Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index


  • Record Number: 3372
  • Author(s)/Creator(s): Walker , Alicia.
  • Contributor(s):
  • Title: Myth and Magic in Early Byzantine Marriage Jewelry: The Persistence of Pre-Christian Traditions [the author argues that early Byzantine marriage rings were intended to promote and protect marital harmony; "In contrast to the marriage belt from the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and the belt buckle from the Metropolitan Museum, Byzantine marriage rings do not express an overt association with pagan traditions. But, the resonance of their inscriptions with pagan magical texts may still indicate a perpetuation, on some level, of non-Christian practices and beliefs within the social context of Byzantine marriage." p. 69]
  • Source: The Material Culture of Sex, Procreation, and Marriage in Premodern Europe.  Edited by Anne L. McClanan and Karen Rosoff Encarnación.  Palgrave, 2002.  Pages 59 - 78.
  • Description:
  • Article Type: Essay
  • Subject (See Also): Amulets Belts Byzantium Jewelry Magic Marriage Metalwork Paganism Weddings Rings
  • Award Note:
  • Geographic Area: Eastern Mediterranean
  • Century: 4- 5- 6- 7
  • Primary Evidence:
  • Illustrations: Six figures. Figure One Marriage ring, late fourth to early fifth century, gold (Dumbarton Oaks Collection, acc. no. 47.18). Figure Two Marriage ring, seventh century, gold (Dumbarton Oaks Collection, acc. no. 59.60). Figure Three Marriage ring, sixth to seventh century, gold (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, acc. no. 66.37.7). Figure Four Marriage ring, seventh century, gold and niello (Dumbarton Oaks Collection, acc. no. 47.15). Figure Five Detail of a marriage belt, sixth to seventh century, gold (Dumbarton Oaks Collection, acc. no. 37.33). Figure Six Belt buckle, fourth century, gilded copper (New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, acc. no. 1993.166).
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  • Abstract:
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  • Author's Affiliation: Harvard University [Ph.D. candidate]
  • Conference Info: - , -
  • Year of Publication: 2002.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN/ISBN: 0312240015