Bronze Age  Ireland                                                                                                    

Bronze Age Gold from Ireland

Change came slowly to the inhabitants of Ireland 4,500 years ago and we must expect that burial practises, the use of flint and other stone tools from the Neolithic period overlapped the Irish Bronze Age  by many hundred if not thousands of years.  Flint was too useful a commodity to be abandoned overnight and the copper and bronze tools of the Bronze Age  in Ireland may well have been too expensive for all to aspire to.  

Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin.  The earlier part of the Bronze age is sometimes referred to as the Copper Age owing to the use of copper in a purer, but less useful state at that time.  Later on, the introduction of tin, likely imported from Wales made it possible to forge better and more sophisticated tools and weapons from the new alloy. These tools and weapons would have been available to just a few sections of society and this brought about social changes which saw hierarchies established with the ownership and access to the new metal being the overriding factor in where one ranked in this hierarchy.

Bronze Age sword and bucket from the Later Bronze Age.  The sword handle would have been made of wood or antler and, being organic, is not recovered when the swords come to light during archaeological excavation.  The holes in the handle are rivet holes.  These rivets would have secured the handle and possibly a small plate to protect the swordsman's hand.

Pottery too changed during the Bronze Age and among the earliest types one finds small elegantly crafted pots known as Beaker pottery.  Beaker pottery has also been found in Europe dating from around the same period. These Beaker pots were used as drinking vessels and it is still debated as to whther or not Beaker Folk arrived here from Europe bringing this particular tradition with them or if the use of such pots was adopted by those already resident here by the absorption of cultures which slowly filtered into the country. This early period was also when axes of copper were made and it is thought the axes had more symbolic value that practical value as axes.  Other implements of note from the time were tanged flint arrowheads, tanged copper daggers and stone wrist-guards.  

The bronze axeheads from the Bronze Age are particularly interesting as archaeologists have been able to classify them chronilogically and by so doing, been able to date other objects found in association.  The earliest copper axexhead was a Lough Ravel type and the evolution of this implement saw the method of affixing a handle changing a number of times. Other types are Killaha and Ballyvally.

The change-over from copper to Bronze took place around 1700BC.  Most of the finds of axeheads and other metal objects like awls, daggers and halberds are from stray finds rather than in burials or settlements. Halberds are odd looking implements that must have been ceremonial rather than having any practical use.  These were made of copper or bronze. Over 2000 axes have been found from Ireland's Early Bronze age.

Rough sketches of Bronze Age Axe-heads. The first three were secured to the wooden handle by being inserted into a hole in the handle or into a split handle which was then bound with leather and resin. The axe on the right looks odd but does have a sharpened axe cutting edge.

The axehead on right of picture which resembles a small jug/pitcher is from the Late Bronze Age.  Having the handle shaped and fitted into the head rather than the other way around was much more efficient. The  handle was used to secure a leather thong from the handle to the axe-head.  With the axe-head fitting into the wooden handle as before,the problem of splitting handles must have been a constant one.

The earliest copper mining recorded in Ireland is at Ross Island in Killarney, Co. Kerry. Mount Gabriel in Co. Cork presents the best evidence while at Derrycarhoon in Co. Cork six Bronze Age copper mining shafts were discovered under ten feet of turf-bog.  William O'Brien's 'Bronze Age Copper Mining in Britain and Ireland' published by Shire Publications is well worth a place on your shelf if you have an interest in this area of Irish archaeology. Mining was carried out by setting fires at the mine face and then using stone hammers to break the ore-bearing rock away from the face.  The ore was then taken to a place where wood was readily available to fuel the furnaces that were needed to melt the crushed ore. Tens of tons of dry wood had to be on hand to melt one ton of ore. Throughout the Bronze age Bronze Cauldrons, Shields, daggers and swords, were among the items found in different contexts.  Almost 120 bronze musical horns (some in pieces) have been recorded in Ireland. Some of these were almost S shaped and the curved trumpet part was held above the head and faced towards the audience. (Hearing a wonderful musical performance on one of these horns was the highlight of a visit to the National Museum a few years ago for me and my son.)

Ireland appears to have been rich in Gold in the Bronze Age and we are fortunate that many gold items have survived and are to be seen in the National museum in Dublin.  However, many of the gold artifacts found in Ireland during the nineteenth century were melted down for the gold or sent to museums in England. Some scholars make a good case for the importation of gold from Europe during the Bronze age as Ireland could not have produced the amount of gold needed to produce the estimated  amount of gold objects created.  There is plenty of evidence for trade between Ireland and Europe at that time.

 Gold ornaments are classified as Gorgets, Sleeve and dress fasteners, Gold discs, Bracelets, Gold Lunulae, and Gold Torcs.

Gold Gorget from Ireland's Bronze Age

The Vase Tradition is associated with cremation of the dead.  The vases were either in the grave with the burnt remains or actually contained the burnt remains.   Other vases were much larger and are called urns.  Encrusted urns were usually placed mouth downwards over the dead.  These are sometimes found during ploughing and the urns very often get broken.

Another Urn tradition is called Collared Urn tradition.  These cordoned urns are so-called because of the ribs or cordons on their sides.  They too are placed mouth down over the remains.

The Wedge tombs were a continuation of the Neolithic wedge tomb tradition.  which are described here.