DOI article:
Ciołek, Renata; Kowal, Tomasz: Contribution to the history of research on Risan (Montenegro): the case of Heinrich Richlý
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41950#0020
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Richly went on to describe the situation in each of the sectors, paying attention to ar-
chitectural ruins, including a stretch of “Cyclopean” wali in sector V, various kinds of
stone slabs and fragmented clay and glass vessels, as well as copper-alloy finds of coins,
nails and other objects. He interviewed local inhabitants about previous finds from these
areas, discovering, for example, where two gold coins20 and a golden figurine21 had been
found earlier. These he mapped carefully. Of all the architectural remains he saw in Carine,
he paid morę attention only to the “Cyclopean" wali.22
In his publication in the Vienna journal Richly described the size, shape and color of
ceramic finds, dividing them into vessels and building elements. Among the pottery the
Czech archaeologist distinguished storage containers, including amphora bases, rims and
handles, and tableware which encompassed bowls, beakers, cups and other forms, repre-
senting mainly terra sigillata and Gnathia ware. Last in this chapter Richly described the
pottery stamps mainly on amphora handles.23
This section was followed by a description of the rare stone finds, giving the kind of
stone, the function and dimensions, and then the glass vessels which were relatively fre-
quent in Carine. These represented mainly tableware vessels, although ornamental frag-
ments of windowpanes were also noted.24 Metal objects, which were described next, were
divided into copper, bronze, lead, iron, silver and gold objects. Richly noted the good con-
dition of the bronze nails, recorded the presence of items like finger rings, fishing hooks,
vessels, polished tablets and other unidentified objects,25 and described the coins, empha-
sizing their poor State of preservation and characterizing precisely the kind of damages.
Interestingly, researchers have repeatedly noted the poor condition of the coins, because
this affected the analysis of the coins, their mutual relations and identification, and in effect
relative chronology. For the same reason it is still impossible to establish an exact metrol-
ogy of the discovered coins.
Richly divided the 300 coins he had collected into three groups by provenance. He dis-
tinguished Illyrian coins, issues from Syria and Roman coins. He also mentioned a massive
die with quadratum incusum but without any images or legend, but this information should
be treated with caution. Coins with quadratum incusum on the reverse were struck in the
Archaic period and there is no justification for the presence of this object in Risan. It would
be the only case of a die for these coins from the Archaic period. It could have been a mas-
sive disc with a rectangular or sąuare depression and when one reads on Richly’s descrip-
tion of a double motif of the cow/calf on the reverse of Dyrrhachium coins, it becomes
elear that he took the double motif as quadratum incusum (such theories have also been
proposed, although they are no longer accepted).26 Therefore, the object described by
Richly could have been a die for striking the reverse of Dyrrhachium coins. If so, it would
testify to the close relations between Rhizon and this Greek colony. Nonetheless, the disk
could have also been a modern object; without morę data and a drawing at least, it is im-
possible to interpret this information.
20 Ibidem, p. 145.
21 Ibidem, p. 148.
22 Ibidem, pp. 146-148; about Cyclopean walls, see
Kowal 2011, pp. 187-194.
23 Ibidem, pp. 148-149.
24 Ibidem, 149.
25 Ibidem, pp. 149-150.
26 On this topie, see Safianu 1986, pp. 27-33; 1993,
p. 246 (with further references to each interpretation),
see also Maier 1908, p. 2; Bohringer 1989, p. 5.
Richly went on to describe the situation in each of the sectors, paying attention to ar-
chitectural ruins, including a stretch of “Cyclopean” wali in sector V, various kinds of
stone slabs and fragmented clay and glass vessels, as well as copper-alloy finds of coins,
nails and other objects. He interviewed local inhabitants about previous finds from these
areas, discovering, for example, where two gold coins20 and a golden figurine21 had been
found earlier. These he mapped carefully. Of all the architectural remains he saw in Carine,
he paid morę attention only to the “Cyclopean" wali.22
In his publication in the Vienna journal Richly described the size, shape and color of
ceramic finds, dividing them into vessels and building elements. Among the pottery the
Czech archaeologist distinguished storage containers, including amphora bases, rims and
handles, and tableware which encompassed bowls, beakers, cups and other forms, repre-
senting mainly terra sigillata and Gnathia ware. Last in this chapter Richly described the
pottery stamps mainly on amphora handles.23
This section was followed by a description of the rare stone finds, giving the kind of
stone, the function and dimensions, and then the glass vessels which were relatively fre-
quent in Carine. These represented mainly tableware vessels, although ornamental frag-
ments of windowpanes were also noted.24 Metal objects, which were described next, were
divided into copper, bronze, lead, iron, silver and gold objects. Richly noted the good con-
dition of the bronze nails, recorded the presence of items like finger rings, fishing hooks,
vessels, polished tablets and other unidentified objects,25 and described the coins, empha-
sizing their poor State of preservation and characterizing precisely the kind of damages.
Interestingly, researchers have repeatedly noted the poor condition of the coins, because
this affected the analysis of the coins, their mutual relations and identification, and in effect
relative chronology. For the same reason it is still impossible to establish an exact metrol-
ogy of the discovered coins.
Richly divided the 300 coins he had collected into three groups by provenance. He dis-
tinguished Illyrian coins, issues from Syria and Roman coins. He also mentioned a massive
die with quadratum incusum but without any images or legend, but this information should
be treated with caution. Coins with quadratum incusum on the reverse were struck in the
Archaic period and there is no justification for the presence of this object in Risan. It would
be the only case of a die for these coins from the Archaic period. It could have been a mas-
sive disc with a rectangular or sąuare depression and when one reads on Richly’s descrip-
tion of a double motif of the cow/calf on the reverse of Dyrrhachium coins, it becomes
elear that he took the double motif as quadratum incusum (such theories have also been
proposed, although they are no longer accepted).26 Therefore, the object described by
Richly could have been a die for striking the reverse of Dyrrhachium coins. If so, it would
testify to the close relations between Rhizon and this Greek colony. Nonetheless, the disk
could have also been a modern object; without morę data and a drawing at least, it is im-
possible to interpret this information.
20 Ibidem, p. 145.
21 Ibidem, p. 148.
22 Ibidem, pp. 146-148; about Cyclopean walls, see
Kowal 2011, pp. 187-194.
23 Ibidem, pp. 148-149.
24 Ibidem, 149.
25 Ibidem, pp. 149-150.
26 On this topie, see Safianu 1986, pp. 27-33; 1993,
p. 246 (with further references to each interpretation),
see also Maier 1908, p. 2; Bohringer 1989, p. 5.