bottom decoration of
the wali surrounding the Ara Pacis of Augustus on the Field of Mars, raised in
AD 9. Swans atop the acanthus branches serve to emphasize the axes of symmetry.
An example of vine, birds and domestic animals being used in sepulchral art
is a blue glass vase (h. 0.30 m, diam. 0.15 m), found in one of the Pompeian
tombs, hence dating prior to AD 79, presumably Late Claudian in style.
The main motif here is the vine, vintage scenes to the musie of the zither, head
of Bacchus, bird (which may be identified as a raven or one of the thrushes).