Ancient Roman Fibulas

Ancient Roman fibulas do not refer to, the calf bone which is also called the fibula, but the Romans called their ornamental brooches "fibulae." You could consider this to be the ancient equivalent of a safety pin. Not only the Romans, but the Greeks, Celts, Saxons and the Vikings used the fibula to fasten the clothes on the shoulder. A woman would keep her stola on, by fastening it with a stylish fibula. The ancient Romans wore a tunic. But senators and other patricians wore a toga over the tunic. This fibula was used to fasten the toga at the shoulder, to keep it in place. Fibulae were made of two portions -- the plate, and the hinge, to which a pin was attached.

Fibulae took the place of a pin as a clothes fastener, because there was always the chance of the pin falling out. The plate or the bow of the fibula had plenty of space, which could be decorated really well and stylishly. Some cultures had different fibula designs to show the status of the person, as a warrior, married woman, single woman, chief, or a man. Roman fibulae were worn by all ranks of people from Senators, to gladiator, patricians to plebeians and from soldiers to slaves. These fibulae were made of iron, bronze, and only the rich could afford gold and silver fibulae. Many of these fibulae had decorations in bone, coral, glass and precious stones to make them look more attractive.

You can get a large number of Roman fibulae, on antique websites, and they are extremely stylish collector items. However, they are not going to be functional, because they have been lying underground for so long a period of time. So, look at the amazing variety of fibulae, in different materials and designs, and enjoy the creativity of the ancient Romans!