Title

Fibula

Anonimous

Generic classification

Object

Date

Century

Cultural context / style

Dimensions

Material

Technique

Iconography / Theme

Provenance

Current location

Inventory Number in Current Collection

Object history

This typically Roman piece is an omega-shaped fibula. The predecessors of the Hispanic ring fibula are ring brooches with a pin without a bridge. According to Almagro (1966), the ring fibula arrived in Spain between the 7th and 6th centuries BC, with the oldest examples found in the Ría de Huelva and Ampurias (Almagro, 1966). Three ring fibulae dating from the early 5th century BC were found in the Lara hill fort (Burgos), indicating that they spread throughout the Iberian Peninsula at an early stage.  

It is difficult to pinpoint the origin of this brooch, as it is a widespread type. According to the British Museum (London), it was acquired in Burgos, so it seems plausible to think that it comes from the Castile and León region. There are numerous sites in Castile and León that have pieces similar to this one: in the province of Burgos, the gold and silverwork pieces found in the Monastery of Rodilla and Cerezo del Río Tirón stand out (Cuesta, Delibes, and Esparza, 2010). In addition, Cuadrado (1960) highlights the importance of Miraveche, Quintanabureba, Mecerreyes, Clunia, and Lara in terms of artifacts.

In the province of Segovia, there are necropolises where omega fibulae dating from the 3rd-4th centuries have been found. In this regard, we can mention the set of brooches from Castiltierra, which are currently preserved in the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid.

Similarly, the pieces from the archaeological site of Herrera de Pisuerga (Palencia) had a great impact. The site was officially excavated between 1931 and 1932 by Martínez Santa-Olalla (1933), who claimed that it had been plundered on several occasions: "News of the discoveries at Herrera soon reached the ears of antique dealers, especially one from Burgos, who became the exploiter of that cemetery. The antique dealer seized everything that was found the first time, taking care to leave a representative in the village to collect the finds, as he had given instructions to the gardener on how to plunder the graves expeditiously"(Martínez Santa-Olalla, 1933).

This fibula was sold in the province of Burgos in the 1930s, when Evencio López, an antique dealer whose shop was located on Paseo del Espolón (Burgos), was active in the city (Monteverde, 1944). We do not know who sold the brooch, but it was purchased in Burgos by Denis Alfred Jex Buxton, a member of the Society of Antiquaries of London and a great lover of archaeology. He donated the fibula in 1934 to the British Museum (London), where it remains today.

Description

This is an omega-shaped ring fibula. It consists of a circular ring that is wider in the center than at the ends. The pin, which is wider at the head, is separate from the ring and rests in the space between the two rivets. This type of fibula, typically Roman, was common between the 1st and 4th centuries and confirms the Roman influence on the population (Mariné, 1999; Fernández, 2020). Omega-shaped fibulae have been found in the necropolises of El Carpio de Tajo (Toledo), Herrera de Pisuerga (Palencia), Duratón (Segovia), and Castiltierra (Segovia), among others. These types of brooches were used to fasten clothing and as part of the grave goods in burials (Cuesta, 2023).

Locations

• I^th c.

  region

  Possible origin from Castile and Leon, Castilla y León (Spain)

• Second quarter of the XX^th c.

  province

  Burgos, Burgos (Spain)

• ca. 1934

  private collection

  Denis Alfred Jex Buxton, London (United Kingdom) *

• 1934 - present

  museum

  The British Museum, London (United Kingdom)