ANIMAL SYMBOLISM ON SEVENTH CENTURY IRON BELT FITTINGS AND THE CHRISTIANISATION OF MEROVINGIAN GAUL
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 10/10/2020

Merovingian Gaul experienced a profound and long-term transition due to the ongoing process of Christianisation after the Roman state organisation faded away. Who were where and to which degree affected by this process is still a matter of debate. The interpretative models dealing with the rich burial record of the Merovingian period, however, do not contribute to this debate in a substantial way, though the traditional interpretations of furnished burials being Pagan and unfurnished being Christian have now been left behind. Straightforward Christian iconography is basically absent on the wide variety of burial objects, which seems to make it difficult to connect the Merovingian burial record to Christianity. In this paper iron animal style belt fittings of the seventh century are discussed as objects with specific qualities that enabled people to deal with the changes they experienced in a Christianising world; these fittings may be seen as ‘symbols of transition’. It will be argued, underlined with examples of Christian art and architecture, that their presence in graves could have reflected encounters with Christianity without necessarily expressing a profound commitment to it. An analysis of the ‘materiality’ of three specific belt fittings from the Dutch province of Limburg will demonstrate that a meticulous examination of their material characteristics can contribute to a better understanding of the interplay between production, wide spread object appropriation and the societal context in which this took place. The materiality of the fittings is not only related to the actual materials used, but also involves assessments of their ‘quality and ‘value’, which enabled them to function in a transitional phase. This discussion of Merovingian burial objects as ‘symbols of transition’ aims at answering the question on whether interpretative models dealing with Merovingian death and burial can contribute to the understanding of early medieval Christianisation.

Author(s): Kars, Mirjam (VU Amsterdam - Free University Amsterdam; Portable Antiquities of the Netherlands - PAN)