Iron Age (3rd-2nd c. BC) ‘Fibula of a horseman on horseback with shield’

A cast bronze object in the form of a horseman on horseback, carrying a rounded shield on his arm. Made in a free-standing form with engraved details of spirals adorning the horse's back and small holes arranged linearly along the mane.

Such a representation was commonly used by high elites as brooches holding cloaks or capes. Equine figures formed part of the funerary trousseaux of warriors, as after their death they would reach the afterlife on the back of the animal. 

Size: 5.7 x 2.9 x 8.7 cm