What is Fibula (brooch)?
[[Image:FibulaDeBraganzaMPLC.JPG|thumb|220 px|Braganza Fibula/Brooch, Celtic art 250-200 BC, British Museum]] A '''Fibula''' is an ancient [[brooch]]. (Plural: fibulae). Technically, the [[latin]] term fibulae meant [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] brooches, but the term is widely used for brooches from the entire [[Ancient history|ancient]] and [[Middle Ages|early medieval]] world. Unlike modern brooches, fibulae were not only decorative, they originally served a practical function: to fasten [[clothes]], including [[cloak]]s. Fibulae replaced straight [[pin]]s that were used to fasten clothing in the [[Neolithic]] period and [[Bronze Age]]. In turn, fibulae were replaced as clothing fasteners in the Middle Ages by [[button]]s. Their [[descendent]], the modern safety [[pin]], remains in use today. There are hundreds of different types and [[variation]]<nowiki/>s of fibulae. They are usually divided into families or groups based on historical period, geography and/or cultural grouping. Fibulae are also divided into classes based on their general forms. == Further reading == * Hattatt, Richard. ''A Visual catalogue of Richard Hattatt's Ancient Brooches.'' Oxbow Books, Oxford, 2000. {{Commonscat|Fibulae}} {{stub}} [[Category:Archaeology]] [[Category:Jewelry]]