Object Description
Central European
The three fibulae are made identically, each from a single piece of wire which has been very tightly twisted into two coiled spirals; if carefully examined the wire can be seen to begin and end with the pin and attachment loop at the back of the brooch.
Although very little art from the European Bronze Age survives, brooches like these give us an idea of the motifs which are likely to be found on other artefacts, maybe they were carved into wooden bowls and pressed into pottery. This conjoined spiral is certainly amongst the oldest of designs from ancient Europe and is found in the Neolithic period which preceded the Bronze Age. It is likely that this spiral motif had ritualistic significance and indeed it is found in primitive cultures elsewhere in the world.