Gold Torc

Torcs were neck-rings worn by Celtic warriors and other members of the Celtic nobility, both male and female. Some, like this gold torc from Waldalgesheim, in the Rhineland, are simple rings with decorated finials. More robust varieties were made of two or more strands of twisted metal, with ring finials, or of a hollow tube of metal. Made usually of gold or silver, torcs indicated high status, and were also valuable in themselves; while some have been found in burials, many have been discovered in hoards.

Scala/Art Resource, NY

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Celtic Art; Celts

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