letsgostealthelouvre: This is a fibula, a type of pin used to secure clothing (generally at the shou
letsgostealthelouvre: This is a fibula, a type of pin used to secure clothing (generally at the shoulder or base of the neck, like a cloak) and it depicts a hippocampus, a type of horse-mermaid. Which is charming in and of itself, but also just like…I know it’s selection bias, that the most beautiful and durable of what existed came down to us from ancient history, but also I love how ancient people seemed compelled to just add beauty and myth to everything they found functional. [ID: A small sculpture in gold of a creature with the head and forelegs of a horse, legs extended forward as if galloping; the back half of the creature is curved upwards and looks like the back half of a dolphin, with an elongated twisted tail ending in a horizontal “fluke” fin.] -- source link