The Vače situla

The situla from Vače by Litija is one of the most interesting products of situla art typical of the wider rim of the Adriatic in the Early Iron Age. Vače itself held a prominent position in the sixth and fifth centuries BC as one of the most important Hallstatt settlements in Slovenia and wider area. A local, Janez Grilc, found the remarkable situla in 1882 on Nad Lazom grasslands. The vessel is decorated with three brands of friezes, consisting of human and animal figures. The main event presented on the central frieze shows men of various social rank, as is evident from differences in their clothing, headwear and accessories. The man of highest rank wears a Phrygian cap and unadorned clothing. He is the only one sitting on a throne, and he holds a two headed scepter as a symbol of regular authority. Closest to him in rank is a man with Phrygian cap and ornamented clothing; attendants wear caps, while drivers and horseman, guards and wrestlers are bareheaded. The scenes are explained as important events during the ruler’s life, such as are also familiar from high Mediterranean cultures. Since the figures are also accompanied by birds of prey which, together with the marching animals, symbolize the path to death, the entire story on the Vače situla can be understood as the glorification of a local tribal leader, whose rule ended with his dead. The quality of conception of the scenes and the workmanship make the Vače situla one of the best artefacts of its time made outside the workshops of Bologna and Este. The fact that such a skilled craftsman was working here in the local environment in noteworthy. Several aspects of the headgear, clothing and female jewellery are not known from other areas with situla art.