Lacus Pelso

Pelso was a known geographical name from Pannonia, which can be identified only with Lake Balaton according to literary sources from the imperial period. Historiographer Aurelius Victor referred to the fact that Emperor Galerius (305–311) ‘…turned the territory of Pannonia to good use for the state by clearing enormous forests, as well as by letting the water of Lake Pelso down to the River Danube. Therefore, he named the province after his wife Valeria.’ So Pelso was situated in the late Roman province of Valeria, including both present Eastern Dunántúl and the area north of Lake Balaton, which corresponds to the geographical location of Lake Balaton. Galerius achieved the drainage of Balaton by connecting the lake and the water catchment area of the Danube. That was ensured by cutting a canal, which could have been the ancient predecessor of the present Sió Canal. The drainage caused the drastic reduction of the lake’s water level in the 4th century, for which we already have archaeological evidence.

According to the anonymous geographer of Ravenna who lived in the 6th century, ‘The largest lake called Pelsois can be found in Pannonia.’ Lake Balaton is still the largest lake in Central Europe, thus this definition fits it well. Other opinions suggest that Pelso could be the name of the dog, which can be seen depicted by the inscription above the figure disembowelling a wild boar. The dog is, however, some distance from the inscription and the scene of disembowelling the wild boar also separates them. Therefore the likelihood of this interpretation being correct can be questioned. Yet should Pelso refer to the dog’s name, the animal could only be named after Balaton in the imperial age, since animals were often named after bodies of water. For example, the Emperor Hadrian’s horse, with which he ‘used to hunt Pannonian wild boar’, was called Borysthenes after the ancient name for the River Dnieper.

Lake Balaton and its environs, with its climate and beautiful panorama recalling the Mediterranean, were popular with the late Roman Pannonian elite. Some of the villas excavated around the lake, were centres of large estates, bear witness to this. The depiction on the platter suggests that Seuso’s estate could have extended to Lake Balaton: the plentiful fish in the lake provided a secure source of food and the vista over the surface of the water was the pride of the former owner of the estate. The presenter of the Seuso platter was familiar with this close emotional attachment. That must have been why the representation and designation of Pelso appeared in the silver platter presented as a gift.