Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:
Archaeologists in Montenegro discovered the tomb of a Roman woman from over 1,600 years ago.
Inside the necropolis, the team found a bounty of grave goods, including an ornate glass vessel called a diatreta.
The diatreta came with a depiction of a gladiator scene, a rare find.
Not only did archaeologists in Montenegro discover a tomb more than 1,600 years old of a Roman woman, but inside it, they also discovered a host of ornate grave goods. None, though, more ornate than a glass diatreta vessel decorated with a scene of a gladiator doing battle with dangerous animals.
“Our diaterta is extremely rare—rarer even than the one in Plievlia—because it is figural,” said Miloš Živanović, the archaeologist leading the work at the ancient Doclea Koshturnica necropolis, according to a statement published by Arkeonews. “The net of the vessel features a battle scene with wild feline animals, likely cheetahs, centered around a gladiator.”
The yellow and green diatreta is only the second one ever found in Montenegro but will require extensive restoration efforts to piece it fully together. Also known as cage cups, a diatreta features an open “net” design around the vessel, created by forming glass that is cut and carved into an intricate design—whether wording, a pattern, or an image—and then placed around the interior vessel. The open-work decoration is separated from the vessel via thin posts of glass, according to researchers, and is considered a masterpiece of ancient glassmaking.
The new discovery of a diatreta featuring a venator—a wild beast gladiator—battling with large wild cats in such an intense and detailed scene is a first. “This kind of diatreta not only showcases extraordinary technical skill, but also reflects the artistic refinement of the period,” said Živanović, according to Ancientist. “It’s a testament to the cultural richness of Doclea and the entire region during the Roman era.”
The find in Doclea, an ancient Roman city near Podgorica, was thanks to the work of the Center for Conservation and Archaeology of Montenegro. The archaeologists discovered the diatreta in a fourth-century A.D. tomb of an elite Roman woman. Excavations at the western necropolis over the last three years have turned up over 180 graves, each with its own mix of goods—everything from jewelry and tools to ceramics and coins—to help tell the story of the people living in an urban center that thrived into the seventh century.
The recently discovered tomb was notable for the exquisite grave goods the team also discovered. In addition to the diatreta, they found gold earrings, a necklace, bone tools, an iron spatula, game pieces, dice, and seven additional glass vessels.
“The grave goods include two gold earrings with green glass beads, and a necklace made of gold and jet beads,” Živanović said. “Eight glass vessels were discovered in total, two of which are particularly notable. One is a finely crafted dark glass bowl or plate, while the other is a rare diatreta.”
Along with the goods, archaeologists analyzed the bones of the woman found in the tomb. Živanović said the bones were poorly preserved, although noted that grave’s inhabitant was exceptionally tall, an oddity for fourth-century Doclea. “All the findings,” he added, “indicate she was a prominent individual of her time.”
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