Male burial, Rodenbach, Germany
Late 5th BCE
Gold
Diameter 6.7 cm
Historisches Museum der Pfalz, Speyer
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Armlet
Male burial, Rodenbach, Germany Late 5th BCE Gold Diameter 6.7 cm Historisches Museum der Pfalz, Speyer |
This armlet was found in a male grave. It is a complete circle of gold, of which three quarters are covered with decoration. The decoration culminates in an abstracted human head, believed to male because of its "mustache." It has been suggested that the crown on the head of the male is made of yew-berries. (Green, 121) The yew berry is the fruit of an evergreen and thereby can be interpreted as a symbol of eternity, an appropriate connotation for a grave good. A similar motif to that on the yew berry crown runs along the back of the two goats, connecting, both literally and visually, the sides with the middle. Flanking the head, are a pair of goats, the body of each faces the head, while the heads of the goats are turned away from the head. The design adds to the tension of the circle. The decoration is pushed to its apex in the center while at the same pulling away and moving one's eye around the arm-ring. Behind the central pair of goats is another pair which mirror the position and pose of the first two. The heads of the second pair of goats, which look back to the head of the first pair, mark the end of the figurative decoration. The design ends in a raised band followed by symmetrical spiral motifs. The small size of the armlet suggests that it may have been placed on the arm of the deceased during his childhood and never removed. (Green, 72) Compare the size of this armlet (6.7 cm) with the Rheinheim armlet (8.1 cm). It has also been suggested that this armlet may have been seen as a symbol of the deceased's rank and status within the community, as well as a symbol of his war-prowess. While it is reasonable, and appropriate to suggest that an elaborate gold armlet was a sign of power and place within a community, and that this power could result from success in battle, it seems odd to suggest that an armlet, most likely placed on a child, signifies his war-prowess. The conflation of a mark of status in a male grave with a sign of war prowess is common, but it is just this kind of connection this exhibition is trying to deconstruct.