Robert M Chapple, Archaeologist

Continuing my series of images of artefacts from the National Museum of Ireland, I’d like to highlight the beautiful gold lunula from Rossmore Park,  Drumbanagher, Co. Monaghan.  Conventionally, these artefacts are divided into the groups know as ‘Classical’, ‘Unaccomplished’, and ‘Provincial’. The Classical variety show the greatest skill in their manufacture and the greatest symmetry in their decoration. The Rossmore Park is a particularly fine example of the Classical type and is thought to date to around 2000 BC. It is often thought that, given the probability that they’d be uncomfortable to wear, lunulae may have been worn infrequently – just on special occasions where the display of status and power was important. I would parallel this with many women’s approach to wearing high heels – rather uncomfortable and just for special occasions and/or when power and status displays are needed. I want to deliberately make that link between women and power because (des...

Aur é lien Burlot In the middle of December 2014, Robert M. Chapple posted on his blog about an upcoming day of lectures at the Ulster Museum. The title of the seminar itself was very appealing: Ireland’s Bronze Age Gold . Cannot not attract attention with such a title! On a personal note, the whole event was something I felt I had to attend, for three reasons: 1)   Despite having lived in Ireland for a decade and a half, I have never travelled ‘up North’ 2)   As I'm doing a postgraduate degree on exchanges, contacts and relations between Ireland and France during the 3 rd Millennium BC (that, of course, includes early metalwork), I could not miss such opportunity 3)   We all love prehistoric bling! The talks were set for Saturday 31 January 2015 and would take place between 1.30pm and 4.15pm. The online program detailed the different parts of the event, which included the three speakers: Greer Ramsay, keeper of the gold collection at the Ulster Museum;...