Bronze Age Flashcards
Date
1500-500 BC
Periods
Early (2000-1500 BC)
Middle (1500-1200 BC)
Late (1200-500 BC)
Difference between stone age + bronze age:
Stone Age
- Designs drawn freehand
- Pagan rituals + worship more of a focus in design
- Large elaborate burial tombs
- Carved designs on stone
Difference between stone age + bronze age:
Bronze Age
- Designs drawn by mechanical means (compass + rulers)
- Art + craftmanship seen in object design
- Smaller graves
- Developed metalworking techniques (casting, hammering, twisting metal)
Beaker People topics
Copper
Bronze
Gold
Skilled metalworkers
Beaker People - Copper
- Beaker people mined for copper ore
- Miners heated rock face
- Shattered rock with cold water
- Crushed fallen rocks with stone hammers to release copper ore
- Bronze Age copper mine on Mount Gabriel, Co. Cork
- Produced flat copper axes
Beaker People - Bronze
- Produced by mixing copper w/ imported tin
- Alloy bronze stronger than pure copper
- Produce weapons, tools, jewelllery, cauldrons
Beaker People - Gold
- Found alluvial gold in Tyrone + Wicklow
- Collected by panning in riverbeds
- Gold flakes melted to create solid gold ingots
Beaker People - Skilled metalworkers
- High level of craft skills
- Made wide variety of goods, incl. swords, daggers, cauldrons, axe heads, spear heads
- Trade links w/ Britain + mainland Europe -> borrowed techniques + ideas abroad
- Applied decoration by limited range of abstract geometric motifs:
- > Concentric circles
- > Hatched triangles, chevrons, squares
- > Rope + herringbone patterns
- > Circles + dots
Bronze Age People
Called beaker people bc of clay pots
Early Bronze Age artefacts
- Sun disc
- Lunula
Middle Bronze Age artefacts
- Ribbon Torc
- Derrinboy Armlets
Late Bronze Age artefacts
- Castlederg cauldron
- Clones dressfastner
- Gleinsheen Gorget
- Bulla Bog of Allen
- Gorteenreagh Hair lock Rings
Early Bronze Age Metalworking Techniques
- Sheeting and cutting
- Incision
- Repoussé
Sheeting and cutting
Gold ingots hammered into thin sheets, required shape cut out, use compass guide lines
Incision
Decoration scratched on front surface of gold using pointed bronze scriber
Repoussé
Decoration lightly punched/hammered into back of metal using hammers + punches. Resulting deco. stands out on front side in raised relief
Incision techniques
- Concentric circles
- Circle within circle
- Hatching
- Parallel lines
- Cross-hatching
- Chevron
- Triangles
- Punch marks
Designs made by repoussé technique
- Parallel ridges
- Beads within circles of beads
- Rope or string pattern
- Raised cone shape
- Rows of beads
- Punch marks
Tedavnet disc - Form
- Disc circular in shape
- Rises slightly towards centre
Tedavnet disc - Function
- Decorate a garment worn on special occasions
- Two tiny holes in centre of each disc suggest they were stitched to textile/leather
Tedavnet disc - Decoration
- Cruciform motif in centre surrounded by concentric circles
- Zig zag lines between concentric circles
- Punched dots make edges of cross + circles stand out
Tedavnet disc - Metalworking techniques
- Cut discs from thin sheet of hammered gold
- Used repoussé + punching to decorate discs
Ross Lunula - Form
- Lunula = ‘little moon’ in latin
- Flat sheet of gold cut into crescent shape
- Tapers towards each end
- Spoon-shaped ends twisted at right angles to body of lunula
Ross Lunula - Function
- Maybe worn for ceremonial/religious occasions
- Worn by high-status individuals?
Ross Lunula - Decoration
- Abstract geometric lines
- Decorative border incised w/ zigzags (parallel to inner + outer edges of crescent)
- Hatched triangles + squares at narrow ends
- Balance + symmetry and contrast between textured + smooth areas carefully planned. Strong sense of design
Ross Lunula - Metalworking techniques
- Gold ingot beaten into thin sheet from which crescent shape was cut out
- Deco. incised w/ pointed metal scriber
- Use of compass is evident in cutting + laying out of surface deco.
Middle Bronze Age Metalworking Techniques
- 1200 BC - goldsmiths began to twist bars + ribbons of gold in order to make torcs
- Diff.styles of torcs by varying thickness + width of bars or ribbons
Ribbon Torc - Form
- Spiral-twisted gold band narrowing at ends
- Locking clasps, thicker than rest of torc
Ribbon Torc - Function
- Neck ornament?
- Ceremonies or rituals?
- May have been worn by high-status individuals
Ribbon Torc - Decoration
- Pleasing spiralling movement
- No deco on surface
Ribbon Torc - Metalworking techniques
- Gold beaten into long ribbon, twisted using corkscrew
- Heated + given circular form (Ribbon-twisting technique)
Derrinboy Armlets - Form
Corrugated bands of gold curved into open cylindrical form
Derrinboy Armlets - Function
Probably worn on wrist or upper arm
Derrinboy Armlets - Decoration
- Smooth furrows + textured raised ridges
- Cord-like texture achieved through parallel repoussé marks
- Punched dots + raised bands frame opening. (pleasing contrast w/ corrugated pattern)
Derrinboy Armlets - Metalworking techniques
- Ingots beaten into thick sheet gold + rectangle cut out
- Decoration created ussing repoussé + punched dots
Late Bronze Age metalworking techniques
Casting
Soldering
Gold foil
Riveting
Casting
- Molten gold poured into clay/stone mould.
- Left until hardened
Soldering
Metal were joined together by melted metal
Gold foil
Thin sheets of gold cover less valuable metals
Riveting
- Pins inserted in a hole overlapping bronze sheets
- Pin ends hammered down flat on inside to secure sheets together
Castlederg Cauldron - Form
- Bronze cauldron w/ rounded base
- Curves in @ shoulder
- Rim slopes outwards. Two rings attached to loops on rim
Castlederg Cauldron - Function
- Boiling food/carrying food?
- Ceremonial use?
Castlederg Cauldron - Decoration
- Rim decorated w/ rows of small punched holes
- Conical rivets on exterior
Castlederg Cauldron - Metalworking techniques
Riveting used to join rectangular sheets into form of a cauldron
Hoards
- Many Bronze Age artefacts discovered in hoards
- Some hidden to be retrieved later, others were random collections of jewellery thrown into lakes + rivers (offerings to gods?)
Clones Press Fastener (fibula) - Form
Two large concave (round, basin-shaped) terminals joined by a gold bow
Clones Press Fastener (fibula) - Function
- Terminals probably slipped into two button holes to hold a garment closed
- Ceremonial use?
- Symbol of high status/power?
Clones Press Fastener (fibula) - Decoration
- Raised concentric lines at edges of terminals
- Irregular pattern of concentric circles on terminals
- Double zig zags appear where gold bow joins terminals
Clones Press Fastener (fibula) - Metalworking techniques
- Connecting bow cast in solid gold (1kg in weight)
- Raised concentric lines by repoussé
- Concentric circles incised by rotating special tool
Gleninsheen Gorget - Form
U-shaped gold collar w/ two large decorated discs (one at each end)
Gleninsheen Gorget - Function
- Ties at back of disks, indicating worn around neck
- Probably worn for ceremonial religious reasons/indicate high status
Gleninsheen Gorget - Decoration
- Raised points punched from behind on innter + outer edges
- Cord pattern between raised smooth ridges
- Concentric circles + cone (at centre) of each disk
Gleninsheen Gorget - Metalworking techniques
- Made from sheet gold
- Decorated using repoussé + punching
- Concentric circular motifs on discs applied by specialised toothed instrument
Bulla, Bog of Allen - Form
Heart-shaped w/ cylindrical opening across top
Bulla, Bog of Allen - Function
- Opening indicates - worn as pendants
- Probably to encourage fertility/protect wearer from evil
Bulla, Bog of Allen - Decoration
- Decorated on sides, rear + front
- Concentric circles, semicircles, triangles + other motifs
Bulla, Bog of Allen - Metalworking techniques
- Lead core covered w/ gold foil
- Decorated using repoussé + punching
Gorteenreagh Hair-Lock Rings - Form
- Two low cones joined together in each.
- Open slit from edge to a central tube
Gorteenreagh Hair-Lock Rings - Function
Decorative hair ornament where plaits were inserted
Gorteenreagh Hair-Lock Rings - Decoration
Glistening effect created by fine gold wires encircling cones
Gorteenreagh Hair-Lock Rings - Metalworking techniques
- Parts soldered together w/ molten gold
- Cones held together by gold band folded around rim
Name of People
Beaker people
Designs
Geometric shapes with rulers and compasses
Sun disc example
Co. Monaghan
Ross Lunula example
Co. Westmeath
Ribbon Torc example
Belfast
Derrinboy Armlets example
Co. Offaly
Castlederg Cauldron example
Co. Tyrone
Clones Dress Fastener (FIbula) example
Co. Monaghan
Gleninsheen Gorget example
Co. Clare
Bulla, Bog of Allen example
Co. Kildare
Gorteenreagh Hair-Lock Rings example
Co. Clare
