Archeological monuments: Early mention of Croatian name and selected items

[Ace Rimmer]

Tanais tablets

http://www.hr/darko/gif/horoath1.jpghttp://www.hr/darko/gif/horoath.jpg

The origin of Croatian name is believed to be Sarmatian.
The earliest mention of Croatian name as Horoathos can be seen on two stone
inscriptions in Greek language, dating from around the year 200,
found by the Black Sea (more precisely in the seaport Tanais on the Azov sea, Krim).
Both tablets are held in the Archeological museum in St Petersburg, Russia

[Ace Rimmer]

Bijaci stone inscription

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v690/krilnik/untitled.jpg

Earliest mention of Croatian name in their new homeland
Is found at Bijaci church of St.Martha archeological site , near Trogir,
Where throne of Croatian royal dynasty Trpimirovich is located.
Inscription Croatorum is believed to be from late 8th. Century.

[Ace Rimmer]

Trpimir’s charter

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/5149/Trpimir.jpg

Trpimir’s charter is oldest monument of Croatian law, written in 852 A.D.
Duke Trpimir, successor to prince Mislav and founder of the Trpimirovic dynasty, issued a document donating St George’s church at Putalj to the archbishop of Split. In this Latin document duke Trpimir refers to himself as the duke of Croats (dux Croatorum) and to his country as the state of the Croats (regnum Croatorum).

The charter is unfortunately preserved only as transcription from year 1568.

Full charter text (http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/5149/document.html)

[Ace Rimmer]

Part of the altar partition with the name of prince Branimir from Sopot near Benkovac


http://mdc.hr/hrv%2Darh%2Dsplit/media/4-predmeti-gifovi/4-05.gif

http://www.hr/darko/gif/branko.jpghttp://img119.imageshack.us/img119/1246/duxchroatorumuz1vl6.jpg
BRANIMIRO COM(ite) DUX CRUATORU(m) COGIT(avit)...

The monument was discovered during the excavations of a single-nave pre-Romanesque basilica in Sopot.
It is in fact a stone beam and an incomplete triangular gable from the upper part of the altar partition.
Decorative composition on the architrave is split into three bands with an inscription field.
The same decoration is continued along the edge of the gable closing down the central composition with a cross,
two birds, and a rosette in the right and left fields each.
The epigraphic field continued from the architrave to the gable arch contains the following dedication:

BRANIMIRO COM(ite) DUX CRUATORU(m) COGIT(avit)...

Which may be translated as:

Duke Branimir...Croatian prince decided to...

The inscription is of great importance for Croatian history because it mentions the name of Croatian Prince Branimir
who ruled in the second half of the 9th c. while Croatia was officially recognized by the Pope as a sovereign state.
It is one among five discovered epigraphic monuments with the name of this Prince, the most important one historically.
Apart from ruler Branimir's name, the inscription for the first time mentions his particular title,
as well as the name of the Croatian nation that he was ruling over (...dux Cruatorum...).
Prince Branimir's age was characterized by extensive building and reconstruction of churches on Croatian territory,
resulting from tight ties of the Croatian principality with the Pope in Rome.
The pre-Romanesque church from which the monument originates was also constructed and completed under such circumstances.

Split museum (http://mdc.hr/hrv-arh-split/en/4-05predmeti.html)

[Ace Rimmer]

Pulpit slates with the name of prince Drzislav from Kapitul near Knin

CLV DVX HROATOR(um) IN TE(m)PVS DIRZISCLV DVCE(m) MAGNV(m)
http://www.hr/darko/gif/dva.jpg

The slates used to encircle the ambo (the pulpit). Their entire surface is filled with a rather irregular,
but - in terms of composition - a highly original and very simple hurdle ornament intertwined in knots, circles
, and slanted geometric lines.

The upper edge of both slates has the following inscription on:

I (...) CLV DVX HROATOR(um) IN TE(m)PVS DIRZISCLV DVCE(m) MAGNV(m)

Translated as:

Svetoslav (?) Prince of Croats in times of Drzislav, the Grand-Duke.

The historic significance of the inscription lies in the fact that,
in the third quarter of the 10th c., Croatia had a strictly defined ruling hierarchy determining,
among other, the issue of heritage to the throne.
The inscription's significance is even greater since it once again mentions the Croatian name (dux Hroatorum)

Split Museum (http://mdc.hr/hrv-arh-split/en/4-10predmeti.html)

[Ace Rimmer]

The Baska tablet

http://www.hr/darko/gif/bassc2.jpg

http://www.hr/darko/gif/zvonim.jpghttp://www.hr/darko/gif/kral.jpghttp://www.hr/darko/gif/hrvatsk.jpg
Z'V'NIM(I)R' KRAL' HR'VAT'SK'[i]
(ZVONIMIR CROATIAN KING)

The Baska tablet is probably the most famous monument of early Croatian literacy, dating from about 1100. Its size and weight are impressive: 2x1 m, 800 kg.
According to Branko Fucic and Eduard Hercigonja,
the language of inscription is Croatian - Chakavian with elements of liturgical Church Slavonic,
and the script is Croatian Glagolitic.

It was found in the church of St. Lucy (Sv. Lucija) in Jurandvor near Baska on Krk,
the largest Croatian island. Since 1934 the monument is placed in the main building
of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, and anybody can see it.

Here we provide transliteration of 13 lines of the Glagolitic text of the Baska tablet into Latin characters:

AZ V' IME OTCA I S(I)NA I SVETAGO DUHA AZ'
OPAT' DR'ZhIHA PISAH SE O LEDNINE JuZhE
DA Z'V'NIM(I)R KRAL' HR'VAT'SKI V'
DNI SVOE V' SVETUJu LUCIJu I SVEDO -
MI ZhUPAN' DESIMIRA KR'BAVE MARTIN' V L(I) -
CE PRB'NEBZhA S' POSL' VIN(0)DOLE JaK(O)V' V O-
TOCE DA IZhE TO POREChE KL'NI I BO(G) I *BI* AP(OSTO)LA I *G* E -
VANJELISTI I S(VE)TAJa LUCIJa AM(E)N' DA IZhE SDE ZhIVE -
T' MOLI ZA NE BOGA AZ OPAT' DBROVIT' Z' -
DAH' CREK'V' SIJu I SVOEJu BRATIJu S DEV -
ETIJu V' DNI K'NEZA KOS'M'TA OBLAD -
AJuChAGO V'SU K'RAINU I BJeShE V' T' DNI M -
IKULA V' OTOCh'CI S' SVETUJu LUCIJu V' EDINO

The approximate English translation of the Baska tablet is as follows:

I, in the name of Father and Son and the Holy Spirit, I
abbot Drzhiha, wrote this about the plot of land which
was given by Zvonimir, the Croatian King, in
his days to St. Lucy (Sv. Lucija) and witnesses (are):
Desimir, Prefect of Krbava, Martin (Mratin) in
Lika, Pribinezha, clerk in Vinodol, Jacob (Jakov) on the
island. If anyone denies it, let him be cursed by 12 Apostles and 4
Evangelists and St. Lucy (Sv. Lucija). Let anyone who lives here
prays God for them. I abbot Dobrovit
built this church with my nine brethren
at the time of Prince Kosmat who ruled
the whole Country. In those days
Mikula was in Otochac with St. Lucy (Sv. Lucija) together.

THE BASKA TABLET-precious stone of Croatian literacy (http://www.hr/darko/etf/baska.html)

[Petyr Baelish]

Do you believe that the ancient Croats spoke an Iranian language?

[Watzy]

It seems Ukrainians have similar theories:

"Slavs as Aryans" theory

Finally, several new theories of the origin of Slavs were published, and found large numbers of followers, in the 1990s and 2000s, fueled by the rise of nationalism in Ukraine. Most of them attempt to establish a direct connection between the Slavs and Aryans. Some even claim that Slavs existed as an entity as early as the 7th to 5th millennium BC and were ancestors of the Sumerians. They say that the fabled Sumerian city of Aratta was located in Ukraine.

There is plenty of archaeological evidence for settlements in northern Ukraine and Poland as far back as 3rd millennium BC (Trypillian, Tishinets, Peshevor, Zarubinets cultures). People who lived there supported themselves principally by means of agriculture; some of them had mastered the use of metal by the 8th century BC. The absence of a written language leaves it open for debate whether those people were in any way related to modern Slavs.

Ironically, these nationalistic theories may hold some significance in the large scale. A recent Stanford study concluded that the peoples of Slavonic tongue are the most closely related populations to the proto-Indo-European stock, the group considered by 20th century race theorists to be the original Aryans. What this holds in store for future homeland debates, however, is unknown ([1]).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavs

[Ace Rimmer]

Do you believe that the ancient Croats spoke an Iranian language?

If we could speak for certain that Tanais tablets (1st post here)
and inscription Horoathos on them refers to ancient Croatians, then yes.
Since Tanais at the time had two populations, Greek and Sarmatian ,
the latter being Irano-speaking people.

[Watzy]

I regard the blurry pre-Slavic/Iranian theories useless for our nationalist purposes. Croatian link to Slavic Byelohravati (the White Croats) is historically recorded fact. One branch of Byelohravati founded an independent Croatian state on Balkans which had no links to Serbs in a thousand years. The Slavic origin is not an obstacle for keeping Serbs on distance. In fact it's even easier to prove historic subjectivity relying exclusively on the Slavic past since the White Croats had an independent state in Poland which was not related to the ancient state of the Serbs.

[Ace Rimmer]

Croatian link to Slavic Byelohravati (the White Croats) is historically recorded fact.

And also recent craniometrical data from medieval Croatian burial sights in Dalmatia,
revealed closest similarity to skulls from Poland (Medieval White Croatia).

[Ace Rimmer]

A part of the altar partition with the name of prince Muncimir
from Uzdolje near Knin

http://mdc.hr/hrv%2Darh%2Dsplit/media/4-predmeti-gifovi/4-07.gif

A stone beam and a triangular gable that used to belong to the upper part of an altar partition.

The triangular gable was reconstructed and put together out of several stone elements. Along the outer edge, the decoration on the front gable furtherly consists of three-branched arches crossing each other, and of tallied bands in the form of a rope bordering the central field holding a cross filled with three-branched hurdle and two stylized birds on the sides, with clusters in their beaks. All the remaining free space is filled with rosettes and little flowers.

There is an inscription running by the lower edge of the beam and the gable reading as follows:

OCTIGENT(orum) (non) AGINTA ET Q(ui)N Q(ue) (a)NNORUM D(omi)NI FERE T(...?) DENI(...?) (h)IC BENE CO(m)P(o)S(u)IT OPUS PRINCEPS NA(m)Q(ue) MUNCYMIR

Which may be translated as:

In the year of Our Lord eight hundred ninety five ... Prince Muncimir (had) this piece made.

The monument is of extreme importance for Croatian history. Apart from Prince Muncimir's name, it also mentions the year of his ruling: 895. Prince Muncimir, who ruled at the end of the 9th and beg. of the 10th c., probably had a residence in Uzdolje, including St. John's Church that he had redecorated as his own pious endowment, and equipped with pre-Romanesque liturgical movables, one among them being also this outstanding monument.

Split museum (http://mdc.hr/hrv-arh-split/en/4-07predmeti.html)

[Ace Rimmer]

Prince Viseslav's baptismal font

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v690/krilnik/visk.jpg

Prince Viseslav's baptismal font is an extremely significant monument because it brings testimony of the time when Croats adopted Christianity.

The front side of the hexagonal font made of a single piece of marble holds a cross filled with three-branched hurdle. The end of each side has a tallied little column with a capital appearing to support the upper part consisting of a row of plastic astragals and an edging with the following inscription carved in:

HEC FONS NEMPE SUMIT INFIRMOS, UT REDDAT ILLUMINATOS, HIC EXPIANT SCELERA SUA, QUOD DE PRIMO SUMPSERUNT PARENTE, EFFICIANTUR CHRISTICOLE SALUBRITER COFITENDO TRINUM PERENNE. HOC IOANNES PRESBITER SUB TEMPORE VUISSASCLAVO DUCI OPUS BENE COMPOSUIT DEVOTE, IN HONORE VIDELICET SANCTI IOANNIS BAPTISTE, UT INTERCEDAT PRO EO CLIENTULOQUE SUO.

The inscription may be translated as:

This font, namely, takes the weak and enlightens them. Here, they wash their sins away, received from their first parent, to become Christians and profess the eternal Trinity to their own salvation. This work was piously created by father John, under Prince Viseslav, and in the honour of St. John the Baptist, so that he may intercede for him and his protégé.

The inscription is of a devotional character with a pronounced pledging component, written in metrical form.

As regards the style of its decorations, the font has all the features of transitional style towards mature hurdle later appearing as the principal ornament of stone-built church movables. There are several theories as to its period of origin, the most frequently accepted being the one dating the font's creation, as well as Prince Viseslav's period of ruling, back to around 800.

Split museum (http://mdc.hr/hrv-arh-split/en/4-06predmeti.html)

[Ace Rimmer]

Gable bearing the name of Prince Trpimir

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v690/krilnik/trpimir.jpg

This gable bearing the name of Prince Trpimir, one of the first independent Croatian rulers (around A.D. 845-864), belongs to church stone furnishings of the first Benedictine monastery in this region. The ornaments made up of stylised leaves and arches are arranged in four sections. Part of a peacock's tail and the dedication inscription PRO DUCE TREPIME(ro) in the semicircular part of the gable are preserved.

Split museum (http://www.mdc.hr/split-arheoloski/eng/zbirke/05-starohrvatska/05-starohr-08.html)

[Ace Rimmer]

Queen Jelena's sarcophagus

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v690/krilnik/sarkofag.jpg

Fragments of the sarcophagus were found among the ruins of St. Stephen of the Island's church in Solin. About 90 fragments discovered showed traces of a fire. Largely assisted by J. Barac and Dr. I Krizanic, Father Frane Bulic managed to put the pieces together in 1898, and thus complete the inscription reading as follows:

(in hoc) (t)UMULO Q(ui)ESCIT HELENA FAMO(sa) (quae fui) UXOR MICHAELI REGI MATERQ(ue) STEFANI R(egis) (pacemque) (obt)ENUIT REGNI. VIII IDUS M(ensis) OCT(obris) (in pac)E HIC OR(dinata) FUIT AN(no) AB INCARNA(tione) (Domini) DCCCCLXXVI IND. IV CICL(o) L(un) V. (ep) XVII (ciclo sol) V LUN. V. (conc)URRENTE VI. ISTAQ(ue) VIVENS FU(it) REGN(i) MATER FUIT PUPILOR(um) TUTO(rque) VIDUAR(um) ICQUE ASPICIENS VIR ANIME DIC MISERERE DEUS.

Translated as:

Here lies the glorious Jelena, wife of King Mihovil, mother of King Stjepan. She managed to obtain peace in the kingdom. On 8 October of the year 976 since Our Lord's Incarnation, she was buried here on IV indiction, V lunar cycle, XII epact, V solar cycle. She who, during her lifetime, was the mother of the kingdom, has now become the mother of the poor and the protectress of widows. When thou looketh here, o man, say: Lord, have mercy on her soul!

This inscription has an enormous significance for Croatian past. It was placed on the tomb of the Croatian Queen Jelena, widow of King Mihovil Kresimir II (949-969) and mother of King Stjepan Drzislav (969-997). According to the inscription, she was buried in 976. Queen Jelena's inscription confirmed the accuracy of another historic written source (By Toma the Archdeacon from the 13th c.) on royal tombs in Solin, and testified as to the time of the Queen's pious endowment erection on the site of the discovered St. Stephen's church. Apart from that, it revealed three royal names (Jelena, Mihovil Kresimir and Stjepan Drzislav), thus providing a solid basis for the solving of some uncertainties regarding the family tree of the Croatian national Trpimir's dynasty, as well as a confirmation of the Kingdom of Croatia's political organization before the year 1000.

Split museum (http://mdc.hr/hrv-arh-split/en/4-09predmeti.html)

[Ace Rimmer]

Choir screen panel

http://www.hr/darko/gif/ple.jpg

Choir screen panel from Split, containing pentagram and interlace patterns, 11th century.

[Ace Rimmer]

A statue of Croatian ruler

http://www.hr/darko/gif/kralj.jpg

A statue of Croatian ruler from 9th or 10th century

[Ace Rimmer]

Baptismal font

http://www.croatianhistory.net/gif/kamen2.jpg

Baptismal font from Knin, 9th century,a fine example of pre-Romanesque Croatian art

[Ace Rimmer]

Tablet

http://www.croatianhistory.net/gif/plut.jpg

Tablet with decorations and typical Croatian ornament,Knin 9th century, another prime example of Croatian pre-Romanesque art

[Ace Rimmer]

Choir screen panel

http://www.croatianhistory.net/gif/zadar.jpg

Probably the greatest achievement of Croatian Pre-Romanesque sculpture is choir screen panel from the Church of St. Domenica (Sv. Nediljica) in Zadar, with scenes of the Massacre of the Innocents and the Flight to Egypt, created in the 11th century

[Ace Rimmer]

Tablets

http://www.croatianhistory.net/gif/svlovre.jpg

http://www.croatianhistory.net/gif/pletd1.jpg

http://www.croatianhistory.net/gif/pletd2.jpg

[Longinus]

Terra Adriatica

http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq161/ShoePac_photos/folder-161.jpg

http://rapidshare.com/files/222098966/C_1999_DialTerra.rar

Genre : Medieval

Tracks:
Glagolithic chant from Polojica
1. Litanije Lauretanske
Cartulaire of St. Marie of Zadar, 13th c.
2. Sanctus. Hosanna dulcis est cantica
Glagolithic chant from Polojica
3. Plac Jeremije proroka
4. Puce moj
Glagolithic chant from Polojica with apocryph history "How Joseph was sold by his brothers", 15th c., Oxford Bodleian Library. Ms. Can. Lit. 414
5. Pokoj Vjecni
Gregorian anthem, 12th c., Monte Cassino, Archivo della Badia, Ms 542
6. Dixit Isaac patri suo
Announce of movable feasts, Evangilarium of Osor, 11th c., Bibliot. Vat., Borg. Lat. 339
7. Annuntiamus karitatem
Gregorian anthem, 12th c., Monte Cassino, Archivo della Badia, Ms 542
8. Caminus ardebat
Troped Kyrie, 13th c., Assisi, Bibl. mun. Ms 695
9. Summe rex
Polyphonic lecture, 15th c., Zagreb, Antiphonary of O. Thuz, Biblioteca Metropolitana, MR 10
10. Liber Generationis secundum Matthaeum
Anon., 14th c., Bologna, Civico museo Musicale
11. Credo
Anon., 13th c., Laudario di Cortona, Biblioteca communale, Ms 91
12. Ave donna santissima
Traditional laud, Mala Subotica, Croatia
13. Magdalene javkanje
Anon., 13th c., Laudario di Cortona, Biblioteca communale, Ms 91
14. Magdalena degna da laudare
15. Laude novella sia cantata