| The brooch of Palestrina | |
|---|---|
| Latin: Fibula Praenestina | |
 | |
| Material | Gold |
| Size | 10.7 cm (4.2 in) long |
| Writing | Old Latin: ꟿANIOS ꟿED FHEFHAKED NVꟿASIOI |
| Created | 7th century BC |
| Discovered | 1870s–1880s Location disputed, alleged to be the Bernardini tomb, Palestrina, Italy |
| Discovered by | Unknown, announced by Wolfgang Helbig in 1887 |
| Present location | Pigorini National Museum of Prehistory and Ethnography, Rome, Italy |
| Culture | Etruscan civilization, orientalizing period |
The Praeneste fibula (the "brooch of Palestrina") is a golden fibula or brooch, today housed in the Pigorini National Museum of Prehistory and Ethnography in Rome. The fibula bears an inscription in Old Latin, claiming craftsmanship by one Manios and ownership by one Numazios. At the time of its discovery in the late nineteenth century, it was accepted as the earliest known specimen of the Latin language. The authenticity of the inscription has since been disputed, repeatedly rejected[1][2] and affirmed, with one assertion of antiquity dating to the first half of the seventh century BC.[3]
- ^ Conway, Robert Seymour (1897). The Italic Dialects: edited with a grammar and glossary. Vol. I. Cambridge (England): University Press. pp. 311–2.
- ^ Hoving, Thomas (1996). False Impressions. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. p. 278. ISBN 978-0-684-81134-5.
- ^ Maras, Daniele F. (Winter 2012). "Scientists declare the Fibula Praenestina and its inscription to be genuine 'beyond any reasonable doubt'". Etruscan News. 14.