Page 45 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 12(1) (2024)

1975), Medvedjek–Gmajna (Stemberger Fle- mixture but with frequent inclusions of cham-
gar and Predan 2022) and others. In the area of otte. The outer surface also has a red slip (Stem-
Bela Krajina, graves with house urns were also berger Flegar and Predan 2022, cat. no. 8).
found at Borštek near Metlika (Dular 1974), Most house urns from the site Dvorce
Rosalnice (Dular 1976), Otok near Podzeml- near Čatež are similar in appearance and pro-
je (Dular 1976), Štrekljevec (Dular 1976) and duction technology to those found at Ribni-
at the site of Hrast near Jugor (Dular 1976). ca near Brežice, Drnovo 2, and Draga near Bela
Some individual finds of house urns from other Cerkev. They are wheel-thrown and made from
sites, however, were already mentioned and de- fine-grained clay. They are coated with a red slip
scribed by Peter Petru in his study (Petru 1971, and fired in an oxidizing atmosphere. On some,
14–52). painted decoration is visible (for example, urns
All comparable house urns are technologi- from Grave 2 and Grave 5). However, there is
cally very diverse, sharing only the use of gener- also a specimen from Grave 10, which is uncoat- 45
ally refined clay admixtures and often a coating ed and fired in a reductive atmosphere so its co-
on the outer and/or inner surface. At Drnovo lour is not bright orange but brown (Bavec 2016).
2, for example, house urns are included among At the Veliki Kamen site, Grave 3 contained,
the tableware with a coating as a separate func- in addition to a house urn of grey fired clay with
tional-typological group (Vojaković and Novšak a red coating, an urn of grey-black fired clay with
2022, 68, cat. no. 12, 18, 50–52, 75, 97, 101, 118– a black coating, which has a spruce twig motif
122, 133, 149, 177, 184, 201). They are mostly made incised on both sides of the door opening (Uršič
of refined clay admixture, with rare to moderate 1985, 22).
inclusions. They have a light-coloured inner core House urns made of grey-black fired clay
and a red-to-dark-red slip on the vessel's outer occur, among others, at the site of Gornja vas in
and/or inner surface. They are most often dec- Žumberak. In Grave 24, a black-fired urn deco-
orated with painted decoration, occasionally rated with incisions and rouletted ornament and
with incisions or ribs, and the visual appearance with eight X signs above the door opening was
is complemented by the so-called window open- found (Gregl 2009, 48, Grave 24: cat. no. 1). In
ings and the rooster-shaped button on the top of the same grave, a grey-fired house urn was also House Urns in the Burial Practices of the Western Necropolis of Romula
the urn (Vojaković and Novšak 2022, 68). found (Gregl 2009, 48, Grave 24: cat. no. 4). The
At the Draga cemetery near Bela Cerkev, 12 house urn from grave 40 is also black-fired, dec-
house-shaped urns were unearthed, each with orated with horizontal grooves and rouletted or-
its own unique features. Some are adorned with nament (Gregl 2009, 62, Grave 40: cat. no. 2).
rectangular ‘window’ openings on the back, and The remaining urns at the site of Gornja vas at
their button may end in the form of a rooster Žumberak are light-toned, fired in an oxidizing
(Udovč 2022, cat. no. 68–69, 142) or a moulded atmosphere and coated with a red slip. Among
button (Udovč 2022, cat. no. 102–103, 159). They them, the urn from Grave 36 stands out, with
may be coated with a red coating, have a decorat- a prominent decoration on the cylindrical cen-
ed upper part or roofs, and some have a central tral part of the lining. In addition to the hori-
part where the doors are located with a rib be- zontal grooves and lines of impressions, it has an
low and above, accentuated or separated (Udovč incised figural decoration. On each side of the
2022, 84). In individual cases this part may also door opening stylized human figures are carved,
be separated by a groove (Udovč 2022, cat. no. which, according to the researcher's interpre-
30–31, 48). tation, represent the door guards. In addition,
Upper part of the house urn from the Med- X-shaped symbols are carved on the door and
vedjek–Gmajna site is also wheel-thrown and on the cylindrical central part of the urn’s body
made from a medium- to fine-grained clay ad- (Gregl 2009, 57, vol. 31: 1).