Zsolt Mráv

Hungarian National Museum · Archaeological Department

This paper presents a new Hun period deposit that was discovered in a clear and closed context during the archaeological excavation of the never-completed fortress from the Late Roman period at Göd, Hungary. The find assemblage consists of a horse cranium and horse leg bones as well as small fragments of silver-gilt saddle mounts with traces of pre...

This study details the non-destructive chemical analysis of composite silver objects (ewers, situlas, amphora and casket) from one of the most significant late Roman finds, the Seuso Treasure. The Seuso Treasure consists of fourteen large silver vessels that were made in the fourth–early fifth centuries AD and used for dining during festive banquet...

Aki a Villány-Siklósi Borút turisztikai látványosságait felkeresi, nem is sejti, hogy a tájat uraló Szársomlyó-hegy lábánál, a szőlők között ókori romokat rejt a föld. A vidék mediterrán szépsége és klímája vonzotta a Római Birodalom késő császárkori elitjét, amelynek egy befolyásos, szenátori rangú családja ide építette luxusvilláját. A villa csak...

Those who visit the tourist attractions of the Villány–Siklós wine route may not even suspect that a ruin of a high-status Roman villa is hiding under the picturesque landscape with vineyards at the foot of the Szársomlyó Mountain. The Mediterranean beauty and climate of this region attracted the late imperial elite of the Roman Empire, among whom...

Handheld X-ray fluorescence spectrometry is a widely used analytical method for the determination of the chemical composition of archaeological metal objects. Beside its several advantages (fast, cheap, portable, non-destructive, non-invasive, no sampling or special sample preparation is needed, etc.), the method has some limitations as well (surfa...

X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a widely used method to specify the mineralogical composition of archaeological artefacts, e.g. the material of inlays or corrosion products of metal objects. Laboratory micro-XRD instruments, like the RIGAKU DMAX RAPID II micro-X-ray diffractometer (μ-XRD), can be used instead of conventional X-ray (powder) diffraction a...

Niello, a bluish black metal sulphide, was widely used for decoration of metal objects by artisans of the Roman Empire. Our knowledge, however, concerning the exact Roman-period niello technique, the appearance of binary silver–copper sulphide niello-decorated silver objects in particular is very scarce. An extensively nielloed silver augur staff (...

The goal of this study was to measure the chemical composition of late Roman silver artefacts preserved in the Hungarian National Museum by means of systematic handheld X-ray fluorescence analysis. The mapping of the elemental composition of silver objects is suitable for revealing their chemical inhomogeneity. The measurements were systematically...

A collector handed over to the Hungarian National Museum 15 items of samian ware which he had discovered on the outskirts of Papkeszi. All of the vessels were plain ware: Drag.33 cups or Drag.18/31 platters. 12 pieces bear stamps, with exception one they were all made by the workshops of Lezoux in the Antonine period. Their accordance as a set is e...

The constitution on an unpublished fragmentary military diploma was issued by Hadrian during the consular period of Q. Flavius Tertullus és Q. Iulius Rusticus in May/August 133. It is presumably another copy of the 2 July 133 constitution relating to the auxiliary units of an uncertain province. The recepient was likely to serve in one of the cohor...

Ein die Prätorianersoldaten betreffendes Edikt Hadrians von 119 n. Chr. Forschungsvorbericht Zsolt MRÁV–István VIDA In einer Privatsammlung sind zwei Bronzetafeln aufgetaucht, die auf beiden Seiten beschriftet sind. Die Tafeln gehörten zu einem einzigen Dokument, da sie gemeinsam zum Vorschein kamen, ihre Inschrift inhaltlich zusammenhängt und sie...

The study discusses the burials containing folding iron chairs of indigenous elite in NE-Pannonia. Folding iron chairs have been recovered from forty-two richly furnished burials dating from the 1st–3rd centuries AD in the European border provinces of the Roman Empire, from Britain to Thrace. Most Hungarian and international scholars agree that the...

The purpose of my study is to shed light on the 1st Century Roman occupation of NW-Pannonia by discussing the military sites along the 270 km long section of the Amber Road between two legionary fortresses, the Augustan Poetovio and the late Tiberio-Claudian Carnuntum. I will also examine the Roman occupation system of its two main branch roads, th...