Fibulae or brooches were originally purposed as garment fasteners in the Roman Empire. Roman soldiers especially, wore fibulae as a decorative piece to keep their cloaks together. These brooches replaced straight pins that were used to fasten clothing in the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age. Fibulae are the most common artefact-type in burials and settlements throughout much of the continental Europe. Their modern day equivalent are the trustworthy safety pin.
There were a multitude of fibula designs in Roman culture, this particular brooch involves the gammadion or ‘tetra-gammadion’ symbol, which is constructed from four Greek gamma (Γ) letters. In ancient times these four terminals represent the four cardinal corners of the world and the guardianship of the earth.
