Byzantine Cloisonné Belt Set of the First Half of the 6th Century from the Burial Ground near the Village of Luchistoye (Southwestern Crimea)

A buckle and a belt plate decorated with glass inlays using the cloisonné technique were found in a male burial of the first half of the sixth century at a Gothic–Alanian burial ground near Luchistoe village (southwestern Crimea). The items are rare for this region. Analysis of the alloy composition of the belt set parts is performed, and the manufacturing process is reconstructed. It is established that the parts of the belt set are made of materials of different composition based on copper. The plaque is made of copper lightly alloyed with tin, the buckle tongue is cast from brass lightly alloyed with zinc, the frame is made of bronze lightly alloyed with lead, and the body of the shield plate around the perimeter is made of a material containing both bronze and brass components. According to the research results, the set is attributed to the products of Byzantine workshops that operated in the Early Middle Ages in the Eastern Mediterranean.