Sunday, 5 October 2025

Visigothic Eagle brooches from Spain


Two early sixth century Visigothic brooches in the form of a pair of eagles are featured in an article from LiveScience.com. The cloisonné and jewelled brooches are dated to 501-533, and are now housed in the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid.

They were discovered more than a century ago at Alovera in central Spain. There is more abou the site and a larger photograph of one of the brooches on Wikipedia at Alovera

The details of their discovery are unfortunately less well recorded than they might have been today, but they appear to have been worn as cloak fastenings by royal or aristocratic women. The eagle design appears to indicate the elite status of the wearer and the design might suggest a form of proto-heraldry.


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