Exhibition : Saint-Dizier [52] - Municipal Museum Visit BACK

Saint-Dizier [52] - Municipal Museum

Saint-Dizier [52] - Municipal Museum

With more than 30,000 objects, the Saint-Dizier museum presents a journey centered around archaeological, cast iron, ornithology and painting collections. Each of them illustrates the main archaeological discoveries made in the area, in particular three Frankish aristocratic tombs discovered in 2002, the rich metallurgical past of the Haute-Marne, the cast iron works of Hector Guimard and the personality of Jean-François Lescuyer, an amateur ornithologist from Saint-Dizier who assembled a unique collection of naturalized birds.

Illustration : Extérieur du musée
© Ville de Saint-Dizier, service communication, Éric Collin

(1/ )

Fibules ansées et asymétriques en argent

Early Middle Ages [476 / 1000]

Two asymmetrical annealed fibulae and two circular cloisonné fibulae from the Merovingian period (6th century AD). These jewels were discovered in Saint-Dizier, in Haute-Marne, in the tomb of a richly adorned Franconian teenager. The first ones are made of silver, their head is extended by five extremities inlaid with a semi-circular garnet and their foot with a rectangular garnet. The second ones, found on the neck of the deceased, have a cloisonné decoration of garnets. Their rim is decorated with a copper damascene.

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(2/ )

Epée

Early Middle Ages [476 / 1000]

between 530 and 570 iron, silver, gold, wood (scabbard), cloth (on the bolt), leather (on the wood of the scabbard), fur (on the wood of the scabbard) The wooden scabbard is present. It is covered with leather, of which only a few fragments are preserved near the gutters and the bouterolle. Traces of fur are visible under the layer of wood. The pommel is solid, silver, decorated with niello engravings and gilded. A decorative rivet in gilded silver is present. There is a double ring in gilded silver, solid and incised.

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(3/ )

Bague

Early Middle Ages [476 / 1000]

Gold ring, with flat bezel and gold filigree on the shoulders, from the Merovingian period (6th century A.D.). It was discovered in Saint-Dizier, in Haute-Marne, in the burial chamber of a member of the high Frankish aristocracy, on the site of the right hand of the deceased.

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(4/ )

Mors

Early Middle Ages [476 / 1000]

Horse bit dated between 470 and 610

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(5/ )

Angon

Early Middle Ages [476 / 1000]

Soldier's Grave

Llong javelin with a short wooden shaft, the angon is characteristic of the offensive equipment of the Frankish warrior. This one, dated between 470 and 530, was found in the necropolis of Saint-Dizier in the Haute-Marne. The weapons of this period are rarely isolated in the burials, but on the contrary constitute a defensive and offensive panoply. In this period it is possible to discover in the same burial one or more of the following elements: angons, spearheads, shields, arrowheads, scramasaxes, axes, long swords. These weapons may also be accompanied by ritual funerary deposits and objects related to the mortuary clothing of the deceased. The study of these burials is particularly rich in information on military equipment and therefore on the practice of warfare in the Merovingian period. They also provide valuable clues to the economic and social level of the deceased during this period, with the warrior burials often being among the wealthiest.

archaeological context

Between 470 and 530 iron (angon), copper alloy (tip and fret decoration), wood (in the socket and rest of the shaft) Iron shaft with a round cross-section at the distal end and an octagonal cross-section at the other. The point of the weapon is diamond-shaped in section and bears a damascened copper alloy leaf, as well as incised decoration.

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(6/ )

Scramasaxe

Early Middle Ages [476 / 1000]

Both a weapon and a tool

Pamong the offensive weapons used for military purposes during the High Middle Ages (between the fifth and tenth centuries) was the scramasax, which reached its peak in the Merovingian period. Made of iron alloy and silver, this small scramasaxe is a large knife with a triangular blade, sharp on one side only, set in an exceptionally well-preserved wooden sheath. This versatile tool could have had several functions, and could have been used as a machete for example. The excavation revealed that this was an exceptional funerary complex because of its richness in furnishings and the particular layout of the male tombs, leaning against a horse grave. In addition, the surrounding soil, a moist clayey silt, allowed for the good preservation of organic remains (wood, leather, fur, cloth) that were in contact with the metal objects.

Iron (blade and tang), silver (bolt), wood (scabbard) Small scramasaxe of the large knife type with triangular blade (sharp on one side only)set in a fully preserved wooden scabbard.

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(7/ )

Fermoir d'aumônière

Early Middle Ages [476 / 1000]

Clasp of a chaplain (purse worn at the belt) of the Merovingian period (6th century AD). It presents a gold decoration cloisonné with garnets and glass showing horses' heads. The central field of the clasp is inlaid with lapis lazuli. This chaplain's clasp was found in Saint-Dizier, Haute-Marne, in the burial chamber of a member of the high Frankish aristocracy, in the place of the deceased's back.

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(8/ )

Boucle de ceinture

Early Middle Ages [476 / 1000]

Oval belt buckle made of rock crystal and silver with a shield-shaped base, from the Merovingian period (6th century AD). It was part of a rich collection of furniture found at Saint-Dizier, in the Haute-Marne, in the burial chamber of a young man of the Frankish aristocracy.

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(9/ )

Fer de lance

Early Middle Ages [476 / 1000]

between 470 and 610 iron, wood (ash) Long spearhead with short flame and open socket. Presence of a rivet in the middle part of the socket.

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(10/ )

Umbo de bouclier

Early Middle Ages [476 / 1000]

Round conical umbo topped by a point ending in a flat disc (diam. 1.5 cm) and fixed to the wooden part of the shield by 5 rivets. Works with the manipule.

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(11/ )

manipule de bouclier

The manipule is made of a thin iron sheet, maintained by two iron rivets. Traces of wood on the back of the rivets and in the hollow part of the handle. The wood in the hollow part of the handle may correspond to a wooden handle (covered with leather?). The handle is not repositionable on the umbo because of the deformations. Works with the umbo object 11. - 1 fragment of a rectangular section rod could be a remnant of a manipule branch. - 1 fragment of an iron rivet with a square head (dim. 1 cm) could be linked to a repair of the maniple ? -1 fragment of a thick quadrangular section rod (remainder of a nail or rivet?)

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(12/ )

Bassin

Early Middle Ages [476 / 1000]

The basin is of circular shape with a rim in marli with pearl decoration. It rests on a base originally welded

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(13/ )

Chaudron

Early Middle Ages [476 / 1000]

The handle, massive is of quadrangular section is articulated around triangular brackets. Cauldron with circular side and widened base in the shape of a bowl.

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(14/ )

Bouteille

Early Middle Ages [476 / 1000]

between 440 and 530 Bottle in transparent bluish glass with many small bubbles. The body is rounded. The cylindrical neck ends in a flared opening with a round lip.

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(15/ )

Coupe

Early Middle Ages [476 / 1000]

between 440 and 480 Cup in transparent bluish glass. The lip is round and the bottom slightly upset with the trace of a tubular pontil of elliptical section. The decoration consists of 5 turns of opaque white glass nets under the lip but also of a very particular decoration which uses entirely the filanders

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(16/ )

coupe

Greenish glass cup containing many small bubbles. The lip is round and well marked. The wall of the body is quite thick and the slightly upturned bottom bears a tubular pontil mark with a diameter of 16 mm projecting from the bottom.

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(17/ )

couteau

Fragment of a knife, originally located under the clasp of the aumônière (object 35). The blade is not very wide but thick. Silk of rectangular section. It is very deformed by corrosion.

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(18/ )

boucle de ceinture

Rectangular buckle with bevelled edges and scutiform pin. Rectangular buckle with traces of polishing. Remains of iron corrosion products at the end of the barb. It is rough cast on the reverse. The face has traces of polishing. The clasp is made of iron, square in section, and its corrosion has caused the shield to break. The copper alloy is cast around this hoop.

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(19/ )

boucle de ceinture

Oval buckle of semi-circular section. The barb is not preserved. Observations: this object is incomplete. Buckle with two fragments of the pin stuck by corrosion.

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(20/ )

boucle de ceinture

Oval buckle with solid straight pin and damascene decoration of silver wire. Observations: this object is incomplete.

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(21/ )

Peignes, fragments

The comb is composed of juxtaposed plates held together by 4 bars connected 2 by 2 by rivets. The comb is composed of juxtaposed plates held together by 4 bars connected 2 by 2 by rivets. This system of rivets is also used in the manufacture of the case. Remains of red polychromy are still visible in several places on the surface of the object and inside the engraved decorations. The comb has been broken into many pieces, eight of which are larger, and has become extremely fragile and difficult to handle. Each manipulation leads to inevitable losses of the material which crumbles. This comb was found more or less in place in its case. The decoration of the comb and the case is essentially composed of double engraved lines (for the comb) and triple lines (for the case) accompanied by a motif of ocelli of different sizes. There is also an openwork quatrefoil design in the central part of the comb.

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(22/ )

écuelle

Fragmentary maple wood bowl of shallow flared shape. Observations: this object is fragmentary. Found in cauldron 19, in "support" of flask 40.

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(23/ )

perle

The size of the pearl is not very careful and the polishing not very fine. It was suspended by a knotted silver alloy wire. Two fragments are preserved. The stems are circular in section. The bead was attached to the necklace or garment by means of a metal wire which was closed by winding it on itself.

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(24/ )

Pince à épiler

Complete tweezers in copper alloy. The edges of the paddle are cut out.

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(25/ )

Perle

Translucent yellow pearl with a semi-cylindrical section originally connected by a copper alloy wire with a cylindrical section

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(26/ )

Perle

Very dark green transparent glass bead, called black glass (see black glass of ganobi)

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