Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

532 FIBULA. FICTILE.
Ovid, Met. viii. 318; Tacit. Germ. 17). [Wood- 567); the trenails which unite the posts and
cuts, pp. 2, 117, 213.] More rarely we see it planks of a wooden bridge (Caesar, B. G. iv. 17);
over the breast. [Woodcut, p. 218.] The epi- and the pins fixed into the top of a wooden trithet irEpd7rop7ros was applied to a person wear- angle used as a mechanical engine (Vitruv. x. 2).
ing the fibula on one shoulder only (Schol. in The practice of infibulating singers, alluded to
Esurip. I-ec. 933, 934); for women often wore it by Juvenal and Martial, is described in Rhodius
on both shoulders. [Woodcuts, pp. 136, 243, De Acia and Pitiscus. [J. Y.]
257.] In consequence of the habit of putting on FI'CTILE (Ktpiu/os, c cepspwov, so-paiov,
the amictus with the aid of a fibula, it was called r'orpdKiwov), earthenware, a vessel or other article
7rspovica or iEurepovlya (Theocrit. Adonz. 34. 79), made of baked clay.
7ropvrnua (Eurip. Elect. 820), or &/rEXd1v 7rexpo- The instruments used in pottery (ar's figqlinn)
V'ritS (Brunck, Anal. ii. 28). The splendid shawl were the following:-1. The wheel (rpoxds, os-bis,
of Ulysses, described in the Odyssey (xix. 225- rota, " rota figularis," Plaut. Epid. iii. 2. 35),
231), was provided with two small pipes for ad- which is mentioned by Homer (II. xviii. 600), and
mitting the pin of the golden brooch; this contri- is among the most ancient of all human inventions.
vance would secure the cloth from being torn. The According to the representations of it on the walls
highest degree of ornament was bestowed upon of Egyptian tombs (Wilkinson, lefanners and Cusbrooches after the fall of the western empire. tones, iii. p. 163), it was a circular table. placed on
Justin II. (Corippus, ii. 122), and many of the a cylindrical pedestal, and turning freely on a
emperors who preceded him, as we perceive from point. The workman, having placed a lump of
the portraits on their medals, wore upon their clay upon it, whirled it swiftly with his left hand,
right shoulders fibulae, from which jewels, at- and employed his right in moulding the clay to
tached by three small chains, depended. (Beger, the requisite shape. Henlce a dish is called " the.T/es. Pat. p. 407, 408, &c.) daughter of the wheel"' (TpoXpCikd'ros Icf6p, XenarIt has been already stated that women often chus, ap. Athenl. ii. p. 64). 2. Pieces of wood or
wore the fibula on both shoulders. In addition to bone, which the potter (KcepanuEs,f glszmlzs) held in
this, a lady sometimes displayed an elegant row of his right hand, and applied occasionally to the
brooches down each arm upon the sleeves of her surface of the clay during its revolution. A pointed
tunic (Aelian, Y. 11. i. 18), examples of which are stick, touching the clay, world inscribe a circle
seen in many ancient statues. It was also fashion- upon it; and circles were in this manner disposed
able to wear them on the breast (Isid. Orig. xix. parallel to one another, and in any number, ac30); and another occasional distinction of female cording to the fancy of the artist. By having the
attire, in later times, was the use of the fibula in end of the stick curved or indented, and by turning
tucking up the tunic above the knee. it in different directions, be would impress many
Not only might slight accidents to the person beautiful varieties of form and outline upon his
arise from wearing brooches (Hom. 11. v. 426), but vases. 3. Moulds (forsmae, re roL, Schol. ixs Areist.
thev were sometimes used, especially by females, to Eccles. 1), used either to decorate with figures in
inflict serious injuries. The pin of the fibula is the relief (porpdr-vra) vessels which had been thrown
instrument, which the Phrygian women employ to on the wheel, or to produce foliage, animlals, or
deprive Polymnestor of his sight by piercing his any other appearances, on ANTEFIXA, on cornices
pupils (Eurip. I-ec. 1170), and with which the of terra cotta, and inlitative or ornamental pottelry
Athenian women, having first blinded a man, then of all other kinds, in which the wheel was not
dispatch him. (Herod. v. 87; Schol. in Eurip. HIe. adapted to give the first shape. The'annexed
934). Oedipus strikes the pupils of his own eye- woodcut shows three moulds, which were found
balls with a brooch taken from the dress of Jocasta near Rome by M. Seroux d'Agincourt. (Recueil de
(Soph. Oedl. Tyr. 1269; Eurip. Phloen. 62). For Ftragmens, p. 88-92.) They are cut in stone.
the same reason we find that 7repovanw meant to One of them was probably used for making antepierce, since 7rEpdvml was properly the pin of the fixa, and the other two for making hearts and
brooch (srEpdil7o-Es "pinned him," Hom. II. vii. legs, designed to be suspended by poor persons
145; xiii. 397). " ex veto," in the temples and sanctuaries. [DoBrooches were succeeded by buckles, especially NARtA.] Copies of the same subject, which might
among the Romans, who called them by the same
name. The preceding woodcut shows on the right
hand the forms of four bronze buckles (4, 5, 6, 7) from
the collection in the British Museum. Thisarticle I
of dress was chiefly used to fasten the belt [BALTEUS], and the girdle [ZoNA]. (Virg. Aen. xii.
274; Lydus, De Meag. Roes. ii. 13). It appears "I
to have been in general much more richly orna- i___
mented than the brooch; for, although Hadrian
was simple and unexpensive iii this as well as in
other matters of costume (Spartian. iadr-. 10),
yet many of his successors were exceedingly _ -
prone to display buckles set with jewels (fibulae _
gemnnzatae).
The terms which have now been illustrated as in this manner be multiplied to any extent, were
applied to articles of dress, were also used to denote called " ectypa." 4. Graers or scalpels, used by
pins variously introduced in carpentry; c. g. the skilful modellers in giving to figures of all kinds a
linch-pins of a chariot (Parthen. 6); the wooden pins more perfect finish and a higher relief than could
inserted thro the sides of a boat, to which the be produced by the use of moulds.'Tbese instruPailors fasten their lines or ropes (Apoll. Rhod. i. ment, exceedingly simple in themselves and de