Page 93 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 13(2) (2025)

Selected Glass Finds from Apsorus (Osor) – Reflection of Wealth and Prestige
Izbrane steklene najdbe iz Apsorja (Osorja) – odraz bogastva in prestiža

Irena Lazar
University of Primorska, Faculty of Humanities, Slovenia
irena.lazar@fhs.upr.si

Abstract
The article focuses on selected glass finds from Osor. The exact provenance of the finds is unknown;
most likely, they were discovered in a Roman necropolis of Apsorus. Among the excavated materials,
early products of Roman glassmaking, dated to the 1st century AD, stand out and illustrate the remark-
able diversity of glassmaking technological practices of the period. Some of them were still made in 93
moulds, others by mould-blowing, but we should also mention the earliest blown products. Imports of
these products in Roman towns and cities along the Adriatic reflect the economic strength of the pop-
ulation and an extensive trade network expanding from northern Italy to the Eastern Mediterranean.
Keywords: Osor, Roman glass, moulds and mould-blowing, trade, import

Izvleček
Članek se osredotoča na izbrane najdbe stekla iz Osorja. Podatki o izvoru najdb niso ohranjeni, najver-
jetneje pa so bile odkrite v rimski nekropoli Apsorja (Apsorus). Med gradivom izstopajo zgodnjerimski
izdelki, nastali v 1. stoletju, in ilustrirajo izredno raznolikost rimskega steklarstva ter tehnoloških praks
tistega časa. Nekateri so bili še izdelani v kalupih, drugi so bili pihani v kalup, med njimi pa so tudi zgod-
nji pihani izdelki. Uvozi tega posodja v prvih rimskih mestih in naseljih vzdolž Jadrana odražajo eko-
nomsko moč prebivalstva in razvejano trgovsko mrežo, ki se je raztezala od severne Italije do vzhodne-
ga Sredozemlja.
Ključne besede: Osor, rimsko steklo, kalupi in pihanje v kalup, trgovina, uvoz

Osor – Apsorus granted the status of a municipium and devel-
he arrival of the Romans in the 2nd cen- oped into a Roman city (Starac 2000, 79; Faber
tury BCE undoubtedly marked the be- 1980; 1982).
Tginning of a new era for Osor. Together Although the exact date of the establishment of
with other areas of Kvarner, Osor boldly crossed the autonomous city remains questionable, anal-
the threshold of history and began another rich yses of material culture can help uncover aspects
epoch of its splendid past (Blečić Kavur 2015, of town life and its inhabitants, as well as reflect
231–3). Archaeological sources, no matter how their social status (Kurilić 1999; Šašel Kos 2017;
stingy and/or truncated, support the assump- Šmid 2025).
tion of cultural and economic completion of the In this article, we will focus on selected glass-
longest chapter of Osor prehistory. Then Osor, ware finds from the Archaeological Collection
along with other areas of Kvarner, boldly crossed Osor, Lošinj Museum (Fadić 1982). The exact
the threshold of history and began another ex- provenance of the finds is unknown; most like-
tremely rich epoch of their magnificent past. ly, they were discovered in a Roman necropolis
Material culture indicates an important role of west of the Apsorus (Fadić 1982, 111). Marcheset-
Osor in the Romanisation of the northern Adri- ti also confirms this possibility in his publication
atic. During Roman rule, Osor (Apsorus) was (1924, 141). Excavations in this necropolis began
https://doi.org/10.26493/2350-5443.13(2)93-108 © author/authors