Description
Book Synopsis What are the origins of the imagery and designs on common jewelry and portable artwork between late antiquity and the Middle Ages? These dynamic centuries encompass the transformation of the Greco-Roman world into the nascent kingdoms and medieval states upon which most modern European nations are based. The choices of jewelry and other forms of personal expression among the lower classes in ancient times is notoriously difficult to contextualize for a number of reasons. Nonetheless, these precious articles were expressions of individual identity as well as signifiers of rites of passage. As such, they reflect not only the people who wore them, but also the social milieu and artistic trends at that moment in time.
This new study assists in identifying the types, origins and routes of transmission of personal artwork, particularly finger rings, across Europe and Byzantium, an area of study that has been neglected in previous works. Some of this material represents the f
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments v
Preface 1
Introduction 3
Part I: Late Antiquity and the Migration Period 7
The Dark Ages 7
Hannibal ad Portas: the Barbarian Onslaught 9
Part II: The Diffusion of Jewelry Designs Since Late Antiquity 17
Part III: Difficulties in Dating and Identification 21
Part IV: Medieval Societies of Western Europe 24
Frankish and Germanic Kingdoms 24
Frankish Tribes 25
Germanic Tribes 26
Frankish and Germanic Ring Types 28
Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms 33
Part V: Influences from Asiatic Cultures 43
Trade Routes Between Europe and Asia 43
Ancient Cultures of the Eurasian Steppe 45
Asiatic Origin of Certain Zoomorphic Motifs 52
"Saltovo" and Related Types from the Steppe 61
Kievan Rus and Kipchak Khanate 64
Part VI: The Roads Less Traveled: Central and Eastern Europe 68
Medieval and Modern States 72
The Successor States of the Former Yugoslavia 79
Notable Medieval Cultures 83
Part VII: Common Ring Types from Central and Eastern Europe 89
Religious Rings 91
Magical/Apotropaic and Geometrical Symbols 97
Ring and Dot Patterns 99
Heraldic and Pseudo-Heraldic Rings 101
Heater Shield, Flame and Heart-Shaped Designs 102
Fleur-de-lis 103
Portcullis and Similar Cross-Hatched Patterns 104
Star and Crescent 106
Sword and Arm 107
Avian and Zoomorphic Motifs 109
Architectural, Crowns and Similar Designs 111
Monograms, Merchant's Marks and Personal Seals 112
Quatrefoil, Rosette and Similar Decorative Motifs 114
Plain Hoop and Twisted Wire Designs 117
Cast Types with Faux Gemstones 119
Part VIII: Anthropomorphic Rings from Central and Eastern Europe 121
Part IX: Slavic Stolovat and Similar Jewelry Types 139
Part X: Common Signet Ring Configurations 145
Part XI: Star and Floral Patterns 150
Glossary 155
Chapter Notes 171
Bibliography 177
Index 181
