Buckle History
Posted by adminDid you ever stop and wonder where the belt came from? Without it, who knows how some people would keep their pants up. The buckle is not used as much as it was before the invention of Velcro, but is still used extensively in the belt and shoe industries.
The word “buckle” stems from the Latin word “buccula” which means “cheek strap” as in those used for military helmets. As far back as history can tell, some of the oldest buckles were used by the Roman soldiers to put their armor on. Also dating back to the period of 200 to 100 BC, Chinese nomads called the Xiong-nu wore belt buckles over their tunics, as an indication of status.
Later, the Romans began using the belt to strap on their swords. The belt used for this was called the “baldric.” It was worn over the right shoulder and around the left side of the waist. Made of bronze, these buckles had great strength and durability for use in battles.
Scythia and Sarmatia were ancient lands in which buckles were decorated with animal shapes. The animal motifs were mainly of animals in deadly combat. The Germans caught on to this and began importing these stylish buckles for their own use.
Through the Middle Ages, buckles in Europe were primarily ornamental in nature. But in the mid 1300s, the buckle became more of a practical matter, used in battles by knights in armor. In the 1400s, buckles began to be made with cheaper materials so that the everyday person could use buckles for clothing items. In Spain, during the 1500s, the opposite trend was seen as buckles became less of a practical matter, mainly hidden from view, and were used as a decorative fashion statement instead.
Today, the buckle continues to be worn as both a practical item and for a fashion statement. Many Americans put on their simple buckles on standard leather belts for everyday work attire. Western cowboys are famous for their decorative belts, usually rectangular or oval in shape with detailed images and decoration molded into the shiny metal. Whether for decoration or practical use, the buckle holds its place in history and seems to be one of those clothing items that never goes out of style.
Tags: Hardware
This entry was posted on Monday, December 19th, 2011 at 4:38 pm and is filed under Hardware. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.