Sample Answer - Bronze Age

SAMPLE ANSWER - HIGHER LEVEL, 2008, 
QUESTION 2

“Irish Bronze Age gold artifacts reflect both the design skill and craft skill of their makers. Discuss this
statement with reference to form, function, decoration and metalworking techniques of any two named
gold objects from this period AND Write a brief account of the Bronze Age people in Ireland and on their sourcing of raw materials for their gold artifacts”

1.
MARKING SCHEME FOR HIGHER LEVEL, 2008, QUESTION 2
Names 5
Discussion of example 1
Form, function, decoration and metalworking techniques 15
Discussion of example 2
Form, function, decoration and metalworking techniques 15
Brief account of Bronze Age people, sourcing of raw materials 5
Sketches 10
Total 50

Intro
There are many beautiful gold artifacts which date back to the bronze age including Lunalae, Torcs and
Lock Rings, however, the two gold objects which I feel best encapsulate the design and craftsmanship
skill of the bronze age metalworker are the Golden Dress Fastener, or Fibula, and the Gleninsheen
Golden Gorget.

These two artifacts date back to the Late Bronze Age, between 900 and 700 B.C.. The dress fastener, or
Fibula as it was also known, was found in Clones in County Monaghan in 1820 and the Golden Gorget
was found in Gleninsheen in County Clare in 1932. THe two artefacts exemplify and reflect both the
design skills and craft skills of their creators.

Form

The Dress Fastener is a very simple concept. It consists of three basic shapes: a hollow handle and two
hollow terminals. e handle is attached to the terminals, which are conical in shape. They are very
large and heavy and weigh approximately 1,300 grams.
The Gleninsheen Golden Gorget is slightly more complex in form. the gorget, also known as a collar, is
a crescent-shaped necklace with a decorated disc on each end. It is constructed from five parts; the
crescent shape in the middle attached to two double discs at either end. the ends of the crescent are
pushed through a slot in the lower disc and stitched together. A slightly larger disc was then placed over
the lower disc and the edges are curled over to cover it.

Function

The Golden Dress Fastener was used as a double button which could be inserted into slits in a cloak to
hold the edges together. e terminals are thought to have been inserted by the wearer into large
buttonholes on a cloak or robe. ey would have been a sign of great power and wealth and it is likely
that they would only have been worn at ceremonial functions as a symbol of the wearer’s superior social
class.
The golden gorget similarly symbolised the high rank of the owner and was probably only worn at
ceremonial occasions too. They would have originally been fastened around the neck by a cord which
was linked to the ends of the collar.

Decoration

The dress fastener is thought to be of a Scandinavian design. The edges of the terminals are decorated
with rows of raised lines. On the terminals themselves are several concentric circles, each with a raised
bump in the center. On the join of the terminals and the handles are rows of parallel lines with a border
of hatched zigzags.
The Gleninsheen Golden Gorget is an outstanding piece of early Irish craftsmanship, bringing together
many decorative motifs typical of the Bronze Age. These included concentric circles, rope patterns and
raised bosses, both round and conical. There are eleven concentric circles placed around the main large
central concentric circles on the discs. Six molded rope patterns decorate the collar itself. In the center
of the two discs are conical bosses. Round bosses can be seen around the edges of the discs and the
collar. A smaller pattern of round bosses encircle the central concentric circles on the discs.

Metalwork Techniques

The actual form of the Golden Dress Fastener was made by hammering sheets of gold, and soldering
them together. The designs on the dress fastener were made using two metalwork techniques: incision
and repoussé. Incision is when the design is notched or scored onto the surface of the object this
method can be seen in the incised concentric and in the incised decoration of parallel lines and hatched
zigzags situated at the join of the terminals with the handle. The second technique, repoussé, is when
the design is hammered or punched out from the reverse side of the artifact. This method can be seen
in the raised bumps in the center of the concentric circles.
The same techniques were used in the decoration of the Gleninsheen Golden Gorget. The rope
moldings found on the crescent of the collar, and the raised bosses on the discs are an example of
repoussé. An example of the incision techniques would be the concentric circles found on the discs.


Bronze Age People

The Bronze Age people used a series of steps to retrieve the mineral ore from the rocks. First, they lit a
"re to expand the substance of the rock. They then threw cold water over the rock, causing the rock to
shatter due to the rapid change in temperature. Stone implements were then used to break down the
pieces of rock further. The small fragments of rock were then smelted down to free the metal. Different
rocks were used to extract different raw metals which were found at various locations around Ireland.
For example, copper was found at Cork, silver at Silvermines, and gold and lead were found in
Wicklow.