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

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

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.

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

EARLY BRONZE AGE ARTEFACTS 2000 BC-500BC

Sun’s Disk, Tedavent, Co. MonaghanLunula, 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.

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.

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. 

BISHOPSLAND PHASE,

RIBBON TORC, BELFAST

Flange twisted Torc, Tara, Co Meath

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.

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

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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 handle is made from solid gold

.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.

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.