A recently found belt buckle with rune-like signs from Ukraine

Abstract

In 2015, a belt buckle (fig. 2a and 2b) was discovered in western Ukraine with a rune-like inscription on the back. The buckle has no known context, but the find spot is between the Ukrainian villages of Sukhodil and Shydlivtsy (Husiatyn district in Ternopil oblast). The buckle was part of an illegal dig and is in private hands. Unfortunately, its whereabouts are unknown. A profound examination of the material and the inscription was therefore not possible. Yet we thought it appropriate to publish this find. According to its style, the buckle can be dated to the early part of the 5th century. In this article the buckle is compared to other buckles from Eastern Europe (Szabadbattyán, Bar, Yalta) and to parallels (Sösdala, Airan/Moult, Untersiebenbrunn) elsewhere in Europe. All buckles are dated to AD 420-440. The archaeological background in section 1 is written by the archaeologist Maxim Levada,
while in section 2 the rune-like signs are described and discussed by runologist Tineke Looijenga. Although a transliteration is proposed, an interpretation is still lacking.