«Fire-Steel Brooches», «Tongs» or «Ducks»? An Attempt at Attributing a Category of Saltiv Artefacts

Abstract

The article deals with a rare type of fibula-shaped artefacts of the Saltiv culture with an unclear purpose. During the period from 1957 to 2021, at least 44 similar objects were found within the territory from the lower region of the Buh River to the middle region of the Volga River, and from the upper region of the Donets River to the North Caucasus. In situ, fibulae were found exclusively in burials, in both cremations and inhumations (pits and catacombs), and are dated no earlier than the 9th century. The historiography of these finds and attempts to determine the functional purpose of the objects is discussed in the relevant research. The following three main concepts regarding the use of objects have spread in the literature: “fire-steels”, “brooches” and combined — “fire-steel brooches”. Based on the hanging ring design features, three types are distinguished. The first two types are usually found in cremation burials, while the third, which is the most common, does not correlate with a certain burial rite or territory and can be considered the latest.
The accompanying inventory indicates that burials with fire-steel brooches belonged to the social elite of Saltiv culture society who were mounted warriors armed with spears, sabers, bows, and arrows. In inhumation burials, fire-steel brooches are located in the belt or femur area, which challenges their interpretation as fibulae. In some cremation complexes, fire-steel brooches were found together with other traditional forms of fire-steel. The nature of the damage on some artefacts indicates some technological operations, especially crimping of a triangular profile with a side size from 6 to 11 mm. Based on the accompanying inventory analysis and the design features, it has been suggested that the objects were associated with arrow manufacturing. The pin could have been usedused to create a channel for the arrowhead in the shaft; the clamper could have crimped the end of the shaft when attaching the arrowhead and fix wraps after gluing; the trapezoidal body could act as a template for uniform trimming of the feather arrow fletching.
The complexity of their production, design defects and limited versatility led to the gradual decline of the objects, which coincided with the disappearance of the Saltiv culture population in the Donets River upper region.