The Vače situla is the most decorated of four situlas

Situla (vessel)

Situla, from the Latin for bucket or pail, is a term for a variety of elaborate bucket-shaped vessels from the Iron Age to the Middle Ages, usually with a handle at the top...

 found near Vače

Vače

Vače is a settlement in the Municipality of Litija in central Slovenia. Traditionally the area was part of Lower Styria and is now included with the rest of the municipality into the Central Slovenia statistical region....

, Slovenia

Slovenia

Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...

. The Vače situla dates from the turn of the 6th century BC (Hallstatt culture

Hallstatt culture

The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Central European culture from the 8th to 6th centuries BC , developing out of the Urnfield culture of the 12th century BC and followed in much of Central Europe by the La Tène culture.By the 6th century BC, the Hallstatt culture extended for some...

 of the European Early Iron Age

Iron Age

The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...

) and is one of the oldest situla objects of the northern Illyrians

Illyrians

The Illyrians were a group of tribes who inhabited part of the western Balkans in antiquity and the south-eastern coasts of the Italian peninsula...

. It was discovered near Vače by the peasant Janez Grilc on 17 January 1882 and was in the same year sold to Karel Dežman

Karel Dežman

Karel Dežman, also known as Dragotin Dežman and Karl Deschmann was a Carniolan liberal politician and natural scientist. He was one of the most prominent personalities of the political, cultural, and scientific developments in the 19th century Duchy of Carniola...

, the director of the Provincial Museum of Carniola . It is on display in the National Museum of Slovenia

National Museum of Slovenia

The National Museum of Slovenia is located in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is situated in the Center district of the city near the Tivoli Park....

.

Description

The situla is 23.8 cm high and is made of three separate pieces of bronze

Bronze

Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...

 sheets, coupled with bronze rivets. The holder is made of thick torqued wire and has the ends in the form of stylized duck's head. It was made in toreutic technique

Toreutics

Toreutics is a term, relatively rare in English, for artistic metalworking, by hammering gold or silver , engraving, Repoussé and chasing to form minute detailed reliefs or small engraved patterns. Toreutics can include metal-engraving - forward-pressure linear metal removal with a...

 and may have been used as a ritual vessel for holding holy water.

Depictions

The Vače situla consists of small figures depicting everyday life and tasks among the people. Three parallel friezes run horizontally around the situla all of which depicts different scenes. The uppermost frieze shows warriors on foot, on horses and on chariots. The middle frieze shows ritual scenes and a conflict between two boxers which fight for a trophy - a pot helmet with a long crest. The bottom frieze shows a row of eight animals.