Sue's Really Tiny Early Medieval Buckle |
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- When we presented Sue Brunning with the task of choosing the best ostentatiously decorated, otherwise mundane object, she went straight for the big one. And by big one we mean a 3cm buckle, likely from a early medieval satchel. But while it's not that big, the blacksmith who made this clearly didn't see that as an obstacle to layering it with an, quick frankly, astounding level of detail.
To find out more about this buckle from King's Field in Faversham: bit.ly/3os39cD
Curators Cornered is a series born of necessity: a necessity to find the best object of every conceivable category from the British Museum Collection... also we were all stuck working from home...
Don't forget to like this video if you'd like to see more from Sue and the Early Medieval European Collections.
#CuratorsCornered #WhoDoesntLove3DSnakes #MedievalEngland
Being a jeweler, I find this buckle fascinating. I can tell a lot about the creator of this buckle just by looking at it. I can tell they were right handed. I can tell the maker was skilled for their time but not above imperfection. The bird eye in the top right of the buckle has an incomplete solder joint. This happened because either the metal was not cleaned completely, the lift itself prevented a good joint or the lantern used for the soldering might have used dirty oil. I could stare at this all day.
Thank you, Evan. Your comment was also fascinating, certainly to my untrained eye.
Thanks for your insight - how do you tell they are right handed?
I want to like this comment but it's currently sitting at 69 and that would be a travesty to spoil
@@themeatpopsicle I liked it .. saw your comment and removed my like 😅
@@slytub I was the one who broke the 100 like mark, and I have no regrets.
Win for me. It's not just the detail that is impressive, it never ceases to amaze me how the maker produced such work with naked eye and, presumably, candles or oil lamp. I would not even contemplate trying to create such detail without a stereo microscope and very bright light source.
Buckle wins for me. I did watch both. Usefulness was the buckle.
I've been finding out how much I take for granted. These are great. Really enjoying videos of this sort. Thanks 👍🏻
More please!
She's awesome... I'd have voted for her if she'd held up a rock for ten minutes and talked..😁👍😁
❤❤❤❤❤
This is one of two videos we're releasing on the same day for our new series Curators Cornered. We've set two of our curators the same task - Present the 'Best Ostentatiously Decorated, Otherwise Mundane Object' that they are personally in charge of. How do we choose which one is truly 'best'... we don't. YOU DO (big responsibility right?). Video with the most likes by the end of the week is declared winner and that curator will go through to face another successful curator from another round. So like this... if you like it.
To see Gareth's best object: ruclips.net/video/eSKihUGnsz0/видео.html
This should, I think, be pinned!
I'm calling a Brunning/Finkel final here and now.
We win either way.
2:45 Ohh birds! I thought they were elephants 😂
Not many elephants in 8th century England.
Me too - 🐘😂
@@JohnyG29 True, but I thought they were based on _tales_ of elephants, the presence of which can even be seen in the word's etymology (en.wiktionary.org/wiki/elephant#Etymology):
From Middle English elefant, elefaunt, from Old French elefant, elefan, olifant, re-latinized in Middle French as elephant, from Latin elephantus, from Ancient Greek ἐλέφᾱς (eléphās) (gen. ἐλέφαντος (eléphantos))....
Replaced Middle English olifant (from the aforementioned Old French form, from Vulgar Latin *olifantus), which replaced Old English elpend (“elephant”).
So while there might not have been even a single elephant there, there was spoken of at least one _elpend._
@@JohnyG29 Wot! Not even in the zoos?
I find that hard to believe.
Please post a video of an 8th century zoo that doesn't have at least 1 elephant!
Thank you. 🤣
King Charlemagne received a elephant as a gift by Haroen al-Rasjid in 802 tho.
Whoever is doing the editing for the videos and incorporated the scans of the objects is doing a great job and needs more credit!
Cheers! That genuinely means a lot.
The amount of details on such a small piece is amazing. And thank you to Sue who's passion is clearly showing and quite contagious.
whose*
“thank you to Sutton Hoo Sue whose....”
Say that 10 times fast. 🙂
I love whenever Sue gets to talk to us about the meaning of all these early medieval findings.
It was so interesting to hear that while the wearer obviously wealthy, there may have been other reasons he/she chose to wear it.
As a grumpy old wasp from the states I loved the intro and the idea. Of course, I think Irving Finkel will be the ultimate victor.
Irving VS Sue
All hail the Queen of the Saxons, Rightful Bearer of Flexcaliber!
is foamcaliber! i thinks...
Rather disappointed that Sue's place is not ostentatiously decorated by stolen museum pieces.
Not on camera, it isn't!
😮😮😮
"Thought we were done with the snakes? We're not done with the snakes."
This should be interesting. I love it already 😁
I love whenever Sue gets to talk to us about the meaning of all these early medieval findings.
the amount of passion they both have is so nice, warm and soothing. they're both lovely beautiful people but tiny buckle is subjectively better then posh beer in this instance
This was an unfair contest, of course Sue wins (Everything : )
I am torn... the drinking straw is much more mundane, but this buckle is much more decorated... I had to put like for both, but after some hard thinking, I would say buckle is a winner for this, even tho it was a close one for me.
Would the maker have had any type of visual magnifying device at this time? It’s hard for me to imagine the visual acuity needed to make that item.
I’m Sue’s greatest fan, however…. Sipping the “liquid gold” 🍻 from a golden straw about a meter long with the approval and compliments of the goddess Ninkasi definitely wins this one. Please forgive me Sue 🙏
Birds on the buckle still look like elephants to me.
Art from this period is quite stylised, and becomes even more abstract at certain points. Don't blame you at all, they are not the most "bird-like" of birds. I initially thought ant-eaters and I was (remotely) there filming while Sue was talking through the object...
I love seeing a piece through the eyes of an expert, it opens a lot of doors that I would have not had the key to open.
Sue could recite names from an old telephone directly and I would still listen with rapt attention. So good at expressing her passion
This lady is one of those rare people who has found a job they truly love. Me, I could not care less if I show up at my workplace and found a gigantic sinkhole had swallowed it up completely - preferably along with my boss.
They could also depict ravens. The design is not far from how Hugin and Munin were depicted, maybe most clearly at so called 'picture stones' (bildstenar) from Öland in southern Sweden.
The highly detailed gold work also remind me alot of Scandinavian fine smithing, altho this tell me less considering all the cultural exchange between the Nordics and Britain over the centuries. Or rather, over the millennia.
Yeah I agree they have many similarities. This was found in Kent an old Jutish Kingdom, they originally were not very far from Sweden so no doubt styles and techniques would have come with them from Scandinavia when they founded the first English Kingdom.
@@dontgivamonkeyz I see. Well, that makes alot of sense. Was it part of the Danelaw?
@@torbjornlekberg7756 Kent wasn't part of the Danelaw but the Jutes settled Kent in the 5th century and they came from Jutland the one in the North of present day Denmark.
@@dontgivamonkeyz Thank you.
I can't wait...should be intricately highlighted!
Absolutely love her working class London accent
Your a class act Sue👍
What if the buckles have nothing to do with a person but the Satchel that they were attached to. Perhaps it was a satchel that carried a object of great importance. Maybe treaties or documents or possibly even seeds from far off land. Like she said buckles come on many things.
This is right up my alley -- great idea for a series dude.
I came here for the archeology. I received the archeology. But I got Sue as well. Win Win Win
So I think the buckles took a lot more skill, but are not necessarily the most ostentatious.. In your own words, they a "flash of gold from across the room", whereas a metre long silver straw decorated with gold and lapis straw for drinking beer is absolutely ostentatious: there's no chance that anyone misses the fact that you're using such a straw, and that it is dramatic display of wealth.. A gold buckle is expensive, but the details are so small that nobody would notice them whereas if everyone else in the room had their reed straws in the pot and you walked in and stuck your highly decorated gold straw in the pot it would immediately stand out. Straw wins...
I make copper wire jewelry, and this was one interesting video for me! I love hearing how they made such beautiful things so long ago.
Incredible workmanship.....
Already loving the new series and it’s just the first video! Keep up the great work!
How did they make such fine wire?
I have heard it is a process of pulling hot metal through sequentially smaller drilled holes in rocks - sort of like making pasta. Could be wrong for this period and civilisation though.
Would have loved to see the back of the buckle. Going to check out the beer guy, then vote. Thanks!!
Came back to vote for Sue.
BTW...what's your name, IT guy? You're doing a great job!!
There have been cuniform words floating in the background during much of this video. According to my translation it says:
*I am Irving Finkle: great curator, mighty curator, curator of the world, best curator in the British Museum.*
Hey wait a minute I call shenanigans.
I thought the buckle was a elephant. Does anyone else agree!
She wonders if the purpose of this item was to compensate for something that the wearer was lacking. Is this the 10th century version of the Hummer?
well i think this is a better item...along with the fact that it's Gold...i can appreciate the artistry and superb skills that were needed to make such an item, coupled with the fact that the Buckle is such a personal item...it is easier to relate to...i love to find buckles when ime out detecting...so if i found something like this one...oh wow...well presented Sue !
One of the first things that strikes me as I consider the Kingsfield Buckle is wondering if the artisan had access to a magnification device. Otherwise, the granularity of eyesight required to fabricate such a tiny piece is astounding.
I was thinking the same thing.
Thanks for letting us enjoy the marvelous discovery of looking at a (not so simple) buckle.
(Honestly, I'm gonna like both videos. Good luck Sue)
Ooooooo damn. Good contest. I want to like both videos though 🤣
3:19 Did it dawn on you that perhaps the serpents are represenitive of Jormungandr or Níðhöggr (or some other Jotun or dragons), the birds of Huginn and Muninn (doubled), and the serpents bodies forming ᛟ (odal rune) twice or thrice? I may be reading into it too much, but you did show how it is like something found at Sutton Hoo. Just a thought from a non-Indiana Jones.
I really like that idea! My guess though is that they are a bit too academically cautious. As I guess you know, most of what we know about those myths comes from sources written centuries afterwards, particularly the Prose Edda written in the 13th century. Whilst I personally support the idea that Jormungandr..etc. are very old myths (given the links to other Indo-European Great Serpents), the time gulfs involved are pretty huge.
The Anglo-Saxon's probably split off from the Norse culturally at the latest around 0AD (although, maybe the the Jutes and Angles later than the Saxons, given the regions the tribes came from). So you'd have to assume both that the Jormungandr or Níðhöggr myths written down by Snorri Snorrason represent reasonably faithfully Germanic ideas from 1300 years prior, AND that in the those myths were not lost in the 600 years between that point and when the belt buckle was made by Anglo-Saxons. Which is a bit of a stretch, but not impossible I guess, especially if it was a key religious motif, although then you have to think about the influence of Christianity...
...I know it's unlikely for a variety of reasons, but I really want some 5th century 'Anglo-Saxon Paganism for Dummies' book to be unearthed...
This is a person who absolutely loves her job. So interesting and so passionate! Well done!
Umm for those who have LIKED already before this premiers are already skewing the results...
Sue has a following because she's the best.
Sue is the best. Fan from 🇮🇳
YAY! Sue is back! you know shes going to win this hands down right? might as well pencil her in for the finals of this challenge. Lets Go Sue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This video makes me wonder how a metalworker's or jeweler's shop would have been equipped at that time. What tools did these crafts persons have? What was their source of gold...where did the gold come from? How did the jeweler get enough light to work by and magnify this tiny buckle enough so that she or he could work with it and detail it?
What does the back side look like?
Sue wins every competition. Sorry everyone else.
Um....maybe.....🤭🤭🤭
Not Birds,,,"Ant Eater",,,
"Ant"= An(Goddess) T( Land)...
💯💯💯🐣🐣🐣...🥰🥰🥰
Cool buckles. If I was forced to guess what the birds were I would have said they were elephants 🐘
Very interesting,superb presentation,so enthusiastic ,fascinated,plus Sue is very cute,with a lovely smile 😉
To be honest, I find the Sutton Hoo buckle more appealing. But I understand how the higher degree of workmanship involved in the making of the Kings Field buckles makes them more special to many, or at least to some. But gold being such a soft and malleable material can not be very suited for utility objects like buckles. As an example, my uncle was given a gold watch, but he used it while doing heavy work and the casing bent out of shape, causing the clock mechanism to pop out.
As a homebrewer of ale & mead, I was struck by the obvious wealth & position implied in the Great Ale Straw of Ur in the other video. However, the level of craft in these buckles brings to mind the many lines of praise given chieftains/kings & their war masters. This is the sort of thing early Europeans recognized as pertaining to either kings/chieftains & those given gifts for loyalty & bravery in battle. The margin is slim; here stands my vote. Well done, all ye contributing to such professionally done content!
I won't argue I'm sure Sue is 100% correct, but don't see birds I see ELEPHANT heads - oh well
Dr Sue should do a livestream chatting about all the sword stories and Norse shit. Then we can find out stuff like if she's into LoTR sword lore. I could listen to her talk about that stuff all day. That'd be a poppin twitch stream. Oh lord, i'm already a Sue simp.
What I find interesting is the similarity between art pieces from celtic, saxon, thresian cultures and have to ask how much interaction there was between them, or are they related.
My vote has to go to sweet Sue.
Saddle bag buckles... income inequality was so much less then than now.......
I don't think those are birds. I see elephants. I think you better look at that again. This proves early English traded with India. Or Africa.
Can't choose. I like my beer. However, I am also a leather crafter. So those buckles...............well I wish I had those to use in my work. I have to vote for both here.
Snakes aren't hugely common in Britain, slow worms, grass snakes, and adders are about the extent of it. Why is serpentine imagery so common amongst Anglo-Saxon artifacts? Is this a part of the cultural heritage of the Romans? (where snakes are much more common in the Mediterranean) or something else? Moreover, were there any signs of this serpentine imagery in artifacts found in Ireland, where there aren't any snakes?
Perhaps it wasn’t from a satchel, but from the collar of an incredibly spoilt medieval cat.
Considering the size of these buckles, ( 3Cm ) it is unlikely that they were used to support anything. Most likely,they were sewn onto the neck of a garment and either a holed strip of leather or a chain would go between them. Similar to the neck clasps from capes. Most likely made for a child.
Did they cut out the vaudeville hook-drag at the end there when he said the liklihood of a tie with this fancy fastening was incredibly small?
Why is there a background of cuneiform for discussion of a medieval buckle?
Would a gold buckle have been functional - or just purely decorative? Wouldn’t gold be too soft?
Sorry, but the straw pipped it for me. I expect a buckle to be a show off item. But a drinking straw!
People will be kicking themselves in few weeks if they miss the opportunity to buy and invest in bitcoin
I wanted to trade crypto but got confused by the fluctuations in price
@@Omarali-yb3qu That won't bother you if you trade with a professional like Mr George hendricks
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Yeah
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I'm not sure it's even the most ostentatiously decorated early-medieval buckle in the video but the Sutton Hoo one has had plenty of exposure already so, what the hell, I'm giving this a like.
I feel like the pairs of birds represent Huginn and Muninn who were the god Odin's ravens.
A mundane object employed by everyday people becomes ostentatious when elevated by the time, details, and materials as used in making this buckle. Depending on where it was used...implied by the strap demonstration; suggests that it was seen at the waist. Given a position at the waist, implies it was seen best when kneeling.
Not convinced they are snakes.. would like to know more about the actual function of the piece.
Caling Out Hermes! louis vuitton! Boom (Mike drops)
The buckle was made by a true artist. I imagine it graced a very fine lady's person.
Being a shoe wearer I find this very interesting
Ah, a fellow man of culture, good day, good day.
Beautiful workmanship, but you can’t drink beer through it ……. And it is thousands of years earlier than the beer straw.
That there are two shows repeatable skill and that there must be more to find.
Gold working was perhaps more common at this time, so although I admire the buckle, I think the straw was more ostentatious.
Thanks but I couldn’t see how it worked, attached etc...? Laurie
People did not own lots of stuff, it is a modern concept, so that you need a big house to accomodate all the junk accumulated over a life.
This is cool and is ostentatiously decorated, but a ostentatious straw is more surprising.
If I ever get to visit the British Museum, at the top of my list is an autograph of (or selfie with) Dr. Sue.
I'll vote for anything Sue Brunning does.
I had to like (and comment on) both, but sorry to say it was the photo of Ms Christie in the other one that got me to make the first comment.
pineapple broach, hmmm.. if you know you know hehe
Sue FTW!
0:21 if the woman on the left had a baby with the man on the right, that's their child in the middle.
Liked and subbed...because of amateur boxer Sue
Sue, marry me. I could hear you read the dictionary all day long.
Sue wins. She'll always win as far as in concerned.
I thought they were Elephants --- LOL
But how does it attach to the leather?... we would like to see more of the reverse side.
They don't make buckles like they used to
God I love this video... but the Mesopotamian straw is gonna have to be the winner for me. It pains me not to like this video
Really didn't anticipate how hard people were going to find this. Which is nice because it means people like both videos, but genuinely didn't know they would cause so much stress
Boooo buckles! yaaay beer straws!!