Experimental research on the manufacturing technique of Iron Age hollow bracelets

Abstract

The work presented in this paper was prompted by the restoration of a hollow bracelet carried out at the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum in Mainz. The bracelet had been excavated at the Pommerkogel in Kleinklein, Styria, and dates back to the Hallstatt period. Beginning with a brief description of the chronological classification, the area of distribution and special features of Iron Age hollow bracelets, the paper continues with questions regarding the manufacturing technique to be clarified by subsequent practical experiments. These show why, in the case of the objects addressed here, a processing from the inner face is not to be assumed. The experiments therefore deal with the bending of a straight tube and the chiseling of the decoration onto its surface from the outside. The bending of a tube with an open seam facing the inner side of the arm requires a stable core material as well as a high-tensile sheath. For this purpose, different materials were tested. The experiments also led to a plausible explanation of textile and wooden residues found on bracelets of La Tene B2.