A guide to the antiquities of the bronze age in the Department of British and mediæval antiquities . e main shelf, are other antiquities ofthe Bronze ago from this collection, all being from the Champagnedistrict or the Ijower Rhone, except two primitive copper daggersof a well-known form from Cyprus (like fig. 117). A small seriesof celts contains examples of most of the French forms, and arearranged in their probable chronological order, beginning on theleft. On the back slope with other specimens, on a board, maybe seen a peculiar spear-head with circular holes and slits in theblades (fig.
A guide to the antiquities of the bronze age in the Department of British and mediæval antiquities . e main shelf, are other antiquities ofthe Bronze ago from this collection, all being from the Champagnedistrict or the Ijower Rhone, except two primitive copper daggersof a well-known form from Cyprus (like fig. 117). A small seriesof celts contains examples of most of the French forms, and arearranged in their probable chronological order, beginning on theleft. On the back slope with other specimens, on a board, maybe seen a peculiar spear-head with circular holes and slits in theblades (fig. 136), and an example of a British or Irish type oflance-head, with loops on the socket. GOLD ORNAMENTS 145 GOLD ORNAMENT ROOM. There is no doubt that gold wiis known in some parts ofEurope in the neolithic period, and it may possibly have beenthe first metal worked in this part of the world. It was obtainedabundantly in four centres : (i) Macedonia, Thrace, and Thasos ;(ii) Hungarj and Transylvania ; (iii) Spain ; and (iv) Ireland, themineral AveaUii of the Ural mountains not being accessible at. Fig. 137.—Gold collar, Llanllyfni, Carnarvonshire. that early date. Gold ol^jects dating fronr the Bronze age aregenerally of native metal (alloyed ^\-ith silver), and are mostlyornamental, though several ponderous axe-heads of the preciousmetal have Vjeen found in Transylvania. The collection here ismainly from the British Isles, and a peculiar interest attachesto the crescent-shaped ornaments, sometimes called lunulae(fig. 137), which are undoubtedly of Irish origin. They wereworn on the neck, and not as diadems on the heads, and are ofvery rare occurrence on the Continent, examples from France(Depts. Manche, Cotes-du-Nord, and Vendee) and Denmark (Zea-land and Fiinen) showing intercourse with Ireland either by 146 GOLD ORNAMENT ROOM way of Britain or more probably direct by sea. Ships carvedon the rocks of Sweden as well as at New Grange and Dowth,Co. Meath, and Gavrinis, Morbiha
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