PLUMBATAE FROM DACIA RIPENSIS: THE LEAD-WEIGHTED DARTS FROM A NEWLY DISCOVERED FORTIFIED SETTLEMENT NEAR MODERN-DAY DIMOVO, BULGARIA, IN THEIR PROVINCIAL AND REGIONAL CONTEXT
PLUMBATAE FROM DACIA RIPENSIS: THE LEAD-WEIGHTED DARTS FROM A NEWLY DISCOVERED FORTIFIED SETTLEMENT NEAR MODERN-DAY DIMOVO, BULGARIA, IN THEIR PROVINCIAL AND REGIONAL CONTEXT

Summary/Abstract: The lead-weighted darts, mentioned as plumbatae or mattiobarbuli (martiobarbuli) by the ancient sources, are becoming more commonly found in the archaeological record. These hand-thrown projectiles comprise an iron point with or without barbs that extend into a hollow socket or a tang, where the wooden shaft is attached. Their most distinctive feature is the lead weight that usually envelopes the assembly point between the iron and wood components. The wooden shaft supposedly had fletching, however with space left for handling the dart.This contribution presents twenty finds from a newly discovered Late Antique fortified settlement near the modern-day town of Dimovo, Vidin region, most of which could be identified with certainty as remains of plumbatae heads. In addition, four unpublished finds from sites likewise located within the margins of the Late Roman province of Dacia Ripensis are described. Furthermore, the information for these artefacts is supplemented by the discoveries of lead-weighted darts known to date from sites both within the said province and the larger zone of the dioceses of Thracia and Dacia.

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