Copper-alloy, 6.85 grams, 23.67 mm. 10th-11th century AD. A delicate buckle loop modelled in the round. The attachment rod for the tongue is very fine (about 1.5 mm) expanding into an elliptical cast loop with five circular recesses in the lower edge. The upper edge comprises a a protruding bird-head feature flanked by curved wings extending back to the rod; behind the bird's head is a small circular couch for the end of the tongue.The loop is of hollowed D-section witha pronounced carination. The raven was a significant animal in Norse culture, with a role in several myths connected with the Óðinn cult; it appears on warriors' equipment from as early as the Vendel culture of the 6th century with cognates in the Baltic region and Anglo-Saxon England (e.g. the Sutton Hoo shield). Reference: cf. the unornamented belt buckle from grave 500 at Luistari, Finland, in Lehtosalo-Hilander, P-L.,Luistari (Finland), A History of Weapons and Ornaments, Helsinki, 2000, pl.9. Good very fine condition. Provenance: found Suffolk, England.