THE EARLY AGE OF GREECE VOL.I by W.Ridgeway 1901

'
I
THE EARLY IRON AGE IN EUROPE. 423
class of broad bronze belts found in Hungary, at Bologna
(Predio Benacci cemetery), at Este, and at Corneto* (Fig. 58).
Brooches. These were found in hundreds, each grave
as a rule containing several.
They fall into two main classes. (1) The various modifications
of the simple safety-pin type, the origin and spread
of whicii we shall soon discuss at some length (p, 552). At
Hallstatt the simplest kind is formed out of a thick wire bent
into a semicircle, which at one end is beaten thinner, and
passes into one or two spiral twists, then into a pin, whilst the
other end of the wire forms a spiral,
and is then beaten into
a broad lap,
which is bent up to hold the pin.
At Hallstatt
these brooches sotuetimes have the bow quite plain, sometimes
ribbed in whole or in pai't or engraved with zig-zags; sometimes
ag-ain the bow is adorned with beads of amber or bone.
The commonest variety is that with a long projecting catch
into which the ]iin falls (Fig. 100). The bow is often (jiiiamented
with cross-bands. This type we shall find very widespi'ead
in upper Italy and elsewhere.
Montelius"^ refers to the late Bronze Age and first part of
the Iron Age similar high arched fibulae found in north Italy,
whilst he assigns those with elongated nozzles to hold the pin
to the second ])eriod of the Iron Age.
There arc bi'oochcs formed of convex plates of metal fitted
with a pin underneath. These
take the form of a round shield
with a boss.
'I'hey
aic foiined
of one or more thin discs, oi'
have a I'im or raised circles of
dots '. This class is lare.
We saw that ()(lysseus fastened
his cloak with a brooch
whicri was adorned with tlie
Hallstut
re])rescntat ion of a dog seizing
a fawn. Among the hundi-eds of fibulae found at Hallstatt
i)citiiiii(l and Iitiiiach. p. 1'2'i.
424 THE EARLY IRON AGE IN EUROPE.
there were five which took the forms of animals
;
all were
found in cremation-graves. One of these is actually in the
the fawn is absent this brooch
form of a dog. Though
at once reminds us of that described in Homer (Fig. 73).
Another had the form of a horse, a third that of a boar.
Another with an unidentified animal was found with a fine
bronze
sword.
Another class of fibulae was formed by beating the bow into a
flat half-moon {cf. Fig. ILS).
other linear ornament. From it
hung
This was adorned wilh circles and
a number of little chains
varying in number from 15 to r3(), furnished with flat pendants
also ornamented. This class with a single exception was found
in cremation-graves.
(2) There was another numerous class of brooches quite
distinct from those hitherto described. They are formed by
bending a single cylindrical wire into discs at each end. The
discs are often of considerable size. These brooches fi'om their
appearance are commonly termed '
About 400 examples were found.
'
spectacle fibulae (Fig. 1
20).
Sometimes they had a pin
of iron in.stead of bronze. One such brooch was made altogether
of iron : it was found in a cremation-giave. Besides
the spectacle brooch there was the kindred class formed of four
spiral discs (Fig. 127). These spirals are arranged in cruciform
fashion. In some specimens of the spectacle brooch the second
y)air of discs may be seen in their embryonic stage.
Spiral fibulae were found in sevei'al cases at the head of the
dead: these probably fastened the hair or some kind of headdress'.
As the bi'ooches are found on the shouklers and breasts of
the dead there can be no doubt as i-egards theii' use. It is
certain that hoth men and women used them foi'
fastening
theii'
garments, as did the Homeric Acheans of both
sexes.
T'sually there wei'e two on the bi-east, one under tlie other
(as in Anglo-Saxon graves); on each shoulder there were larger
ones.
-
Op. rit.. "J p. I"); rf. I'l. IV. and v.
Von Sarkcu, I'l. xiv. 11.
V(iii Sackcii, ])]).
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