A rim button

It is a so-called hoop button made of bronze using the casting technique, evidenced by the apparent unevenness of the edges. Such small objects were used as ornaments of horse harnesses. They were attached to the leather straps of the halter. The lump is an element of a unique deposit found in a swamp in 1884. It contains items rarely seen or even unique in Poland. These include parts of a horse tack, moulds for casting axes, fibulae, a magnificent razor and destructs of some bronze and iron products. The marshy context of the treasure should be emphasised, which may attest to its special significance connected with beliefs and sacrificial offerings. The deposit ended up in the museum collection in Szczecin and was kept there until August 1944. Due to the approaching front and Allied air raids, the entire find was evacuated with other valuable relics deep into Germany. The treasure returned to Szczecin in 2009 due to the Polish-German exchange of old archaeological collections. The Kiełpino deposit, dated to the early Iron Age, i.e., the Hallstatt C period (approx. 750-600/550 BC), is unique. Most artefacts it contains are characteristic of the Hallstatt culture, whose name derives from the cemetery in Hallstatt, Austria. The presented lump and seven twin specimens from the same hoard are considered an import from southern Central Europe.

Dorota Kozłowska