A united Europe of (religious) inscriptions (on medieval dress accessories)?

Abstract

• This chapter will discuss inscriptions on medieval dress accessories, focusing on those which are religious in nature. These tend to be abbreviated to just a few letters or words, rather than full sentences or longer. As such, they must have been well-known verses derived from biblical texts and similar. This relationship between ‘dress accessories’ and ‘religion’ forms the basis of the thesis presented here that connects ‘a united Europe of things’ through the overarching presence of the [Roman Catholic] Church in the Middle Ages. Specifically, this study will examine inscriptions on medieval brooches, buckle-plates and strap-ends (though they are found on other items) with reference to some other types of material culture. Drawing primarily on the data held within the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) database, it will also reflect upon similarities and divergences in religious inscriptions on medieval finds by exploring the material in other European datasets, including both public finds databases and excavated data.