⭐ 6: A vessel from Ajdovska jama near the village of Nemška vas

A Container with a Special Purpose, a Lamp or a Censer?

The earthenware vessel from the Ajdovska jama cave (‘Pagan Cave’) near the village of Nemška vas is probably the oldest ritual object kept in the Posavje Museum Brežice. At first glance, it is obvious that this is an object with a special purpose. The vessel with a height of 8.6 cm has a narrow neck and bottom that become gradually wider towards the central part, where the vessel's circumference is at its largest. It is decorated with cuts and incisions made with a simple tool, most likely a little stick. The vessel is further widened with a rib along the largest circumference and has a hole at the two opposite far ends for stringing a cord. The same sort of holes are visible on the extended mouth. The vessel might have been hung, carried around or swung. It has a deepened part in the middle. Content analyses have revealed the remains of tallow and fir twigs inside. A plausible explanation is that the vessel was used as a lamp or censer (incense burner). 
 

For heritage entusiasts:

The vessel was discovered during excavations of the burial ground in the central part of the Ajdovska jama cave. Archaeological research of the cave that spanned many years has resulted in a remarkable insight into the material culture and the funeral rites of prehistoric farmers in this area. The Ajdovska jama cave near Nemška Vas is an exceptional archaeological site both within Slovenia and Europe. Not only is it the only cave burial ground dating back to the New Stone Age and the Copper Age in Slovenia, archaeological cave explorations have also revealed an extremely interesting burial rite. The rite consisted of exposing and relocating mortal remains and multiple visits from the relatives to the burial site, as well as presenting food and various objects to the deceased.

The right corridor in the horseshoe-shaped cave was used for excarnation. In this spot, the deceased were kept until their bodies decayed. The remaining mortal remains, i.e. bones, were collected and stored in the left corridor or in the central part of the cave. The mortal remains were buried in a common ancestral tomb. During their numerous visits to the grave, visitors brought various things, including grain, jewellery, tools and earthenware pots with food. The cave was thus not only a burial site, but also a sanctuary – this is where the funerary cult rites took place.

The vessel was discovered in a group of inhumation graves in the central part of the cave. The remains of tallow and fir twigs, which were discovered inside the vessel, suggest that it played a special part in funeral rites. Another thing that suggests that this small earthenware vessel is not an ordinary object is its shape, which may represent a stylised human body. This is a relatively common motif found on urns, vessels and various figurines. In fact, the human body was a source of people's early ideas about the cosmos, creation and the origin of the world.
 

The entrance to the Ajdovska jama cave.	The interior of the Ajdovska jama cave.

For more information see:

• Horvat Milena: Ajdovska jama pri Nemški vasi, Ljubljana: Znanstveni inštitut Filozofske fakultete, 1989.
• Černelič Krošelj Alenka (ur.): Štirje elementi: 2 – OGENJ / The four elements: 2 – FIRE, , Brežice: Posavski muzej Brežice, 2018.
• Project Ajdovske zgodbe iz Posavja.
• Cave Ajdovska jama, Nemška vas.​

Prepared by: Jana Puhar










 
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