Northwestern European Rosettes

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If you thought these rosette posts neat (see here (rosettes of Esus), here (Osnabrück), here (Polish rosettes) and here (rosettes in Kemathen, Zamość, Zagorzyn)), there is more.

For those interested in ornamental hexapedal rosettes, here is another example from Vermand in northeastern France (in the department of Aisne – so named after a river; whether this has anything to do with the Slavic jasna, meaning “light” is a matter at least of some interest; there are several such rivers in the West of Europe).

Two articles on this topic are easily accessible on line:

• The Vermand Treasure: A Testimony to the Presence of the Sarmatians in the Western Roman Empire by Deborah Schorsch

• The Vermand Treasure by William H. Forsyth

Here is the whole thing:

Here is a buckle with a hexapedal rosette:

And here is a “Star of David” with a rosette inside (and on top):

Now compare these to the Treasure from Corelaine, Northern Ireland:

Finally, take a look at this belt buckle from Caerwent, Wales – dated to the 4th century:

Note that the Corelaine rosette is octapedal but the rosette inside the Star of David is pretty much the same as above. The hexapedal rosettes bear striking similarities to the treasures found at:

• Kemathen
• Zamość
• Zagorzyn

Kemathen also featured a very similar umbo or shield boss.

And here is another “Star of David” from Ejsbøl moor or bog (Ejsbøl Mose) near Haderslev in Denmark. This in addition to the Stars of David from Vermand, France and Corelaine, Northern Ireland.

Another similar find comes to us from Zakrzów in Wrocław (Sackrau) where, among other artifacts, we find these eight-pedaled rosettes.

All or most of these artifact sites are dated to the fourth or fifth century. Note further that Deborah Schorsch connects the Vermand find with the Sarmatians. This actually makes a lot of sense. But they do not have to have been “Iranian” Sarmatians from the far away steppe. Suffice to note again that the Iazyges lived in Pannonia from at least the second century B.C. What’s more these Sarmatians may well have been Slavic speaking and have interacted with the Suevi. In fact, the biggest origin stories of the Poles were at first  Vandalic (Suevic?) and then Sarmatian. Vermand was, apparently, sacked by the Vandals and their companions in 406 though the archeological site where this treasure was found (assuming , of course, that this is not a fake), perhaps, predates that. On the Tabula Peutingeriana the Baltic Veneti are described as Veneti Sarmatae (as, apparently, are the Lupiones who may well be the Lugii).

It is also interesting whether these “rosettes” have anything to do with the rosalia celebrations/feasts (see, for example, Balsamon complaining about the post-paschal celebration of the ῥουσάλια.

Similar hexapetal rosettes appear in other treasures. For example, in Sösdala in southern Sweden.

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