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 - 1. Undecorated bone hair-pins - 2. Globular pins

head is 1 cm. The type is characterized by the circumstance that — as compared to the head — the neck is very thin and the leg of the pin is thicker around the middle. There are comparatively many intact specimens, explained by the fact that the leg of the pins is rather short and, as mentioned before, they are the thickest at the centre, where most pins are apt to break. 3-4 cm long specimens are not uncommon. Their average length is rather small, around 5-6 cm. These two factors explain their firmness. In the settlements this is the less frequent among globular pins. They were possibly produced in smaller number than the others, or may be they were in fashion for shorter time. According to my observations so far this find group occurs in buildings and graves dated to the 4th century. In our Collection there are but two pins with large globular head. II. Pins with small globular head (Nos. 154-174.) Similarly to the group dealt with above the head of these pins is a polished globe, only made to a smaller size. Their leg is evenly thin, the thickening characteristic to the former group is missing here. Their average length is almost double that of the type with large global head (710 cm). The archaeologist meets them in every settlement between the 2nd and 4th centuries. In the material of our Collection the bulk of this pin type has come from Szőny; but there are also from Dunapentele, Óbuda and Almásfüzitő. III. Pins with a head polished to oval, resp. egg shape (Nos. 175-188.) The most characteristic features of pins of large global head belonging to the 1st type can be observed here, too. The pins are small and their leg is slightly thicker at the middle. Like those, they occur rather seldom. As documented by our Collection, they were more fashionable in Dunapentele and Óbuda than in Szőny. IV. Pins with dome-shaped head (Nos. 189-218.) The pin head first polished like an oval type was at the neck of the pin cut with a sharp section. Thus a form resembling mushroom or fur-cap is created. Here, too, the pin heads were made both in small and big varieties. Contrary to the former types, big pin head is more frequent here than the small. V. Pins with irregularly shaped head (Nos. 219-258.) The pin heads were carved with hand and it was not smoothed afterwards. These pins with irregular global head are the plainest and they were produced in the largest number in the Province. VI. Pins with cylindrical head (Nos. 259-274.) The head of the pin is carved cylinder shaped instead of globe. The upper part of the cylinder is either rounded or pointed. In the case of pins with small cylinder head the leg is too thick as compared to the head. Ruprechtsberger dates them to the 2nd-3rd centuries. There were no 4th century occurrences in the material investigated by me, either. While in all above types (I-V) where Ruprechtsberger assumed, their employment finished with the 3rd century, I have found them in Tác in the 4th century buildings. VII. Pins with signet-shaped head (Nos. 275-284.) Seal-shaped pin heads are without exception dated by literature unanimously to the 4th century. In the Collection of the Hungarian National Museum it is only Szőny where pins with seal head are known from, here however they were made — as compared to the quantity of pins — in relatively great number. VIII. Pins with conical head (Nos. 285-286.) The head of the pins was carved to a conic shape; the traces of carving can be seen on these pin heads, too, because their surface was not smoothed afterwards. A very rare type. In the Collection of the Hungarian National Museum there are but two such pins from Dunapentele. IX. Pins with onion-shaped head (Nos. 287-288.) These pin heads were made to a form resembling onion-head fibulas. Their employment is — similarly to fibulas — characteristic to the 4th century. Like pins with cone shaped head they occur very seldom and were probably made in smaller number than the other globe-headed pin types. X. Pins with drop-shaped head (Nos. 289-293.) The head of the pins reminds one most of a drop of water. The head is relatively small