Pine Cones Motive on two Monuments from Humac near Ljubuški

Abstract

Two stone monuments in the shape of pine cones have been found at Humac near Ljubuški, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Pine cones are a fairly common motif, mainly on funerary monuments. They also occur in relief on certain everyday objects, on stele, and in particular on Liburnian cippi, where pine cones were a decorative feature on the calotte-shaped top of the monument. These were small in size, to about 15 cm. Larger pine cones, up to a metre, such as those on tombstones from the Dardanian region, are less common. The stone pine cones from Humac are fairly large, up to half a metre, similar to those from Dardania. This motif has also been recorded on the pyramidal pediment of funerary arae and mausolea, rotundas, urns, and architectural features.