Lesson Notes
Key Questions
What are some of the key characteristics of art/material culture of this period?
Readings: Artistic Expression and Material Culture in Celtic Gallaecia by Alfredo González-Ruibal
The British Museum: Technologies of Enchantment Project by JD Hill
The Portable Antiquities Scheme: British Iron Age (Celtic) coin guide
The La Tène
Reading: La Tène Culture by Wikipedia
The La Tène era was the time of Celtic expansion and migration and the time of formation of the myths. The La Tene culture is named after the site in Switzerland where it was first discovered. The La Tene people were those known to the Romans as Gauls.
Originally found in an area from Eastern France to Bohemia, the La Tene culture spread rapidly from about 400 BC. The La Tene Celts settled in Spain in 450 BC, in Northern Italy in 400 BC, invaded Rome in 390 BC, invaded Greece in 279 BC, invaded Galatia (in modern Turkey) in 270 BC. By 200 BC, they occupied the lands that are now Britain, the Netherlands, Brittany, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland.
There is much debate over how much of the expansion into Britain was achieved through either/or invasion and settlement and how much was the expression of cultural transfer that accompanied trade and refelected the commonality of kinship and language of many tribes. There is little evidence for actual migration of La Tene people into Britain (James, 2005: 12). Nevertheless, it does appear that the La Tene culture was more militarily-focused than the Hallstatt one. The La Tene graves across Europe hold iron weapons - swords and spearheads - and wooden shields, as well as everyday items such as razors, yokes, cauldrons and jewellery.
James, S (2005) "Exploring the World of the Celts" Thames and Hudson
Waldalgesheim and Other Styles
The Waldalgesheim style (mid-4th to late 3d century BC) represents the classic period of La Tene art. It is named for an elaborate Celtic gravesite at Waldalgesheim in the German Rhineland, which yielded a fine gilt-bronze flagon, bronze plaques with human figures, and gold torcs bearing the characteristically curvilinear ornament of the period.
The so-called Plastic style of La Tene art, which partially overlaps with the Waldalgesheim, emerged during the 3d to 1st centuries BC. It is distinguished by the use of high-relief ornament and by a delight in complex transformations of form, from abstract to figurative and from plant to animal. The Sword style, which occurred concurrently with the Plastic style, is found, as its name suggests, principally on sword scabbards from sites in Switzerland and is characterized by finely engraved vegetal designs.
A new tradition of figurative art was developed on coins struck between the 3d and 1st centuries BC, but in general, Celtic art on the continent began to decline from the 2d century BC. With Julius Caesar's campaigns, continental La Tene art eventually died out, although hints of the barbarian style are sometimes present in Gallo-Roman art.
Source: http://draeconin.com/database/celtinfo.htm
- La Tène (500BCE – CE100)
- The La Tène Swords
- Material Culture: The Arts and Technology
- Compass Art & Plastic Style
Key Questions
What are some of the key characteristics of art/material culture of this period?
Readings: Artistic Expression and Material Culture in Celtic Gallaecia by Alfredo González-Ruibal
The British Museum: Technologies of Enchantment Project by JD Hill
The Portable Antiquities Scheme: British Iron Age (Celtic) coin guide
The La Tène
Reading: La Tène Culture by Wikipedia
The La Tène era was the time of Celtic expansion and migration and the time of formation of the myths. The La Tene culture is named after the site in Switzerland where it was first discovered. The La Tene people were those known to the Romans as Gauls.
Originally found in an area from Eastern France to Bohemia, the La Tene culture spread rapidly from about 400 BC. The La Tene Celts settled in Spain in 450 BC, in Northern Italy in 400 BC, invaded Rome in 390 BC, invaded Greece in 279 BC, invaded Galatia (in modern Turkey) in 270 BC. By 200 BC, they occupied the lands that are now Britain, the Netherlands, Brittany, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland.
There is much debate over how much of the expansion into Britain was achieved through either/or invasion and settlement and how much was the expression of cultural transfer that accompanied trade and refelected the commonality of kinship and language of many tribes. There is little evidence for actual migration of La Tene people into Britain (James, 2005: 12). Nevertheless, it does appear that the La Tene culture was more militarily-focused than the Hallstatt one. The La Tene graves across Europe hold iron weapons - swords and spearheads - and wooden shields, as well as everyday items such as razors, yokes, cauldrons and jewellery.
James, S (2005) "Exploring the World of the Celts" Thames and Hudson
Waldalgesheim and Other Styles
The Waldalgesheim style (mid-4th to late 3d century BC) represents the classic period of La Tene art. It is named for an elaborate Celtic gravesite at Waldalgesheim in the German Rhineland, which yielded a fine gilt-bronze flagon, bronze plaques with human figures, and gold torcs bearing the characteristically curvilinear ornament of the period.
The so-called Plastic style of La Tene art, which partially overlaps with the Waldalgesheim, emerged during the 3d to 1st centuries BC. It is distinguished by the use of high-relief ornament and by a delight in complex transformations of form, from abstract to figurative and from plant to animal. The Sword style, which occurred concurrently with the Plastic style, is found, as its name suggests, principally on sword scabbards from sites in Switzerland and is characterized by finely engraved vegetal designs.
A new tradition of figurative art was developed on coins struck between the 3d and 1st centuries BC, but in general, Celtic art on the continent began to decline from the 2d century BC. With Julius Caesar's campaigns, continental La Tene art eventually died out, although hints of the barbarian style are sometimes present in Gallo-Roman art.
Source: http://draeconin.com/database/celtinfo.htm
Material Culture Readings: Celtic Art by Wikipedia Wagons in Celtic Tombs by University of Virginia Videos: Iron Smelting Video: Butser Ancient Farm - Archaeological Technology Experiments |
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The Arts and Technology
Archeological digs at the La Tène site in Western France have changed the way in which Celtic art and technology is viewed by the modern world. It was initially suspected that a society so lacking in any form of written record keeping (ogham was a later addition to the Celtic tradition) would be unable to produce the geometrically and technologically complex works of art that were produced contemporaneously by the Greeks and Romans. However, examples of knotwork, metal-working, pottery, glass, and geometric circle-drawing of an extremely sophisticated nature were uncovered at La Tène . Simple geometric elements such as parallel lines, concentric circles, and chevrons later are merged with compass construction techniques to create complicated geometric patterns. In Kirkburn, (East Yorkshire) a sword of over seventy pieces, including a worked-iron blade, studs, and scabbard plates, was discovered. Its intricate construction and design attest to the skill of Celtic craftsmen.
Although the classical world studied the development of new and different arms and armour, the Celts wore no armour at all until circa 300 BCE, the approximate date of the invention of chain mail. Chain mail is of Celtic origin, the earliest known examples appearing in graves dating from the third century. The concept of thousands of small, interlocking metal rings is a complex one, and its implementation required considerable skill on the part of the blacksmith. Because chain mail was difficult to make, and expensive, only senior warriors or royalty are thought to have made use of it initially, although it became more widespread later on. Chain mail was soon adopted by the Romans when it proved effective in battle.
Source: http://www.watson.org/~leigh/celts.html
Archaeological Sites
Dürrnberg (Hallein), Austria
The Dürrnberg is located across the Salzach river from the modern city of Hallein in the northern Alps. Like Hallstatt, the Dürrnberg derived its prosperity from salt mining , processing and trading. We see here only two important bronze flagons from two of the many graves excavated and published in exemplary fashion by Penninger 1972, Moosleitner et al. 1974, Pauli 1978, Fischer 1984, and Moosleitner 1987.
Dürrnberg (Hallein), Austria
The Dürrnberg is located across the Salzach river from the modern city of Hallein in the northern Alps. Like Hallstatt, the Dürrnberg derived its prosperity from salt mining , processing and trading. We see here only two important bronze flagons from two of the many graves excavated and published in exemplary fashion by Penninger 1972, Moosleitner et al. 1974, Pauli 1978, Fischer 1984, and Moosleitner 1987.
Glauberg (Hessen), Germany
The Glauberg is a hill located ca. 32 km to the north-east of Frankfurt at Glauburg. The hilltop was fortified in antiquity. A circular trench ca. 70m in Dia around a large tumulus of ca. 50 m Dia was discovered from the air in 1987 and is currently being excavated. Leading to the tumulus from the SE was a road or "processional way" ca. 350 m long, 10 m wide. The excavation is visible to the right (south) of the wooded hill.
The Glauberg is a hill located ca. 32 km to the north-east of Frankfurt at Glauburg. The hilltop was fortified in antiquity. A circular trench ca. 70m in Dia around a large tumulus of ca. 50 m Dia was discovered from the air in 1987 and is currently being excavated. Leading to the tumulus from the SE was a road or "processional way" ca. 350 m long, 10 m wide. The excavation is visible to the right (south) of the wooded hill.