away over the centuries, although evidence of a widespread population has survived through burial sites and finds of Bronze Age objects.
Tomb design changed during the Bronze Age. In most areas of the country the dead were laid to rest in pits or stone-lined cists. In the west of Ireland, wedge tombs, which were related to the court cairns of the Stone Age, were still being built. None of these burial sites had the drama of the Stone Age monuments.
Art Elements and
Design Principles Early Bronze Age gold objects were decorated with simple abstract geometric patterns, such as circles, triangles, dots and straight lines. These elements were repeated and combined in various ways to make up the range of designs used by the first goldsmiths in Ireland (Fig. 21.7).
Concentric circles
Cross- hatching
Triangles
within circle Chevron Punch marks Some combinations of designs
Beads within circles of beads
Raised cone shapes Some combinations of designs
Circle
Hatching
Parallel lines
Parallel ridges Rows of beads Rope or string pattern
