Mária T. Biró: The Bone Objects of the Roman Collection. (Catalogi Musei Nationalis Hungarici. Seria Archeologica 2; Budapest, 1994)

IV. HAIR-STYLES THE USE OF BONE HAIR-PINS, AND COMB USE OF THE ROMANS - 3. Decorative pins

head serves as its basis where the thicker end of the pins is polished flat or rounded like a button, then downwards the leg of the pin is decorated with a system of 2-3-4 collars modelled plastically. Or, this plastic ornament covering at least one third of the surface of the pin is further divided by geometric elements. To this surface ornament further scratched or incised oblique stripes are often added. Oblique stripes are characteristic features of the late 3rd resp. 4th century. IV. Pins with pinea cone head. (Nos. 335357.) The assumed cultic contents of waring bone pins was mentioned by me above. The most evident proof of this fact is the pinea cone representation. Cone, being the fruit of pinea was a popular ornament of the Roman art of tombs. When on a pin it possibly bears the same symbolic meaning as on the stone monuments of graveyards. It can be taken for certain that its fashion originates some time in the middle of the 3rd century. It is a characteristic feature of Late Roman provincial wear. On the small pin head the effect of cone lamellae is achieved by a deeply incised square-net technique. (Nos 341-345., 353.) There are workshops where the square-net technique is changed by a line running spirally. The spiral pattern is known from Dunapentele, Sziszek, Torda, Csákberény and Szőny. However, from among the numerous decorative bone pins from Szőny there is but one belonging to this type. In Szőny and Óbuda the pinea cone made with square net technique is preferred, moreover, there is some difference discernible between these two workshops in modelling the pinea head: the pinea heads of the Óbuda workshop are thinner and longer. The above mentioned deeply carved spiral line appears not only on cones but on globe heads as well. In this case the pin head reminds one best of a Turkish turban. A pin with such a turban head from Dunapentele (No. 355.) illustrates the special technique of preparing these pin. The turban-shaped pin head separated in the course of storing from the leg of the pin, thus showing that the leg and the head were independently carved, then the polished end of the pin leg was fixed into the bore of the pin head. This technique required very fine and exact work. A similar pin leg ready for fixing is known from Szőny as well. V. Hair pins with signet-shaped head became fashionable even later than those with pinea cone i. e. at the beginning of the 4th century. (Nos. 358-362.) The specimens of the Collection with seal head were unearthed in Szőny. One of these carvings was found in the famous "augur" grave. Similarly to pins with pinecone or turban shaped heads, here, too the spiral pattern covering the surface appears. VI. From among the geometric shapes it is the pin heads carved to octahedron form that should be mentioned. (Nos. 363-367.) Octahedron shape is also characteristic to 4th century bone processing industry. There were some decorative pins in the Collection of the Hungarian National Museum the analogies of which are not known. One of these pins is the arrow-shaped specimen the length of which is 15 cm. (No. 368.) The other represents a double handled kantaros. (No. 370.) The shape of the third specimen reminds one of a schematic house. (No. 369.) Unfortunately, the three pins come from unknown site. The fourth unique carving was unearthed in Sziszek and it is decorated with black bead inlay. (No. 371.) The representations of figurai pin heads. The most interesting group of decorative pins is constituted by figurai representations. Undoubtedly, the symbolism of the motifs represented is rooted in folk beliefs. By no mean can these representations be considered as decorative, self-contained ornaments. Their magic contents is best proved by the so-called hand representations. (Nos. 372-375.)

74 There are several decorative bone pins representing human hand with a serpent around it. There is a hand type where pinea cone was carved in between the fingers. These representations are elements of the intricate iconographie system attached to the cult of Sabaios. On the bronze hand — which according to its inscription was dedicated to Sabaios — both the serpent coiled up on the hand and the pinea cone on the tip of the forefinger can be found. Moreover, the raised forefinger of the bronze hand is repeated on a decorative bone pin from Trier. Animal symbols must have had a cultic background. (Nos. 376-379.) Ruprechtsberger refers to the representations of the following animals: dog, ram, deer, rabbit, bear and dolphin figures.

75 In Pannónia, except for the deer representation from Esztergom they are birds that appear on pin heads. The apothropaic role of bird representations is know from the Bronze Age on. But also later on, it was a popular symbol all over Eurasia. Of the pins coming from Szőny two represent cocks, while there is a pigeon on the third. The small animals modelled life-like are standing on a postament and their feathers are indicated by scratches of different deepness. Their eyes were made with the dot-circle ornament known from bracelets and combs. Into the hole to be seen on the quill feather of the cock a chain