A Fresh Look at the Great Moravian Gombíky. About the New Book: Krupičková Š. Gombíky from Mikulčice and Their Regional and Supraregional Context. Brno: Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Archaeology 2024, 257 p. ISBN 978-80-7524-086-6

Abstract

The paper analyzes the monograph by Š. Krupičková, dedicated to Great Moravian gombíky – objects that are interpreted by different specialists as fasteners or status items. The term «gombíky» itself and its use in relation to one or another object is debatable among scientists, so the author specified that she uses it to designate spherical objects made of glass or sheet iron. The methodological basis of the study, described in detail by the author at the beginning of the book, is a situation quite common for modern Czech historiography, when the developments of post-processual archeology of American-European and Czech researchers are used as a support. As stated in the title of the work, Š. Krupicková analyzes primarily the archaeological material discovered at the Mikulčice settlement, however, justifying the rest of the title, the regional context is revealed using the example of a number of archaeological sites from different countries, primarily the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, which makes this book to some extent a large generalizing work on the topic. Despite the large volume of material, as well as the lack of skills for some scientific research, where the author is not a specialist, Š. Krupicková copes with the task, confirming some theses, for example, about the initial distribution of gombics among the elite, and also refutes the hypothesis put forward at the beginning about the sacred function of the object. It is also impossible not to mention the author’s scheme of «diffusion of ideas» from one cultural environment to another, thanks to which the Great Moravian gombics appeared, since in this process the author notes the greater role of Byzantium rather than the Franks, which is not typical of modern Czech historiography.

Received 10 May 2025

Revised 31 Μay 2025

Accepted 7 June 2025

For citation: Yuriev, K. A., 2025. A Fresh Look at the Great Moravian Gombíky. About the New Book: Krupičková Š. Gombíky from Mikulčice and Their Regional and Supraregional Context. Brno: Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Archaeology 2024, 257 p. ISBN 978-80-7524-086-6. Slavic World in the Third Millennium, 20 (1–2), pp. 256–260. https://doi.org/10.31168/2412-6446.2025.20.1-2.14