Casgliadau Arlein

Part of the buckle plate of a single strap belt of the type in use on the Continent and in Britain in the later half of the fourth century. The object comprises a damaged rectangular plate of heavy sheet bronze with one rivet remaining in the extant lower corner. The half moon cut away to accommodate the buckle tongue is also evident at the top of the plate. The whole is decorated with simple bands of zig zag line ornament. The plate served with a buckle of the type which had the hinge bar of one piece with the loop, like those of Hawkes and Dunning Types 1A and 1B. The proportions of the piece are such as to suggest that it does not belong to the almost exclusively British class of narrow belt, though neither is a Continental origin for the piece likely. Although incongruous in the context of Usk, the plate joins a growing number of similar late belt fittings from south east Wales, where in addition to the long since recognised buckle and buckle plate fragments from Caerwent and the fragment of a strap end from Whitton, more recent excavations have revealed fragments of a two strap belt from Caerleon as well as a single strap belt fitting from Cardiff Castle; nor is this pattern confined to the south east of Wales, with evidence of further fittings from Loughor and Carmarthen.