Praeneste fibula

The brooch of Palestrina
Latin: Fibula Praenestina
MaterialGold
Size10.7 cm (4.2 in) long
WritingOld Latin: MANIOS MED FHEFHAKED NVMASIOI
Created7th century BC
Discovered1870s–1880s
Location disputed, alleged to be the Bernardini tomb, Palestrina, Italy
Discovered byUnknown, announced by Wolfgang Helbig in 1887
Present locationPigorini National Museum of Prehistory and Ethnography, Rome, Italy
CultureEtruscan civilization, orientalizing period

The Praeneste fibula (the "brooch of Palestrina") is a golden fibula or brooch, today housed in the Pigorini National Museum of Prehistory and Ethnography in Rome. The fibula bears an inscription in Old Latin, claiming craftsmanship by one Manios and ownership by one Numazios. At the time of its discovery in the late nineteenth century, it was accepted as the earliest known specimen of the Latin language. The authenticity of the inscription has since been disputed, repeatedly rejected[1][2] and affirmed, with one assertion of antiquity dating to the first half of the seventh century BC.[3]

  1. ^ Conway, Robert Seymour (1897). The Italic Dialects: edited with a grammar and glossary. Vol. I. Cambridge (England): University Press. pp. 311–2.
  2. ^ Hoving, Thomas (1996). False Impressions. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. p. 278. ISBN 978-0-684-81134-5.
  3. ^ Maras, Daniele F. (Winter 2012). "Scientists declare the Fibula Praenestina and its inscription to be genuine 'beyond any reasonable doubt'". Etruscan News. 14.

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