S5006663

The earliest types of eastem-Celtic glass omaments

Maciej Karwowski

Artefacts dated to the second half of the third cen-tury BC provide the first evidence in European prehis-tory of spedalised local glass Processing in Europę out-side the Mediterranean World. This evidence is in the form of glass bracełets occurring commonly on La Tene sites from the beginning of the Middle La Tene period or about the middle of the third century BC. These finds, with no parallels in Mediterranean cultures or in other areas adjoining those of the La Tene culture, display many common features. both as regards technology and style. They therefore seem to be a completeły original creation within the La Tene cultural millieu. The bracelet as an ornament type, an heirloom of the Hallstatt tradi-tion, isnotso widespread in any other culture during this period. La Tene bracełets are not only formed from glass, but also cast or forged from all types of metal asd weli as being tumed from lignite or spropolite. Already in the Middle La Tene period, glass bracełets represent the most numerous category of finds, apart from pottery on La Tene sites; moreover, they are known from all of the setttements that have been well investigated archaeo-łogically. However, up to now, not one glass workshop has been identified in archaeological materiał at La Tene sites. and their hypothetical iocation still remains the subjecł of debate. Despite this, such a elear concentra-fon of glass bracelet finds and their styiistic uniqueness provide us with the certainty that, within this culture, glass musthave been at least worked, and perhaps even madę focaHy. It is not known whether the ancient Cełts, the creators of La Tene culture, ever mastered the technique of mełting glass, or only processed imported raw ma-teriais. Glass workshops must have been efficiently organ ised and the craftspersons or artists highly speciali-sed, However, in contrast to the Mediterranean wortd, La T&ne glass was a raw materiał employed almost ex-ciusively for making omamental rather than utilitarian objeets.

This sudden development of a glass industry in such a short time must have been linked not only to the fact that the new technology was adopted for local needs and tastes, but also to the influxofqualified arbsans from outside. A high level of conformity of the forms of the bracełets is also noticeable throughout the vast area of La Tene culture. This is true even for the earliest and least common forms of these omaments. At the same time, the characteristic style demonstrated from the very beginning by the glass bracełets indicates the elear orien-tation of the aesthetic tastes of its La Tene creators. It is worth noticing that the omamentation of some of the earliest glass bracełets cłearty draws on the ‘Plastic style* of earły Celtic art as defined by Paul Jacobsthal (1944: 97-103). Only a relatively smali number of the earliest dated forms of glass bracełets and their decorations seem to display local styiistic features. These finds are concentrated in smali sub-regions. thus suggesting hypothetical production sites and distribution zones. In the developed Middle La Tfene period, the number of this type of artefact falls considerably.

From the very beginning of La Tóne glass-working, glass bracełets are works of art peculiar to this culture. A short time later, they are joined by massive, often cha-racteristically decorated glass ring-shaped beads. It is considerably morę difficutt. however, to ciassify smali glass beads or pendants fbund in large numbers as be-longing to the caregory of La Tene works of art even when they are decorated spedmens.

Among the many various types of La Tene glass bracełets. a very rare form found only in in the eastem Celtic area is bracełets of Group 15 according to Haevemick*s system (1960: 63), also defined as the Ersekujvar type