Tortoiseshell buckle

Gilded silver fibula from Świelino is a part of a hoard that was found in 1904. It was discovered during construction works of a narrow-gauge railway from Bobolice to Świelino. The treasure originally contained four fibulae and was a part of a private collection before it was handed to the Museum in Szczecin. At the end of World War II, the Świelino fibulae (with the most precious objects from the Museum’s collection) were evacuated from Szczecin. They were eventually found in Stralsund, although two of them went missing during relocation. The remaining ones returned to the Museum in Szczecin in 2009. The presented fibula has a long foot, a short head, and a high arched bow. The head, shaped in a semi-circular disc over the spring, is ornamented with five knobs made of a golden band. They are spaced symmetrically along the edge, with toppings at the top. The fibula has rich Sjörup style ornaments on the disc and the foot. The fibula is similar to those from the Rhine region and Scandinavia. A comparable arrangement of ornaments can be found on objects from, among others, Öland and the Czech Republic. In addition, the disc and the foot are wreathed with a silver beaded wire. The bow has a similar structure. The Świelino fibula can be dated to the late 5th century. Typologically, they correspond to a variant of the Danube-type ceremonial fibulae, found especially along the Rhine, the middle Danube, and the upper Elbe, and rarely in the West Pomerania and Scandinavia.

Monika Witek