Lot 5468

Description

Roman Britain, bronze dolphin fibula with intact pin, 21x42mm, (see note below), 1st - 2nd century A.D. Very fine.

A Fibula (Latin "to fasten") is an ancient brooch. Technically, the Latin term fibulae refers specifically to Roman brooches, however, the term is widely used to refer to brooches from the entire ancient and early medieval world. Unlike modern brooches, fibulae were not only decorative, they originally served a practical function being to fasten clothes, cloaks and other garments. In the 1st century AD, for the first time, several fibula designs originated in Roman Britain. Perhaps the most distinctive British fibula design was the dolphin. This was actually a series of designs including the Polden Hill type, the Langton Down type, the Colchester type and the T-Shaped type. Dolphin fibulae have a smooth arched bow that tapers from the head to end in a long point. The long bilateral spring is covered. From the top, the dolphin fibula looks like a T or the late-Roman crossbow fibula. From the side it resembles a leaping dolphin.