Scotland in Pagan Times; The Iron AgeAnderson, Joseph
History
Scotland in Pagan Times; The Iron Age
Anderson, Joseph
Scotland -- Antiquities
A pair of these objects were found imbedded in the earth over the
entrance to a curious underground structure in the garden at Castle Newe
in Aberdeenshire. The structure was a long narrow curved subterranean
gallery about 50 feet in length and 7 feet wide on the floor. What
remained of the walls was only 4½ feet high, but showed that it had been
roofed over by bringing the walls gradually towards each other as they
increased in height, till the space could be covered with flat stones of
moderate length. [Illustration: Fig. 115.—Bronze Armlet, with enamelled
ornaments (one of a pair), found at Castle Newe, Aberdeenshire. Front
view (5¾ inches in diameter).] This form of structure, as we shall see
in a subsequent Lecture, is typical, and extends over the Celtic area.
The pair of objects found in association with this typically Celtic
structure are of quite a remarkable character. They are massively
formed, but highly decorated objects of cast bronze. It is obvious from
their form and decoration that they are designed for an ornamental
purpose. It is impossible that they could have been worn as personal
ornaments either with comfort or convenience, but that impossibility
does not necessarily invalidate the conclusion that they were personal
ornaments, because such things have been worn in all ages, although they
have entailed discomfort and inconvenience to the wearers. The special
form of the objects and the circumstance that a pair of them were found
together are suggestive of their use as armlets. Their form, as shown in
Fig. 115, is the typically Celtic form—penannular, with rounded and
slightly-expanded ends. These terminal expansions have circular spaces
in the centre, bordered by a double raised edging, and filled with
plaques of bronze [Illustration: Fig. 116.—Bronze Armlet, found at
Castle Newe, Aberdeenshire. Back view (5¾ inches in diameter).]
ornamented with chequered patterns of red and yellow enamels. These
bronze plaques are fixed in their places by iron pins. The body of the
armlet (Fig. 116) is divided longitudinally into three distinct ridges
or bands with convex surfaces, separated by narrow bands of a tooled
chevrony ornament, which lie along the furrows between the ridges. At
intervals there rise from the ridges solid, flattened, and curvilinear
projections of about ¾ inch in length, placed obliquely across the
ridges, and standing in rows from side to side of the armlet. These are
connected longitudinally by less highly raised trumpet-shaped scrolls,
slightly curved, and passing obliquely across till they meet in the
centre. The median ridge stops short at the circular spaces in the
terminal expansions, while the exterior ridges on either side pass round
to form the border of the expansion on which the projecting ornaments
are continued in a less pronounced form. The general contour of the
armlets is that of an oval slightly compressed from front to back. Their
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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