Buckles (paftale) are an almost indispensable element of traditional women's dress in the Southeastern European area, particularly in the Balkans, and have been in use over a long period, from the 14th to the 20th century. The word pafta is of Turkic origin-possibly entering the language via Iranian influence-derived from the Persian word bafta, meaning "woven," which evolved in Turkish to signify "plate." Today, the term is used in nearly identical forms in Romanian (pafta), Bulgarian (пафта), Serbian (пафте), and some Aromanian dialects (pafta), designating functional and ornamental clothing accessories used to fasten belts, girdles, or sashes, crafted from various materials and decorated using different techniques. The three buckles decorated in the polychrome enamel technique, preserved in the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova, belong to the South-Danubian tradition and are dated to the late 19th - early 20th century.
Each buckle consists of two identical trapezoidal parts, their surfaces divided into three roughly equal registers, adorned with stylized vegetal motifs forming a metal lattice into which enamel is poured. The two parts extend into sharp angles at the ends, forming a triangle with the edge of the last decorative register, similarly ornamented. The enamel used to fill the floral motifs is black, turquoise, white, orange, green, yellow, and burgundy. The entire decorative field is framed by a beaded border.
On the reverse, both components retain a copper band riveted along the edge, used to fasten the ends of the belt. The fastening system, made by interlocking the hinges of the two parts and secured with a movable pin attached by a chain to a clasp fixed on one of the buckle pieces, is concealed by a rectangular plate (riveted with three pins to the body of the piece), with narrow edges ending in sharp angles, decorated in the same style and technique. Additionally, it features three circular settings with notched edges bent inward to hold centrally placed red and green glass paste. These settings are framed by a radiant, notched band.
The symbolism of the color palette encodes meanings and symbols, chosen for their believed magical powers. Red has always represented love, affection, and protection against curses and the evil eye; white symbolizes purity and spiritual and physical cleanliness; blue is symbolically associated with infinity, morning, new beginnings, and transformation; green represents destiny, hope, prosperity, balance, and rebirth, being linked to nature's revival each spring and to life itself.
Владимир Белозор, Александр Могилов, Сергей Скорый
Early Iron Age complexes near Kozlov village in the Middle Dniester area
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IV [XIX], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
The article is devoted to the specialist publication of materials from the Early Iron Age settlement near Kozlov village in Mogyliv-Podilskyj district of the Vinnitsa region, investigated in 1987 by the expedition of the Institute of Archaeology AS USSR. Remains of the dwellings, household pits and a context connected to the treatment of flint were excavated. The basic category of finds from a settlement are the ceramics, the finds of complete pottery vessels being rare. Metallic objects are not present, which may partly have been compensated by the wide distribution of the flints. The analysis of the inventory allows us to date the settlement back to the end of the pre-scythian - the beginning of scythian time.
List of illustrations Fig. 1. General plan of Kozlov II settlement. Fig. 2. Plan of excavations from Kozlov II settlement. Fig. 3. Plan and section of dwelling no. 1. Fig. 4. Plans and sections of pits from Kozlov II settlement: 1 - pit no. 2; 2 - pit no. 3; 3 - pit no. 5; 4 - pit no. 6. Fig. 5. Furnaces from Kozlov II settlements. Fig. 6. Ceramics from Kozlov II (1-4, 13-22) and Kozlov I (5-12) settlements. Fig. 7. Ceramics from Kozlov II settlement. Fig. 8. Inventory of Kozlov II settlement: 1-40, 42-44 - ceramics, 41 - stone. Fig. 9. Ceramics from Kozlov II settlement. Fig. 10. Ceramics from Kozlov II settlement. Fig. 11. Ceramics from Kozlov II settlement. Fig. 12. Ceramics from Kozlov II settlement. Fig. 13. Inventory of Kozlov II settlement: 1-17, 19, 21-25 - stone; 18, 20 - ceramics; 26 - bone; 24 - bronze. Fig. 14. Main cultural-chronological indicators from early Scythian monuments from Middle Dniester region: 1 - Lenkovcy, tumulus; 2 - Sokirincy; 3, 4 - Perebykovcy, tumulus no. 2; 5-12 - Kruglik, tumulus no. 1; 13-22, 25 - Šutnovcy, tumulus no. 3; 23, 26 - Ivane-Puste; 24, 28 - Zales’e; 27 - Loevcy, tumulus no. 1; 29 - Nivra; 30, 31 - Teklivka, tumulus no. 3; 32 - Bratyšev, tumulus no. 4. 1-4, 22, 23, 25, 27 - iron; 3-21, 24, 30-32 - bronze; 26, 28, 29 - bone (1 - after A.I. Meljukova; 2, 14-22, 25 - after A.F. Gucal; 3-12 - after G.I. Smirnova; 23, 24, 26 - after O.D. Ganina; 27 - after L.I. Krušel’nickaja; 28 - after A.D. Mogilov; 29 - after M.S. Bandrivskij; 30, 31 - after A.F. Gucal, V.A. Gucal, V.P. Megej, A.D. Mogilov; 32 - after T. Sulimirskij).
Сергей Скорый
The new find of a bronze cast helmet of the Scythian Archaic period in Kuban
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XVIII [XXXIII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Buckles (paftale) are an almost indispensable element of traditional women's dress in the Southeastern European area, particularly in the Balkans, and have been in use over a long period, from the 14th to the 20th century....
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
