Ali Aboutaam, together with his brother Hicham Aboutaam, own Phoenix Ancient Art. They also sell their antiquities through the web, at e-Tiquities. Their products hail from many different eras throughout history, including the Dark Age. Currently on sale from this time period are: a Visigothic lyre-shaped belt buckle as well as three catalogues. The belt buckle is very typical of Visigothic art, which was common in the south of France and Spain, under the rule of the Visigoths. It is also a time when Byzantine and Roman cultures were influential over the art.
Phoenix Ancient Art’s Dark Age Gems
Although the Dark Ages – as its name suggests – was an era of decline, the art work sold by Phoenix Ancient from this time period is quite different. This is the case with the buckle currently on sale which boasts beautiful curls and circles as well as animal heads. It is shaped like a lyre which was the stringed instrument that was traditional in Romanic and Greek art works. These buckles were very popular amongst the Germanic tribes which dominated Europe following the end of the Roman Empire.