Since early discoveries of so-called Celtic Art during the 19th century, archaeologists have mused on the origins of this major art tradition, which emerged in Europe around 500 BC. Classical influence has often been cited as the main impetus for this new and distinctive way of decorating, but although Classical and Celtic Art share certain motifs, many of the design principles behind the two styles differ fundamentally. Instead, the idea that Celtic Art shares its essential forms and themes of transformation and animism with Iron Age art from across northern Eurasia has recently gained currency, partly thanks to a move away from the study of motifs in prehistoric art and towards considerations of the contexts in which they appear. This volume explores Iron Age art at different scales and specifically considers the long-distance connections, mutual influences and shared 'ways of seeing' that link Celtic Art to other art traditions across northern Eurasia. It brings together 13 papers on varied subjects such as animal and human imagery, technologies of production and the design theory behind Iron Age art, balancing pan-Eurasian scale commentary with regional and site scale studies and detailed analyses of individual objects, as well as introductory and summary papers. This multi-scalar approach allows connections to be made across wide geographical areas, whilst maintaining the detail required to carry out sensitive studies of objects.

About the Author
Courtney Nimura is a Researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Oxford, a Research Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford, and the Assistant Editor of the Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society. She works on a number of projects involving prehistoric art, coastal and intertidal archaeology, and Bronze and Iron Age archaeology in Scandinavia and Europe, on which she has published widely. She was previously a Researcher on the 'European Celtic Art in Context' project. Helen Chittock is an archaeologist with interest in the material culture of later prehistoric Europe. She was awarded a PhD in 2017. She worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher on the 'European Celtic Art in Context' project at the School of Archaeology, Oxford, and is currently a Project Officer (Post-Excavation) with AOC Archaeology Group. Peter Hommel is a Researcher at the Institute of Archaeology and the Research Laboratory for Art History and Archaeology, where he works on the European Research Council-funded project FLAME (The Flow of Ancient Metals Across Europe), and previously on the 'European Celtic Art in Context' project. Chris Gosden is Professor of European Archaeology and Director of the Institute of Archaeology, Oxford. He was the director of the Leverhulme Trust-funded European Celtic Art in Context project and the European Research Council-funded project English Landscape and Identities.

Reviews
As to be expected from an Oxbow publication, the quality of presentation is high: with a generous array of tables, figures and eyecatching photographs to support each contribution. * Later Prehistoric Finds Group *



Book Information
ISBN 9781789253948
Author Courtney Nimura
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint Oxbow Books
Publisher Oxbow Books