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The buckle or clasp is a device used for fastening two loose ends, with one end attached to it and the other held by a catch in a secure but adjustable manner.〔("Buckle" ).(2009). In ''Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary''. Retrieved October 28, 2009.〕 Often taken for granted, the invention of the buckle has been indispensable in securing two ends before the invention of the zipper. The basic buckle frame comes in a variety of shapes and sizes depending on the intended use and fashion of the era.〔Meredith, Alan and Gillian. (2008). ''Buckles''. Oxford: Shire Library. pg. 5.〕 Buckles are as much in use today as they have been in the past. Used for much more than just securing one’s belt, instead it is one of the most dependable devices in securing a range of items. ==Historical background== The word "buckle" enters Middle English via Old French and the Latin ''buccula'' or "cheek-strap," as for a helmet. Some of the earliest buckles known are those used by Roman soldiers to strap their body armor together and prominently on the balteus and cingulum. Made out of bronze and expensive, these buckles were purely functional for their strength and durability vital to the individual soldier. The baldric was a later belt worn diagonally over the right shoulder down to the waist at the left carrying the sword, and its buckle therefore was as important as that on a Roman soldier’s armor.〔Meredith, Alan and Gillian. (2008). ''Buckles''. Oxford: Shire Library. pgs. 15 and 16.〕 Bronze Roman buckles came in various types. Not only used for practical purposes, these buckles were also decorated. A Type I Roman buckle was a “buckle-plate” either decorated or plain and consisted of geometric ornaments. Type IA Roman buckles were similar to Type I buckles but differed by being long and narrow, made of double sheet metal, and attached to small D-shaped buckles (primarily had dolphin-heads as decorations). Type IB “buckle-loops” were even more similar to Type IA buckles, only difference being that instead of dolphin-heads, they were adorned with horse-heads. There were also Type II buckles (Type IIA and Type IIB) used by Romans, but all types of Roman buckles could have served purposes for simple clothing as well, and predominantly, as a military purpose.〔Hawkes, Sonia. (1974). ("Some Recent Finds of Late Roman Buckles" ), ''Britannia'', Vol. 5, pgs. 386, 387, 390, and 393. Retrieved November 1, 2009.〕 Aside from the practical use found in Roman buckles, Scythian and Sarmatian buckles incorporated animal motifs that were characteristic to their respective decorative arts.〔("Belt Buckle History" ). (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2009.〕 These motifs often represented animals engaged in mortal combat. These motifs were imported by many Germanic peoples and the belt buckles were evident in the graves of the Franks and Burgundies. And throughout the Middle Ages, the buckle was used mostly for ornamentation until the second half of the 14th century where the knightly belt and buckle took on its most splendid form.〔("Buckle" ). (2009). In ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved October 28, 2009.〕 Buckles remained exclusively for the wealthy until the 15th century where improved manufacturing techniques made it possible to easily produce a cheaper molded item available to the general population.〔Meredith, Alan and Gillian. (2008). ''Buckles''. Oxford: Shire Library. pg. 13〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「buckle」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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