This slideshow is to introduce Secondary School art history students to the Bronze Age in Ireland

1. THE BEAKER PEOPLE
-Came from Central Europe approx. 2000 bc and lived in the North and east of
Ireland.
-the Beaker People get their name from their pottery
--they came to Ireland in search of copper and gold deposits
--they traded with the gold and copper in Britain and Europe

2. THE BEAKER PEOPLE MADE DISTINCTIVE COIL BUILT POTTERY.
THESE WERE USE TO BURY THE CREMATED REMAINS OF THE
DEAD. IN IRELAND THESE WERE ALSO USED FOR THE STORAGE
OF FOOD STUFFS

3. COPPER MINES IN MOUNT GABRIEL IN CO. CORK. OTHER
MINES ARE FOUND IN AVOCA IN WICKLOW AND THE MOURNE
MOUNTAINS FROM THE BRONZE AGE
Alluvial gold was found in nuggets
and was panned for in the rivers
and streams.
Tin was mixed with copper to
make Bronze.

4. Bronze Axe
Heads. These
were cast in
bronze and
mounted on a
wooden handle.
This was the first time that that metal objects were made
in Ireland. Bronze was the metal used to make practical
tools and implements such as cooking pots, axes and
shields. Bronze is a hard metal that made by melting a
small amount of Tin with Copper.
The Lough Gur Shield.
Made of Bronze -found at Loch
Gur in Co Limerick. It has large
central boss and concentric
circles of smaller bosses radiating
out from the centre

5. EARLY BRONZE AGE ARTEFACTS 2000 BC-
500BC
Sun’s Disk, Tedavent, Co. Monaghan
Lunula, Ross Co. Meath
Can you
identify any of
the
decoration?
Early bronze Age objects were cut
from one piece of gold and were
decorated with simple geometric
patterns.

6. GOLD DISK, FOUND IN CO
MONAGHAN
Gold Disks were made by hammering a piece of gold until it became
very flat and thin. This gold foil was then cut into a circular shape. Sun
Discs were decorated with designs using a technique called
repousse.
Repousse is where a design is made by punching into the
metal from the back so that on the front of the metal the
design stands up in relief.

7. LUNULA FOUND IN CO MEATH
Lunula were usually
decorated with chevron (zig-
zag) design using a technique
called ‘Incision’ where the
design was cut directly into the
front of the metal using a sharp
tool.
The lunula was to be worn around the neck
like a collar and tied at the back by twisting
the wide paddles against each other.

8. BISHOPSLAND PHASE,
RIBBON TORC, BELFAST
Flange twisted Torc,
Tara, Co Meath

9. THE DERRYNABOY ARMBANDS FROM CO.
OFFALY
These were
decorated on a
flat sheet of gold
and the
repousse
technique was
used to create an
alternate pattern
of rope and
smooth rows.

10. Homework to be handed in on Friday
Draw the Suns Disk , Lunula, Torcs and the
Derrynaboy armbands.
Label the your drawings with the different
patterns and metalworking techniques you
can see

11. CLASS WORK
What is the form of the a. the gold disk b. the
lunula and c. the torc?
What material are all of these objects made
from?
How was the material prepared for use by the
craftsman?
What types of designs or patterns are on a. the
gold disk ,b. the Lunula and c. the torc
How were these designs applied to the metal
objects and name the specific techniques used.

12. THE GOLDEN AGE – DOWRIS PHASE AFTER 800
BC
Gleninsheen Gorget,
found in a rock crevice in Co.
Clare
Shape;The basic
shape of the gorget
can be described as
crescent shaped with
two disks at either
end.

13. The Gleninsheen gorget is a
technical and artistic achievement at
the apex of goldworking in the
Europe of its time.
It was made by applying a range of
techniques: repousse, raising,
stamping, twisting and stitching.
This kind of work can only have
come from a highly evolved society
with a population dense enough to
support specialist artists, sufficiently
settled to develop its own
sophisticated traditions.
The discs at the terminals of the
collar are decorated with spiral
patterns of extraordinary finesse.

14. HOMEWORK
How would you go about making a gorget
using the techniques of the bronze age
craftsmen? Use the following headings ;
Materials and preparation
Forming the shape of the object
Decorating the object
Making sure that the object can be worn
comfortably.
Use sketches to illustrate your answer.

15. THE GOLDEN AGE – DOWRIS PHASE AFTER 800
BC
Gold Fibula
found in
Clones Co.
Monaghan.
It’s basic shape
could be
described as a
bow shaped
handle with a
cup shaped
disk on either
end.
The bow

16. .Decoration Three small hatched triangles lie along the crest of
the bow. Three bands of parallel lines, run around the bases of
the bow. A hatched chevron design runs around the margins of
this band of decoration, both above and below.
Function-It functioned as a double button meant to
slip through two holes in a garment such as a cloak.
The terminals are magnificently decorated with small hollows
surrounded by concentric circles, scattered freehand and
occasionally touching one another.
Techniques The bow is made from solid gold cast into
shape. The concave terminals were beaten into shape
and attached .
Incision is used to create the patterns.

18. GOLD HAIR RINGS- LATE BRONZE AGE
Function- For holding hair in place.
Shape- two cones held together with a
binding strip
A central tube with tiny raised bosses holds
the hair in place.
Decorative technique- The grooves on the
surface of the hair rings are made with wire
closely bound together and finely soldered.