A Greek Fibula in the Collection of the Archaeological Museum in Wrocław

Abstract

In the collection of the Archaeological Museum in Wrocław is a Greek fibula, which was donated by Wilhelm Grempler, a Wrocław doctor and researcher of antiquity well-known for his contribution to Silesian archaeology. It belongs to the ‘millwheel’ fibula group, which is characterised by the distinctive decoration of its bows. Fibulae of this type have been found in modern Bulgaria, Macedonia and northern and central Greece, although they seem not to have reached its south. Observable differences in the shapes of the decorative elements of these fibulae are of a regional nature and allow two varieties to be identified within the type: North Balkan and Greek. The best analogies for the Wrocław ‘millwheel’ fibula can be found in objects of the same type found at Halai in central Greece, which can be dated to the mid-5th century BC.