The Bronze Age

(2000 BC- 500 BC)

Background
Early 2000BC-1500BC, Middle 1500BC-1200BC,
Late 1200BC-500BC
Developed in Central Europe.
Bronze Age began in the north & east of the country.
People who developed metal technology in Ireland were of
a different culture to the Stone Age.(Beaker People)
Beaker People - From Mainland Europe
Accessed the country from the Shannon Estuary
Came to Ireland in search of bronze & gold deposits.
People now use bronze to make their weapons and
tools instead of stone.
Bronze Age Structures & Settlement

Design of tombs changed

People laid to rest in: Cists or Pits
Ceremonial sites e.g.: Standing Stones, Hilltop Forts, Earthen Banks
Burial Customs: Unburnt burial & Cremation
Corpses were often placed in crouching positions- Allowed for smaller graves.
Many tombs were found close to copper mines which were needed for making bronze and reflected use of
resources.

Beaker Pottery
Graves contained Beaker pottery- used to hold
ashes or contained offerings of food or drink for the
spirit deceased.
Pottery decorated with incised patterns made from
a comb. Patterns included: slanted line
herringbone motif & cross hatched triangles.
Encrusted or applied relief strip lattice ornament.

Beaker pottery found in burial sites.

Most Houses and fences were made from wood with wattle & daub ceilings. This meant that over time the
wood began to rot leaving very little evidence.
Domestic animals were kept e.g. Cattle, sheep, goats, dogs.
Fulacht Fian was a wood lined box in the ground that was filled with water. Stones were heated in a fire
and thrown into the water to cook food.
Crops were grown e.g. Barley & wheat.
Improvements in farming meant hunting and gathering ceased.
Better farming led to a healthier & bigger population as a result competition for land increased and the
demand for stronger Bronze Age weapons grew larger.
As skills developed smiths made bronze pots and cauldrons for cooking, horns for music and jewellery in
gold and bronze

Cists
Simpler, cheaper and more common (growing
population)
Small stoned lined box
Usually 1 metre in length
covered with a large slab
contained an upturned pot with
cremated remains underneath
offerings of food or drink for the spirit deceased
large groups of Cists- Flat Cemetery
Carefully constructed Cists indicate a special
status.
Example: Gaulstown Cist

Buried with
offerings

Stone Circles
May have been used as burial sites or ritual sites.
Large stones placed in a circle.
Stone circle, Drombeg Co. Cork (below)

Grange Stone circle (Co. Limerick

Grange Stone circle (Co. Limerick

Largest in Ireland
113 standing stones
149.5m in circumference
2 large portal stones at entrance
Largest stone is called Rannach Crom Dubh and is over 40 tonnes
It was transported over a distance of 3 miles.
Its orthostats are connecting rather than free standing.
The precise arrangement of Orthostats suggests it was used as a ritual site.
Beaker pottery found here as well as animal and human remains.
Aligned on the sunrise of the summer solstice.

Summer Solstice- Solstice comes from the Latin solsitium, or sun stands
still. The sun does indeed appear to stand still on the solstice, as it reaches
its highest point in the sky. This illusion occurs because the Earths is tilted
as far as it goes toward the sun. Summer Solstice marks the beginning of
Summer. Longest day of the year.

Bronze Age Metalwork

Evidence of Bronze Age metalwork found in: Mount Gabriel Co. Cork, The Vale of Avoca
Co.Wicklow and the Mourne Mountains.
Different from Stone Age as they used metal instead of rock, this suggests they were a different
culture to the Stone Age people.
It was low technology mining
Gold was found in nuggets or by panning alluvial deposits in rivers.
As technology improved sophisticated moulds and processes were developed.
Copper was mined by:
1 Roasting ore bearing rock
2 Cracking it by throwing cold water on it
3 The broken stone was dug out and the pieces with the highest concentration of copper oxides
were smelted.
4 The molten copper was pure into stone moulds and cast into shape.

Tin was imported from Britain

The combination of tin and copper made alloy Bronze.
Bronze is harder than copper and can hold a sharp edge for longer.
Trumpets, shields, tools & weapons were made from bronze.

Decorative Gold Objects

Early Bronze Age objects were made from a single piece of gold as the technology for joining
pieces together using gold solder had not been developed yet.
Gold nuggets/ ingots were hammered into thin flat sheets and cut to shape.
Craftsmen were highly skilled and careful workers- one wrong move would tear the sheet.
Decoration
Simple decoration
Geometric patters
Combination of circles, triangles, dots and straight lines were used.
Incising- cutting lines and patterns into the surface.
Repouss technique - raising designs to the surface by hammering from the reverse side.
Repouss Technique

hammered from reverse side

gold sheet laid face down on a flat surface
pattern created using chasers (chisel like tools)
when pattern was finished object was turned face up to reveal design
design projects from the surface
careful craftsmanship- easy to tear thin sheet
Images sourced from Appreciating Art history for leaving cert

Early Bronze Age 20001500BC

Sun Disc
Early Bronze Age (2000BC)
Function:
Two holes near the centre suggest that the discs might have been sown onto a garment or belt.
Probably worn by someone of importance of stature in society.
No Christian symbolism ( 2000 years before Christ)
Structure:
Circular in shape
11cm in diameter
Cut from thin sheet of beaten gold
Example: Sun discs Tedavent Co. Monaghan
Decoration:
Repouss Technique.
Patterned with ridges, chevrons and dots.
Two holes near centre
Triangles appear at centre & end of arms also between the arms of the cross shape against the surrounding
circles.
No Christian symbolism ( 2000 years before Christ) this design is simply a result of geometric patterns
Bands of dots, ridges & chevrons at edges

Gold Lunula
Early Bronze Age (after 1800 BC)
Function:
Neck collar
Status symbol or magical item
Structure:
gold hammered into thin sheet - cut to crescent moon shape
often plain surface - decorated with incised lines
Example: Lunula Ross Co. Westmeath
Decoration:
pattern of lines, triangles & chevrons incised into surface
pattern concentrated into narrow ends
four patterned areas

 parallel lines and chevrons separated with hatched lines.

rows of hatched triangles on each side of parallel lines.
Main body = plain

surrounded by two rows of lines edged in triangles.

Middle Bronze Age 1500-1200BC

Flanged gold earrings
Late 13th Century
Function:
Worn as earrings.
Structure:
Flange twisted.
Four flanges were created by hammering out the edges of
an angled bar of gold and twisted to 180 degrees.

The impression of a small round headed hammer

can be clearly seen.
Rod like ends.
3.6cm in diameter.
Decoration:
Flanged & twisted.

The Golden Age / Late Bronze Age 800 BC (Dowris

phase)
Huge upsurge in metal work production in Ireland

Torcs (1200- 1000 BC Late

Bronze Age)
Bishopsland phase
twisted gold
Example: Two Gold Torcs, Tara Co. Meath
Function: Neck ornament

Structure:
contain over 1 kilo of gold between them
large in size
Strap of gold was beaten to reduce thickness. Then twisted.
extensions (locking device) to the terminals - not seen
anywhere else
Ribbon Torc Belfast
made from bars of square or rectangular section
angles hammered up (flanges)
required highly skilled expertise to manipulate
a long bar

Two Gold Torcs

Fibula (800BC onwards)

Images sourced from Appreciating Art history for leaving cert

Function:
May have been a dress fastener
Larger ones - ceremonial use ( due
to heaviness)
Structure:
Made up of a gold bow or handle
Cup shaped or flat discs at each end
Basic form was cast
Cups or discs at the end were
hammered out into required shape
Example: Clones Co. Monaghan
Kilo of solid gold
Large open cup ends
Decoration:
Cups decorated with rows of small concentric circles with a hollow in the centre of each.
Three grooves cut into the outer edge of cups.
Area where bow (handle) joins cup - incised triangles and bands of lines
Triangles on top of bow.

Gorget (800-700BC)
Function:
Worn at the neck as a high status item.
Structure:
semi circular collar.
crescent shaped body.
gold disc at each end.

 The discs were made from two layers with the edges of the larger back disc
wrapped over the front to create a finished edge.
The discs were attached to the collar by stitching gold wire.
Gold wire was made by cutting a narrow strip &
twisting it. Used to cover leather thonging to make
necklaces or for stitching two pieces together.

Decoration:
Crescent shaped body of the collar has rows of
Repouss decoration - plain and rope patterned
Discs are patterned with rows of beads and
concentric circles with a smooth cone at the centre.
Example: Glenisheen Gorget

Lock Rings (600BC)

Function:
Hair ornament
Structure:
Constructed from four main pieces.
Two cones are held together with a
circular binding strip.
Central tube with small bosses to
grip hair.
The grooves on the surface of the cone
are made with wire bound and soldered.
Example: Gorteenreagh Co. Clare

Sunflower Pin (1000-600BC)

Function:
Attached to clothing
Structure & Decoration:
made from bronze
small central boss (11mm in diameter)
bent stem
head is surrounded by a series of concentric
circles.
narrow undecorated area outside this ridge
along the edge
Length of pin: 14.6cm.
Example: Sunflower Pin Lahardan, Co, Clare

Bronze Cauldron (7th Century BC)

Function:
Cooking vessel for meat
Two large rings used to suspend it from a pole and carry to a feast.
Structure:
Sheet bronze cooking pot with turned out rim & handles.
56cm in diameter.
Decoration:
Pointed rivets that hold the plates of sheet bronze together.
May have been an intentional design to speed up the boiling
process.
Example: Bronze Cauldron, Catlederg,
Co.Tyrone

Bulla (800-700BC)
Function:
Possibly worn as a pendant
around neck.
Or an amulet to ward off evil or
ensure fertility.
Structure:
Lead or clay covered with
sheet gold.
6.4cm long
Decoration:
Repouss Technique
Concentric circles
Semi-circles
Triangles
Gold Wire filigree- Patterns made of soldered gold wires. Never applied directly.
Formed on small foil panels & fixed in place. Usually in recesses cast for the
purpose.
Example: Bulla, Bog of Allen, Co.Kildare

Gold Armlets/Wristlets (1200-600BC)

Found in a Co. Offaly bog in 1959
Found as part of a small hoard
Function:
Worn as jewellery.
Structure:
Made from sheet gold.
For strength, the thin edges of the sheet
were folded over to form a raised border.
Gold was curled into a cylindrical shape.
Decoration:
Repouss
Punched Motifs
Decoration was arranged in linear bands
of alternating punched & plain ridges.

Example: The Derrinboy Armlets, Co.Offaly

Images sourced from:
National Gallery website http://arthistoryleavingcert.com/prechristian-ireland-2/bronze-age/

Information sourced from:

Images sourced from Appreciating Art history for leaving cert
Less stress for more success (Leaving cert art)
http://arthistoryleavingcert.com/pre-christian-ireland-2/bronze-age/
http://myleavingcertnotes.blogspot.ie/2012/05/v-behaviorurldefaultvmlo.html

Illustrate the Lunula in the box provided. Dont

for get to label the key design Features.

Illustrate the Boighter Colar in the box provided.

Dont for get to label the key design Features.

Questions:
1

Give the dates of the Bronze Age.

2 Give examples of a ceremonial site.

3 What is a Cist? What is its Function?

4 Describe the process of making copper.

5 Where did the Beaker people come from?

6 How does Bronze differ from copper?

7 What is incising?

8 What is Repouss?

9. Name one object from the Early Bronze Age. Describe its function, structure &
decoration. Include a labelled illustration also.

10. Name one object from the Middle Bronze Age. Give its function, structure &
decoration. Include a labelled illustration also.

11. Name one object from the Late Bronze Age. Describe its function, structure &
decoration. Include a labelled illustration also.

Leaving Certificate Exam Questions:

Gold-working techniques developed during the Bronze Age in Ireland allowed for the
production of beautifully crafted artefacts.
Discuss this statement with reference to the two examples illustrated on the
accompanying sheet.
In your answer name both types of artefact and refer to form, function, and the
techniques used in their production and decoration.
and
Briefly discuss what you know about the Bronze Age people in Ireland.
Illustrate your answer.
(2014 H.L)

The Lunula illustrated on the accompanying sheet is an example of Irish metalwork

from the Bronze Age.
Answer (a), (b), and (c).
a What was its function?
b Describe and discuss this object under the following headings:
- how it was made
- decoration.
c Sketch and give a brief description of one other piece of metalwork from the
Bronze Age.
Illustrate your answer.
(2014 O.L)