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.
New cartographic materials on the ancient ramparts of Budzhak
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VII [XXII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
The article presents new materials on the cartography of the ancient defensive valla of Southern Bessarabia, or Budzhak. In the scientific use there is introduced the previously unknown topographical map of 1864, which marked the coastal part of the Lower Dniester (Serpent's) Wall, as well as other data that clarify the topography of these sites.
List of illustrations:
Fig. 1. Land plots of the Şaba and Şabalat villages on the map of Bessarabia of 1828.
Fig. 2. Fragment of A.P. Chirkov's „Special Map", 1864.
Fig. 3. Part of the Lower Dniester (Serpent's) Wall on A.P. Chirkov's „Special Map", 1864.
Fig. 4. Land plots of the Talmaza and Cioburciu villages on the map of Bessarabia of 1828.
Fig. 5. Land plot of Akkerman on the map of Bessarabia of 1828.
Fig. 6. Land plot of the Nekrasovka vilage on the map of Bessarabia of 1828.
Fig. 7. Area of the Monastyrsky Cape on the map of the Danube Delta of the European Danube Commission, 1887.
Fig. 8. Area of the Monastyrsky Cape on the German map of 1941.
Fig 9. Tashbunar village and a part of the Lower Trajan's Wall on the German map of 1941.
Fig. 10. Fortification near the Novosel'skoye village on the map of the Danube Delta, 1860s.
Fig. 11. Fortification near the Novosel'skoye village on "The map of the Balkan Peninsula covering the entire theatre of war of 1877-1878".
Игорь Сапожников, Майя Кашуба
Anadol and Dmitrovka coin hoards of Southern Bessarabia: Reconstruction of chance finds in the end of the 19th century
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XV [XXX], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică, Chişinău, 2021
Игорь Сапожников
Maps and plans of the Bendery Fortress and its environs in the 18th century: archaeological and spatial components
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XVII [XXXII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Игорь Сапожников, Юрий Болтрик
Yagorlyk mounds near the Dniester: history of study, cartography and topography
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XII [XXVII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Игорь Сапожников, Ольга Айсфельд, Виктор Савченко
The Kunstkamera (Museum) and other archaeological collections of Nikolaev, their creators and the transfer to the Odessa Society of History and Antiquities in the 1840s
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XVII [XXXII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Игорь Сапожников
The beginning of the study of Budjak burial mounds: historiography and cartography
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XII [XXVII], 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
