Riha
Riha, E. Die römischen Fibeln aus Augst und Kaiseraugst. (1979).
The Roman Fibulae from Imperial Times.
PDF Available
Also see:
Riha 1994
Riha Rings
NOTE: TRANSLATIONS BELOW NEED IMPROVEMENT. PLEASE CONTRIBUTE CORRECTIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS.
Table of Contents
Einleitung / Introduction...9
Die Augster und Kaiseraugster Fibeln / Roman
fibulae...11
Zur Gruppierung / Grouping
Fibulae...11
Konstruktion / Construction...12
Spiralfibeln /
Spring Fibulae...12
Scharnierfibeln / Hinge
Fibulae...15
Fibeln mit Drehverschluss / Penannular
Fibulae...16
Formen / Form...18
Grösse / Size...61
Ornamentik /
Ornamentation...21
Material und Oberflächenbelag - Material and surface coating...23
Ziertechniken / Decorative Techniques...24
1. Punktierung und Stempelverzierung / Dotting and stamping...24
2. Gravierung / Engraving...25
3. Kerbung und Fazettierung / Notching and faceting...25
4. Pressblechauflagen / Press plate supports...25
5. Durchbrochene Blechauflagen / Openwork sheet metal supports...26
6. Beinauflagen / Leg rest...26
7. Buntmetall und Nielloeinlagen / Non-ferrous metal and Niello inserts...26
8. Email und Glaseinlagen / Enamel and
glass inserts...29
9. Aufgelegte Medaillons aus Glas oder Metall /
Glass or metal medallions...34
10. Bewegliche Perlen aus Glas, Metall oder organischem Material / Moving beads of
glass, metal or organic material...34
11. Zierknöpfe und Zier stifte / Decorative and ornamental pins...35
Fabrikation, Werkstätten und Stempel / Fabrication, Workshops and Stamps...34
Funktion, Tragweise und Fibelmode / Function, wearing
style and
fibula mode...39
Zur Datierung / Dating [
Fibulae]...43
Zusammenfassung / Summary...44
Register /
Index...211
Literaturabkürzungen / Bibliography...215
Tafeln / [Line drawing] Plates...221
The text below is for the most
part a translation of parts of
Die römischen Fibeln aus Augst und Kaiseraugst, but it is simplified and rearranged with an emphasis on using Riha for identification of an unknown
fibula.
Three Categories of Fibulae: Spring Fibula, Hinge Fibula, and Penannular Fibulae
Riha
divides
fibulae into three categories, subdivided into eight groups
according to their closure design. Within each group, the
fibulae are
divided into types according to their form. A purely chronological
breakdown with an overview of the successive types would be too
confusing, especially since many types overlap in time. A grouping of
forms and their typological order would also be of no advantage since
very few types can be traced in their overall typological development.
Therefore, they are grouped according to the construction. This is the
organization used most often by others, but unfortunately never
consistently. Apart from group 1 (with the timeless and one-fold,
one-piece construction) and group 8 (a special category) the types within each group are
either more or less narrowly defined regionally and/or chronologically.
Group 1: One-piece construction, spring with four turns, tendon (wire connecting two ends of the spring) below the spring. 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. Wire foot. (7.4%)
Group 2: One-piece construction, tendon (wire connecting two ends of the spring) above the spring, held by spring hook. 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 hook holding the spring was an invention of the Augustan period, which did not go beyond the 1st century. Predominantly open/framed foot, or perforated foot, but occasionally also solid foot. (7.3%)
Group 3: Two-piece construction with a pin holding the spring. One-piece construction was
rapidly replaced by the much easier to manufacture two-piece
construction in the middle of the 1st century A.D. The pin spring holder remained in use until late in the Roman period, primarily in free Germania and the adjacent areas of the Roman provinces. For group 3, the needle holders are not of uniform shape. In addition to
the occasional frame-shaped, perforated and solid feet, in the majority
of cases high needle holders (n-o below), or less often hook-shaped (p
below), occasionally also tubular. (2.6%)
Group 4: Two-piece construction with spring sleeve. This group is characteristic of the Gallic regions (Gaul to the Rhine, otherwise rare). Predominantly open/framed foot, or perforated foot, but occasionally also solid foot. (15.3%)
Hinged Fibulae (63.4% of specimens)
The spring system
was already used by pre-Roman cultures, the hinge is a Roman, or at
least a Mediterranean invention. This derivation may explain the fact
that the hinge system has not found widespread use in the Germanic
territories. In the case of the hinge, the separately worked needle moves freely on the hinge axis. It owes its suspension to a thorn-like extension set at the perforated plate of the hinged end of the needle, which pushes the needle away from the fibula or presses it into the needle catch. 
Group 5: Sleeve Hing Fibula. 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. (44.7%)
Group 6: Tubular Hinge Fibula. 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 group 5. The hinge arms, however, are cast or well soldered and always 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 as in group 5. 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 of group 6 are, with a few exceptions, showing high needle holders (n-p below) with disc or foot-shaped feet. This construction is characteristic of the late Roman period. (4.2%)
Group 7: Jaw Hinge Brooches. This jaw hinge form began at the same time as the sleeve hinge. It 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 and has the same shape as that of the sleeve hinge fibulae. For group 7, triangular to quadrangular (i-m below) solid plate
needle holders are characteristic, but now and then they also have a
simple perforation. (14.5%)
Group 8:
Penannular Fibula - Ring
Brooches and Omega
Brooches. Rotary fastener. Ring and omega
brooches held the
fabric pieces together in a completely different way than the other 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.
Five Categories of Needle Catch/Foot Design: Wire Foot, Perforated Foot, Solid Foot, Tubular Catch and Other Needle Holder Type
An indispensable
part of the
fibula construction is the
needle catch, in which the needle is held on closing and in use. Only group 1 does the wire foot (a-b below) appear. For the next types, the
needle catch is created from a broadly hammered and bent wire section. In groups 2 and 4, there are predominantly the common, open foot/framed (c below), or ornamentally perforated
needle holders (d-h below, but occasionally also solid foot
needle holders (i-p below). The perforations do not appear to have a purpose other than
ornamentation. For groups 5 and 7, triangular to quadrangular (i-m below) solid plate
needle holders are characteristic, but now and then they also have a simple perforation. For group 3, the
needle holders are not of uniform shape. In addition to the occasional frame-shaped, perforated and solid feet, in the majority of cases high
needle holders (n-o below), or less often hook-shaped (p below), occasionally also tubular (s below). The
fibulae of group 6 are, with a few exceptions, showing high
needle holders (n-p below) with disc or foot-shaped feet. The tubular feet with the non-resilient needle were a safeguard against the needle sliding out. For the disc
brooches other unusual
needle holders are possible.
Wire Foot
Open Foot/Perforated Catch
Solid Foot
Tubular Catch
Groups and Types
NOTE: TRANSLATIONS BELOW NEED IMPROVEMENT. PLEASE CONTRIBUTE CORRECTIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS.
Group 3. Two-piece construction with a pin holding the spring...78
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