Some sheet metalwork was still being made during the Bishopsland Phase.
l Form: Rectangles of gold sheet were decorated using repoussé and curved to form a cylindrical band.
l Function: These bands would have been worn on the upper arm or at the wrist, probably as a sign of rank or status.
l Technique: Rectangles cut from a thin gold sheet were decorated with repoussé patterns and heated so they could be curved to form a band.
l Decoration: Boldly patterned in alternate rows of smooth and string-patterned ridges of repoussé, there is an area of finer string- patterned ridges arranged vertically beside the opening of the bands (Fig. 21.15).
The Late Bronze Age: The Golden Age (The Dowris
Phase) (1200–500 BC) Sometime after 800 BC, there was a huge upsurge in metalwork production in Ireland. New types of bronze tools and weapons and gold ornaments have been discovered in buried hoards all over the country, but particularly in the area of the lower Shannon River. This was Ireland’s first Golden Age.
The Clones Fibula from Smooth repoussé band
Co. Monaghan A fibula is made up of a gold bow or handle with a flat or cup-shaped disc at each end (Fig. 21.16). The basic form would have been cast and the cups or discs at the end of the bow would be hammered out into the required shape. Fibulae come in a variety of shapes, both decorated and undecorated.
l Form: Made from a kilogram of solid gold, the Clones Fibula has large open-cup ends connected by a bow or handle (Fig. 21.17).
Rope-patterned band Figure 21.15 The Derrinaboy Armbands.
l Function: Fibulae are often described as dress fasteners, where the button-like ends could have been put through holes on a cloak or tunic. However, some of the shapes you can see in the photograph (see Fig. 21.16) could not have been used in this way. They may have been status or trading items. What do you think?
Triangles
End cups can be different sizes and shapes
Figure 21.16 A selection of fibulae.
Concentric circles
Figure 21.17 The Clones Fibula. CHAPTER 21 THE BRONZE AGE (c. 2500–500 BC) 305
