Arched Fibulae (1 of 2)

725–675 BCE

Anatolia, Phrygia

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Medium

bronze

Measurements

Overall: 6 x 7.5 cm (2 3/8 x 2 15/16 in.)

Credit Line

John L. Severance Fund 1999.87.1

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Location

102B Greek

Description

Dated to the time of King Midas, these fibulae may have been a matched pair. The type was popular and has been found throughout Anatolia and in Greece. In the 5th century BC the Greek historian Herodotus wrote that the Phrygian king Midas reigned in the late 8th century BC, and dedicated a throne to the oracle at Delphi. This is the earliest historical reference to the Phrygians, a name given them by the ancient Greeks. The passage in Herodotus, taken together with archaeological finds in the Ionian Greek city states and on the Greek mainland, shows that Phrygians and Greeks enjoyed close relations in the late 8th to early 7th century BC.