Bronze spectacle fibula (safety pin)

Unknown

8th–7th century BCE · Bronze · Greek and Roman Art

The spectacle fibula is made of a continuous bronze wire wound into two spirals with a figure eight in-between and the two ends forming the pin and catch. Originating in the Hallstatt cultures of central Europe (proto-Celts), spectacle fibulae were widely distributed and imitated from the Balkans, the Danubian region, and northern Greece to the western Adriatic coast and southern Italy, from the beginning of the first Millenium BCE. This fibula most likely comes from southern Italy, where similar examples have been found in elite women’s graves. From the archaeological evidence, they were pinned on each shoulder to hold the garment.

Artist

Unknown

Date

8th–7th century BCE

Medium

Bronze

Culture

Italic

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Fletcher Fund, 1937