Pages: 189-206

The article is dedicated to the amplification of the time of appearance of  T-shape hinge fibulas in the Northern Black Sea region. They are mass finds in the burial complexes with coins and in the monetary treasures of the Central Europe  and their typology  is elaborated  in details. For each type there are defined chronological limits that are narrow enough.  That is why T-shape hinge fibulas are very important for the late-antique burials of the Northern Black Sea region where they are present as well. According to A. K. Ambroz  the earliest representatives of these fibulas (their II type) in the Northern Black Sea region are dated by the late III – early IV c. A. D. However, the author’s attention was attracted by a silver fibula from Chersones (No 31336-25). In his opinion its closest analogy is the fibula from the internment 2 burial of Leune in Saxony J. Werner connected the finding of fibulas of these types in free Germany with the returning to the native land of noble  Germans who served Gall Usurpers. They were dissolved by Aurelianus after the year 273 A. D. Basing on the fact that in the internments with T-shape hinge fibulas of this type there were present the coins of Diocletian  only till his monetary reform of 293 A. D.,  J. Werner proposed  that given internments should be dated not late than by the year 300 A. D.  In author’s opinion the mentioned Germans not only served in Romans legions but also occupied there high positions – up to prefects of cohorts. The author also amplifies the typology of T-shape hinge fibulas and the time of their existence. Fibulas of type I by Keller-Pröttel he subdivides into 3 variants each of which has a different  time of existence. In his opinion the mentioned fibula from Chersones is referred to the second variant out of three that he distinguished in type I Keller-Pröttel. Fibulas of this variant come out of use in the years 260-280 A. D.   This is the time to which the appearance of T-shape hinge fibulas in the Northern Black Sea region should be refered.

Information about author:

Oleg Sharov (St.-Petersburg, Russia). Doctor of historical sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture, Russian Academy of Sciences.
E-mail: [email protected]