Iron belts of the Dalj type - a study of regionalisation of the Middle La Tène female costume

Abstract

A characteristic element of the Middle La Tène Scordiscan female costume are the various types of iron and bronze belts, which can often be connected with contemporaneous types from the Carpathian Basin. One such form are iron belts of the Dalj type, composed of pairs of twisted rod-shaped segments with loops, connected with rings, which differ in the shape of mostly iron, only rarely bronze buckles. Dalj type belts are numerous in south-eastern Pannonia in cemeteries of the Scordisci, although they have also been documented in female graves in the northern part of the Carpathian Basin, in Transylvania and in cemeteries in Central Europe. Dalj type belts are mostly dated to LT C1, although it seems that their appearance can be dated as early as the end of LT B2. Noticeable differences in the shapes of belt buckles bear witness to the individualisation of the early Middle La Tène female costume used by various communities, that is, its regionalisation.

Keywords

• female costume
• iron belts
• buckles
• scordisci
• graves
• carpathian basin
• middle la tène