Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums
The oval loop of this buckle is long and narrow; circles and simple flourishes decorate the edges. The rounded plaque is adorned with a recessed, symmetrical foliate design. A small tab protrudes from the end. Two aligned loops on the reverse were used to attach the buckle to a belt; otherwise the surface of the reverse is flat and undecorated. The piece belongs to a category of buckles known as “Syracusan,” which take their name from the find spot of some of the earliest recorded examples (1). This common type is found across a broad geographical area, including northern Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Near East, and is typically dated to the late sixth or seventh century CE (2).
Each of the three copper alloy Byzantine belt buckles in the Harvard collection consists of two separately cast pieces: a plaque with a loop and a tongue. The tongue was passed through a hole in the plaque and twisted closed. In this example and 1968.95, indentations in the bars keep the tongues in place. Loops on the reverse of each buckle were sewn to one end of a belt, which was most likely made of leather.
Belts could be used with a variety of garments, including trousers or tunics, and were typically worn by men (3). Some belts were embellished with elaborate decoration and wrought in valuable materials, including enamel, luxury metals, or precious stones. Although the Harvard buckles are of modest material and workmanship, each of these utilitarian objects was enhanced by ornamental designs.
NOTES:
1. J. Waldbaum, Archaeological Exploration of Sardis 8: Metalwork from Sardis (Cambridge, MA, 1983) 118.
2. Compare examples from the Menil Collection, Houston, inv. nos. 490.448 and 490.450 (unpublished); G. R. Davidson, Corinth 12: Minor Objects (Princeton, 1952) 267 and 271, no. 2185; D. Csallány, “Les monuments de l’industrie byzantine des métaux II,” Acta Antiqua Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 4 (1956): 261-91, esp. 265, pl. 2.1-3 [in Russian with French summary]; Waldbaum 1983 (supra 1) 118, nos. 689-90, pl. 44, with additional comparanda; R. M. Harrison, Excavations at Saraçhane in Istanbul 1: The Excavations, Structures, Architectural Decoration, Small Finds, Coins, Bones, and Molluscs (Princeton, 1986) 264-65, nos. 561-63, figs. 402-403; E. Riemer, “Byzantinische Gürtelschnallen aus der Sammlung Diergardt im Römisch-Germanischen Museum Köln,” Kölner Jahrbuch für Vor- und Frühgeschichte 28 (1995): 777-809, nos. 1-5, figs. 13-17; D. Evgenidou and J. Albani, eds., Byzantium: An Oecumenical Empire, exh. cat., Byzantine and Christian Museum (Athens, 2002) 100, no. 79; A. MacGregor, A Summary Catalogue of the Continental Archaeological Collections, BAR Int. Ser. 674 (Oxford, 1997) 240-41, no. 122.2; L. Wamser and G. Zahlhaas, Rom und Byzanz: Archäologische Kostbarkeiten aus Bayern (Munich, 1998) 187, no. 257; J. Fleischer, Ø. Hjort, and M. Rasmussen, eds., Byzantium: Late Antique and Byzantine Art in Scandinavian Collections, exh. cat., Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek (Copenhagen, 1996) 79-80, no. 79; C. Eger, “Boucles de ceinture de la région de Carthage datant des VIe et VIIe siècles,” CEDAC Carthage Bulletin 19 (1999): 12-15, esp. 12-13, figs. 1-2; D. Papanikola-Bakirtze, Kathēmerinē zōē sto Vyzantio [Everyday Life in Byzantium], exh. cat., Museum of Byzantine Culture (Athens, 2002) 388, no. 474 [in Greek]; and A. Drandaki, “Copper Alloy Jewellery at the Benaki Museum: 4th to 7th Century,” Antiquité Tardive 13 (2005): 65-76, esp. 71-72, fig. 9.a-b.
3. A fourth-century CE wall painting from Silistra, Bulgaria, depicts a household servant carrying his master’s trousers from which hangs a belt with its buckle; see A. Frova, Pittura romana in Bulgaria (Rome, 1943) fig. 9.
Alicia Walker
