BRONZE AND BONE ARTEFACTS FROM POPERNJAK NEAR BOŠNJACI - ŽUPANJA

U članku se govori o nalazima brončanih i koštanih predmeta iz Popernjaka kod Bošnjaka u istočnoj Hrvatskoj. Nalazi brončanih i koštanih predmeta otkriveni su u naseobinskom i grobišnom kontekstu, a nalazište Popernjak pripada kasnome brončanom dobu i kulturnoj skupini Barice-Gređani, odnosno Br D i Ha A1 stupnjevima. Brončani predmeti (ukrasne igle, narukvice, alkice, ukrasne ploče) pokazuju svojstva karakteristična za šire područje dok su nalazi koštanih predmeta jedinstveni i bez značajnijih paralela. I jedna i druga skupina predmeta osvjetljava obrtničku djelatnost prapovijesnih stanovnika, neki predmeti predstavljaju standardan, gotovo serijski proizvod, na nekima se jasno raspoznaju elementi umjetničkoga obrta.The author discusses bronze and bone finds from Popernjak near Bošnjaci in East Croatia (Figs. 1 and 2). The bronze and bone items were recovered from settlement and grave site contexts. It is hard to determine whether the bronze items from Popernjak (Tables 1 to 3, Fig. 3) had been imported or were locally made. Their typological unity and presence over a large area support the opinion that they had been imported. However, some of the items, such as the mace-like needle in Fig. 3.3, Table 2.4, and the recovery of a chisel (Table 1.7), speak in favour of local production. An accurate analysis of other bronze items, of course, could provide indications if not of local metallurgic then at least of local blacksmith production. On the other hand, when talking about bone items (Table 4), we can talk without doubt about local craftsmanship production. This is corroborated by the uniqueness of the items themselves (fife, reinforcements) that have no parallel examples, and also by the way they were decorated and the choice of decorative motifs. Bronze and bone items from Popernjak (Tables 1 - 4, Fig. 3), although they are artefacts of applied arts, indicate an accentuated tendency towards artistic expression, at least when it comes to decorations. Bronze and bone items from Popernjak have been dated with certainty in the early phase of the Late Bronze Age, or, more precisely, to Br D and Ha A1. The production of artistic craft items, such as those discovered in Popernjak, implies the use of the basic techniques of casting and minting, while predominant features in the ornamenting system are incision and sculptural applications. Bone items from the graves in Popernjak were made of tubular animal bones, and apart from the primary execution, the decoration was executed by carving and incision. Geometric motifs are dominant, both with bronze and bone items (T. 1 - 4, Fig. 3). Bronze items (decorative pins, bracelets, ringlets, decorative plates) show traits characteristically observed in the wider area, while the bone items are unique and have no significant parallels. Both groups of items shed light on the artisan activity of the prehistoric inhabitants. While some items represent a standard and almost serial production, others bear clear traits of artistic expression