Late Roman buckle parallels - French help needed

[Caballo]

Many of the Late Romans will recognise this belt buckle found on the Dyke Hills fortification in Dorchester on Thame.




I have just found this very similar buckle in a French merovingian context. Does anyone have a picture of the original?


It is mentioned here http://sedlouviers.pagesperso-orange.fr/...pental.htm

The text says "Boucle ornée de lions -Vermand (Aisne)" - buckle decorated with lions Vernand (Aisne)- just outside St Quentin in Nortern France.

The other Dorchester buckle ( http://www.romanarmy.net/dorchester.shtml ) has a strong parallel in a grave at Donderberg, in Belgium- not too far away at all from Vermand (Aisne).

Any more info re the Vermand (Aisne) buckle would be much appreciated!

I think it may be in the Musee de Vermondois ( with a very nifty search feature) http://www.saint-quentin-visites.fr/visites/#/vermand/ also at http://www.musee-du-vermandois.com.

[Flavivs Aetivs]

Just a theory, but I think they may have been made by the same craftsman (possibly somewhere in Gaul or Aremorica) and then the Merovingian one was passed down from Soldier to Soldier until the Riparienses were put down by Clovis in the 480's or 490s.

Certainly very interesting. I might have an image of the brooch, give me a moment to check.

[Flavivs Aetivs]

Unfortunately the Fibula is not in my image list of Roman Fibula. Sorry. I did some searching on google to try and find it, but nothing has come up so far.

EDIT:
I found a similar style buckle that was found in the Nydam-Mose:

http://www.zbsa.eu/research/projects/com...ge_preview

It's not the same, but indicates that this may have just been part of a style of buckle.

EDIT: Got nothing on Academia.edu. No papers.

[Caballo]

Thanks for trying! Frustratingly, on the wall of the museum ( link in my first post) on the link that allows you to turn 360 degrees, I think that there is a drawing of it on the wall. But it's too far for a clear view.....Perhaps one of our French camerades on RAT?

[Thomas V.]

Any more info re the Vermand (Aisne) buckle would be much appreciated!

Hello Paul,

The buckle belongs to H. W. Böhme's "Misery" type. B. attributes belts of said type to his time level II (380-420).

The buckle is 75 mm wide. The triangular notches of the buckle and the animal decoration of the buckle-plate are nielloed. The eight "dots" that can be seen on the trapezoidal part between the two lateral elongations are made out of blue glass.

The animal decoration of the strap-end is also nielloed. The strap-end (45 mm x 45mm) itself is made out of a folded sheet of bronze.

Two coins of Honorius (392-423) were found in the same grave. One of the coins had been deposited in the mouth.

A very detailed drawing of the belt parts:
[attachment=8873]BuckleVermandGrave397.jpg[/attachment]


Source: H. W. Böhme, Germanische Grabfunde.

[Flavivs Aetivs]

Hmm... he must have been a frank in Roman service, or possibly one of the Frankish federates who supported the usurpers between 406-414. However the fact that the coins were of Honorius and not of one of the usurpers suggests he was in the forces of Stilicho or Constantius III.

IMO It's too far south to be Salii at the time.

[Agraes]

It's the buckle from the Vermand treasure. It was likely the burial of a germanic leader from the early 5th century, with a high rank in the roman army given the quality of his equipment. It was unfortunately robbed in ancient times.

Spear and belt fittings are on exhibit at the Metropolitan museum in New York :
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-a...2.143-.146

There are also a shield boss and grip from the burial:
http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/sea...ions/22635

Edit:
After verification it looks like it's not the same buckle.