Ancient bronze ‘Omega’ penannular brooch, Viking culture, Baltic c. 1000 AD

Bronze penannular brooch, of Omega shape with flattened terminals and tapered tongue.
Baltic region,

Viking culture,

Circa 8th-10th Century AD

brooch 5×3.5cm; 12cm high on stand

Condition: good, some small areas of green corossion, is stable & displays well.

‘Omega’  Ω  is the 24th Greek letter, however, as the Northern Baltic cultures were not Greek speaking, the shape is therefore a coincidence.

Penannular brooches were the ancient European method of securing clothing such as cloaks; the layers of fabric to be secured were passed into the ring through the insertion gap (although not all had the gap) – the rotating pin could then be placed through the fabrics and twisted back to the ring, holding them tight through the pressure placed on it by the fabrics themselves.