Fibula

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Fibulae, ancient safety pins, had a long history in the ancient world, beginning in the late second millennium B.C. in Europe and Greece. The flat arc of this fibula is cast as a semicircle with the addition of hollow studs applied as decoration on the arc and its catch and terminals; the pin is added. This piece is one of the most characteristic of Phrygian fibulae of the second half of the eighth century B.C.

Ancient Near Eastern Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art cares for approximately 7,000 works ranging in date from the eighth millennium B.C. through the centuries just beyond the emergence of Islam in the seventh century A.D. Objects in the collection were created by people in the area that today comprises Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria, the Eastern Mediterranean coast, Yemen, and Central Asia. From the art of some of the world's first cities to that of great empires, the department's holdings illustrate the beauty and craftsmanship as well as the profound interconnections, cultural and religious diversity, and lasting legacies that characterize the ancient art of this vast region.

Metropolitan Museum of Art