Silver artifacts inlaid with sardonyx and garnet (5th–6th century AD), from Kosharevo village, Southwest Bulgaria

The studied silver artifacts – silver applique with sardonyx (“Magischeschwertperle”) hung on the hilt of a seax (short sword) and a silver buckle with garnet, were found in 1998 during archaeological excavations led by M. Daskalov near the village of Kosharevo, Breznik region. The Regional Historical Museum – Pernik holds these artifacts in its collection. Based on the archaeological context, the artifacts were related to the second half of the 5th century to the beginning of the 6th century. The gold content in the studied silver alloys varies from 1.21 to 2.99%. These values are higher than reported for the investigated silver artifacts from Mesopotamia and Aegean with Lavrion and indicate that a silver-bearing ore with high gold content was the possible source. The Carpathian Basin is the nearest geographical area fitting this description. Mathematical and statistical comparisons suggest that both artifacts were made of identical silver alloys and were likely produced in the same workshop. Two acceptable sources of the studied garnet were determined: import from India or areas of placer deposits in present-day Ukraine and Moldova.