У статті розглянуто функціональне використання двох трипроменевих ажурних блях із
Мартинівського скарбу. Висловлюється припущення про їх приналежність до деталей жіночого
вбрання чи кінського спорядження за аналогіями
із могильників Криму та Аварського каганату. Ці
прикраси могли мати декоративне призначення.
The paper presents consider of the functional use of
two three-beam openwork badges from the Martynivka
hoard (fig. 1). There are two points of view on the functional
use of these products: 1) horse trappings; 2) details
of the belt.
An attempt is made to determine the range of possible
analogies or prototypes of products. All analogies
can be divided into two major groups: 1) on the general
outlines; 2) on the «internal ornamentation».
The first group. An almost complete analogy to the
products from the Martynivka hoard is the decoration
from grave 1, vault 238 of the Luchiste cemetery in the
Crimea (fig. 2) — the last quarter of the 7th century.
The other two analogies come from the Avar cemetery
of Pécs-Köztemető, burial 45 (fig. 3), although they
differ in greater finesse. This is the burial of a horse
with trappings. A. Kissa dates this area of the cemetery
within the end of 6th — middle of 7th century.
More distant analogies are two finds (almost completely
identical to each other) from the Luchiste cemetery,
from vault 65, grave 2 — the second half of the
7th century (figs. 4—6) and vault 113 — the first half
of the 7th century (fig. 8: 7). A similar badge depicting
a man in the center comes from Cherkasy or Chyhyryn
counties (fig. 8: 8). This find, together with products from
Luchiste, on formal grounds belongs to type IV according
to E. Garam. On the territory of the Avar Khanate,
similar ornaments are known (figs. 7; 8: 9—12) — Tiszafüred,
grave 166 and 262, Tiszaderzs, grave 14 and an
accidental find from Hungary.
Second group. Prototypes or analogies for this
group are determined by internal ornamentation. They
can be found among the bronze belt openwork badges of
a number of cemeteries of the Avar Khanate.
The first subgroup — badges with three rays departing
from the central shamrock (fig. 8: 13). The second
subgroup — badges with a triangle in the centre with
three groups of double rays diverging from it in different
directions (fig. 8: 14). The third subgroup — badges with
а circle in the centre and three radial rays (fig. 8: 15).
So, in the second group you can find similar products,
they are very diverse, differ in the design of interior
decoration. There is a difference from the presence of
eyelets. Although finds from Avar cemeteries sometimes
have one eyelet.
In the Avars, the beginning of the existence of such
products falls on the Early Avar period — the second half
of 6th — early 7th century, although most of them in the
Late Avar period — 8th century. E. Garam believes that
these products appear in the Avars from the middle of
the 7th century and continue to exist in the 8th century.
Thus, the three-beam openwork badges from the Martynivka
hoard could have two uses: as details of a horse
harness and details of belt ornaments of a woman’s suit.
