Antique and Late Antique cart elements from Istria

Od dvadeset tri metalna elementa kola iz Antičke zbirke Arheološkog muzeja Istre u Puli, četiri su brončana i figuralno ukrašena mitološkim i drugim figurama apotropejskog, zaštitničkog značenja. Mogu se datirati okvirno u rimsko ranocarsko razdoblje 1. – 3. st. i pripadaju luksuznim putničkim kolima. Mjesto izrade brončanih elemenata za kola s najviše vjerojatnosti treba tražiti u samoj koloniji Poli ili na širem području obližnje sjeveroistočne Italije. Devetnaest željeznih, funkcionalnih i neukrašenih spona i okova može se pripisati kolima zbog karakterističnog oblika ili zbog smislene zatvorene cjeline nalaza. Više od polovine svih predmeta odnosi se na željezne konstruktivne elemente izrađene u 7. st. u kovačnici kasnoantičke vile Dragonera Jug na području Pole. Iako malobrojni, brončani i željezni elementi zaprežnih kola pronađeni u Istri pokrivaju dugo razdoblje od prvih sedam stoljeća poslije Krista.Out of the twenty-three metal cart elements from the Antique Collection of the Archaeological Museum of Istria in Pula, four elements are made from bronze and decorated with mythological figures and figures of apotropaic and protective significance. The elements can be dated approximately to the early Roman Imperial period of 1st–3rd century and they are parts of luxury passenger carts. The manufacturing location of the bronze cart elements should most likely be sought in the Pola colony or in the neighbouring wider area of north-east Italy. Nineteen iron, functional and undecorated clasps and fittings can be attributed to the cart due to their characteristic shape or because of the sensible closed unit of the findings. More than half of all items refer to the iron construction elements created in 7th century in the smithy of the Late Antique villa Dragonera South in the area of Pola. Although they are not numerous, bronze and iron elements of carts found in Istria cover a long period from the first seven centuries AD