Votive fibula

Fibulae were metal brooches used in Antiquity to fasten garments together. In the Aegean, they appeared in the closing stages of the Late Bronze Age (1600-1100 BC). Together with the slightly later long dress pins, they were related with a change in female attire and the introduction of the draped peplos (heavy woollen garment), which they held in place on the shoulders. The earliest fibulae were small and not unlike modern safety pins. Slightly later, the bow fibulae appeared, which were probably of Central European provenance. In the mid-9th c. BC, a rather large type of bow fibulae with engraved decoration on the square catch-plate began to be produced in Attica and Boeotia (and later in Arcadia, Crete and other regions). Fibulae of this kind, excessively large for practical purposes, are usually found as votive offerings in sanctuaries or as grave goods. Their decoration draws its subjects from the natural world and mythology. Particularly popular were marine themes, as on the illustrated example from a grave on Skyros: on one side are four fish and on the other a ship, upon which stand two waterfowl and a horse. All the elements of the decoration can be linked symbolically with the concept of passage to the Nether World. However, one cannot exlude the possibility of more secular meaning, associated with aristocratic display.