Introduction
In 2018, János Mestellér published an article commenting on the absence of metal belt components in many elite early medieval graves (Mestellér 2018). The author saw a possible reason in the use of simple all-leather belts without buckles, with fork-shaped ends that were inserted into prepared holes and then knotted. We followed up on this important text a year later on the pages of this journal when we published the article Organic belt buckles and strap-ends (Vlasatý 2020). The essence of this continuation is the proposal of an alternative interpretation: the belts could have been equipped with bone or antler buckles and strap-ends. Both articles convincingly documented the use of completely organic belts, which leave no or only limited traces in the archaeological material. Decorated leather belts with leather cords replacing the buckles are known as well (Nikitina 2023: 32-3).
Now we would like to enrich the spectrum of these possibilities with another alternative, which is the use of a leather buckle sewn to a leather belt. The method is represented by a single find found in Wrocław, Poland, in layers from the first half of the 13th century. Although efforts to find parallels across different centuries and European regions have been in vain, it can be expected that this was not a unique solution and that we are witnessing a more widespread practice, which, however, is poorly preserved due to its organic design. Leather buckles should not be necessarily considered as mere provisional elements, but rather as fully functional artifacts. They are relatively inexpensive and simple to produce, tolerate rough handling, do not corrode, and avoid causing pressure or abrading the underlying material. Despite these characteristics, they are not mentioned in any relevant literature concerning belts of the Early and High Middle Ages (see e.g. Fingerlin 1971; Heindel 1990; Muraševa 2000; Nikitina 2023; Schopphoff 2009).
This article is dedicated to all those interested in the practical side of everyday life in the Middle Ages. It can be appreciated not only by leathermakers, but also by all reenactors striving for a faithful depiction of the past. Last but not least, it is also intended for the professional academia, offering new ideas and information for further research.
Map 1: Position of Wrocław on the map of Europe.
Circumstances of discovery and place of storage
The object described below was found during excavations in Wrocław on the left bank of the Oder River in 1960, in what is now the city centre. The discovery was made during the so-called Ditch II, which took place in 1960-1961 east of the Old Town Square, in the area between the square Nowy Targ and Świętej Katarzyny, Świętej Wita a Wita Stwosza streets. The buckle was found in layer D/3-2 (fifth settlement layer), which Kaźmierczyk dates to the first half of the 13th century and before 1241 (Kaźmierczyk 1966: 261; 1970: 252). The 12th-13th century horizon is exceptionally rich in organic finds in Polish cities, as evidenced not only by finds from Wrocław (e.g. Kaźmierczyk 1991; 1993; 1995; Pankiewicz 2023), but also from Gdańsk (e.g. Kamińska 1959; 1960; 1961; 1967; Wadyl et al. 2024), Opole (e.g. Bukowska-Gedigowa – Gediga 1986; Gediga 2022; Hołubowicz 1956) or Szczecin (e.g. Dworaczyk et al. 2003; Kowalska – Dworaczyk 2011).
Fig. 1: Map of the left-bank Wrocław. The sign II on the right corresponds to the location of the find.
Source: Eysymontt 2011: 21; Kaźmierczyk 1966: Fig. 1.
Fig. 2: Scheme of the Ditch II and layer D/3-2.
Source: Kaźmierczyk 1966: 241, Figs. 56, 72.
The find was marked with the inventory number 81/60, which it retains to this day. Formally, it belongs to the collections of the House of Archaeologists (Dom Archeologów), which is an archaeological branch of the Wrocław University Museum (Muzeum Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego), but it is permanently exhibited in the Museum of the Polish State Origins in Gniezno (Muzeum Początków Państwa Polskiego w Gnieźnie), where the author came across this rare and generally unknown buckle in October 2024. The buckle is currently exhibited together with belt components from the 9th-12th centuries from other locations (Głogów, Gniezno, Ostrów Lednicki, Żukowice), but it is not provided with any label that would emphasize the place of origin and dating. The artifact is placed in the corner of the display case, thanks to which it is possible to examine its visible side and side in relatively detail, but its placement on an opaque plate makes it impossible to examine the reverse side.
Fig. 3: The current way the buckle is displayed. Author’s archive.
Description of the find
As far as we know, the buckle has only been published three times to date, in the works of Kaźmierczyk (Kaźmierczyk 1966: 261, Fig. 8b; 1970: 252, Fig. 72a) and in an adapted form also in Samsonowicz’s book (1982: Fig. 42a). It follows from Kaźmierczyk’s description and photograph that the author did not fully understand the destroyed torso, so its length of 11.8 cm cannot be considered authoritative. In assessing the buckle, we depend on this official documentation and personal examination, which sometimes contradict each other, sometimes complement each other. The text we present here aims to critically evaluate a construction that has no known parallel.
Fig. 4: Official documentation of the Wrocław buckle.
Source: Kaźmierczyk 1966: Fig. 8b; 1970: Fig. 72a.
The buckle was evidently made by stacking several thin layers, some of which have not survived to this day and whose existence can only be assumed. At the same time, the appearance of the reverse side of the object that could reveal further details has never been published. As indicated by a photograph published in 1966 (Kaźmierczyk 1966: Fig. 8b), the front visible layer copied the shape of the entire buckle, consisting of a 2.8 cm wide frame and a 2.3 cm wide strap, ending in two triangular tips. The frame of the front layer, which used to be partially preserved when excavated, is now completely torn off, as is one of the triangular tips. It can be assumed that the reverse side of the buckle also copied the entire shape. At least one, quite possibly two other layers were inserted between these two parts, creating a sandwich-like structure.
Fig. 5: Wrocław leather buckle. Author’s archive.
An old photograph and personal examination indicate that the inner layer or layers were divided into two halves – part of the frame and the strap, which was de facto sewn into the buckle. The frame is still composed of at least two layers. Although Kaźmierczyk states that it was made of 4-5 leather slices, it is questionable whether this is correct or it is an effect achieved by natural delamination of the leather. Ultimately, the entire buckle was composed of three or four layers of leather, which were perforated and stitched. The holes are not circular, but elongated, and are located mainly at the edges. In the middle of the visible layer of the strap there is a spiral ornament. Threads are now found in some of the holes of the buckle, but it is not clear whether this is part of the original or a conservation attempt to strengthen the crumbling layers. We can speculate whether the loss of the lower layer did not occur when the buckle was torn or cut off from the belt. If the buckle had two inner layers, it is likely that the belt was quilted along its entire length, which would correspond to other finds from Wrocław (see Kaźmierczyk 1970: Fig. 72b-d).
Fig. 6: Details of the frame of the Wrocław leather buckle. Author’s archive.
Kaźmierczyk states that there are two holes in the buckle that were used to attach rivets. This conclusion is probably incorrect. There is a single smaller hole near the frame, a possible base for a prong that fixed the strap at place after passing through the elongated hole of the buckle. Any impressions of the prong are naturally missing, since the front side of the frame is now lost.
Typologically, the analyzed buckle can be assigned to forms common in metal version during the 12th and 13th centuries (Malinowska-Łazarczyk 1979; Porzeziński 2003). The phenomenon of imitating metal products in organic materials such as antler and bone is also known from elsewhere (Vlasatý 2020). This fact implies that the shapes preferred at the time were applied across different materials. Given the certain laboriousness of producing a multilayer buckle, it can be assumed that the manufacturer chose an alternative strategy, motivated, for example, by the availability of a suitable material or the intention to achieve an unusual visual effect. At the same time, it is possible that the buckle had a specific use – for example, on a horse harness.
Fig. 7: Author’s design of two variants of the Wrocław buckle construction.
Left: three-layer variant. Right: four-layer variant.
Author: Diego Flores Cartes. Higher resolution here.
Acknowledgment
We would like to express our gratitude to Roman Král (King’s Craft), Marta Siłakowska (Museum of the Polish State Origins in Gniezno) and Ireneusz Szymański for their help in writing the article. We must also mention Diego Flores Cartes, who is the author of the illustrative graph.
We hope you liked reading this article. If you have any question or remark, please contact us or leave a comment below. If you want to learn more and support our work, please, fund our project on Patreon, Buymeacoffee, Revolut or Paypal.
Bibliography
Bukowska-Gedigowa, Janina – Gediga, Bogusław (1986). Wczesnośredniowieczny gród na Ostrówku w Opolu, Wrocław.
Dworaczyk, Marek et al. (2003). Szczecin we wczesnym średniowieczu. Wschodnia część suburbium, Szczecin.
Eysymontt, Rafał (2011). Leksykon architektury Wrocławia, Wrocław.
Fingerlin, Ilse (1971). Gürtel des hohen und späten Mittelalters, Berlin.
Hołubowicz, Włodzimierz (1956). Opole w wiekach X-XII, Katowice.
Heindel, Ingo (1990). Riemen- und Gürtelteile im westslawischen Siedlungsgebiet, Berlin.
Gediga, Bogusław (2022). Gród Wczesnośredniowieczny na Ostrówku w Opolu. Synteza, Warszawa – Wrocław.
Kamińska, Janina (1959). Gdańsk wczesnośredniowieczny 1, Gdańsk.
Kamińska, Janina (1960). Gdańsk wczesnośredniowieczny 3, Gdańsk.
Kamińska, Janina (1961). Gdańsk wczesnośredniowieczny 4, Gdańsk.
Kamińska, Janina (1967). Gdańsk wczesnośredniowieczny 6, Gdańsk.
Kaźmierczyk, Jozéf (1966). Wrocław lewobrzeżny we wczesnym średniowieczu, Cz. 1, Wrocław – Warszawa – Kraków.
Kaźmierczyk, Jozéf (1970). Wrocław lewobrzeżny we wczesnym średniowieczu, Cz. 2, Wrocław – Warszawa – Kraków.
Kaźmierczyk, Józef (1991). Ku początkom Wrocławia. Cz. 1, Warsztat budowlany i kultura mieszkalna Ostrowa Tumskiego od X do połowy XI wieku, Wrocław.
Kaźmierczyk, Józef (1993). Ku początkom Wrocławia. Cz. 2, Warsztat budowlany i kultura mieszkalna Ostrowa Tumskiego od połowy XI wieku do połowy XIII wieku, Wrocław.
Kaźmierczyk, Józef (1995). Ku początkom Wrocławia. Cz. 3, Gród na Ostrowie Tumskim w X-XIII wieku, Wrocław.
Kowalska, A. B – Dworaczyk, Marek (2011). Szczecin wczesnośredniowieczny. Nadodrzańskie centrum, Warszawa.
Mestellér, János (2018). Some points about the leather of the belts and suspensions in connection with historical reconstruction of the viking age. In: Keleti Szövetség [online]. [2025-04-14]. Available here: https://keletiszovetseg.hu/some-points-about-the-leather-of-the-belts-and-suspensions/.
Malinowska-Łazarczyk, Helena (1979). Typologia i chronologia sprzączek i okuć pasa z cmentarzyska w Cedyni. In: Materiały Zachodniopomorskie 25, 93-106.
Muraševa 2000 = Мурашева, В. В. (2000). Древнерусские ременные наборные украшения (Х-XIII вв.), Москва.
Nikitina 2023 = Никитина, Т. Б. (2023). Поясные наборы населения Ветлужско-Вятского междуречья IX–XI вв., Budapest.
Pankiewicz, Aleksandra (2023). Wrocław. Gród na Ostrowie Tumskim we wczesnym średniowieczu, Warszawa.
Porzeziński, Antoni (2003). Typologia średniowiecznych sprzączek z Cedyni, stanowisko 2a, woj. zachodniopomorskie. In: Galiński, Tadeusz – Wilgocki, Eugeniusz (eds.). Res et Fontes. Księga jubileuszowa dr. Eugeniusza Cnotliwego w 70. rocznicę urodzin, Szczecin, 291-302.
Samsonowicz, Agnieszka (1982). Wytwórczość skórzana w Polsce wczesnofeudalnej, Wrocław.
Schopphoff, Claudia (2009). Der Gürtel. Funktion und Symbolik eines Kleidungsstücks in Antike und Mittelalter, Köln – Weimar – Wien.
Vlasatý, Tomáš (2020). Organic belt buckles and strap-ends. In: Project Forlǫg – Reenactment and science [online]. [2025-04-14]. Available here: https://doi.org/10.59500/xfwt4127.
Wadyl, Sławomir et al. (2024). Tartaczna. Studium życia przedlokacyjnego Gdańska, Tom I-II, Gdańsk.
