In the three noble tombs of Gomadigen, Baden-Württemberg and Harstadt, Austria, a variety of gold ornaments were found on the bodies of nobles, among which the most worn was the gold neck ring, and these neck rings were observed, understanding the craftsmanship of the "barbarians" to create gold neck rings, and feeling the fascination of people in the Iron Age with gold.
During the previous Bronze Age (2000 to 800 BC), gold was used in large quantities and sometimes as very heavy jewelry. Now, however, it is starting to be used for some specific purposes.
It has even become the privilege of the chiefs, whose glamorous funerals have been discovered, and hoarding gold has been used as a store of wealth and as a sacred sacrifice.
Especially at the end of the 6th century, Darius and the Persians were defeated on their way to Skitia. A later extension of the Macedonian kingdom, Athens is well known for its influence by classical peoples such as the Phoenicians, Greeks and Etruscans on the barbarian states of Western, Central, and Southeastern Europe, as can be seen in gold artifacts.
Although it is sometimes difficult to determine its exact origin, either these styles were assimilated by local artisans, or products, ideas and techniques were imported and partially imitated. According to writers of the period, barbarian Europe was so rich in metal ores and gold that a new method of gold processing seems to have developed here during the Iron Age.
"Barbarians", especially the Celts and Skittians, used gold in large quantities, and they hoarded large amounts of gold that were not all used to decorate women, men's gold rings on wrists and arms, heavy gold chains around their necks, precious fingers, and even gold "armor".
Because the Gauls were nomads, the number of gold objects found is small, dating back to the beginning of the Iron Age.
In the 8th century BC, some kind of crisis seemed to have arisen as the abundant gold processing centers of the Atlantic Bronze Age suddenly disappeared, and only a few rare examples of the use of gold were on the swords of heavy iron knights, the hilts covered with thin golden leaves.
In the necropolises of Gomadigen, Baden-Württemberg and Hallstadt, Austria, the great swords are also decorated with amber, ivory and other precious materials. A gold cup made of hammered foil printed with circles was found in the remains of the funeral of an old chariot of a warrior in Willingen, Bavaria.
However, in the 7th and mainly 6th centuries, a collection of tombs containing gold objects was excavated in different cultural regions of Europe. In most of these graves, the warriors were buried in a huge wooden morgue, under a huge mound or cart. The westernmost group of graves is located in the Celtic country, between Burgundy and Czechoslovakia.
The bodies of people of high social status were placed on a ceremonial four-wheeled chariot. During the "First Iron Age" (450 BC), most of the gold mines in this area were derived from these noble tombs or carts. They were usually built near large, fortified hilltop settlements, and such funerals were apparently reserved for those who were important in the community.
The ruler often occupies a central tomb, surrounded by minor funerals. In 1978-1979, in Eberdingen-Hochdorf in Baden, the staff of the funeral home was carefully excavated and studied. Drinking or ascension ceremonies appear to have been held around the deceased.
Along one of the walls of the room, 9 drinking corners decorated with gold bars are also part of the drinking service. Plates of nine people were piled up in front of the chariot, and the body of a 40-year-old man was placed on a bronze "gram thread" with his arrow barrel, and the man was decorated with many gold ornaments.
On his neck, a huge hammer ring showed marks of being deliberately broken, and the gold fibula on his chest was deformed and unusable. The belt buckle on the bronze support has impressive decorations, like neck rings, and there are also decorations on his shoes.
An iron dagger with a bronze handle and scabbard was also found beside him, decorated with a detachable gold sheet with a perforated pattern, completely different from the bronze blade of the weapon.
All neck rings are made of hammer blades in a round shape with no evidence of the use of solder, some are unadorned, some are multi-ornamented, and there are several circular lines "decorated" with dots, circles, diamonds, or other geometric patterns in the middle.
These neck rings are found from France to Austria and are almost certainly jewelry symbols of society.
At the end of the 19th century, in the funeral of chariots excavated from Atapremont, two bulky neck rings were found, in addition to a huge bronze cauldron, a flat cup or a vial made of a hammered gold coin with a relief in the center. Small buttoned hats and beads were sewn onto the man's clothes.
Not far away, St. Colombo, in Burgody, another rich man was buried in an iron chariot, along with two iron axes. He was adorned with a pair of large bracelets made of gold hammer plates, decorated with lines and rows of perforated cross bars.
In contrast to other similar finds, three strips were welded to it, the middle one was first embossed, and a pair of earrings in the grave also exhibited some original features, each consisting of individually manufactured parts and welded together, a new technique at the time.
The classical contribution of most of the barbarian countries of Europe to the art of gold processing seems to be strictly limited at this stage. The goldsmiths of the barbarians certainly learned from the work of their classical counterparts, but what they learned only complemented and modified their own craft, not fundamentally changed it.
One gets the impression that the Mediterranean are fascinated by the metalwork of the barbarians, just as the barbarians are fascinated by the products of the Mediterranean.
bibliography
Prehistoric Metalwork in Western Europe
Saint Louis Bay Basel Gold Fund
Final Study of Early Etruscan Gold Objects
