Overlapping Cultures, Individual Styles?

Although the Migration Period followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire, Roman culture remained a touchstone. Many of the groups that emerged during this time fashioned Roman-looking identities for themselves as a way of claiming cultural authority and political legitimacy. This goal is reflected on a personal level in the style and decoration of items of personal ornament, some of which references Roman models. At the same time, however, variations in personal ornament were also used to distinguish and define separate collective identities. This absorption, yet simultaneous adaptation of Roman designs and materials is reflected in archaeological evidence. In the case of the Visigoths, some graves sites that began with separate sections for Visigothic and Roman inhabitants, dispelled of these divisions over time. The shifts in the organization of these grave sites, as well as the appearance of personal ornament signaled the desire of the Visigoths to portray aspects of Roman and Visigothic identity at different points in time.

Despite the significant amount of overlap in terms of materials, techniques, and styles used by Migration Period cultures, these variations can help us understand how functional objects reflected both individual and cultural identities. Ornament in Flux focuses specifically on the Visigoths and the ways in which Visigothic ornament relates to and differs from that worn by other Migration Period groups.

Investigate the personal ornament of these various cultures by clicking on the map below.

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