Catarame – pafta de influență orientală din colecțiile Muzeului de Istorie Națională și Arheologie Constanța
Oriental Influence Belt Buckles from the Collections of the Museum of National History and Archaeology Constanța

Summary/Abstract: This study aims to analyse the belt buckles (pafta) with Oriental influence shape and decor, which are part of the museum’s collection in Constanța. These pieces are mostly from the central part of Dobrogea, which was strongly inhabited during the 17th – 18th centuries, fact proven by the archaeological research. It seems that the analysed buckles arrived in Dobrogea only after it was conquered by the Ottomans. These pieces have analogies mainly in the areas controlled by the Turks in the 16th – 18th centuries, respectively south of Danube (Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria), but also Brăila (Romania), Hotin and Cetatea Alba (Ukraine). They are serial products and were probably bought by people who did not have a great financial strength, but were connected to the urban environment or to the provincial markets. The typological evolution and spatial distribution may suggest the presence of some provincial handicraft centers and trade.

• Details
• Contents