Two rare Roman military themed fibulae

[SC]

These are two recent acquisitions.

The first is an openwork plate fibula in the form of a camp gate or city gate.  You can see two archways below, brickwork above and crenelations along the top.  It is bronze, 20 mm x 30 mm.  The original pin can be seen on the reverse though it has been bent nearly 90 degrees over the hinge plate.

This is a rare type and not well documented.  A similar type with a rounded top is more well known - Hattatt calls it a temple type.  The hinge, pin and catch plate arrangement are consistent with 2nd - 3rd c AD.


(2nd example in next post).

Shawn

[SC]

This second one is even rarer.  It is in the form of a cornu - a curved Roman military horn.  You can see the narrow mouthpiece in the middle and the flaring bell at the end.  it even had a widened hand grip and crosshatching at the top and bottom of the frame that might be meant to indicate ribbons.

Unfortunately it was too good a fibula for upstream suppliers to avoid messing with.  Some idiot has added a new pin using the rust-and-epoxy method to attach it.  I'd love to get rid of it but I dare not mess with the thing not knowing exactly what gunk they used to bond it on.

It is bronze, 25 mm x 34 mm.

I would love to hear (and see) if anyone else has examples of either of these fibulae types.

Shawn

[kitov]

similar but broken fibulae

[SC]

Kitov,

I don't think your fibula is a camp gate type.  I think it had an abstract open work pattern - likely one with a left hand swastika design in the open work.

Shawn

[Viminacium]

Nice and rare camp gate fibula.... I like it.