Openwork clasp from the Abakumlevo hoard of the 5th Century AD (Vladimir Region): technology and archaeological context

The article considers a round openwork clasp from a hoard of ornaments of the Volga-Finnish women’s attire found in 2021 in the village of Abakumlevo 3 (Suzdal District of Vladimir Region). Currently, the clasp as the entire complex of hoard items is not a typical find on the territory of Suzdal Opolye. The authors conducted a technological analysis of the ornament and made a review of items similar in appearance from the Volga-Finnish sites. The features of the formation of a wax model were studied and the composition of the metal in the clasp was determined. The review of openwork clasps with a similar design and individual ornamental elements showed that the formation of the appearance of the clasp from the Abakumlevo Hoard dates back to the late 4th – early 5th century AD, and all structural elements find analogies, first of all, in the ornamentation of the Ryazan-Oka archaeological culture. Breast clasps recorded to the north and northeast of the main area of the above culture can be considered as markers of the migration directions of the Middle Oka region’s population, actively influencing the surrounding Volga-Finnish population related to the former.