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Brooches
& Belts Reassessing the evidence |
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by
John Conyard |
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Comitatus
lays claim to authenticity, which means we have to regularly reconsider what
we do and how we present our version of the truth to the public. Some groups
operate a system of rules designed to take even people blind to authenticity
down a single path to a version of historical truth. Comitatus operates
differently in that we offer people a simple kit guide to get them started,
and then hope individual research will lead the way to enlightenment. To a
Roman, the belt buckles and broaches we wear would tell a great deal about
us. Rather than it being a simple article of faith that soldiers wear a broad
military belt and a crossbow brooch, it is in fact a complicated issue worth
considering. Brooches
So
when looking along the line we should see one or two really nice brooches
from European suppliers like Nodge Nolan, often tinned or silver plated. Or
even silver brooches plated in gold by a papal jeweller. We should see
several cheaper designs such as that produced by Raymond from America. And we
should see other brooches like pennannulars as well. And
we must also look closely at belts. |
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Belts In
the early to mid 4th century belts sets appear featuring plain
loop or dolphin loop buckles, propeller-shaped stiffeners and amphora-shaped
strap ends. The
style seems to arrive in Britain around AD 370, perhaps with field army
brought by Count Theodosius. Indeed British dolphin examples are often
decorated in an old fashioned way and have integral plates, unlike
continental versions, and are found on civilian and military sites. One
type of buckle, with the two dolphins seemingly holding a human head, seems
to be a Iceni speciality. Dolphin buckles decorated with ring and dot
patterns mainly occur in the tribal areas of the Catuvellauni and the
Trinovantes. But two have been found in East Yorkshire. Bird buckles showing
protrusions from the buckle loop are associated with the Corieltauvi. One was
found near market Weighton, just north of their territory. Simple
“D” shaped buckles are found with basic square or round buckle plates. But
the most common has a triangular plate, identical to continental finds. These
seem to have been imported by the army, perhaps as baldric buckles. They are
found in military and civilian sites. Was the government arming the civil population? A small number of buckles are found with
openwork plates, some of which are fixed. They are found in mainland Europe
as well. Some buckles have a propeller plate, a sort of integral attached
stiffener. In
the late 4th century elaborate chip-carved belts sets with
dragon-headed buckles and straight bar stiffeners are introduced. They do not
seem to be as common in Britain, the army leaving before they had a chance to
catch on. They are similar to continental examples, and seem to have been brought
over by individuals. But at least one seems to have been made in Britain and
was found near Malton. Dragon buckles are often found with large chipped
carved belt plates, many of which could have been silvered. Some plates have
the buckle sitting in the middle of them. I can find only 3 well decorated
large, so-called chipped carved dragon belt buckles from Britain. None of
these were found north of the Thames. Dragon
buckles with fixed plates seem to date from after the Roman withdraw from the
middle of the 5th century. They seem to come from mainland Europe
and are found in south and east Britain. But one was found at Rudston near
Bridlington! I,
like many others, wear the assemblage reproduced by Raymond based on grave 3
from Oudenburg. This was a coastal fort, now inland near Ostend. The large
graveyard contains coins from 340 – 410 AD. Out of the 216 graves excavated,
50 were certainly male and 21 female. At least 16 graves were children under
15 years of age, and a large proportion of the men died in their twenties.
Weapons were found in only 3 of the graves, perhaps suggesting a regular
unit, not irregulars. At least one other unexplored cemetery lies nearby.
There is a high eastern proportion of coins from 370-380 AD. It is possible
that means the unit we are looking at is the milites Nerviorum which served
with Valentinian in the east, but which is the garrison of Portus Aepatiaci
in the Notitia Dignitatum, under the Dux Belgicae Secundae. Grave 3 stands
out as the highest status burial, containing plate buckle, strap end, belt
retainer, two differing triangular plates and a single belt hanger. Many
of us, including myself, wear the double horse head buckle, readily available
from traders. There are four on my armour, and one fastens my sword belt. It
is said to be a buckle type found just in Britain, although at least one has
turned up in Spain. They seem to date from the end of the 4th
century, can be found all over the country but are particularly popular in
the southwest. It is found into the Anglo-Saxon period, often associated with
female burials. The buckles are associated with a long thin belt plate,
unlikely to be attached to a broad military belt. Some of these belt plates
seem to show a Celtic revival in terms of artistic design. To me they seem
more British than Roman. Above. 2nd century bone buckle, with iron prod. Below. 3rd century rectangular buckle, and associated studs. Left. The dragon buckle from Grave 3 Oudenburg, in silver plate. A design very rare in Britain. Left middle. A high status buckle in gold plate. 4/5th century, northern France. Right middle. A fixed plate dragon buckle in copper alloy. South east England, mid 5th century. Right. 6th century Gothic buckle in gold plate Left. A dragon buckle decorated in ring and dot style. main land Europe. Copper alloy. Middle. A fixed plate dolphin buckle with an open-work buckle plate and eyes on the terminals, in copper alloy. Common in mainland Europe, but proportionately more common in Britain. Late 4th century. Right. A horse head buckle and plate. Found from the end of the 4th century, they often retain some trace of dolphins beneath the horse heads. But these seem to fade out over time. In the example here the dolphins have faded out entirely, perhaps dating this to the 5th century. The long plate has a chain pattern. There are very small cross-hatched geometric shapes on the plate, common to western and central England. Unusually for this type of buckle, the pattern has been punched into the plate. |
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Strap Ends Heart
shaped strap ends seem more scrotum shaped. They are linked with dolphin plus
plain loop buckles and seem to be imports. So-called long amphora strap ends
may be more phallic with the handle shapes being scrotal. They are found with
dolphin and plain-loop buckles from around the mid-fourth century. The numbers
of them suggest they were made in Britain. Because the old-fashioned dolphin
and plain loop buckles last longer in Britain, the amphora strap end has time
to develop. Amphora strap ends with rounded bottoms, or without handles, seem
to be slightly later in date. In the tribal area of the Catuvellauni a
regional sub-group with wrap around tops develop. In Britain we seem to
develop narrow amphora strap ends, often with a nail cleaner, a simple
groove, at the bottom. These have been found in Beverley and Hayton. Chipped
carved dragon buckle strap ends develop from amphora shapes to angular
diamond shapes. They are rare in Britain. Left. A common British narrow amphora strap end in copper alloy with ring and dot decoration. Left middle. A dragon amphora strap end in copper alloy, of a type rare in Britain.There are traces of animals, sometimes interpreted as lions, running along the edges of this example. Mainland Europe. Right middle. A gold plated round-bottom amphora strap end. Mainland Europe. Right.A dragon amphora chipped-carved strap end, in silver plate. The animals are more stylised. Stiffeners Early
fourth century pelta-shaped and round belt stiffeners look very similar to 3rd
century examples. But the most common stiffener found in Britain is the
propeller shape. They are found in southern and eastern England, and along
the frontier in mainland Europe, alongside the dolphin and plain loop buckle.
Not all stiffeners match on a belt, presumably because some fell off in use.
Bar belt stiffeners are associated with the later dragon chip carved buckles,
and seem to have fitted wider belts. They seem to be associated with belt
retainers. Left.Rare in Britain. A late 4th century bar belt stiffener. Silver plate. Middle. A 4/5th century gold plated stiffener from Europe. Right. A common 4th century propeller stiffener in copper alloy. Summary There
is little evidence for late Roman buckles on Hadrian’s Wall. Just who was the
garrison and what were they wearing? Did old fashioned 3rd century
styles continue to be used? And there also seems to be the development of
styles of belt fitting associated with the old tribal areas of the
Catuvellauni, Iceni and Corieltauvi. Were the tribal areas arming themselves?
We should also consider what groups of armed bodyguards, bucellarii, may have
been issues with. Yorkshire does not have many buckle finds. Those that are
found are similar in terms of style to those found elsewhere. So we seem to
be importing them, not producing them. ·
In the early 4th century many older 3rd
century styles were in use. ·
Around 370 AD dolphin and plain D shaped buckles were common, with
amphora strap ends and propeller stiffeners. ·
At the end of Roman Britain rare dragon buckles and strap ends, with
bar stiffeners make an appearance. Double horse head buckles become popular. ·
Strap ends get thinner. ·
After the Roman departure dragon buckles with fixed plates are
found. Availability www.re-enactment.biz stocks various
belt fittings including nice dolphin buckles. They even do propeller
stiffeners. However they seem to be cast in gunmetal. www.armamentaria.com has a good
collection of fine quality Nodge Nolan castings. www.replik.de also does excellent quality
work. www.quietpress.com can do silver or
even gold plating. The castings come with integral rivets but these can be
removed. Conclusion When
we construct an impression of a Roman soldier we need to consider where their
from, where they are based, their status, and their role. For example higher
status soldiers would be able to benefit from goods carried large distances
by trade, while pedes would be using more locally produced goods. Of course
you may have more than one impression. You may have marched with Constantine
in 306AD in uniform military might. You may be a high status well paid
cavalryman one week, or a pede on light infantry patrol the next. You may
have fought in Germany and some being transferred, wearing a Gothic style
brooch. Some of us wear typical neck rings found amongst the Alamanni. In 372
AD a King of the Alamanni was transferred to Britain by Valentinian, and
placed in charge of a powerful contingent of Alamanni with the rank of
Tribune. Your family may be from the south west, living off the proceeds of
tin mines. You may be even be from east Yorkshire. It’s fun to consider the
background to the impression we create, even if nobody else fully appreciates
it! P.S.
I had this article nicely set up, when I received a copy of “Roman Buckles and
Military Fittings” by Appels and Laycock. Their book added greatly to my
knowledge and doubled the size of the article! |
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