Greek fibulae

In Greece, the fibula was unknown during the Mycenaean period itself. Only at the end of this period do some fibulae appear which are of the same shape as the oldest Italian ones. They end at the front either in a spiral disc (Fig. 1633)—which is extremely rare and can only be seen on the very oldest fibulae—or in a small groove-shaped pin catch (Fig. 1642). The upper part of the fibula, initially straight like the Italian one, is round and narrow, later becoming oval and band-shaped (Fig. 1636).
In Greece too, the upper part of the fibula gradually becomes arched. Often one sees a small button-shaped swelling at each end of this part, which is sometimes very prominent and remains for a long time (Figs. 1639, 1654, 1656, 1658, 1667, 1672, 1673). The bow of the older fibulae is usually round (Figs. 1639 and 1654); in some areas it is flat, forming a vertical, sometimes richly decorated disc (Figs. 1707 and 1710). The middle later becomes very strong (Figs. 1655, 1656, 1657, 1660). The bow of such a fibula is inlaid with iron, an indication that it belongs to the transitional period between the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, when iron was still so precious that it was used in this way. Later the bow becomes broader and thinner, concave-convex, forming a large oval bow (Fig. 1658). Instead of a single bulge, other fibulae have two, three, four, even five smaller bulges (Figs. 1671, 1673).
The pin catch remains small for a long time. It is not lengthened as in Italy. On the other hand, in some regions at least, it gradually takes on the form of a large, thin, vertical disc. This is often richly decorated in the style of the older Geometric Period, the “Dipylon Period,” from which fibulae of this type therefore originate (Figs. 1672 and 1711). The swastika is often seen on Greek fibulae (Figs. 1656, 1659, 1707, 1708, 1710, and 1717a).