Bracelets and Neckrings

Bracelets and Neck Rings

The neck ring is a typical feature of Celtic culture, even though similar neck jewellery was already common in the pre-Celtic Bronze Age and also among the Germanic tribes until the Viking Age. During the Celtic Latène period, so-called torques with buffer ends were very popular, both in simple versions made of iron or bronze wire, but also in considerably more elaborate variants with cast decorative elements. In ancient Mediterranean art, Celtic warriors are often depicted with these neck rings, as for example in the well-known statue of the "Dying Gaul" from Pergamon (picture). They can be found on Celtic sculptures, e.g. at the Glauberg, or in the ancient descriptions of Diodorus.

Archaeologically, neck rings are mainly found as burial objects in women's graves, but it was probably a kind of status symbol for both sexes in antiquity.