Propylaeum

The Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum in Mainz currently owns 363 Byzantine belt buckles and fittings dating from the 7th to the early 11th century. Most of them come from the centre of the Byzantine Empire, where there are few cemeteries with grave goods and therefore few finds. These buckles therefore fill a major gap in our knowledge of this type of clothing accessory, even though they are all single pieces without any context.

Part 2 of the catalogue also shows the characteristics, dates and distribution areas of the various buckle types, and a chronological table makes it easier for the reader to date new finds. The analysis considers issues such as the history of craftsmanship, trade and costume, as well as the search for former owners. These were mainly men who used buckles not only to fasten their waist belts but also as a sign of rank, recognisable by the metal and decoration. For the first time, there is also evidence that women began to wear belt buckles in a gender-specific manner in the 9th century at the latest.
In a separate article, the conservator M. Fecht describes the results of her research into the manufacturing technique and the - mostly lost - colouring of Byzantine belt buckles from the 8th century.
As a supplement to Part 1, a catalogue of 33 subsequently acquired finds has also been included in this volume.

Ad Volume 1

The Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum in Mainz owns a collection of Byzantine goldsmith's work, only a small part of which has been published so far and is therefore widely unknown. Since this collection of jewellery and insignia of rank contains not only individual finds but also remarkable ensembles and, in addition, some copies of valuable, unfortunately destroyed originals, it is now being made accessible to the general public for the first time. The objects are listed in 49 catalogue numbers. They come predominantly from the core areas of the Byzantine Empire, but also occasionally from regions beyond its borders and, moreover, from a long period of time stretching from the late 5^th to the 14^th/15^th century.
Particularly noteworthy are two treasure finds, among them even a coin-dated one from Asia Minor or the Syro-Palestinian region, several necklaces made of elaborately openwork gold medallions, a gold bracelet ring from Syria also decorated with the finest opus interrasile and moreover with the most valuable precious stones, the only surviving decorative strip of a woman's crown cap, the richly chiselled pocket lid of a man of presumably royal rank, and an ensemble of Roman glass vessels, probably made in Constantinople in the 8^th/9^th century. They could be antiques from the imperial palace there.
In addition to a short catalogue with concise information on each object in the collection, the book contains an antiquarian appreciation of these goldsmith's works and the numismatic treatment of the coin-dated treasure find. In addition, one finds a detailed description of all applied goldsmithing techniques, which two experienced goldsmiths and restorers examined in the RGZM workshops. Overall, the catalogue is much more richly illustrated than comparable publications with new master photos of all the precious objects and countless detailed photos as well as drawings.

Tiny golden animal figures, mixed creatures, human and divine figures: Around 450 AD, a sophisticated pictorial language circulated in northern Europe. Deciphering this code allows deep insights into a past that is often mysterious.
As exquisite pieces of jewellery of the highest quality, the three Swedish gold neck collars are technically and iconographically the top products of their time. Although they were found as early as the 19th century and have fascinated researchers and laymen alike ever since, this is the first major scholarly monograph with outstanding illustrative material on these "imperial jewels". The focus is on questions concerning their manufacture, their bearers and their purpose. Above all, however, the significance of the many hundreds of figurative miniatures is explained, thus opening up access to the imaginary worlds of the Germanic peoples in pre-Christian times.