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XXI

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Fibula Pin Connection

                      


From Riha, E. Die römischen Fibeln aus Augst und Kaiseraugst. (1979). PDF

The head is the end of the fibula where the pin is articulated by either spring or hinge.  There are seven spring connection categories:

Bow Fibula with a Unilateral Spring, c. 450 - 250 B.C. (needs verification)

The spring winds around to one side only of the pin. It does not cross over the bow, and pin, and continue winding on the other side. They may wind in one, two or more rarely three, four or more loops. They tend to be earlier than similar bi-lateral types.

Bow Fibula with the Spring Tendon Below the Bow, c. 250 B.C. - 50 A.D., Rare Later

Early bow fibula were made from one piece of bronze. The entire fibula from the catch, to the bow, to the spring, to the tip of the pin was created by shaping and bending a single piece of bronze with great expertise and skill. The pin extends from the end of a spring consisting of one or more loops, usually four. The spring tendon (the wire connecting the two ends of the spring wraps under the bow. The tension of the spring helps keep the pin in place. The wire foot (a-b below) is the most common pin catch/holder. The solid foot is a late development. One-piece construction  was rapidly abandoned in the mid 1st century A.D. but some types may date as late as 300 A.D.

Bow Fibula with a Spring Hook, c. Augustan - Mid/End 1st Century A.D.

Again, the entire fibula from the catch, to the bow, to the hook and plate, to the spring, to the tip of the pin was created by shaping and bending a single piece of bronze with great expertise and skill. The pin extends from the end of a spring. The tension of the spring helps keep the pin in place. The tendon (the wire connecting two ends of the spring) is held above the spring by a "spring hook." The hook holding the spring was an invention of the Augustan period, which did not go beyond the 1st century. Predominantly fibulae with a spring hook are open/framed foot, or perforated foot, but occasionally also solid foot.

Bow Fibula with Pin Holding the Spring, c. Mid 1st Century A.D. - Late Roman Period.

One-piece construction was rapidly replaced by the much easier to manufacture two-piece construction in the middle of the 1st century A.D. A pin was used to hold the separate spring and needle in place on the bow. The spring with a pin remained in use until late in the Roman period, primarily in free Germania and the adjacent areas of the Roman provinces. The needle holders are not of uniform shape. The needle catches tend to be higher than other groups, some are tubular.
This type is characteristic of the Gallic regions (Gaul to the Rhine, but is otherwise rare). The type has two piece construction with a spring pin. The spring is covered with a sleeve to hide the mechanical aspect of the fibula and improve the appearance. The type predominantly has an open/framed foot, or perforated foot, but occasionally also solid foot.
This type probably originated in Italy. It became the most popular form of closure for Roman provincial fibulae, and is characteristic of the bow brooches from the early imperial times to the beginning of the 2nd century. Outside the Roman Empire and after that time, this type of hing was seldom used. The sleeve hinge consists of a small sleeve at the top of the head which is forged from a square sheet metal plate and then rolled up. In a center-cut slot, the spiked needle is inserted and held by a shaft (usually iron) passing through the whole sleeve. At the ends of each of the Aucissa fibulae and their early successors were buttons holding the hinge axis; later, the hinge axis was clamped in the sleeve and needed no buttons. The needle always carries a thorn-like projection on its perforated oval plate, which beats against the head of the fibula and, by virtue of this resistance, causes the suspension to spring forth. The sleeve hinge is used exclusively in bow fibulae. The needle is primarily rectilinear, but bends hand in hand with the flattening of the bow to the outside to continue to leave enough space between the bracket and needle. For group 5, triangular to quadrangular (i-m below) solid plate needle holders are characteristic, but now and then they also have a simple perforation. The sleeve hinge is considered a typical Roman construction. The sleeve hinge fibulae are by far the largest group of Roman fibulae in terms of numbers.
Around the end of the second century, perhaps in connection with a change in the production of fibulae, the tube hinge was introduced. It was the primary hing form in the Middle and Late Roman period. Like the hinge in general, this construction is limited to the Roman provinces. The hinge system itself functions like that of the folded or rolled sleeve hing. The hinge arms, however, are cast or well soldered and larger than those of the sleeve hinge and lengthen and thicken over time: at the end are the massive or hollow cross arms of the onion button brooches. The pin is not held in place by lateral buttons, but is clamped. The needle has the same shape the earlier folded or rolled hing. Sometimes, however, it has no thorn-like projection to push the needle outward so security measures to keep the needle in the catch-plate were necessary. The fibulae with a cast tubular hinge usually have, with a few exceptions, long pin catch plates or a tubular pin catch. This construction is characteristic of the late Roman period.

Plate Fibula with a Jaw Hinge, 25 A.D. - 75 A.D./2nd Century.

The jaw hinge is characteristic of provincial Roman disc brooches of the 1st and 2nd centuries and was not popular outside the Roman provinces. The jaw hinge consists of two small parallel standing plates ("jaws"), between which the needle is inserted and fixed on an axis (usually iron). The hing is always mounted on the back side of the fibulae or brooch, so it remains invisible in use. The jaw hinge is used exclusively for Roman disc brooches and their relatives (fibula with head plate) in which the construction of the suspension is hidden behind a plate (disc or head plate). The associated needle is usually bent.

Penannular Fibula with a Rotary Fastener Pin.

Penannular fibula use a rotary fastener pin. Ring and omega brooches held the fabric pieces together in a completely different way than the other fibulae closure constructions. The cloth was pierced at the desired location. The needle tip was passed between the ends of the ring. The ring was then rotated 90 degrees under the needle tip. The fabric pressed the needle on the hanger and kept the fibula closed.


References

Feugere, M. Les fibules en Gaule meridionale de la conquite a la fin du Ve sicle apres J.-C. (Paris, 1985). Available Online
Riha, E. Die römischen Fibeln aus Augst und Kaiseraugst. (1979). PDF


Feugere Table 5:  Typology and chronology of the different types of springs and hinges.

Feugere, M. Les fibules en Gaule meridionale de la conquite a la fin du Ve sicle apres J.-C. (Paris, 1985). Available Online

Fig 5 - Typology and chronology of the different types of springs and hinges. This provisional table with regard to the chronology, only takes into account the main types of articulation used on the Gaulish fibulae...it leaves aside non-Gallic constructions, notably the different Germanic springs).


Bow Fibulae with Spring

The spring winds in one or more loops on one side of the pin and then crosses over, or under, the bow and continues with more loops on the other side. The distinction between the spring-chord crossing over (external) versus under the bow head (internal) can help determine type and age. In some cases the spring-chord is fixed by a hook as it passes over, or under the bow. The spring can have one, two, three, four or even ten or more loops on each side of the bow. Very wide springs tend to have axis-pins inserted to help them retain their shape. In some cases the ends of the axis-pins are fitted with small knobs.

Bow Fibula with the Spring Tendon Below the Bow, c. 250 B.C. - 50 A.D., Rare Later


Image: This Dacian type bent-foot fibula has a short bilateral spring. It has three loops per side for six total. The spring-chord passes under the bow and is thus an internal chord.

Bow Fibula with a Spring Hook, c. Augustan - Mid/End 1st Century A.D.





Image: This fibula, a Germanic-variation of the Knee type, has a very wide bilateral spring. It has nine loops, or winds, on each side for a total of 18, and has small spherical knobs on the ends of the hinge pin. The spring-chord passes over the bow, where it is secured by a hook on the plaque on the end of the bow, and is thus an external chord.

Bow Fibula with a Spring Sleeve, 1st Century A.D., Rare Later

The bilateral spring is partially, or mostly, covered with a housing, often cylindrical in form.

Image:  This knee fibula has a bilateral spring covered by a cylindrical housing.  (SC Collection)

Image: An underside view of the knee fibula shown in the image above.  The bilateral spring, with 9 or 10 winds, is almost entirely contained in the cylindrical housing.  (SC Collection)



Bow Fibulae with Hinge

The fibula pin is a separate piece from the bow and turns around an axis-pin. The pin has no tension. The ends of the axis-pin may be held by simple bends, hammering the end flat (like a rivet), or with the addition of knobs, although sometimes it is only held in by a tight fit. The axis-pin may be made from copper-alloy or more commonly from iron.

Bow Fibula with a Folded or Rolled Sleeve Hinge, c. Early Imperial - Beginning of 2nd Century.

The head of the bow is folded over (hand-forged by a smith). There is a small lateral channel in this fold for the axis-pin.

Hinge Folded Under

The bow head is folded under so that the end can not be seen while the fibula is worn.

Image: This image of the back of the head of a broken Wolf type fibula shows where the head has been folded under to create a lateral channel for the hinge-pin. Though it can 't be seen in this photo the hinge-pin is still rusted in place. A small part of the copper-alloy fibula pin is still in place though it is broken off close to the hinge.  (SC Collection)

Hinge Folded Over

More rarely the bow head is folded forward and the end can be seen at the front of the fibula.

Image: The head of this Wolf type fibula was folded up over the front of the head to form a lateral channel for the axis-pin. The end is thus visible on the front of the head (right side of photo).  (SC Collection)

Bow Fibula with a Cast Tubular Hinge, c. End 2nd Century - Late Roman Period.

The head is cast with a molded lateral channel for the axis-pin. This is more common than the folded type.


Image: This Hrusica fibula has a lateral channel for the axis-pin molded into the design.  The two ends of the axis-pin are secured by a pair of large knobs.  (SC Collection)

Hinge In Transverse Bar (starts 3rd c AD)

A wide transverse bar, making a T-form at the head of the fibula contains a notch. These fibulae have a cross-bow shape. The flattened end of the pin, with a hole in it, is inserted into this notch. A long axis-pin runs through a hollow channel in the transverse bar and fixes the pin in place. The axis-pin may be held in by knobs at the ends of the transverse bar or not.

Screw Mechanism

In some very late crossbow fibulae (Keller/Pröttel type V and VI) the pin is held in place in the transverse bar by the end of a one of the knobs (usually the left knob with the fibulae head facing upwards). This knob extends into a long pin. The upper part is threaded and screws into female threads in the hollow channel in the transverse bar. The lower part of this pin is pointed and goes through the hole in the flattened end of the fibula pin.

Bow Fibula with Pivot

A few early Greek and later Phrygian fibula types use a pivot instead of a spring or hinge.


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