Matasha Mazis, Dana Ashkenazi, & Alexander Fantalkin

An Exceptional Late Antique Belt Buckle Plate from Jaffa: From Metalworking Technology to Cultural Biography in: Journal of Late Antiquity Volume 17, Number 1, Spring 2024

This paper introduces a technological and cultural biography of an excep- tional copper-based belt buckle plate from ancient Jaffa. The exploration of intricate metalworking techniques and the cultural significance of this find provide new insights into late antique material culture in the Levant. Although similar buckles appear in museum collections around the world, few have archaeological provenience and, to date, none have been analyzed and published in terms of their material characteristics. This study estab- lishes a metallurgical database for future comparative analyses, employing X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to characterize the buckle’s composi- tion and manufacture. The results reveal the use of recycled metals, casting, cold fastening, and decorative finishing techniques, including contouring of the openwork shapes. The analysis finds no evidence of enameling, chal- lenging existing theories about these buckles. A comparison of the crafting techniques and design elements of this belt buckle plate with those of similar buckles shows evidence of distinctive artisanal traditions. The socio-cul- tural inferences of its art and iconography are also explored in light of the geopolitical landscape after the Arab conquests. This study sheds light on the production and distribution of Levantine buckles and enriches under- standing of their use in late antique culture and society.

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