Norse Buckle, 67 x 39 mm, Antique Copper plated, to sew on leather or drapery

Norse knots are a variety of (mostly endless) knots and stylized graphical representations of knots used for decoration, adopted by the ancient Celts. These knots are most known for their adaptation for use in the ornamentation of Christian monuments and manuscripts like the 8th century St. Teilo Gospels, the Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels.

OVAL RIVET BUCKLE WITH CRYSTALS, 20 mm Belt-size, 29 x 38 mm outside dimension, Antique copper plated

Ancient RENAISSANCE Buckle, 14 mm Inside dimension, 25 x 29 mm outside, Antique copper plated.

The Renaissance, Italian: Rinascimento, French: Renaissance, from ri- "again" and nascere "birth") was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not uniform across Europe, this is a general use of the term. As a cultural movement, it encompassed a flowering of literature, science, art, religion, and politics, and a resurgence of learning based on classical sources, the development of linear perspective in painting, and gradual but widespread educational reform. Traditionally, this intellectual transformation has resulted in the Renaissance being viewed as a bridge between the Middle Ages and the Modern era. Although the Renaissance saw revolutions in many intellectual pursuits, as well as social and political upheaval, it is perhaps best known for its artistic developments and the contributions of such polymaths as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, who inspired the term "Renaissance man". There is a consensus the Renaissance began in Florence, Tuscany in the 14th century. Various theories have been proposed to account for its origins and characteristics, focusing on a variety of factors including the social and civic peculiarities of Florence at the time; its political structure; the patronage of its dominant family, the Medici. The Renaissance has a long and complex historiography, and there has been much debate among historians as to the usefulness of Renaissance as a term and as a historical delineation. Some have called into question whether the Renaissance was a cultural "advance" from the Middle Ages, instead seeing it as a period of pessimism and nostalgia for the classical age, while others have instead focused on the continuity between the two eras Indeed, some have called for an end to the use of the term, which they see as a product of presentism – the use of history to validate and glorify modern ideals. The word Renaissance has also been used to describe other historical and cultural movements, such as the Carolingian Renaissance and the Renaissance of the 12th century.

Ancient Germanic SILURER Buckle, 20 mm Belt-size, 48 x 28 mm total size, Antique copper plated.

The Silures were a powerful and warlike tribe of ancient Britain, occupying approximately the counties of Monmouthshire, Breconshire and Glamorganshire of present day South Wales; and possibly Gloucestershire and Herefordshire of present day England.[citation needed] They were bordered to the north by the Ordovices; to the east by the Dobunni; and to the west by the Demetae. According to Tacitus's biography of Agricola, the Silures usually had a dark complexion and curly hair. Due to their appearance, Tacitus hinted that they may have crossed over from Spain at an earlier date. Genetic studies carried out by University College London, Oxford University and the University of California have suggested that most Welsh and Irish Celts share in part (Y-chromosomes, mtDNA) with the Basque people who originated in northern Iberia during the Paleolithic. "But it is still unclear whether the link is specific to the Celts and the Basques, or whether they are both simply the closest surviving relatives of the early population of Europe"

Ancient Germanic SILURER Buckle, 30 mm Belt-size, 77 x 45 mm total size, Antique copper plated.

The Silures were a powerful and warlike tribe of ancient Britain, occupying approximately the counties of Monmouthshire, Breconshire and Glamorganshire of present day South Wales; and possibly Gloucestershire and Herefordshire of present day England.[citation needed] They were bordered to the north by the Ordovices; to the east by the Dobunni; and to the west by the Demetae. According to Tacitus's biography of Agricola, the Silures usually had a dark complexion and curly hair. Due to their appearance, Tacitus hinted that they may have crossed over from Spain at an earlier date. Genetic studies carried out by University College London, Oxford University and the University of California have suggested that most Welsh and Irish Celts share in part (Y-chromosomes, mtDNA) with the Basque people who originated in northern Iberia during the Paleolithic. "But it is still unclear whether the link is specific to the Celts and the Basques, or whether they are both simply the closest surviving relatives of the early population of Europe"

Ancient Germanic SILURER Buckle, 40 mm Belt-size, 97 x 55 mm total size, Antique copper plated.

The Silures were a powerful and warlike tribe of ancient Britain, occupying approximately the counties of Monmouthshire, Breconshire and Glamorganshire of present day South Wales; and possibly Gloucestershire and Herefordshire of present day England.[citation needed] They were bordered to the north by the Ordovices; to the east by the Dobunni; and to the west by the Demetae. According to Tacitus's biography of Agricola, the Silures usually had a dark complexion and curly hair. Due to their appearance, Tacitus hinted that they may have crossed over from Spain at an earlier date. Genetic studies carried out by University College London, Oxford University and the University of California have suggested that most Welsh and Irish Celts share in part (Y-chromosomes, mtDNA) with the Basque people who originated in northern Iberia during the Paleolithic. "But it is still unclear whether the link is specific to the Celts and the Basques, or whether they are both simply the closest surviving relatives of the early population of Europe"

Old-Germanian TEUTONIA-BUCKLE, 40 mm Beltsize, 88 x 63 mm, Antique copper plated.

The Teutons or Teutones (from Proto-Germanic *Þeudanōz) were mentioned as a Germanic tribe by Greek and Roman authors, notably Strabo and Marcus Velleius Paterculus and normally in close connection with the Cimbri, whose ethnicity is contested between Gauls and Germani. According to Ptolemy's map, they lived in Jutland, in agreement with Pomponius Mela, who placed them in Scandinavia (Codanonia). In any case, they are believed to have given their name to the region of Thy (Old Norse Thiuthæ sysæl) in northern Denmark. Earlier than 100 BC, many of the Teutones, as well as the Cimbri, migrated south and west to the Danube valley, where they encountered the expanding Roman Republic. During the late second century BC, the Teutones and Cimbri are recorded as passing west through Gaul and attacking Roman Italy. After several victories for the invading armies, the Cimbri and Teutones divided forces and were then defeated separately by Gaius Marius in 102 BC, and 101 BC. The Teutones defeat was at the Battle of Aquae Sextiae (near present-day Aix-en-Provence). Their King, Teutobod, was taken in irons.

Massive Belt-Buckle, 30 mm Inside-size, 43 x 40 mm total dimension, Antique copper plated

Ancient Germanic TÄSCHNER Buckle (30 mm belt-size), Antique copper plated

Rustic Buckle, 20 mm Belt-size, 36 x 33 mm total dimension, Antique copper plated.

In the fairy tales of medieval Europe, beggars cast curses on anyone who was insulting or stingy towards them. Witches would beg door-to-door for "milk, yeast, drink, pottage" in England. Throughout East Asian and South Asian countries, the condition of vagrancy has long been historically associated with the religious life as described in the religious literature of Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Muslim Sufi traditions. Examples include sadhus, dervishes, Bhikkhus and the sramanic traditions generally.

Altgermanische Belt-Buckle, 30 mm Inside-size, 53 x 44 mm total size, Antique copper plated

The Vagotes were a North Germanic tribe on Gotland. From the in the beginning war-making conquerors emerged in late antiquity, to Scandinavian traders and merchant men in Sweden.

Ancient Germanic Belt-Buckle, 40 mm Inside-size, 66 x 59 mm total size, Antique copper plated

The Vagotes were a North Germanic tribe on Gotland. From the in the beginning war-making conquerors emerged in late antiquity, to Scandinavian traders and merchant men in Sweden.