Finding Fibulae

• Collections tag
• Behind the Scenes tag

• Post Date: 02/22/2019
• Author: Amy Heggemeyer
• Reading Time: 2 minute read

A request from a scholar to view artifacts can be an opportunity to review old records and identify possible problems for solving.

When a scholar contacted the Museum to schedule a review of Eastern European pottery, this prompted a look through the paper records of the collection accessioned as 1922.07, a group of Eastern European archaeological materials purchased in 1922 from a German museum. The goal was to identify any historic information that may be useful to the scholar’s research.

While reviewing the file, I noticed that two fibulae—clasps or brooches used to hold clothing together, like a safety pin—were listed as being part of the purchase but noted as missing in our artifact database. Taking the descriptions from the purchase paperwork and the information available in other old records, I looked at our Found in Collection (FIC) objects. FIC is the term museums use for items that have been separated from their documentation.

With one of the fibulae, we were lucky: there was an old photograph available for comparison. It was blurry but clear enough to positively identify one of our FIC fibulae as the piece we’re looking for. For the second fibula, we compared the description in the paperwork with the description found in the old database record. We then consulted with a visiting scholar to confirm that this second fibula was consistent in style and material with the type described in the original paperwork.

Once this information was confirmed, we were able to assign them their appropriate accession numbers and reconnect them to their history.