Langobardian Gold Brooch

Migration Period. Circa 568 AD. Perchtoldsdorf, Lower Austria.

The brooch in silver, gilded and decorated with almandines is a unique find for Austria. The form and design are essential for dating.

AT THE END OF ANTIQUITY
Brooches are also described as the “safety pins of prehistory”. They were already in use in the Bronze Age to keep clothes and cloaks closed. Even in the early Middle Ages, they were the only closure for clothing in central Europe, but they also served as jewelry and status symbols.
The large quantity of brooches found and the incredible diversity of design provide important information for dating finds. Form and the typical decoration permit accurate assignment to a date. In the case of these Langobardian bow fibulas, we can say that they were made around 568 AD.
From Langobardian burial sites which have been thoroughly researched, it is clear that these were without any functional purpose and were simply a fashionable accessory, worn on a band and hanging from the waist or hip. To keep their clothing fastened at the shoulders, the fashion-conscious Langobard woman wore disc brooches around 568 AD.
This brooch was found in 1899 during construction of a water main near Perchtoldsdorf. Unfortunately, nothing more is known about the circumstances of the find. The item probably comes from a despoiled woman’s grave. Plundered graves are not unusual, particularly as the defeat of the Avars by the Byzantine Empire before the gates of Constantinople in 626 AD was followed by economically difficult times for the Germanic tribes.