Fibula (brooch)
A Primer (Latin fibula, needle ') is a metallic dress pin on the principle of the safety pin, the first forms are detectable as early as the Bronze Age and the found to the High Middle Ages use.
Function
Fibulae are cloakpins and part of the costume of men and women. They consist of a needle, and a bracket or a ceiling. The earliest fibulae consist of two parts, with the younger specimens needle and ironing by a resilient spiral are continuous or connected by a hinge. They can best be compared with a modern brooch or safety pin.
Fibulae were mostly used to dresses, capes and coats hold together ( robe close). They were part of the costume and were until the Middle Ages in Central Europe the only clothing fasteners. They came only with advent of the knob out of fashion. In addition to their practical function they served also as jewelry and could be fitted with trailers ( Pendilien ). They were often at the same time symbols ( eg, rank insignia ) or should fend off as a lucky charm with a special ornament disaster.
Occurrence
Primers were used in both the non-literate prehistoric cultures as well as among the Greeks, Romans and Byzantines. The oldest two-piece fibula (eg Urfibeln ) are known from the Early Bronze Age. The one-piece construction came in the 14th or 13th century BC in the area south of the Alps. Fibulae remained until the 14th century AD, in use, when they were first, then detached from the Haftel of button and buttonhole. As a piece of jewelry but it gets probably the brooch.
Agraffe
Not exactly defined the delineation of the fibula from the clasp, which occurs in the late Middle Ages and is usually round or square pass, pass six or eight matching -shaped. It is used for holding together two pieces of clothing, either on such a piece of fabric sewn on, and hung by a hook in a fortified at the other piece of fabric eyelet or she is hooked on both sides and can be removed from the garment. It serves as a jewel in the spiritual and secular Tracht.Der Dresden Green Diamond is part of a clasp.
Archaeological importance
Above all, the temple was designed regionally and temporally very different and also served as jewelry. Thus, many fibula forms for archaeologists as " index fossil " is an important clue to the dating of finds and features. The large amount of finds temporally and regionally typical decorative elements made possible the establishment of a complete typology of consecutive fibula forms.
Terminology and typology (examples)
According to the shape of the fibula, a distinction many different primer species. The appointment shall be made in many cases according to the form, such as in:
- Spectacle fibulae
- Bow brooches
- Drago or Dragon fibulae fibula
- Omega brooches ( provincial - Roman)
- Disc brooches
- Animal brooches (eg bird brooches )
Also details of construction or decoration can be decisive in naming, see for instance the:
- Eye primers
- Thistle brooches
- Kink fibulae
- Manios clasp
- Ring brooches
- Schnabel fibulae
- Bowl brooches
- Onion button brooches.
Designations for individual localities or regions Fund are also common, as with the:
- Duxer fibulae
- Primer of Meldorf
- Langton Down brooches (England)
- Marzabotto Primer (Italy )
- Münsinger fibulae
- Nauheim fibulae
Designation by the manufacturer of a putative primer Types
- Aucissafibeln or legionnaire fibulae
- Nertomarusfibeln.
Sometimes the forms are named according to the divisions of the editor, is known about the typological classification of Imperial times brooches by the Swedish prehistorians Oscar Almgren.
The time position may also be included in the designation, such as in some Latène forms (eg Frühlatèneschema ).
Significant Primer collections
Significant Primer collections can be found in the following museums:
- Romano-Germanic Museum in Cologne: Roman and Early Germanic fibulae
- Hellweg Museum Geseke: more than 250 medieval brooches (6th -13th centuries) from Westphalia