Bronze Age Flashcards
Time Period of The Iron Age
Early - 2000-1500BC
Middle - 1500-1200BC
Late - 1200-500BC
The Early Age - Beginning of the Bronze Age
The Beaker people travelled to Ireland bring their specific style of pottery and metalwork. The Shannon estuary was extremely important to them.
Sources of Metal
They used copper, silver and gold.
Copper was sourced from Mt. Gabriel in West Cork.
Silver was sourced from the Silvermines in Tipperary.
Gold was panned from rivers near the Wicklow Hills.
“The Golden Age”
Techniques
Gold nuggets were hammered into sheets which were then cut into strips and twisted into wire which was often used to sew pieces together. Thicker pieces were used to make torcs.
Methods of Decoration
Repoussé - Hammering from behind.
Incision - Inscribing/scoring a design into the piece.
The Lunala
“Little Moon” cut from sheet of gold. Neck piece. Chevron, parallel lines and triangle designs using incision. Eg. found in Ross, Co. Westmeath.
Sun Disc
Cut from gold sheet with simple geometric designs. Cross from repoussé. Holes which allow discs to attach - belts or necklaces. Eg. found at Tedavent, Co. Monaghan.
The Ribbon Torc
Flat tape of gold twisted into spiral. Eg. found near Belfast. Ends worked into rods worked into knobs to attach as a necklace.
The Glensheen Gorget
Found in The Burren, Co. Clare. Later example of metalwork. Crescent shaped collar with discs on either end. Narrow strip of gold covers rough edges. The body is decorated with repoussé - cord/rope patterned. Discs have bead pattern and cord/rope pattern, followed by concentric circles and smooth cone. One disc is on the other overlapping. Found @ Shannon Estuary.
Conclusion - The Beaker People
Shows creativity and development throughout the age. The National Museum of Ireland in Dublin holds a huge collection of these artefacts.
