The
Franks were a tribe inhabiting areas within what is now
France from the time of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century
to the 8th century. Known as Merovingians, for their legendary
first king, Merowech, they lived in a time of unrest and large-scale
migration, so it is difficult to find archaeological evidence of
their social and cultural activity in temples or cities. The majority
of information about the Merovingian way of life derives from the
grave goods found in cemeteries like Butte des Gargans.
Like
other buckles of this type, it was found in the grave of a male
warrior. Other burial objects might have included swords, other
arms, ceramics and adornments. This buckle was used to secure a
leather belt over a person's tunic.
This buckle, however, is of special interest because
of its Visigothic origins. The Visigoth tribe was contemporary
to the Franks and was one of the "barbarian" tribes that lived
in Europe in the last years of the Roman Empire. The Visigoths
were the western branch of the larger Gothic tribe. At the time
the buckle was made, the tribe inhabited Spain. How, then, did
this buckle end up in the grave of a Merovingian warrior?
Its inclusion in the grave implies that there was
some sort of contact among these peoples. Despite the era being
labeled as a "Dark Age," these tribes had contact with
one another, and they had the ability to create elaborate goods
like the buckle. Although they were often considered "barbarians," the
Goths had developed the art of creating decorative jewelry and
accessories.
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