Separated pairs? Identification and interpretation of the appearance of spherical hollow buttons with identical chased decoration found in different find contexts at the 9th century site Mikulčice–Kopčany

Abstract

Spherical hollow buttons (in Czech gombíky, sgl. gombík) are garment accessories of the Great Moravian elites, which have been widely discussed over the past decades. Research into these artefacts, and particularly their chased decoration, has been ongoing for almost 70 years. The aim was to find analogies to their motifs and clarify their cultural origin. Research into decorative motifs is still justified if the questions it is supposed to answer are modified and a new methodology based on it is employed. The present paper deals with a detailed analysis of individual specimens, namely their ornamentation examined through visualisation based on digital models of spherical hollow buttons created by multi-image photogrammetry. The aim to use this method is to compare specimens with matching decorations, which were found in different graves within the Great Moravian centre of Mikulčice–Kopčany, and to define whether they could form a pair created intentionally by a single craftsman. In the conclusion, the results are confronted with the economic models hypothesised for 9th-century Moravia.