Phrygian Fibulae

Phrygian fibula are named after Phrygia, a region in central Turkey. However, according to some sources the fibula group originated in Cyprus and they may also be known as Cypriote fibula. Several of the types were in use throughout the Near east including Mesopotamia, Persia, Syria, Palestine and Egypt.

These fibulae are also known as Elbow fibulae or Hand fibulae though only some of the types actually resemble and arm with elbow and hand. They generally date to the 8th to 6th centuries BC.

Asymmetric Bow with Enlargement Between Two Buttons (Blinkenberg XIII.1)

I-bar Bow (Blinkenberg XIII.2)

Semi-Circular Bow with Moulded Pearls (Blinkenberg XIII.3)

Semi-Circular Bow with Four Spherical Buttons and One Rectangular Plate (Blinkenberg XIII.4)

Semi-Circular Moulded Bow (Blinkenberg XIII.5)

Slightly Curved Bow with Moulded Extremities (Blinkenberg XIII.6)

Bow with Pairs of Rings Between Three Buttons (Blinkenberg XIII.7)

Plain Bow (Blinkenberg XIII.8)

Bow with Moulded Extremities (Blinkenberg XIII.9)

Elbow Bow with Two Buttons (Blinkenberg XIII.10)

Elbow Bow with Two Pairs of Buttons (Blinkenberg XIII.11)

Richly Moulded Elbow Bow (Blinkenberg XIII.12)

Image: A matched pair of richly moulded Phrygian fibulae. These are known as "arm" or "hand" or sometimes "elbow" fibulae due to their shape. The iron pins are replacements. These fibulae were used throughout the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean world in the 8th to 6th centuries BC.

Elbow Bow with 90 Degree Bend (Blinkenberg XIII.13)

Bow in Triangular Form with Eyelet at Top (Blinkenberg XIII.14)

Bow in Triangular Form with Button at Top (Blinkenberg XIII.15)