A cross buckle

The cross fibula is an original ornament made of two bronze rods of rhombic cross-section, from which a pair of spiral discs was formed. These elements were folded into a cross, creating a square-shaped clasp. Its decoration is completed with five decorative buttons. It is a unique monument of great exhibition value. Fibula is a part of the hoard discovered in the swamp in 1884, which also consisted of parts of a horse row (2 bits, 14 jingels, 14 buttons, 3 rings), two pairs of axe casting moulds, three fibulae, an impressive razor, and destructs of several bronze and iron products. It should be stressed that the marshy context of the discovery may indicate its special significance connected with beliefs and sacrificial offerings. The deposit ended up in the museum collection in Szczecin and was kept there until August 1944. Due to the approaching front and Allied air raids, it was evacuated with other valuable artefacts deep into Germany. It only returned to Szczecin in 2009 as part of the Polish-German exchange of old archaeological collections. The Kiełpino deposit dates to the Early Iron Age, i.e., the Hallstatt C period (approx. 750-600/550 BC), and is considered a unique archaeological find. The majority of the artefacts present there are characteristic of products from the Hallstatt culture, whose name derives from the cemetery in Hallstatt, Austria. The form and production technique of the presented clasp indicate that it may be an import from the area of this culture. Interestingly, it is the only find of this type in the northern part of Central Europe.

Dorota Kozłowska