Fibulae or brooches were originally used in Ancient Greece and in the Roman Empire for fastening garments, such as cloaks or togae. The fibula designs developed into a variety of shapes, but all were based on the safety-pin principle. The Roman’s conquests spread Roman culture across the empire and therefore the fibula, became the basis for more complicated and highly decorated brooches, modelled in bronze, silver and gold and further enriched with precious and semi-precious gemstones. Fibulae are the most common artefact-type in burials and settlements throughout much of continental Europe. By the Middle Ages, the Roman safety pin type of fibula had fallen into disuse.
This fibula is a variation on the strongly profiled brooch group, known as Kräftig Profilierte. From the material evidence they were centre to the East of central Europe, being a scarcity in Gaul and Britain. Those found in Britain would have come over with soldiers during the Roman invasion. Trumpet-headed variants of this type are believed to be the progenitors of the native British trumpet type brooches.
