In our last episode, we discovered the first traces of precious and aesthetic objects during prehistory. Techniques were perfected over time, while trade favored the exchange of prestigious materials and products. Through the Bronze and Iron Ages, via antiquity, discover the evolution of luxury goods in this new episode.
Shortly before Antiquity, the Bronze and Iron Ages, unknown in history, saw the development of craftsmanship at a high speed. With the appearance of new materials, such as iron, bronze or gold, new techniques (such as casting) were used to produce ever more prestigious goods. Ornaments, made of metal or glass (bracelets, pearls, torques), and clothing accessories made of iron and bronze (fibulae, buckles or belt elements), were part of the lifestyle of the elites. Numerous princely tombs from the 6th and 5th centuries B.C. have yielded luxury tableware for banquets, such as bronze wine services of Etruscan or Greek origin (situlae, basins, cauldrons, etc.) richly decorated with figurative or geometric motifs.
From the 2nd century B.C. onwards, prestige goods became more standardized. One finds exceptional ornaments, such as gold torques (metal necklaces) with refined decoration, but also, as at the beginning of the period, vessels related to the consumption of wine – jugs, situlae (vessels with a handle) and other simpulum, large spoons with long handles. These elements are sometimes associated with rarer pieces such as andirons or drinking horns.
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Featured photo : ©INRAP
