Glass Armlets/ Bracelets

• 1st Century BCE
• Width: 10.3 -11mm
• Thickness: 8.5 -9mm
• Inner Diameter: 6cm
• Glass: violet, opaque yellow
• Römisch-Germanisch Komission Des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts zu Frankfurt am Main

    These armring and bracelet fragments were all found in the western German oppida, Manching -- thought to be one of the major glass production/distribution centers of Iron Age central Europe.  The bracelet itself is a plain single banded translucent purple glass ring.  It is decorated with a raised s-scroll or running dog pattern of opaque yellow glass.  The raised pattern is indicative of the plastic style that began in the 3rd Century BCE.  Both the plastic style and the running dog pattern appear more obviously in the armlet fragments to the bottom left. Fragments from over 1500 armlets and bracelets have been recovered from central European sites.  These vary in color, pattern and complexity.  Glass bracelets such as these produced in Manching were possibly exported to Gaul, Moravia and the Germanic region of Thurra.