Frühlatènekunst in der Mittelrheinzone

Charakter, Umfeld, Entstehung

Abstract

Early La Tène art presents a distinctive break with Central European tradition as regards both, its pictorial art and curvilinear ornamentation. The well-known impulse from Mediterranean pictorial motifs plays a key role when trying to understand the associated meaning. However, an exemplary large-scale inspection on a regional basis suggests that the reaction to Etruscan imports should be considered as a Central European development independently from Southern European contexts. Accordingly, the chances to understand the contextual relations behind early La Tène iconography have to be evaluated with care. Other possibilities of analysis with good perspectives are not yet exhausted. Apart from examining several old find complexes, local and regional craft relations, the social involvement and finally the earliest expressions of early La Tène art should be named here in outlines.