Skip to main content

Ernő Szabó

University of Pecs, Department of Ancient History, Assistant research fellow

Followers

166

Following

262

Co-authors

13

Public Views

Eötvös Loránd University

University of Pecs

János Jusztinger

Eszterházy Károly University

University of Pecs

Boglárka Fábián

BHM Aquincum Museum

University of Pecs

InterestsView All (12)

Uploads

Papers by Ernő Szabó

Tekercsábrázolások noricumi síremlékeken

by Nándor Agócs and Ernő Szabó

In: Grüll Tibor – Szabó Ernő (szerk.): A könyv forradalma. Íróeszközök és íróanyagok ábrázolásai a római világban (Specimina nova dissertationum ex Institutio Historiae Antiquae et Archaeologiae Universitatis Quinqueecclesiensis, Supplementum XIV), Pécs, 2024, pp. 171–190., 2024

Egy álló formátumú viaszostábla Verespatakról

In: Grüll Tibor – Szabó Ernő (szerk.): A könyv forradalma. Íróeszközök és íróanyagok ábrázolásai ... more

Tekercsábrázolások pannoniai síremlékeken

by Nándor Agócs and Ernő Szabó

In: Grüll Tibor – Szabó Ernő (szerk.): A könyv forradalma. Íróeszközök és íróanyagok ábrázolásai a római világban (Specimina nova dissertationum ex Institutio Historiae Antiquae et Archaeologiae Universitatis Quinqueecclesiensis, Supplementum XIV), Pécs, 2024, pp. 123–170., 2024

The aim of this paper is to analyze the scroll depictions on the Pannonian sepulchral monuments a... more

Íróanyagok és íróeszközök ábrázolásai római síremlékeken. Kísérlet egy gyakori ikonográfiai motívum tipológiai elemzésére

by Tibor Grull, Nándor Agócs, and Ernő Szabó

In: Grüll Tibor – Szabó Ernő (szerk.): A könyv forradalma. Íróeszközök és íróanyagok ábrázolásai a római világban, (Specimina nova dissertationum ex Institutio Historiae Antiquae et Archaeologiae Universitatis Quinqueecclesiensis, Supplementum XIV), Pécs, 2024, pp. 1–37.

Carmina for the Nymphs in the Danubian provinces

by Chiara Cenati and Ernő Szabó

Studia epigraphica et historica in honorem Ioannis Pisonis Herausgegeben von Lucrețiu Mihailescu-Bîrliba, Radu Ardevan, Rada Varga, Florian Matei-Popescu und Ovidiu Țentea, 2024

The iconographic motif of book-scrolls on funerary reliefs in Noricum

by Tibor Grull, Nándor Agócs, János Jusztinger, and Ernő Szabó

Maria-Pia Darblade-Audoin Les hermès de Welschbillig. Style et technique au IV e siècle dans le N... more

Közöletlen feliratos római sírsztélétöredék a pécsi Janus Pannonius Múzeumból (An unpublished Roman tomb stele fragment with inscription from the Janus Pannonius Museum in Pécs)

In: Benke László (szerk.): Legendás csontoktól egy matrózlázadásig. Huszonnégy írás a múlt és a történeti források kapcsolatáról a hatvanéves Grüll Tibor köszöntésére. Pesti Kalligram, Budapest, 2024, pp. 77–88.

A hitherto unpublished Roman tomb stele fragment with inscription, located in the Roman lapidary ... more A hitherto unpublished Roman tomb stele fragment with inscription, located in the Roman lapidary of the Janus Pannonius Museum in Pécs. I clarify the place where the gravestone, which is not recorded in the museum’s records, was found, as well as the circumstances of its discovery. According to press reports of the time, the monument (made of white marble, dimensions: 75×39×19 cm) was found in 1986 in a secondary position in Pécsvárad (Baranya County, Hungary), where it had been used as a pavement. From the main field of view, a half‑length depiction of an adult woman and an adult man, as well as a fragment of a bust of a child have survived (Fig. 1). The woman’s jewellery is carved with great care and detail, and her costume has a dating value (Fig. 2). The man is holding a scroll (volumen) in his left hand, while in his right he is holding the woman’s right hand (dextrarum iunctio). The narrow band between the main field and the inscription field is decorated with a tripus scene (a “Pannonian banquet”). The scene also features two closely touching cylindrical objects, which often appear on “Pannonian banquets” alongside the mensa tripes (Fig. 3). Its interpretation is rather controversial in scholarly literature on Pannonia. Based on the richly detailed depictions found elsewhere in the empire (Fig. 4), it may well be a pair of flasks in a wicker carrier. Only two fragmentary lines from the inscription field have come down to us (Fig. 5), and I suggest the following possibilities for their completion:
[‑ – ‑]anus an(norum) [‑ – ‑] | [‑ – ‑]ṛio ux(or) an(norum) [‑ – ‑] | [‑ – ‑
[‑ – ‑]anus an(norum) [‑ – ‑] | [‑ – ‑]ḅ/p/ṛio v(i)x(it) an(nnos) [‑ – ‑] | [‑ – ‑
On the basis of style criticism, the costume of the persons depicted in the main field of view, the characteristics of the tripus scene and palaeographical arguments, the monument can be dated to the second third of the third century.

„Némely ájtatosak, de a régészetben járatlanok, ezen faragványban a szent családot akarák tisztelni” Két római sírkő népi interpretációja Rómer Flóris útijegyzeteiben (Popular Interpretation of Two Roman Tombstones in Flóris Rómer's Travel Notes)

In: Nagy Janka Teodóra - Bognár Szabina - Szabó Ernő (szerk.): Élő jogszokások: Jogi néprajzi, jogtörténeti és jogi kultúrtörténeti tanulmányok. (Jogi kultúrtörténeti, jogi néprajzi kiskönyvtár 11.) PTE KPVK, Szekszárd, 2023, pp. 273-284.

"Some are reverential, but inexperienced in archaeology however they want to honour the Holy Fami... more "Some are reverential, but inexperienced in archaeology however they want to honour the Holy Family in this carving" Popular Interpretation of Two Roman Tombstones in Flóris Rómer's Travel Notes. In my study, I examine two Roman tomb steles based on the manuscript notebooks of archaeologist Flóris Rómer (1815–1889). From Rómer’s note No. VII it turns out that the Lupa 3843 tombstone stood in Ószőny in 1859, and in its carving the locals honoured the Holy Family (Fig. 1). According to the archaeologist's notebook No. VIII (1860), the inhabitants of the settlement also recognized the Holy Family in a Roman tombstone on the border of Tarján (Fig. 2). The unpublished stone monument still stands in the same place today and is called St. Anne's picture in the vernacular.

Adatok a Dunavecséhez kötődő római kőemlékekhez (Data on the Roman stone monuments connected to Dunavecse)

Cumania 30 (2023) pp. 75-102.

In my study, I take into account the Roman stone monuments (Nr. 1-21) connected to the Dunavecse ... more In my study, I take into account the Roman stone monuments (Nr. 1-21) connected to the Dunavecse (Bács-Kiskun county, Hungary) settlement. All of the stone monuments with known provenance were brought from the ruins of the medieval church of Fehéregyháza to Dunavecse during the 18th and 19th centuries (certainly: Nr. 1-10, presumably: Nr. 11-17). Fehéregyháza is located on the plain beyond the former administrative border of the Roman Empire, about 10 km east of Dunavecse. The transportation of these Roman stone monuments to the left bank of the Danube can be linked to the construction of the medieval church of Fehéregyháza, and the transport across the Danube may have taken on the passing-place of Apostag (fig. 1). The stones were presumably collected from the ruins of Annamatia, since the Nr. 1 milestone was originally erected here. I identified the tomb stele Nr. 2, known so far only from a 19th-century manuscript (fig. 2), in the courtyard of the Vécsey Castle in Solt (fig.3). I found three of the Roman stone monuments that were unearthed during the 1909 excavation in Fehéregyháza, but which have fallen into disrepair, in the courtyard of the Petőfi Memorial House in Dunavecse (Nr. 4-6, fig. 4-6). The well-known stone-monument Nr. 11 from the literature was considered by the profession to be a Dunapentele site, even though it was found in Dunavecse (fig. 7-9). In the courtyard of the Petőfi Memorial House, the stone monument Nr. 12 (fig. 10) depicting the satyros (possibly Pan) playing the cymbals is kept, which has just been announced. Until now, research has only known the Nr. 13 tombstone from a photo taken in 1909, and I identified the stone monument in the courtyard of the Petőfi Memorial House (fig. 12). Stone monuments Nr. 14-15 were built into the reformed church in Dunavecse, consecrated in 1745 (fig. 13-14). The larger piece of stele Nr. 18 can be found in the yard of a family house in Dunavecse, the smaller piece is kept in the yard of the Petőfi Memorial House, they were not published until now (fig. 15). There are also three unpublished stone monuments with uncertain locations at the Petőfi Memorial House: a libella can be seen on the tomb building block Nr. 19 (fig. 16), an ivy leaf on the stone monument Nr. 20 (fig. 17) and a torso of a lion on the funerary relief Nr. 21 (fig. 18). The A3 tombstone was discovered on the outskirts of Tass in 1967, but fell into disrepair. Until now, research has only known about the photo taken when it was found, and I identified the stone monument in the courtyard of the Petőfi Memorial House (fig. 19). The A4 tombstone was found during the construction works of the paper factory in Dunaújváros (1962-1963), from where it was moved to the yard of a private house in Dunavecse, but it disappeared in the late 2000s and is currently only known from a newspaper photo (fig. 20).

Representations of writing tools and materials on Roman funerary monuments An attempt at a typological analysis of a common iconographic motif

by Tibor Grull, Nándor Agócs, and Ernő Szabó

Tablet in Hand� Tabulae as markers of professional and social identity of Roman scribae ��84 Ben... more Tablet in Hand� Tabulae as markers of professional and social identity of Roman scribae ��84 Benjamin Hartmann Representations of writing tools and materials on Phrygian door stelae ��96 Tibor Grüll Broadening the view on literacy in Palmyra� Ten years after the first attempt ��115 Łukasz Sokołowski The scroll and codex on funerary steles in the Upper Moesian Limes ��165 Sanja Pilipović Depictions of bone 'spatulate' strips and a few thoughts about their function ��180

Új római oltár Győrből (New Roman altar from Győr)

by Ernő Szabó, Nándor Agócs, and Molki Mosoni

Arrabona. Regionális Tudományos Évkönyv 61 (2023), pp. 43-57.

In January 2022, two carved Roman stone monuments were unearthed during the renovation of a 19th-... more In January 2022, two carved Roman stone monuments were unearthed during the renovation of a 19th-century residential house in Győr (fig. 1). The stone monuments, which had been re-used several times, certainly did not belong together. On one of the stones, there was no discernible inscription or depiction. The other can be identified as the central block of an altar. The decorations of the sides and part of the inscription field have been preserved (fig. 2). On the left is a six-petalled rosette in a circular frame. This depiction is very rarely found on the stone monuments of Pannonia. In our opinion, it should be interpreted as a stylised representation of a handle-less sacrificial patera. Based on the known examples, most often a urceus was depicted on the other side as a patera pair (fig. 3-4). However, on the other side of this stone is a representation of a basket. The basket has one ear and is filled with round fruits. Only two fragmentary lower lines of the altar inscription have been preserved, and two fragments letters of the line above them (fig. 5). There are some remains of red colour in the letters. In the penultimate line, the letters PRAEF LEG can be identified (the ligatured AE letters only faintly), with punctum triangulare between them and at the end of the row. At the beginning of the last line there is a letter A and a letter attached to it, the latter could be a B, P, R or D based on the arcing. Only identifying it as R or D gives a sensible reading. The letter A^D could be an abbreviated form of the legio name, but we do not know of any inscription from Pannonia that shows the Adiutrix legiones without the unit number. It is therefore more likely to be AR, which is an abbreviated form of the altar itself. In Pannonia, we know of 30 altar inscriptions that name the type of the object. These are all votive inscriptions. The setting up of grave-altars was less common in Pannonia, so the altar in Győr could also have been a votive altar. The bottom of the third line of the inscription from the bottom is the lower part of a letter B or D, immediately followed by a vertical hasta fragment. These are either fragments of the name of the praefectus legionis or of one of the officiales (beneficiarius / librarius / adiutor). Based on the above, we propose the following interpretation options for inscription:
- - -]ḅ/ḍị [us] | pr[a^e]f(ectus) leg(ionis) | a^ṛ(am) [pos]uit.
- - -] ḅ(ene)f(iciarius) | pr[a^e]f(ecti) leg(ionis) | a^ṛ(am) [pos]uit.
Based on the title praefectus legionis, the monument can be dated to the end of the 2nd century or the first half of the 3rd century (cf. tab. I-II).
[Modern find spot: Apáca str. 36. Győr, Hungary. Ancient find spot: Arrabona, Pannonia superior.]

Digitising a Roman tabula cerata from Alburnus Maior (Roșia Montana, jud. Alba/RO)

by Csaba Szabó, paul scrobota, and Ernő Szabó

Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt, 2022

The study focuses on one of the wax tablets from the Roman mines of Alburnus Maior (TC XV = TabCe... more The study focuses on one of the wax tablets from the Roman mines of Alburnus Maior (TC XV = TabCerD XVI) recently
rediscovered in the collection of the Museum of Aiud (Romania) and digitised by the authors. The article presents
the context of the discovery and its complex history from 1855 until the rediscovery of the object in 2018, a detailed
analysis of the physical features and the current state of the wax tablet, as well as a complete reinterpretation and
digital reconstruction of the epigraphic field, the first since the reading of Theodor Mommsen. We question the old
interpretation of the fragmentarily preserved text of the wax tablet, suggesting that it needs to be contextualised as a
type of adversaria. The authors also present the importance of the H-RTI technique in the digitisation of fragile, rarely
accessible archaeological heritage, especially in the case of Alburnus Maior, which was inscribed in 2021 as a UNESCO
World Heritage site.

Megjegyzések Caius Iulius Filetion és Iulius Athenodorus aquincumi sírfeliratához (Notes on the epitaph of Caius Iulius Filetion and Iulius Athenodorus from Aquincum [CIL III, 3583 = TitAq II, 656])

In: Gresz Ágnes (szerk.): Liber Amicorum : Studia Maria Fekete Dedicata (Specimina nova dissertationum ex Institutis Historiae Antiquae et Archaeologiae Universitatis Quinqueecclesiensis. Supplementum XIII.). Pécsi Tudományegyetem Ókortörténeti Tanszék – Régészet Tanszék, Pécs 2022, pp. 185–206.

Until recently, when a small fragment of its inscribed field was recovered in 2001, the funerary ... more Until recently, when a small fragment of its inscribed field was recovered in 2001, the funerary inscription of Caius Iulius Filetion and Iulius Athenodorus (CIL III, 3583 = TitAq II, 656) was known exclusively from manuscripts recorded by Renaissance era humanists. In the present article, I aim to review these hand written sources and evaluate data from those humanist corpora of inscriptions, which were omitted by the editors of CIL and TitAq (Fonzio ms; CP XIII G 14; CVP 3255*). I will express an opinion considering the epigraphical and philological debate concerning the funerary inscription and various interpretations, thus I strive to present new solutions.

Az „arany köldöktől” az olvasóállványig ‒ A papirusztekercs-olvasás kultúrája (From the “golden navel” to the reading frame ‒ The culture of reading papyrus-scrolls)

by Ernő Szabó and Tibor Grull

In: Gresz Ágnes (szerk.): Liber Amicorum : Studia Maria Fekete Dedicata (Specimina nova dissertationum ex Institutis Historiae Antiquae et Archaeologiae Universitatis Quinqueecclesiensis. Supplementum XIII.). Pécsi Tudományegyetem Ókortörténeti Tanszék – Régészet Tanszék, Pécs 2022, pp. 41–51.

A conventional papyrus scroll began with the protokollon or unwritten sheet and ended with the es... more A conventional papyrus scroll began with the protokollon or unwritten sheet and ended with the eschatokollon which was attached to the umbilicus (literally ‘navel’), a stick made out of wood, bone, or even ivory for the de luxe editions. These sticks were sometimes painted or gilt, and furnished with projecting knobs (cornua) similarly decorated, intended to serve both as an ornament, and as a contrivance to keep the ends of the roll even, while it was being rolled up. Here, however, we can observe a strange paradox. Although much has been written in Roman literary sources—from Catullus through Martial to Lucian—about the umbilicus, its representations are extremely rare among the Campanian wall paintings and among the funer-ary reliefs depicting people with a scroll in their hands. Notwithstanding, among the archaeo-logical finds in the Northern provinces of the Roman Empire more and more finds come up that can be defined as umbilici. In this study we also address reading habits in ancient Rome, viz. book winders found in many places from Dacia to Roman Gaul.

„Csak a néphagyomány pótolja itt a történelmi hiányt” Közöletlen római feliratok Várfalváról, Orbók Ferenc gyűjtéséből (“Only Folk Tradition is Completing the Lacks of History Here” Unpublished Roman Inscriptions from the Collection of Ferenc Orbók from Moldoveneşti)

In: Keszeg Vilmos – Nagy Zsolt – Szakál Anna (szerk.): Kriza János Néprajzi Társaság Évkönyve 30 : Néprajzi kutatás- és tudománytörténeti tanulmányok. (Kriza János Néprajzi Társaság Évkönyve 30.) Kriza János Néprajzi Társaság, Kolozsvár 2022, pp. 217–246.

Ferenc Orbók (1820–1897), a Unitarian pastor, is considered a member of the folk poetry assembly ... more Ferenc Orbók (1820–1897), a Unitarian pastor, is considered a member of the folk poetry assembly movement of János Kriza. However, Orbók’s attention was not only focusing on folk traditions. In the present study the author examines the epigraphic data of the pastor of Moldoveneşti, subject to the stone monuments with Roman inscriptions of the same village from Cluj County, to their research history and the folk memory of the “Roman castle” of Moldoveneşti (Várhegy / Dealul Cetății). Orbók published in a newspaper article (Nr. 10), as well as together with Domokos Barla merchant of Moldoveneşti wrote a letter and published data of Roman inscriptions of the settlement (Nr. 5 = Fig. 1, Nr. 11 = Fig. 2, Nr. 12 = Fig. 3). The Nr. 10–12 inscriptions have been unknown to epigraphic research so far:
Nr. 10 In honorem [domus divinae - - -] | Iovis [- - - - - -
Nr. 11 [- - -]vio U[- - -] | [- - -] LV I[- - -] | [- - -] XXV B[- - -] | [- - -] a^n[- - - - - -
Nr. 12 [D(iis)] M(anibus) | [- - -]s vix(it) a^n(nos) | - - - - - -

„Doar tradiția populară compensează aici lipsa istoriei”
Inscripții romane needitate din colecția lui Ferenc Orbók din Moldovenești
Pastorul unitarian Ferenc Orbók (1820–1897) este cunoscut de către posteritate în primul rând ca membru al grupului și al mișcării de culegere folcloristică a lui János Kriza. Însă atenția lui Orbók nu s-a rezumat doar la tradiția populară. Studiul de față urmărește analiza materialului epigraic cules și publicat de către pastorul din Moldovenești, referindu-se și la inscripțiile romane din localitate, la istoria cercetării acestora, dar și la memoria locală legată de „cetatea romană” (Dealul Cetății) de aici. Orbók a publicat niște date într-un articol de ziar (Nr. 10), și a inclus altele într-o scrisoare scrisă împreună cu negustorul local Domokos Barla (Nr. 5 = Imag. 1, Nr. 11 = Imag. 2, Nr. 12 = Imag. 3). Iar inscripțiile cu numerele 10–12 au fost necunoscute cercetării de specialitate până acum:
Nr. 10 In honorem [domus divinae - - -] | Iovis [- - - - - -
Nr. 11 [- - -]vio U[- - -] | [- - -] LV I[- - -] | [- - -] XXV B[- - -] | [- - -] a^n[- - - - - -
Nr. 12 [D(iis)] M(anibus) | [- - -]s vix(it) a^n(nos) | - - - - - -

Közöletlen római felirat Gyurikovits György bíró, jogtörténeti író kézirathagyatékából

Nagy Janka Teodóra – Béli Gábor (szerk.), A jog kulturális holdudvara : A magyar jogtörténet, jogi kultúrtörténet európai kontextusai (Jogtörténeti Értekezések 56). Gondolat Kiadó, Budapest 2022, pp. 174–186.

Zichy János gróf ajándéka „az Magyar Nemzeti Muzeumnak ékesittésére”

Kovács Péter – Szabó Ádám (szerk.), Az Alföldy Géza Emlékülés előadásaiból és egyéb közlemények 2021-ből (Studia Epigraphica Pannonica 13.). CIL III.2. P. M. M., Budapest 2022, pp. 255-270.

Egy tartományi főpap felirata Mányról (Inscription of a provincial high priest from Mány)

by Ernő Szabó, Nándor Agócs, and Zsuzsanna Lencsés

Alba Regia. A Szent István Király Múzeum Évkönyve – Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei: C sorozat. 49 (2021), pp. 11-21.

In a periphery of Mány (County Fejér, Hungary) called Közép-Gyulai-lane during ploughing a (37)×(... more In a periphery of Mány (County Fejér, Hungary) called Közép-Gyulai-lane during ploughing a (37)×(50,5)×(22,5) cm size limestone carved work was discovered. The carved work is a fragment of the inscripted element of a funerary monument. At the bottom there remained the inscripted block’s edge, without ornament, as well as the plastically formed profiled framing (height 4,5 cm), consisting of concave division, edging the recessed inscribed section. From the inscription, there only remained the last four lines, even those only in fragments. The original plane only remained at the bottom of the carved work, here on the right side the embedding of a cramp is visible, which suggests that there can be only one or two letters missing from the right side of the inscription. From the original, supposedly one-and-a-half meter wide size, only the third of its size remained in the inscripted block found in Mány, but the element is definitely part of a bigger-size funerary monument. Not only its supposed size suggests that it can be linked to the provincial elite, but the text itself as well, which, based on the data currently recoverable can be reconstructed as follows: - - - - - - | [- - - s]acer(dos) pro[v(inciae) | P(annoniae) I(nferioris) - - - col(oniae) vel mun(icipii) Aq(uincensium?) dec(urio?) col(oniae) vel mun(inicipii) eiu]sdem, flami[ni|cus, IIviralis(?), dec(urio?) col(oniae) vel mun(inicipii) - - - e]nsium coniug[i] | [- - - faci]endum curav[it]. Although the text does not include a name, this is already the fifth inscription – and the first funerary inscription – that can be linked to one of Pannonia Inferior’s provincial high priests. In the absence of more exact dating reference points, the inscription can be dated around the 2-3. centuries.

„Tekercs a kézben” Kísérlet a római sírábrázolások egyik gyakori ikonográfiai motívumának értelmezésére: NKFI K 135317 „OTKA” projekt

by Ernő Szabó, Nándor Agócs, and Tibor Grull

Pontes – A PTE BTK Történettudományi Intézetének Évkönye 4 (2021), pp. 387-389.

Íróanyagok és íróeszközök ábrázolásai római síremlékeken. Kísérlet egy gyakori ikonográfiai motívum tipológiai elemzésére

by Nándor Agócs and Ernő Szabó

Ókor 20:1 (2021), pp. 26-45.

Tekercsábrázolások noricumi síremlékeken

by Nándor Agócs and Ernő Szabó

In: Grüll Tibor – Szabó Ernő (szerk.): A könyv forradalma. Íróeszközök és íróanyagok ábrázolásai a római világban (Specimina nova dissertationum ex Institutio Historiae Antiquae et Archaeologiae Universitatis Quinqueecclesiensis, Supplementum XIV), Pécs, 2024, pp. 171–190., 2024

Egy álló formátumú viaszostábla Verespatakról

In: Grüll Tibor – Szabó Ernő (szerk.): A könyv forradalma. Íróeszközök és íróanyagok ábrázolásai ... more

Tekercsábrázolások pannoniai síremlékeken

by Nándor Agócs and Ernő Szabó

In: Grüll Tibor – Szabó Ernő (szerk.): A könyv forradalma. Íróeszközök és íróanyagok ábrázolásai a római világban (Specimina nova dissertationum ex Institutio Historiae Antiquae et Archaeologiae Universitatis Quinqueecclesiensis, Supplementum XIV), Pécs, 2024, pp. 123–170., 2024

The aim of this paper is to analyze the scroll depictions on the Pannonian sepulchral monuments a... more

Íróanyagok és íróeszközök ábrázolásai római síremlékeken. Kísérlet egy gyakori ikonográfiai motívum tipológiai elemzésére

by Tibor Grull, Nándor Agócs, and Ernő Szabó

In: Grüll Tibor – Szabó Ernő (szerk.): A könyv forradalma. Íróeszközök és íróanyagok ábrázolásai a római világban, (Specimina nova dissertationum ex Institutio Historiae Antiquae et Archaeologiae Universitatis Quinqueecclesiensis, Supplementum XIV), Pécs, 2024, pp. 1–37.

Carmina for the Nymphs in the Danubian provinces

by Chiara Cenati and Ernő Szabó

Studia epigraphica et historica in honorem Ioannis Pisonis Herausgegeben von Lucrețiu Mihailescu-Bîrliba, Radu Ardevan, Rada Varga, Florian Matei-Popescu und Ovidiu Țentea, 2024

The iconographic motif of book-scrolls on funerary reliefs in Noricum

by Tibor Grull, Nándor Agócs, János Jusztinger, and Ernő Szabó

Maria-Pia Darblade-Audoin Les hermès de Welschbillig. Style et technique au IV e siècle dans le N... more

Közöletlen feliratos római sírsztélétöredék a pécsi Janus Pannonius Múzeumból (An unpublished Roman tomb stele fragment with inscription from the Janus Pannonius Museum in Pécs)

In: Benke László (szerk.): Legendás csontoktól egy matrózlázadásig. Huszonnégy írás a múlt és a történeti források kapcsolatáról a hatvanéves Grüll Tibor köszöntésére. Pesti Kalligram, Budapest, 2024, pp. 77–88.

A hitherto unpublished Roman tomb stele fragment with inscription, located in the Roman lapidary ... more A hitherto unpublished Roman tomb stele fragment with inscription, located in the Roman lapidary of the Janus Pannonius Museum in Pécs. I clarify the place where the gravestone, which is not recorded in the museum’s records, was found, as well as the circumstances of its discovery. According to press reports of the time, the monument (made of white marble, dimensions: 75×39×19 cm) was found in 1986 in a secondary position in Pécsvárad (Baranya County, Hungary), where it had been used as a pavement. From the main field of view, a half‑length depiction of an adult woman and an adult man, as well as a fragment of a bust of a child have survived (Fig. 1). The woman’s jewellery is carved with great care and detail, and her costume has a dating value (Fig. 2). The man is holding a scroll (volumen) in his left hand, while in his right he is holding the woman’s right hand (dextrarum iunctio). The narrow band between the main field and the inscription field is decorated with a tripus scene (a “Pannonian banquet”). The scene also features two closely touching cylindrical objects, which often appear on “Pannonian banquets” alongside the mensa tripes (Fig. 3). Its interpretation is rather controversial in scholarly literature on Pannonia. Based on the richly detailed depictions found elsewhere in the empire (Fig. 4), it may well be a pair of flasks in a wicker carrier. Only two fragmentary lines from the inscription field have come down to us (Fig. 5), and I suggest the following possibilities for their completion:
[‑ – ‑]anus an(norum) [‑ – ‑] | [‑ – ‑]ṛio ux(or) an(norum) [‑ – ‑] | [‑ – ‑
[‑ – ‑]anus an(norum) [‑ – ‑] | [‑ – ‑]ḅ/p/ṛio v(i)x(it) an(nnos) [‑ – ‑] | [‑ – ‑
On the basis of style criticism, the costume of the persons depicted in the main field of view, the characteristics of the tripus scene and palaeographical arguments, the monument can be dated to the second third of the third century.

„Némely ájtatosak, de a régészetben járatlanok, ezen faragványban a szent családot akarák tisztelni” Két római sírkő népi interpretációja Rómer Flóris útijegyzeteiben (Popular Interpretation of Two Roman Tombstones in Flóris Rómer's Travel Notes)

In: Nagy Janka Teodóra - Bognár Szabina - Szabó Ernő (szerk.): Élő jogszokások: Jogi néprajzi, jogtörténeti és jogi kultúrtörténeti tanulmányok. (Jogi kultúrtörténeti, jogi néprajzi kiskönyvtár 11.) PTE KPVK, Szekszárd, 2023, pp. 273-284.

"Some are reverential, but inexperienced in archaeology however they want to honour the Holy Fami... more "Some are reverential, but inexperienced in archaeology however they want to honour the Holy Family in this carving" Popular Interpretation of Two Roman Tombstones in Flóris Rómer's Travel Notes. In my study, I examine two Roman tomb steles based on the manuscript notebooks of archaeologist Flóris Rómer (1815–1889). From Rómer’s note No. VII it turns out that the Lupa 3843 tombstone stood in Ószőny in 1859, and in its carving the locals honoured the Holy Family (Fig. 1). According to the archaeologist's notebook No. VIII (1860), the inhabitants of the settlement also recognized the Holy Family in a Roman tombstone on the border of Tarján (Fig. 2). The unpublished stone monument still stands in the same place today and is called St. Anne's picture in the vernacular.

Adatok a Dunavecséhez kötődő római kőemlékekhez (Data on the Roman stone monuments connected to Dunavecse)

Cumania 30 (2023) pp. 75-102.

In my study, I take into account the Roman stone monuments (Nr. 1-21) connected to the Dunavecse ... more In my study, I take into account the Roman stone monuments (Nr. 1-21) connected to the Dunavecse (Bács-Kiskun county, Hungary) settlement. All of the stone monuments with known provenance were brought from the ruins of the medieval church of Fehéregyháza to Dunavecse during the 18th and 19th centuries (certainly: Nr. 1-10, presumably: Nr. 11-17). Fehéregyháza is located on the plain beyond the former administrative border of the Roman Empire, about 10 km east of Dunavecse. The transportation of these Roman stone monuments to the left bank of the Danube can be linked to the construction of the medieval church of Fehéregyháza, and the transport across the Danube may have taken on the passing-place of Apostag (fig. 1). The stones were presumably collected from the ruins of Annamatia, since the Nr. 1 milestone was originally erected here. I identified the tomb stele Nr. 2, known so far only from a 19th-century manuscript (fig. 2), in the courtyard of the Vécsey Castle in Solt (fig.3). I found three of the Roman stone monuments that were unearthed during the 1909 excavation in Fehéregyháza, but which have fallen into disrepair, in the courtyard of the Petőfi Memorial House in Dunavecse (Nr. 4-6, fig. 4-6). The well-known stone-monument Nr. 11 from the literature was considered by the profession to be a Dunapentele site, even though it was found in Dunavecse (fig. 7-9). In the courtyard of the Petőfi Memorial House, the stone monument Nr. 12 (fig. 10) depicting the satyros (possibly Pan) playing the cymbals is kept, which has just been announced. Until now, research has only known the Nr. 13 tombstone from a photo taken in 1909, and I identified the stone monument in the courtyard of the Petőfi Memorial House (fig. 12). Stone monuments Nr. 14-15 were built into the reformed church in Dunavecse, consecrated in 1745 (fig. 13-14). The larger piece of stele Nr. 18 can be found in the yard of a family house in Dunavecse, the smaller piece is kept in the yard of the Petőfi Memorial House, they were not published until now (fig. 15). There are also three unpublished stone monuments with uncertain locations at the Petőfi Memorial House: a libella can be seen on the tomb building block Nr. 19 (fig. 16), an ivy leaf on the stone monument Nr. 20 (fig. 17) and a torso of a lion on the funerary relief Nr. 21 (fig. 18). The A3 tombstone was discovered on the outskirts of Tass in 1967, but fell into disrepair. Until now, research has only known about the photo taken when it was found, and I identified the stone monument in the courtyard of the Petőfi Memorial House (fig. 19). The A4 tombstone was found during the construction works of the paper factory in Dunaújváros (1962-1963), from where it was moved to the yard of a private house in Dunavecse, but it disappeared in the late 2000s and is currently only known from a newspaper photo (fig. 20).

Representations of writing tools and materials on Roman funerary monuments An attempt at a typological analysis of a common iconographic motif

by Tibor Grull, Nándor Agócs, and Ernő Szabó

Tablet in Hand� Tabulae as markers of professional and social identity of Roman scribae ��84 Ben... more Tablet in Hand� Tabulae as markers of professional and social identity of Roman scribae ��84 Benjamin Hartmann Representations of writing tools and materials on Phrygian door stelae ��96 Tibor Grüll Broadening the view on literacy in Palmyra� Ten years after the first attempt ��115 Łukasz Sokołowski The scroll and codex on funerary steles in the Upper Moesian Limes ��165 Sanja Pilipović Depictions of bone 'spatulate' strips and a few thoughts about their function ��180

Új római oltár Győrből (New Roman altar from Győr)

by Ernő Szabó, Nándor Agócs, and Molki Mosoni

Arrabona. Regionális Tudományos Évkönyv 61 (2023), pp. 43-57.

In January 2022, two carved Roman stone monuments were unearthed during the renovation of a 19th-... more In January 2022, two carved Roman stone monuments were unearthed during the renovation of a 19th-century residential house in Győr (fig. 1). The stone monuments, which had been re-used several times, certainly did not belong together. On one of the stones, there was no discernible inscription or depiction. The other can be identified as the central block of an altar. The decorations of the sides and part of the inscription field have been preserved (fig. 2). On the left is a six-petalled rosette in a circular frame. This depiction is very rarely found on the stone monuments of Pannonia. In our opinion, it should be interpreted as a stylised representation of a handle-less sacrificial patera. Based on the known examples, most often a urceus was depicted on the other side as a patera pair (fig. 3-4). However, on the other side of this stone is a representation of a basket. The basket has one ear and is filled with round fruits. Only two fragmentary lower lines of the altar inscription have been preserved, and two fragments letters of the line above them (fig. 5). There are some remains of red colour in the letters. In the penultimate line, the letters PRAEF LEG can be identified (the ligatured AE letters only faintly), with punctum triangulare between them and at the end of the row. At the beginning of the last line there is a letter A and a letter attached to it, the latter could be a B, P, R or D based on the arcing. Only identifying it as R or D gives a sensible reading. The letter A^D could be an abbreviated form of the legio name, but we do not know of any inscription from Pannonia that shows the Adiutrix legiones without the unit number. It is therefore more likely to be AR, which is an abbreviated form of the altar itself. In Pannonia, we know of 30 altar inscriptions that name the type of the object. These are all votive inscriptions. The setting up of grave-altars was less common in Pannonia, so the altar in Győr could also have been a votive altar. The bottom of the third line of the inscription from the bottom is the lower part of a letter B or D, immediately followed by a vertical hasta fragment. These are either fragments of the name of the praefectus legionis or of one of the officiales (beneficiarius / librarius / adiutor). Based on the above, we propose the following interpretation options for inscription:
- - -]ḅ/ḍị [us] | pr[a^e]f(ectus) leg(ionis) | a^ṛ(am) [pos]uit.
- - -] ḅ(ene)f(iciarius) | pr[a^e]f(ecti) leg(ionis) | a^ṛ(am) [pos]uit.
Based on the title praefectus legionis, the monument can be dated to the end of the 2nd century or the first half of the 3rd century (cf. tab. I-II).
[Modern find spot: Apáca str. 36. Győr, Hungary. Ancient find spot: Arrabona, Pannonia superior.]

Digitising a Roman tabula cerata from Alburnus Maior (Roșia Montana, jud. Alba/RO)

by Csaba Szabó, paul scrobota, and Ernő Szabó

Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt, 2022

The study focuses on one of the wax tablets from the Roman mines of Alburnus Maior (TC XV = TabCe... more The study focuses on one of the wax tablets from the Roman mines of Alburnus Maior (TC XV = TabCerD XVI) recently
rediscovered in the collection of the Museum of Aiud (Romania) and digitised by the authors. The article presents
the context of the discovery and its complex history from 1855 until the rediscovery of the object in 2018, a detailed
analysis of the physical features and the current state of the wax tablet, as well as a complete reinterpretation and
digital reconstruction of the epigraphic field, the first since the reading of Theodor Mommsen. We question the old
interpretation of the fragmentarily preserved text of the wax tablet, suggesting that it needs to be contextualised as a
type of adversaria. The authors also present the importance of the H-RTI technique in the digitisation of fragile, rarely
accessible archaeological heritage, especially in the case of Alburnus Maior, which was inscribed in 2021 as a UNESCO
World Heritage site.

Megjegyzések Caius Iulius Filetion és Iulius Athenodorus aquincumi sírfeliratához (Notes on the epitaph of Caius Iulius Filetion and Iulius Athenodorus from Aquincum [CIL III, 3583 = TitAq II, 656])

In: Gresz Ágnes (szerk.): Liber Amicorum : Studia Maria Fekete Dedicata (Specimina nova dissertationum ex Institutis Historiae Antiquae et Archaeologiae Universitatis Quinqueecclesiensis. Supplementum XIII.). Pécsi Tudományegyetem Ókortörténeti Tanszék – Régészet Tanszék, Pécs 2022, pp. 185–206.

Until recently, when a small fragment of its inscribed field was recovered in 2001, the funerary ... more Until recently, when a small fragment of its inscribed field was recovered in 2001, the funerary inscription of Caius Iulius Filetion and Iulius Athenodorus (CIL III, 3583 = TitAq II, 656) was known exclusively from manuscripts recorded by Renaissance era humanists. In the present article, I aim to review these hand written sources and evaluate data from those humanist corpora of inscriptions, which were omitted by the editors of CIL and TitAq (Fonzio ms; CP XIII G 14; CVP 3255*). I will express an opinion considering the epigraphical and philological debate concerning the funerary inscription and various interpretations, thus I strive to present new solutions.

Az „arany köldöktől” az olvasóállványig ‒ A papirusztekercs-olvasás kultúrája (From the “golden navel” to the reading frame ‒ The culture of reading papyrus-scrolls)

by Ernő Szabó and Tibor Grull

In: Gresz Ágnes (szerk.): Liber Amicorum : Studia Maria Fekete Dedicata (Specimina nova dissertationum ex Institutis Historiae Antiquae et Archaeologiae Universitatis Quinqueecclesiensis. Supplementum XIII.). Pécsi Tudományegyetem Ókortörténeti Tanszék – Régészet Tanszék, Pécs 2022, pp. 41–51.

A conventional papyrus scroll began with the protokollon or unwritten sheet and ended with the es... more A conventional papyrus scroll began with the protokollon or unwritten sheet and ended with the eschatokollon which was attached to the umbilicus (literally ‘navel’), a stick made out of wood, bone, or even ivory for the de luxe editions. These sticks were sometimes painted or gilt, and furnished with projecting knobs (cornua) similarly decorated, intended to serve both as an ornament, and as a contrivance to keep the ends of the roll even, while it was being rolled up. Here, however, we can observe a strange paradox. Although much has been written in Roman literary sources—from Catullus through Martial to Lucian—about the umbilicus, its representations are extremely rare among the Campanian wall paintings and among the funer-ary reliefs depicting people with a scroll in their hands. Notwithstanding, among the archaeo-logical finds in the Northern provinces of the Roman Empire more and more finds come up that can be defined as umbilici. In this study we also address reading habits in ancient Rome, viz. book winders found in many places from Dacia to Roman Gaul.

„Csak a néphagyomány pótolja itt a történelmi hiányt” Közöletlen római feliratok Várfalváról, Orbók Ferenc gyűjtéséből (“Only Folk Tradition is Completing the Lacks of History Here” Unpublished Roman Inscriptions from the Collection of Ferenc Orbók from Moldoveneşti)

In: Keszeg Vilmos – Nagy Zsolt – Szakál Anna (szerk.): Kriza János Néprajzi Társaság Évkönyve 30 : Néprajzi kutatás- és tudománytörténeti tanulmányok. (Kriza János Néprajzi Társaság Évkönyve 30.) Kriza János Néprajzi Társaság, Kolozsvár 2022, pp. 217–246.

Ferenc Orbók (1820–1897), a Unitarian pastor, is considered a member of the folk poetry assembly ... more Ferenc Orbók (1820–1897), a Unitarian pastor, is considered a member of the folk poetry assembly movement of János Kriza. However, Orbók’s attention was not only focusing on folk traditions. In the present study the author examines the epigraphic data of the pastor of Moldoveneşti, subject to the stone monuments with Roman inscriptions of the same village from Cluj County, to their research history and the folk memory of the “Roman castle” of Moldoveneşti (Várhegy / Dealul Cetății). Orbók published in a newspaper article (Nr. 10), as well as together with Domokos Barla merchant of Moldoveneşti wrote a letter and published data of Roman inscriptions of the settlement (Nr. 5 = Fig. 1, Nr. 11 = Fig. 2, Nr. 12 = Fig. 3). The Nr. 10–12 inscriptions have been unknown to epigraphic research so far:
Nr. 10 In honorem [domus divinae - - -] | Iovis [- - - - - -
Nr. 11 [- - -]vio U[- - -] | [- - -] LV I[- - -] | [- - -] XXV B[- - -] | [- - -] a^n[- - - - - -
Nr. 12 [D(iis)] M(anibus) | [- - -]s vix(it) a^n(nos) | - - - - - -

„Doar tradiția populară compensează aici lipsa istoriei”
Inscripții romane needitate din colecția lui Ferenc Orbók din Moldovenești
Pastorul unitarian Ferenc Orbók (1820–1897) este cunoscut de către posteritate în primul rând ca membru al grupului și al mișcării de culegere folcloristică a lui János Kriza. Însă atenția lui Orbók nu s-a rezumat doar la tradiția populară. Studiul de față urmărește analiza materialului epigraic cules și publicat de către pastorul din Moldovenești, referindu-se și la inscripțiile romane din localitate, la istoria cercetării acestora, dar și la memoria locală legată de „cetatea romană” (Dealul Cetății) de aici. Orbók a publicat niște date într-un articol de ziar (Nr. 10), și a inclus altele într-o scrisoare scrisă împreună cu negustorul local Domokos Barla (Nr. 5 = Imag. 1, Nr. 11 = Imag. 2, Nr. 12 = Imag. 3). Iar inscripțiile cu numerele 10–12 au fost necunoscute cercetării de specialitate până acum:
Nr. 10 In honorem [domus divinae - - -] | Iovis [- - - - - -
Nr. 11 [- - -]vio U[- - -] | [- - -] LV I[- - -] | [- - -] XXV B[- - -] | [- - -] a^n[- - - - - -
Nr. 12 [D(iis)] M(anibus) | [- - -]s vix(it) a^n(nos) | - - - - - -

Közöletlen római felirat Gyurikovits György bíró, jogtörténeti író kézirathagyatékából

Nagy Janka Teodóra – Béli Gábor (szerk.), A jog kulturális holdudvara : A magyar jogtörténet, jogi kultúrtörténet európai kontextusai (Jogtörténeti Értekezések 56). Gondolat Kiadó, Budapest 2022, pp. 174–186.

Zichy János gróf ajándéka „az Magyar Nemzeti Muzeumnak ékesittésére”

Kovács Péter – Szabó Ádám (szerk.), Az Alföldy Géza Emlékülés előadásaiból és egyéb közlemények 2021-ből (Studia Epigraphica Pannonica 13.). CIL III.2. P. M. M., Budapest 2022, pp. 255-270.

Egy tartományi főpap felirata Mányról (Inscription of a provincial high priest from Mány)

by Ernő Szabó, Nándor Agócs, and Zsuzsanna Lencsés

Alba Regia. A Szent István Király Múzeum Évkönyve – Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei: C sorozat. 49 (2021), pp. 11-21.

In a periphery of Mány (County Fejér, Hungary) called Közép-Gyulai-lane during ploughing a (37)×(... more In a periphery of Mány (County Fejér, Hungary) called Közép-Gyulai-lane during ploughing a (37)×(50,5)×(22,5) cm size limestone carved work was discovered. The carved work is a fragment of the inscripted element of a funerary monument. At the bottom there remained the inscripted block’s edge, without ornament, as well as the plastically formed profiled framing (height 4,5 cm), consisting of concave division, edging the recessed inscribed section. From the inscription, there only remained the last four lines, even those only in fragments. The original plane only remained at the bottom of the carved work, here on the right side the embedding of a cramp is visible, which suggests that there can be only one or two letters missing from the right side of the inscription. From the original, supposedly one-and-a-half meter wide size, only the third of its size remained in the inscripted block found in Mány, but the element is definitely part of a bigger-size funerary monument. Not only its supposed size suggests that it can be linked to the provincial elite, but the text itself as well, which, based on the data currently recoverable can be reconstructed as follows: - - - - - - | [- - - s]acer(dos) pro[v(inciae) | P(annoniae) I(nferioris) - - - col(oniae) vel mun(icipii) Aq(uincensium?) dec(urio?) col(oniae) vel mun(inicipii) eiu]sdem, flami[ni|cus, IIviralis(?), dec(urio?) col(oniae) vel mun(inicipii) - - - e]nsium coniug[i] | [- - - faci]endum curav[it]. Although the text does not include a name, this is already the fifth inscription – and the first funerary inscription – that can be linked to one of Pannonia Inferior’s provincial high priests. In the absence of more exact dating reference points, the inscription can be dated around the 2-3. centuries.

„Tekercs a kézben” Kísérlet a római sírábrázolások egyik gyakori ikonográfiai motívumának értelmezésére: NKFI K 135317 „OTKA” projekt

by Ernő Szabó, Nándor Agócs, and Tibor Grull

Pontes – A PTE BTK Történettudományi Intézetének Évkönye 4 (2021), pp. 387-389.

Íróanyagok és íróeszközök ábrázolásai római síremlékeken. Kísérlet egy gyakori ikonográfiai motívum tipológiai elemzésére

by Nándor Agócs and Ernő Szabó

Ókor 20:1 (2021), pp. 26-45.

A könyv forradalma: Íróeszközök és íróanyagok ábrázolása a római világban

Pécs: Pécsi Tudományegyetem Bölcsészet- és Társadalomtudományi Kar Ókortörténeti Tanszék (2024) , 290 p.

Íróanyagok és íróeszközök ábrázolásai római síremlékeken.

Élő jogszokások: Jogi néprajzi, jogtörténeti és jogi kultúrtörténeti tanulmányok (Jogi Kultúrtörténeti, Jogi Néprajzi Kiskönyvtár 11.) PTE KPVK, Szekszárd, 2023

by Szabina Bognár, Janka Teodóra Nagy, and Ernő Szabó

Száz plusz tíz : jubileumi kötet : Tárkány Szücs Ernő (1921–1984) : Tárkány Szücs Ernő Jogi Kultúrtörténeti és Jogi Néprajzi Kutatócsoport (2011–2021)

by Szabina Bognár, Janka Teodóra Nagy, and Ernő Szabó

Szekszárd: Pécsi Tudományegyetem Kultúratudományi, Pedagógusképző és Vidékfejlesztési Kar, Bölcsészettudományi Kutatóközpont Néprajztudományi Intézet, 457 p. (2021) (Jogi kultúrtörténeti, jogi néprajzi kiskönyvtár 10.)

Csabai Zoltán – Szabó Ernő – Vilmos László – Vitári-Wéber Adrienn (szerk.): Európé égisze alatt - Ünnepi tanulmányok Fekete Mária hatvanötödik születésnapjára kollégáitól, barátaitól és tanítványaitól

Pécs–Budapest: L'Harmattan–PTE BTK Ókortörténeti Tanszék, 531 p. (2015) (Ókor–Történet–Írás 4.)

A kötetben közölt képek jogtisztassága. a szövegek tartalma és nyelvezete szerzői fel el ősség. S... more

Tóth István: Pannoniai vallástörténet

by Ernő Szabó and István Tóth

Pécs–Budapest: L'Harmattan–PTE BTK Ókortörténeti Tanszék, 256 p. (2015) (Ókor–Történet–Írás 2.)

A kiadásért felel a kiadó igazgatója és a tanszék vezetője. A könyv borítóját Kára László tervezt... more