The Official Celtic Reenactor\'s Illustrated Reference Thread

[Brennus]

I thought it would be nice to have a visual reference thread for those who might be interested in building a La Tene Warrior kit to represent an ally or enemy of Rome. I thought I would start by giving an overall visual reference of some warriors and their panoply. Feel free to contribute to the thread and/or perhaps focus more on specific items like scabbards, etc. if you wish.

These drawings are by Andr'e Rapin (featured in "The Celtic World", edited by Miranda J. Green) and are based on burial finds. The first pic comes from a 3rd century burial, while the second represents a late La Tene warrior.

[Astiryu1]

I was just thinking about something like this!!! hock:
I am currently researching The "Amesbury Archer" and related things and this is what I have found.

[url:13km3p9n]http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/projects/amesbury/archer.html[/url]
[attachment=5:13km3p9n]<!-- ia5 Amesbury Archer 1.jpg<!-- ia5 [/attachment:13km3p9n][attachment=4:13km3p9n]<!-- ia4 Amesbury Archer 2.jpg<!-- ia4 [/attachment:13km3p9n][attachment=3:13km3p9n]<!-- ia3 Amesbury Archer 3.jpg<!-- ia3 [/attachment:13km3p9n][attachment=2:13km3p9n]<!-- ia2 Amesbury Archer 4.jpg<!-- ia2 [/attachment:13km3p9n][attachment=1:13km3p9n]<!-- ia1 Amesbury Archer 5.jpg<!-- ia1 [/attachment:13km3p9n]

Also related is "The Boscombe Bowmen"

[url:13km3p9n]http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/projects/wiltshire/boscombe/bowmen[/url]
[attachment=0:13km3p9n]<!-- ia0 Boscombe Bowmen 1.jpg<!-- ia0 [/attachment:13km3p9n]

[Brennus]

I was just thinking about something like this!!! hock:
I am currently researching The "Amesbury Archer" and related things and this is what I have found.

A little earlier than what I had in mind, but some great finds nonetheless! I apologize for not being more specific in the thread title, but I'm trying to target an area that would have more specific relations with the Romans, wether as allies or foes. This would be more along the lines of the La Tene culture, rather than the beaker peoples.

[Zenobia of Palmyra]

I hope more people contribute to this thread, it is off to a great start!

[Brennus]

Here is a link to another important reference. The Gallico Belgae site has a great chronology, also with illustrations from the same Andre Rapin. This is a great reference for the Celtic reenactor. It can be easy to make a simple mistake and mix up your kit with items from different phases of the La Tene culture, and this puts the phases in perspective.
[url:2tj1jj28]http://www.gallicobelgae.org/la_tene_chronology.htm[/url]

[Paul Elliott]

Astiryu, you are certainly off by about 2000 years! Love the links though. I am one of Britain's few bronze age re-enactors and have a full bronze age kit, with clothing, arrows, pottery, tools and Amesbury Archer jewellry. I conduct my very first public show at the start of September, where I'll be showing the public what I know about flint-knapping...!

I'm on your page 100%. Some of my stuff is based on Danish finds, some on local East Yorkshire finds, some on the Amesbury ARcher and others on the Ice Man - Ozti. But I've derailed this thread enough!

I was just thinking about something like this!!! hock:
I am currently researching The "Amesbury Archer" and related things and this is what I have found

Here is an iron age buckle of a friend:

[Paul Elliott]

A question I have: Were iron round bosses only used by the Celtic people after contact with Rome?

[Paullus Scipio]

A question I have: Were iron round bosses only used by the Celtic people after contact with Rome?

Pretty much from before conflict with Rome - the 'long shield' may have developed among the Hallstatt culture peoples in 'mittel-Europe' and was in use early in northern Italy where it developed into the scutum.....it is uncertain if the Celtic peoples developed their flat version before their invasions of northern Italy, or after contact with northern Italian peoples. The earliest representations of definite Celtic shields date to the 4 C BC, while Italian depictions date to the 7 C BC. The 6-5 C BC Hallstatt peoples south of the Alps from Gaul to Yugoslavia used ovoid/rectangular 'long shields'. ( proto-Celtic peoples?)

Both Italian curved versions and Celtic flat versions had a wooden spine and 'barleycorn' umbo covering the handgrip hole, and these came to be re-inforced with iron and bronze additions over the hand-hold in a number of shapes, including circular umbos.

[Brennus]

A question I have: Were iron round bosses only used by the Celtic people after contact with Rome?

I don't think so. The round bosses started popping up in Gaul around the mid 1st century B.C. or so, but certainly they have been in contact with the Romans long before that. Exactly why some (not all) started abandoning their traditional spine/umbo combination is uncertain to me. Maybe the round boss shield was quicker to make, and during a time when the Romans were mobilizing throughout Gaul rather quickly, faster production could certainly be beneficial.

[Paul Elliott]

I'm making a long shield for the period 43AD, and I'm using a circular boss. It sounds like I'm OK with that then?

[Paullus Scipio]

I'm making a long shield for the period 43AD, and I'm using a circular boss. It sounds like I'm OK with that then?

Certainly. Late La Tene era shield bosses c. 120-50 BC include 'barleycorn', 'butterfly', 'winged' and 'circular' types - all were found together at Alesia, for example.Similar types also existed in Britain ( e.g. the superbly decorated Wandsworth round shield boss, dated late 1 C BC or first half of 1 C AD)

[Lugorix]

Here is an iron age buckle of a friend:

I've seen this sold on the internet as "Iron Age Belt Buckle", but I've never seen it in a pre-Roman context, or archaeologically speaking at all. If someone has a source for that, we would all like to know! This type of buckle is currently on our What-To-Avoid List for Iron Age (Celtic) reenactment. Seriously, is this buckle a modern invention, or does it come from a different Iron Age? Please, someone show the source.

[Paul Elliott]

Interesting! That's good to know, thank you! I personally use an organic buckle, a circular piece of cow bone that the leather strap end feeds into and around.