The hoard of temple rings from the hillfort of Baroniki (Viciebsk)

Abstract

The article is devoted to two temple rings, which are a part of the hoard from the hillfort of Baroniki (Viciebsk). Temple rings are now kept in the National Historical Museum of the Republic of Belarus. The absence of direct analogies and the circumstances of finding of things allowed G. V. Shtyhau to date this complex very approximately. Therefore, the aim of the research is to clarify the dating of the hoard. According to the authors, this can be done on the basis of the analysis of the stylistic features of the appearance of the rings and, thus, to identify traditions that could affect their creating. It was established that the «ornamental motifs» used in the making of rings from Baroniki were widespread in the forest and forest steppe zones of Central and Eastern Europe during the Migration Period. Due to this, the rings can be dated from the end of the 5th century to the end of the 7th – beginning of the 8th century. The results of the research can be used as a source for the reconstruction of the womenʼs jewelry attire of the population of the Belarusian Dzvina Region in the second half of the 1st millennium AD.