Focus on Maschen disc brooch and explain the Interpretation.
Due to its halo-like ornament around the head, the figure on the Maschen disc brooch is interpreted as an unspecified saint, and may possibly depict Jesus Christ. The addition of the fibula as a grave good indicates that the buried woman was an early Christian. She may have promised herself a salvation effect from the depicted figure, as the brooch was found placed with its face side on her chest.Due to the geographical orientation of the burial and its location within the cemetery, the burial has been dated to the period between 800 and 900 AD, which marks the beginning of the thorough Christianization of Northern Germany.So far, some 100 comparison finds of fibulae of the Maschen disc brooch type were known, but they all came from stray finds or were collected from the surface without any assignment to a specific grave, and therefore a more precise dating of this type of brooches has been impossible before.By the end of 2012 another nearly identical piece was found in a construction area at the Tostedt district of Todtglüsingen. The origin of this fibula is believed to be the Lower Rhine region and the noticeable accumulation of finds at the Niederelbe area may indicate that it has faced an increased popularity especially in this region.
grave good Jesus Northern Germany Christianization Jesus Christ Lower Rhine region Maschen dated Germany saint Niederelbe burial cemetery fibula halo Tostedt