The Iron Age: Celtic Art in Ireland (500 BC–AD 400)
By e end of is chapter I wi …
* have a definition for La Tène design
* understand the Celtic influence in Ireland * be able to draw and describe Dun Aengus,
Tène to Ultimate La Tène craft techniques.
the Turoe Stone, the Broighter Collar, the Loughnashade Trumpet and the Petrie Crown
* know how design developed from Insular La * have seen new developments in design and
Context
Iron technology and Celtic culture arrived after 500 BC, when the Roman Empire expanded into Northern Europe and pushed Celtic people north and west.
The Celts The Celts were a group of tribes that populated much of Europe from around 700 BC until the 3rd century AD. They were known to the Greeks and the Romans as the Keltoi.
Figure 22.1 The Dying Gaul of Pergamon. This Celtic warrior is naked for battle except for a torc around his neck. His weapons and trumpet lie around him on the ground.
They were renowned as warriors, horsemen and craftworkers, skilled in the production of a wide range of goods and weapons (Fig. 22.1). They worked in gold, bronze and iron.
Iron Technology The Celts had learned iron technology, which improved farming and military equipment and allowed them to expand their area of influence. Some hints of their art and technology reached Ireland by the 6th century BC, but did not seem to take root.
By the 5th century BC, a new style of Celtic art had developed called La Tène art. La Tène art was
CHAPTER 22 THE IRON AGE: CELTIC ART IN IRELAND (c. 500 BC–AD 400)
