Roman Metal in a Greek City: X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis of Early Roman Oval-Trapezoidal Buckles from Tauric Chersonesos

<jats:p>The article presents new data on a large collection of oval-trapezoidal buckles from Tauric Chersonesos. In European lite­rature, such buckles are known as Raddatz type C. Most of the Chersonesos specimens lack precise provenance information. Their date is established on the basis of comparable finds from assemblages of the mid- to second half of the 1st century AD. X-ray fluorescence analysis showed that almost all the buckles were made of “fresh” two-component brass, or of brass containing small amounts of tin and lead. Metal of this composition could have reached Chersonesos only from the territory of the Roman Empire and under the control of the Roman authorities. At the same time, the form of the buckles derives from Celtic and Germanic belt fasteners of Raddatz type U, widespread in Central Europe. One Chersonesos buckle bears a six-line Greek inscription. The material therefore reflects a combination of Roman, Celtic, and Greek traditions. Such a combination may have emerged in the multi-ethnic milieu of professional mercenaries who defended the Chersonesos polis. During the period in which the buckles were in use, the city was allied with the Empire. The Roman authorities may have supported their ally by supplying metal used to produce elements of military costume. Alternatively, the buckles may have arrived in Chersonesos as finished objects together with mercenaries, some of whom may have been of Celtic origin.</jats:p>