Last week Penny Aldrich inquired about Byzantine marriage belts, on
behalf of a student. From the description given, necklace-like belts
with coins hung on them perhaps worn next to the skin, you might
consider what is described as a "gold body-chain" in the British
Museum, which is dated c.600 and comes from the eastern
Mediterranean. This is most recently illustrated and described, with
bibliography, in David Buckton, ed., Byzantium: Treasures of
Byzantine Art and Culture from British Collections, exh. cat., London,
British Museum Press, 1994, pp. 94-95. There is no hint, to my
knowledge, of a specific function for this type of object, which is also
known from other evidence, but if you find a connection with marriage
belts, please do let me know.
Cheers,
Jim Bugslag
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|