Early Roman Iron Age jewellery in the Northern Barbaricum: between stylistic and technological simplicity and luxury

• Main Authors: Bliujienė, Audronė, Petrauskas, Gediminas, Bagdzevičienė, Jurga, Suzdalev, Sergej, Babenskas, Evaldas
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Early Roman Iron Age; Northern Barbaricum; Balts; eye fibulae; neck-rings with hollow trumpetshaped terminals; XRF analysis; technological analysis; dvina
• Online Access: http://ku.lvb.lt/KU:ELABAPDB72917395&prefLang=en_US

The article examines two interregional types of early Roman Iron Age jewellery, the so-called eye fibulae and neck-rings with hollow trumpet-shaped terminals. These ornaments in the 1st and 2nd centuries were widespread in the vast areas of the Central European Barbaricum and in the territory of the Baltic people living between the Pasłęka and Daugava (Western Dvina) rivers. These fibulae and neck-rings are also known from the territories populated by the Finno-Ugrians, extending up to the Gulf of Finland. Eye fibulae were born on the periphery between the antique and barbarian worlds – in the northern provinces of the Roman Empire, most likely as an amalgamation of the antique and barbarian cultural traditions. However, because of the relatively simple production and ornamentation, they became mass products across the Barbaricum. Unlike eye fibulae, neck-rings with hollow trumpetshaped terminals required more complex technological skills for their production. Prototypes of these neck-rings came from the La Tène and Roman cultural legacy and were later absorbed by the Germanic people. In the lands of the Balts the idea of such neck-rings was adopted from similar Scandinavian golden neck-rings. These neck-rings are ornate jewellery items, custom-made of copper alloys using complex technologies that required highly-skilled jewellers. These technically elaborate neck-rings in terms of territorial distribution and social significance stand in contrast to the contemporaneous eye fibulae that were widespread throughout the Barbaricum. The present article reviews the composition of the alloys of 51 fibulae and 4 neck-rings analysed by means of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and describes their manufacturing technique. The technological and XRF analyses revealed that the eye fibulae and neck-rings with hollow trumpet-shaped terminals found in Lithuania, much like this type of jewellery found in other barbarian countries, were made of brass, brass/gunmetal, gunmetal/bronze or bronze using the same (eye fibulae) or simpler (neck-rings) manufacturing technologies.