Selection of European Bronze Age Bronze Pins

Burial customs and grave goods were of great importance across Bronze Age Europe. The most impressive and interesting Bronze Age items have been found in many graves, as the Bronze Age saw a rise in individual graves which were filled with precious items. Dress pins are a frequently found item amongst the grave good repertoire. Pins such as these were made to be functional and ceremonial. Smaller pins catered to a functional need, used to close and hold in place excess material. Larger pins, such as these, were more ceremonial in their use. The purpose of this outstanding item is difficult to ascertain since there are no comparable pieces of such enormous size. Smaller pins of this type were used for fastening clothes, as cloak pins, although these pin might have served as some sort of a meat skewer or fire poker.