THE GOLD BRACTEES OF THE MIGRATION PERIOD 1, 3 ICONOGRAPHIC CATALOG (IK1, PLATES) Edited by KARL HAUCK in association with HERBERT LANGE AND LUTZ VON PADBERG WILHELM FINK VERLAG MUNICH PRELIMINARY REMARKS ON THE USE OF THE FIRST VOLUME OF TABLETS IN THE CORPUS To facilitate the use of the plates of the Iconographic Catalog, three points should be noted: 1. the distribution of the gold bracteates in the corpus of the Iconographic Catalog; 2. the relationship between the pictorial representations and the descriptions in the text volumes; 3. the organization of the plate volumes. Finally, 4. explains why the introductory volume had to be of considerable length. Regarding 1., the distribution of the gold bracteates in the overall program of their new edition in our Iconographic Catalog = Iconographic Catalog. The following overview illustrates how the more than 800 golden amulet images are presented in the Iconographic Catalog: MMS 24/1,1 Introductory Volume; MMS 24/1, 2, and 3 = IK 1 1. Text and picture volume on the M, A, B, and C amulets with catalog numbers 1-211; MMS 24/2, 1 and 2 = IK 2 2. Text and picture volume on the M, A, B, C, and F amulets with catalog numbers 212-389; MMS 24/3, 1 and 2 = IK 3 3. Text and picture volume on the D amulets; also supplements to the first two volumes. The D amulets and the supplements have catalog numbers 390-567. MMS 24/3, 3 Evaluation volume. Thus, the actual god-image amulets, which have previously been commonly referred to as medallion imitations, A-, B-, and C-bracteates, are published in the first two text and picture volumes. In the second text and picture volume, we have assigned them the F-bracteates, since several of them bear inscriptions like those. Iconographically, however, this small group belongs to the monster or animal-image amulets, most of which are conventionally called D-bracteates. These D-amulets are published in the third text and picture volume. The images are presented in alphabetical order of the find site names. References in the table of contents identify those pieces where the alphabetical order has been modified due to similarity of model or motif. The three double volumes containing the catalog texts and the corresponding plates are preceded by an introductory volume. Chapter 6 contains the museum index of gold bracteates for the first volume. The series of museum indexes, which begins there, is continued in the subsequent volumes. The third volume, containing text and images, opens with supplements necessitated by previously unpublished new finds. The evaluation volume will conclude the corpus. Regarding the correlation between the pictorial representations and the descriptions in the text volumes. To date, we do not possess an authentic model used to make gold bracteates. To close this gap in the record, model-matching specimens are of particular importance. Therefore, model-matching specimens are also depicted here and not only documented in the descriptions in the catalog texts. The evaluation of the preserved finds with the drawings always strives to reconstruct the lost models. Similar to medieval seals, the often richly detailed reliefs cannot easily be fully objectively captured in individual photographs, unless series of images are published. Therefore, for a more in-depth study of the images, it is essential to consult the descriptions of the remaining and fine features – marked with an x ​​in the text volume – in the catalog. Regarding 3., the organization of the plate volumes. The numbering of the bracteate images in the tables of contents of the text volumes is also authoritative in the illustrated volumes where better use of the available space suggested modifying the sequence, see, for example, Figs. 54-56, Plates 63-66. As a rule, the reconstruction drawings of the lost models appear on the left-hand plate with the suffix b to the illustration number, while on the right-hand plate opposite, the original photographs appear with the suffix a to the illustration number. If a bracteate is reproduced with several original photographs or additional drawn details, the additions to the illustration number are increased accordingly. Normally, the scale chosen for the illustrations is 3:1; to clarify either the special quality or findings that are more difficult to objectify, a scale of 4:1 is also used. To illustrate the enlargements, measured sections of the original transverse diameters at 1:1 are included with the original photographs. In cases where the type area forced us to segment the original templates, the depicted section is shown with a continuous line, and the added total diameter is shown with dotted lines, see, for example, Fig. 12a, Plate 14. To facilitate image reading, the relief background in the reconstruction drawings was tinted gray in a modification of a method already used by Bernhard Salin. However, the assessment of the findings must always be based on the original photographs. Regarding 4., the explanation of why the introductory volume had to be of considerable length. Catalogues of archaeological monuments, including and especially of small art, have a rich and diverse tradition. Nevertheless, the opinion of highly respected experts that the task of describing the bracteate images was insurmountable had good reasons. The following main obstacles stood in the way of the edition of the amulet images as documents of religious history: a) the controversial issues of production technology; b) the difficulty of briefly describing the wealth of variants of the images; c) the methodological crisis arising from the iconographic interest of the descriptions; d) the provisional nature of the internal bracteate chronology. Regarding a., the controversial issues of production technology. In order to achieve the currently achievable degree of certainty in this long-controversial issue, we have engaged M. Axboe to draft the relevant sections of the description. After all, he gained a solid knowledge of most of the originals over several years, especially in light of these problems. Chapter 2 of the introductory volume immediately addresses the technical problems of production. Regarding b., the difficulty of briefly describing the wealth of variation in the images. In order to be able to succinctly record the pictorial elements, we use, on the one hand, a uniform scheme and, on the other hand, a series of overviews in text figures. Both the scheme and the text figures are explained in more detail in Chapter 3 of the introductory volume. There, Figs. 4-6 further define how the so-called C-amulets, which we refer to as god-horse bracteates, vary the connection forms (= VF) of these main pictorial objects. In a related way, Figs. 7-12 also show the leg posture forms (= BhF) of the quadrupeds with tails in their various variations. These overviews are continued in Chapter 4 of the introductory volume, specifically in Fig. 23 with the types of hoof play. The text figures mentioned reflect the range of variation in the golden representations of the horse. The same applies to the abbreviated versions of the human image in the god-horse bracteates in Fig. 24 and to the hairstyle versions in Fig. 22. Regarding c, the methodological crisis arising from the iconographic interest of the descriptions. The critical decision-making situation is evident in the fact that there can be no true iconography without the transmission of words. Chapter 4 of the introductory volume already leads out of this dilemma. For there, the representational contexts and their variants were made distinguishable purely formally. The overviews of the snake and boar representations in the text figures also serve this purpose. 14 and 15. With such procedures, the amulet images could be described at the level of pure object names. However, the comparison of the representational contexts then made it possible to determine meaningful substance through correspondences to late antique models and their modifications. By identifying such contrasting successor forms in the north, it was possible to provisionally designate the motifs alongside the conventional type classes (cf. Hauck, Iconologie XXXI, after note 7). In order not to anticipate the results of the evaluation, which draws on the available written evidence, in the final volume, we give the principal god of the bracteate masters the colloquial name "Er." This enabled the motif groups to be named in a way that prepared the actual evaluation but did not prejudge it. Orientation toward the Mediterranean precursors helped in this. Accordingly, when determining the motif circles, one could speak of Him in the succession of the emperor image or the Mars image. In preparation for the core topic of "Idol Image and Scripture," Chapter 5 of the introductory volume offers an introduction to K. Düwel's discussion of runic inscriptions. Regarding the provisional nature of the internal bracteate chronology, we attempt to go beyond previous approaches to solving this question by carefully recording the hallmarks used and by determining the degree of wear. Because wear is most easily determined from the eyelets and edge settings, M. Axboe has given special consideration to these findings in his descriptive sections. Since Mr. Axboe could only be included in the corpus team after the printing of IK 1, text, the final positions of the descriptions of the gold bracteates depicted in IK 1, plates, relevant to wear and tear can be found in IK 3, text.