The Fibulae of Ingvald Undset

In 1882 Ingvald Undset (1853-1893) acquired a collection of 122 fibulae and fragments in Rome for the University Museum in Christiania. Very likely it was Undset who catalogued the pieces by grouping them according to typological principals. Fibulae were of particular importance for the studies of Undset and his circle of colleagues and friends, since that artefact group was used to develop typological method in archaeology. Fibulae were also considered an excellent tool for chronological deductions. At the same time some important Scandinavian museum exhibitions were rearranged according to new concepts: pieces of the same artefact groups were aligned together in typological sequences. The didactical possibilities provided by such a large collection of fibulae and the possibility to demonstrate typological method are likely to be the motives behind Undset’s purchase. The typology used in the catalogue shows very strong dependence on recent typological studies, particularly on Oscar Montelius article on Bronze Age fibulae. Despite some problems, which can be blamed on the very limited comparative literature of that time, Undset’s typological grouping of some Roman fibulae show his sure instinct for the defi nition of new types. A publication of his results would have made a useful contribution to the knowledge of Roman fibulae of that time.