Saxon buckle on display
29 August to 30 September 2006
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A newly discovered Saxon buckle on display at Museum of London from Tuesday 29 August offers a timely reminder of London’s historical status as a magnet for migration and cultural mobility.
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The Hispano-Visigothic copper alloy buckle plate, dates from c. AD600-720 and would usually be found in southern Spain or Portugal. The extremely rare artefact is only the second example of its type to have appeared in England, and was unearthed in the outskirts of London by a metal-detectorist, Bill Robson.
The buckle follows the Byzantine style, whose influence phased out traditional Visigothic forms in costume and jewellery from the late 6th century. Originally, it would have been fastened to a loop and tongue strap with an iron pin, a belt-fitting that held up continental garments until the Islamic period.
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