Cult chariot from Glasinac (circumstances of discovery, scientific and historical importance, cultural and historical context) Cover Image

Glasinačka kultna kolica (okolnosti otkrića, naučnoistorijski značaj, kulturnoistorijski kontekst)
Cult chariot from Glasinac (circumstances of discovery, scientific and historical importance, cultural and historical context)

Author(s): Blagoje Govedarica
Subject(s): Archaeology, Cultural history, Local History / Microhistory, Ancient World
Published by: Akademija Nauka i Umjetnosti Bosne i Hercegovine
Keywords: Glasinac; the bird chariot; the cult of the dead; Urnfield Circle; Early Iron Age;

Summary/Abstract: The bronze chariot from Glasinac, discovered by chance in 1880, present the extraordinary find that initiated the development of archaeological science in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, after initial fascination this valuable object remained outside of the research interest due to the uncertain circumstances of its discovery. In this article, for the first time after 80 years of silence, all scientific aspects of this finding are considered in detail. The conclusion is that this bird chariot is one of the last products of the Bronze Age funeral tradition, which extends into the early Iron Age. It is cult custom associated with the broader Urnfield Circle, in which bird chariots served as companions of the souls of the dead on an imaginary way to the eternity. Representatives of this final stage of this tradition are chariots from Este, Bujoru and Glasinac (9th-8th BC). The Glasinac chariot, as the last authentic representative of the ancient rite, already belongs to the classical Hallstatt period (Ha C1 – mid 8th century BC).

  • Issue Year: 2020
  • Issue No: 49
  • Page Range: 45-66
  • Page Count: 22
  • Language: Bosnian