V. Stepanova Iu.

The Old Rus’ buckles with the schematic image of a mask

Authors

V. Stepanova Iu.

Keywords:

jewelry, buckle, belt, mask, Old Rus’, Upper Volga basin, burial sites, amulet.

Abstract

In article is devoted to the category of Old Rus’ jewelry – the belt buckles with the schematic image of a mask. The finds of the buckles were found in the burial places of the Upper Volga: Izbrizh’e, Pleshkovo-1, Zagor’e-2, Zhilye Gory. The one copy is stored in the Volokolamsk State museum. The buckles are dated by the second half of XI – the first third of the 12th century on the basis of the accompanying burial items. Singularity of finds and a compact area of distribution allow to make a conclusion about the production of the buckles on the territory of the Upper Volga basin. The image of men's "mask" have the sign function which corresponds with the functional purpose of belt buckles. On the available ethnographic and archaeological materials, the belt had а ritual value, and the belt set had a amulet role. Analogies of images of masks on the medieval jewelry from Eastern and Western Europe are given.

The Old Rus’ buckles with the schematic image of a mask