Iron Age Jewellery La Tene Bronze Brooch 6th-1st Century BC

Description

Heading: Iron age jewellery – La Tene Bronze Brooch

Material: Copper alloy

Period: Iron age to early Roman

Date: c6th century BC to 1st century AD

Origin: Central Europe to Britain

Condition: VF, pin present, nice patina, a very rare type of brooch in good condition

Description: Brooch made in three parts, the foot forming the catch-plate with decorated knop and openwork design, another knop to curved main body attached to coiled hinge, pin attached

Size and Weight: 39mm, 7.63g

References: cf. Hattatt’s ‘Ancient Brooches’ p19 – Involute Broches Variations, fig.6

Features and Provenance: Brooches as clothes fasteners have been made since the bronze age. As skills and metals advanced, so did the size and elaborateness of the fibulae. Our rare and unusual brooch, could have been made as early as the 6th century BC by the Iron Age people of the Le Tene tribe in Europe. Similar brooches have been found in Britain after being brought over by the Celts.  The type was undoubtedly copied by the Romans giving rise to the kraftig profilierte type fibulae in the Central European regions.

The openwork catchplate is very unusual, probably evolving from an involuted bending back of this part of the brooch, a definitive styling. The decorated knops along the bow of the brooch are somewhat reminiscent of a spine, particularly looking like vertebrae, which may have given rise to its alternative name of ‘vertebrae brooch.’

Condition Summary. This varies with the age of the artefact and there are grades between

Extremely Fine (EF). Very slight traces of wear, all parts of pattern etc present, visible and clear

Very Fine (VF). Some signs of wear on the higher parts of the relief. all parts of pattern etc present, but may be worn

Fine (F). Wear on the artefact and parts of item and pattern etc may be missing or not visible