A disc fibula or disc brooch is a type of

fibula The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity is ...

, that is, a

brooch A brooch (, also ) is a decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to garments, often to fasten them together. It is usually made of metal, often silver or gold or some other material. Brooches are frequently decorated with vitreous enamel, ...

, clip or

pin A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together. Pin or PIN may also refer to: Computers and technology * Personal identification number (PIN), to access a secured system ** PIN pad, a PIN entry device * PIN, a former Dutch ...

used to fasten clothing that has a disc-shaped, often richly decorated plate or disc covering the fastener. The terms are mostly used in relation to the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

of Europe, especially the earlier part of the period. They were the most common style of

Anglo-Saxon brooches Anglo-Saxon brooches are a large group of decorative brooches found in England from the fifth to the eleventh centuries. In the early Anglo-Saxon era, there were two main categories of brooch: the long (bow) brooch and the circular ( disc) brooc ...

. In Scotland, where the need for a fastening at the shoulder lasted into the Renaissance and beyond, a type of silver "turreted" brooch for men was still being made in the 16th century and later. The Brooch of Lorn is the best-known example.

Continental Europe

Well-known fibulae of this type date to the

Migration Period The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...

and the centuries either side of it, for example the disc fibulae from Soest or the Lower Saxon village of

Holle Holle is a village and a municipality in the district of Hildesheim, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 15 km southeast of Hildesheim, and 15 km west of Salzgitter. It was mentioned in Tom Clancy's bestseller ''Red S ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Disc fibulae up to over 5 centimetres in diameter were usually part of women's attire in continental Europe in the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

; much smaller examples were also worn by men, however, from the

Carolingian era The Carolingian Empire (800–888) was a large Frankish-dominated empire in western and central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as kings of the Franks since 751 and as kings of the Lo ...

. Many disc fibulae have gold ornamentation inlaid with

gemstone A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, ...

s, are enamelled or damascened, or are overlaid with gold or silver. The well known Pliezhausen brooch was once the cover of a disc fibula. An example from the

Roman era In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

is the Tangendorf disc brooch. The early mediaeval

Maschen disc brooch The Maschen disc brooch (german: Scheibenfibel von Maschen) is an Early Medieval fibula, which was found in 1958 during archaeological excavations of the late Saxon grave field near Maschen, in the Lower Saxony district of Harburg, Germany. On it ...

portrays a figure with a saintly

aureole An aureola or aureole (diminutive of Latin ''aurea'', "golden") is the radiance of luminous cloud which, in paintings of sacred personages, surrounds the whole figure. In Romance languages, the noun Aureola is usually more related to the d ...

. Zürich - Uetliberg - Fürstengrabhügel - Goldscheiben.jpg, Gold disc fibulae from the Sonnenbühl prince's burial mound (

La Tène period LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

) Scheibenfibel.jpg, Alemannian disc fibula of the 6th century with

almandine Almandine (), also known as almandite, is a species of mineral belonging to the garnet group. The name is a corruption of alabandicus, which is the name applied by Pliny the Elder to a stone found or worked at Alabanda, a town in Caria in Asia M ...

and bone inlays Fibulae Aregund MAN87424.jpg, Pair of disc fibulae from the

Aregund Aregund, Aregunda, Arnegund, Aregonda, or Arnegonda (c. 515/520–580) was a Frankish queen, the wife of Clotaire I, king of the Franks, and the mother of Chilperic I of Neustria. She is one of the rare historical figures whose tomb has been ide ...

grave c. 6th C. Fibules mérovingiennes 01.JPG, Merovingian disc fibulae of the 6th and 7th centuries with gemstones and filigree

Anglo-Saxon types

Examples from

Anglo-Saxon England Anglo-Saxon England or Early Medieval England, existing from the 5th to the 11th centuries from the end of Roman Britain until the Norman conquest in 1066, consisted of various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms until 927, when it was united as the Kingdom o ...

are usually called "brooches" in English. The

quoit brooch The quoit brooch is a type of Anglo-Saxon brooch found from the 5th century and later during the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain that has given its name to the Quoit Brooch Style to embrace all types of Anglo-Saxon metalwork in the decorati ...

is an early type, using motifs from Late Roman art in base metal. Gold types with stones and elaborate decoration in the continental style appear from the 7th century, though later plain silver, decorated with figurative images and often using

openwork Openwork or open-work is a term in art history, architecture and related fields for any technique that produces decoration by creating holes, piercings, or gaps that go right through a solid material such as metal, wood, stone, pottery, cloth, l ...

, becomes more common. Examples in silver include the

Fuller Brooch The Fuller Brooch is an Anglo-Saxon silver and niello brooch dated to the late 9th century, which is now in the British Museum, where it is normally on display in Room 41. The elegance of the engraved decoration depicting the Five Senses, high ...

, Strickland Brooch and the Anglo-Scandinavian

Ædwen's brooch Ædwen's brooch (also known as ''Sutton brooch'', British Museum 1951,10-11,1) is an early 11th-century Anglo-Scandinavian silver disc brooch with an inscription on the reverse side. It was discovered in 1694 during the ploughing of a field in ...

. Finds from the early period before Christianization are more common, as Christianity discouraged burial with expensive

grave goods Grave goods, in archaeology and anthropology, are the items buried along with the body. They are usually personal possessions, supplies to smooth the deceased's journey into the afterlife or offerings to the gods. Grave goods may be classed as a ...

. File:Sarre BroochDSCF9233.JPG, The Sarre Brooch, a 5th-century Kentish

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

File:Anglo-Saxon Disc Brooch from Monkton on display at the Ashmolean Museum.jpg, Anglo-Saxon brooch, from

Monkton, Kent Monkton is a village and civil parish in the Thanet District of Kent, England. The village is located at the south-west edge of the Isle of Thanet and is situated mainly along the B2047 road, leading off the A253 road between Canterbury and R ...

File:Brit Mus 17sept 005-crop.jpg, Brooch from the Pentney Hoard, in the Trewhiddle style. File:Brit Mus Fuller Brooch.jpg, Anglo-Saxon

, 9th-century

Literature

* M. J. Bode: ''Germanische Scheibenfibeln. Ein kurzer Überblick über den Forschungsstand ausgewählter Formen.'' In: Jürgen Kunow (ed.): ''100 Jahre Fibelformen nach Oskar Almgren.'' Wünsdorf, 1998, pp. 321–338, . * Heinrich Beck (ed.): ''Fibel und Fibeltracht.'' Sonderdruck aus

Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde ''Germanische Altertumskunde Online'', formerly called ''Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde'', is a German encyclopedia of the study of Germanic history and cultures, as well as the cultures that were in close contact with them. The first ...

. Berlin, 2000, . * Webster, Leslie, ''Anglo-Saxon Art'', 2012, British Museum Press,

Weblinks

* * {{Spk-digital Archaeological artefact types Brooches Medieval European costume Migration Period Merovingian art Carolingian art Anglo-Saxon art