Iron Age & Celtic Antiquities
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1 Iron Age & Celtic Antiquities - with price guide by Vincent McCarthy 4 Nowadays it would be hard to they do not appear on the market too imagine life without iron and steel, the often. A repaired piece may be available most widely used metals in the world for £100 to £200 whilst others in better today; yet iron was discovered almost condition will be much more. Other certainly by accident in the eastern materials such as bone or shale was Boar brooch found in Mediterranean towards the end of the used for small personal items. Bone Scotland. First to second second millennium BC. combs, pins and awls are sometimes century AD. £135. The iron bearing ores were more found and occasionally beads and rings widespread and plentiful than copper of polished shale. Celtiberian fibula circa 5 but had the disadvantage of needing In mainland Europe the Celts were fourth century BC, 5cm high temperatures to purify and smelt flourishing. They were a diverse people long. £30. the ores. At first iron was a scarce metal with similar religion and culture and sometimes used to decorate bronze spoke the same Indo European shields and spearheads but eventually language. From their tribal centres at the smelting procedures were mastered Hallstatt in Austria and later at La Tene and iron began to be used alongside in Switzerland they began to produce a bronze for tools and weapons. Its use wonderful variety of objects in bronze spread slowly north and west over and iron, all decorated in their Europe eventually reaching Britain by distinctive Celtic style. 2 the seventh century BC. They were fierce warriors and fine Barrel shaped dress As this was an agricultural society horsemen, fond of feasting and appar- fastener found in Yorks. the first use of the exciting new metal ently inclined to be loud and boastful! 30mm. £45. was for tools such as sickles, billhooks, Their art certainly reflects their tongs and axes. Very few of these early character. It is full of free flowing lines, Iron Age tools come onto the market swirls and curves and vibrant colours. today. This may be due to the low The craft workers produced wonderful 6 survival rate of iron in the ground, but work for the chiefs and princes such as may also indicate a slow conversion to fine bronze helmets and profusely the new metal. decorated shields, heavy bronze neck At this early stage there is little torcs and armlets and elaborate mirrors evidence of iron weapons in Britain and cauldrons, most of which ended up apart from the occasional import from in impressive burials. The ordinary mainland Europe. The collector will be people had to make do with smaller hard pressed to find home produced items such as cloak pins, fibulae and La Tene fibula circa third swords or spearheads but may well pick toilet articles. century BC. Found in up imported types. Iron sword blades During the fourth century BC the Norfolk. £85. with simple tang handles can be less Celts were becoming restless. The than £200 but examples with bronze population was growing and perhaps guards or handles will be at least double needing new land and raw materials that price. they began to move south towards the Horses began to be used for pulling Mediterranean. Cynics have suggested Decorative stud of carts or chariots so various types of that they were moving nearer to the 3 trumpets style. Durham. harness rings and fittings in iron and sources of their beloved wines which Circa first century AD. bronze began to appear. These are they consumed in vast quantities and £45. available to collectors at modest prices. had to transport great distances. An iron ring can be be found for say £30 Under their leader Brennus, thirty 7 but you will have to pay rather more for thousand Celtic warriors made swift bronze pieces which are usually more progress into the Balkans and Greece, decorative and better preserved. eventually reaching Delphi. Gold from There was also the beginnings of a the Delphic treasury was taken back to home grown pottery industry. Bowls Gaul before the Greeks, aided by a and dishes are popular along with larger severe winter, drove them back. After storage jars. At first these were hand similar early success in Italy the Celts made by the coil method, but later, were repulsed by the increasingly around the second century BC the powerful Romans. Turning their sights potter’s wheel was introduced into westwards to Gaul, Spain and Britain Celtic brooch of trumpets Bronze applique bust of Britain. These Iron Age pots can be very thousands of Celtic warriors and their style. Circa first century Atys. Humberside. Circa appealing with bold forms and families were on the move, arriving in AD. Lincs. £50. first century AD. £145. burnished or incised decoration, but Britain in the third century BC. ANTIQUES INFO - September/October 02 Roman writers tell us that the Celts found it 15 impossible to unite together for very long so we find 8 12 the various tribes settling in their own tribal areas, each with its own centre or oppidium. There was obviously some tension as we find hillforts being established around this time, many of which continued to be used right up until the Roman invasion in the first century AD. To the Celts certain animals were revered or even sacred. The horse and its goddess Epona was a great favourite. Epona was sometimes depicted as a white mare. Perhaps the lively white horses carved into the chalk hillsides are meant to represent her. The bull and the boar were symbols of great power and strength, used to protect warriors in combat. The Applique bust of a young Sandstone head of a male dog was also important, especially in hunting. All of male. From Oxfordshire. found in the west of Bronze seated and bound these creatures are found represented on Celtic 30mm. £85. England. Circa first captive figurine. artefacts, sometimes in very stylised form. Another century AD. 11cm in Northumberland. A rare favourite cult centred around the severed human height. £350. item. Circa first to second head. The Celts believed that the head was the site of century AD. £195. 13 the soul and they often decapitated their enemies to carry off the heads as valuable and powerful 16 trophies. 9 Other decorative elements such as trumpets, cornucopias, triskeles and lotus buds had been carried over from La Tene and were widely used in Britain. The Celts used all of these on the rein rings and harness decoration for their horses. So abundant Bronze knobbed terret and flamboyant were the bronze ornaments that it is ring found in a wonder the poor creatures could break into a Northumberland. 50mm gallop, but the Romans assure us that they did! in diameter. First to The collector should be able to find a variety of second century AD. £95. horse decoration and chariot fittings. Simple pieces Enamelled stud found in start from £50 whilst the more stylish and enamelled Essex. Circa first century pieces can be £100 or more. A really fine piece of AD. 25mm. £50. red and blue enamel measuring three inches or so Bronze applique can make £500 or even more. Fibulae and brooches 14 ornament in the forepart are usually available from £30 to £75, but anything of a boar. Found in with animals will command a higher price. A range 10 Essex. 30mm high. £75. of bronze toggles or dress fasteners were made exclusively in these islands and are found mostly in the west and north. They are quite inexpensive, being no more than £40 or £50 for most examples. The sacred animals mentioned above sometimes The antiquities series appear on decorative studs used to adorn will continue in our leatherwork, belts and straps etc. They also appear next edition with on the handle mounts from ceremonial buckets. Enamelled stud with Roman Britain. This is These are widely sought by collectors and good ‘eyes’ motif from Kent. still being negotiated specimens can make £150 to £250 each, more if you 23mm. £55. and may require a are lucky enough to find a matching pair. second part in the After the Roman invasion the Celtic metal Bronze bull’s head bucket subsequent edition. workers were prevented from making weapons and handle mount found near 11 armour for their tribal princes so they turned their York. 55mm long. £125. attention to satisfying the needs of the civilian market. A kind of mass production came into being producing small personal and domestic items. As Romanization spread from the south the Celtic 17 workers migrated northwards into the territory of the Brigantes and eventually into Scotland where they still flourished into the third century AD. Celtic art continued to survive in a few western Domed stud with triskeles outposts such as Ireland, until medieval times. motif. Glos. 25mm. £85. Today there is something of a revival of the art and mythology in the New Age movements. Luckily for collectors there is a wide range of smaller bronze Photographs ex the pieces from the British Isles on offer at very Author’s collection and affordable prices. It is also possible to add a few the Leslie Harrison Running horse stud found in Norfolk. 25mm long. pieces from mainland Europe to increase the scope collection. of a collection. £110. ANTIQUES INFO - September/October 02 .