New Late Roman buckle from Dorchester on Thames

[Robert Vermaat]

Well, it does seem as if it was a Saxon wearing it.

these days, archaeologists seem far less inclined to 'define' the ethnicity of a burial just by the grave goods. After all, it's been attested often enough that members of one group can don the artifacts of another: Gauls did not become Italians when they adopted Roman goods and artifacts, nor did Syrians or Africans. Although we could say that a person is 'likely to have' belonged to one or another group, it's futile to speculate on any solid interpretation. the owner of the LR buckle could have been a Saxon, true, but he could have been a Briton as well, as could the person next to him have been, even if the latter was buried with 'typical' AS grave goods. Don't forget that this was a period of transition, in with the cultural borders were very fluid.

[Flavivs Aetivs]

What an incredible find. If it was in britan dating between 400-500 like they say, then it almost certaintly was from Anglo-Saxon, Frisian, or Romano-British Mercenaries if we keep the Roman withdrawl Date at 410. Otherwise it could possibly belong to a Miles in the Field Army or Limitanei Garrisons.