Indo-European Proto-Celtic Arrow Brooch/Pin/Plak 5500BC

Handsome Ancient Indo-European Proto-Celtic Stone Arrowpoint (Brooch/Lapel Pin).

CLASSIFICATION: Proto-Celtic Stone Artifact, Projectile Point. Mounted onto brooch or stick/lapel pin upon request (no charge). Mounted onto plaque or shadow box upon request (additional shipping charges apply).

ATTRIBUTION: Celtic Galatia (Turkey), 6th/5th Millennia B.C.

SIZE/MEASUREMENTS:

Length: 28 millimeters.

Width: 17 millimeters.

Weight: 1.40 grams.

NOTES: Can also be mounted onto a plaque or into a shadow box (see below).

CONDITION: Very good. Sound integrity, no cracks, breakage, entirely intact. Professionally conserved.

DETAIL: This is very handsome Indo-European, proto-Celtic stone projectile point circa fifth or sixth millennia B.C. It was recovered in excellent condition, entirely intact, and remains quite sharp – lethally sharp. This artifact is the perfect size for a brooch or lapel ornament. With the addition of a contemporary pin, it can be worn and enjoyed – an authentic “souvenir” of the ancient Celtic world. We could safely attach a contemporary pin, either brooch or lapel style as shown below, without endangering the artifact. Though securely fastened, the pin could be removed at a later date without injuring the artifact. It would be an absolutely smashing brooch or lapel ornament, sure to arouse interest and envy! Upon request we would be happy to mount a pin without charge – but you must request it. No request and you’ll receive the stone projectile point with no pin attached.

If you request (follow the links below), we could mount the artifact onto a framed display plaque (see it here), and it would make a great gift. The plaque narrates a brief outline of the history of the ancient Celts along with a couple of images of very beautiful artifacts. It would make a very handsome gift, for yourself or a friend, and would surely delight a son or daughter. It would not only make a very handsome display, but would be very educational as well. If you prefer, the artifact could be installed within a glass-front shadow box with or without printed history (see it here). Whether worn or displayed, this artifact will most assuredly be a wonderfully evocative memento of one of Europe’s most significant ancient cultures.

HISTORY: The term “Neolithic” literally translates from the Greek to “New Stone Age”, and applies to that period of human development between the last period of the Stone Age (the Holocene, which started with the retreat of the Pleistocene glaciers) and the advent of metal technologies (the Chalcolithic Copper Age). It refers not to a specific or uniform period of time, but rather to a stage of cultural and technical development. In the Levant, Anatolia and Europe if begins with the advent of agricultural communities which used both domesticated and wild crops, as well as the domestication of animals. It also refers to permanent or semi-permanent communities, and the use of pottery. Neolithic cultures appeared first in Southwest Asia and the Levant around 10,000 B.C., and spread into Anatolia (present day Turkey), Syria, and Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) by about 8,000 B.C. The earliest known Neolithic community in the Levant is Jericho.

Neolithic culture seems to have spread to Southeast Europe by about 7,000 B.C., and by 6,500 B.C. Neolithic cultures have been identified in Greece, Knossos (Crete), and in Thessaly. Soon thereafter Neolithic groups began to appear in the Balkans and South-Central Europe. By 5,500 B.C. a significant civilization had arisen known in the West as the Cucteni Culture – and in Russia as the Trypillian Culture. The competing names refer to the same culture as discovered in Romania at Cucuteni and in the Ukraine at Trypillia. Actually this proto Indo-European culture flourished in a geographical area which encompassed modern-day Romania, Moldova, Russia, Belarus, and the Ukraine in the Dniestr-Dnjepr River Valley Region (the fourth “Great River Valley” culture alongside the Nile, Tigris-Euphrates, and Ganges). To date over 2,000 sites identified with this culture have been discovered by archaeologists. The culture was urbanized, perhaps the first in Europe, and there was established agriculture and livestock husbandry (cattle, goats, sheep and pigs). The largest collection of artifacts of this Indo-European culture may be found at the Romanian Museum of History & Archaeology (at Piatra Neamt).

From Southeast Europe the Neolithic spread to Central Europe by about 5,500 B.C., and to Northwestern Europe by about 4,500 B.C. The Neolithic cultures of Southeastern Europe (the Balkans, Italy, and the Aegean) show some continuity with groups in southwest Asia and Anatolia (Turkey), and these cultures are often referred to as “Old Europe”, and are considered to be Proto Indo-European cultures. It is believed that the first Indo-Europeans arrived across the plains north of the Black Sea, and eventually became the Pelasgians, Minoans, Leleges, Iberians, Sicans, Elymians, Etruscans, Hurrians, Urartians, Dravidians, Basques, and Uralic peoples. The coming of farming began a great shift in people's lives that eventually, during the Bronze Age, gave rise to large urban centers with populations numbered in the thousands. Instead of wandering from place to place seeking food, people increasingly dwelt in one place.

Excavations in Central Europe have shown that early Neolithic cultures were building burial mounds, stone henges, and large arrangements of circular ditches and causewayed enclosures creating fortified settlements within which were sited their homes. These structures required considerable time and labor to construct, which suggests that some influential individuals were able to organize and direct human labor. These Neolithic peoples were skilled farmers, manufacturing a range of tools necessary for the tending, harvesting and processing of crops (such as sickle blades and grinding stones) and food production (pottery and bone implements). They were also skilled manufactures of a range of other types of stone tool and ornaments, including projectile points such as this specimen, beads, and statuettes.

The Celts were of Neolithic Indo-European origins, and occupied lands stretching from the British Isles to biblical Galatia in Asia Minor. Anthropological evidence suggests that all of the following were originally Celtic populations: the Galatians, Scythians, Gauls, Latini, Mycenae, Hittites, Dorics, Slavs, Goths, Germanic tribes, Sarmatians, as well as the ancestors of the Vikings. Though the Celts left no written history of their own, though it is believed they originated in Southern Russia and by around 2,000 B.C. had reached the British Isles. The Celts were a loosely confederated group of tribes speaking Indo-European dialects. Armed with iron weapons and mounted on horses, they spread rapidly over Europe, fought the Macedonians, and penetrated into Asia Minor, where they raided Hellenistic centers. The Celts lived in semi-fortified villages, with a tribal organization that became increasingly hierarchical as wealth was acquired. Priests, nobles, artisans, and peasants were clearly distinguished, and the powers of the chief became kinglike. The Celts believed in a demonic universe and relied on the ministry of the priests known as druids. Much Western European folklore is derived from the Celts. Domestic shipping is $3.99 for first class mail or $6.99 for Priority Mail. Domestic rates include USPS Delivery Confirmation (you might be able to update the status of your shipment on-line at the USPS Web Site). Canadian shipments are $3.99 for Air Mail; International shipments are $4.99 for Air Mail (and generally are NOT tracked; trackable shipments are EXTRA). I can add most other items I sell to the shipment for only $0.99 each. Your purchase will ordinarily be shipped within 48 hours of payment. We package as well as anyone in the business, with lots of protective padding and containers. Insurance is available for both domestic and international shipments ($2 for domestic shipments; $3 for international shipments; ONLY required when PayPal is used – you may deduct this amount if you prefer an uninsured shipment AND you pay by check or money order).

We do NOT recommend uninsured shipments, and expressly disclaim any responsibility for the loss of an uninsured shipment. Unfortunately the contents of parcels are easily “lost” or misdelivered by postal employees – even in the USA. If you intend to pay via PayPal, please be aware that PayPal Protection Policies REQUIRE insured, trackable shipments. If you do NOT want an insured shipment, send us a check or money order and deduct the invoiced insurance premium. We do offer U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail, Registered Mail, and Express Mail for both international and domestic shipments, as well United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (Fed-Ex). Please ask for a rate quotation. I prefer your personal check or money order over any other form of payment – and I will ship immediately upon receipt of your check (no “holds”). If upon receipt of the item you are disappointed for any reason whatever, I offer a no questions asked return policy. Send it back, I will give you a complete refund of the purchase price.

Most of the items I offer come from the collection of a family friend who was active in the field of Archaeology for over forty years. However many of the items also come from purchases I make in Eastern Europe, India, and from the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean/Near East) from various institutions and dealers. Though I have always had an interest in archaeology, my own academic background was in sociology and cultural anthropology. After my retirement however, I found myself drawn to archaeology as well. Aside from my own personal collection, I have made extensive and frequent additions of my own via purchases on Ebay (of course), as well as many purchases from both dealers and institutions throughout the world – but especially in the Near East and in Eastern Europe. I spend over half of my year out of the United States, and have spent much of my life either in India or Eastern Europe. In fact much of what we generate on Yahoo, Amazon and Ebay goes to support The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, as well as some other worthy institutions in Europe connected with Anthropology and Archaeology.

I acquire some small but interesting collections overseas from time-to-time, and have as well some duplicate items within my own collection which I occasionally decide to part with. Though I have a collection of ancient coins numbering in the tens of thousands, my primary interest is in ancient jewelry. My wife also is an active participant in the “business” of antique and ancient jewelry, and is from Russia. I would be happy to provide you with a certificate/guarantee of authenticity for any item you purchase from me. There is a $2 fee for mailing under separate cover. Whenever I am overseas I have made arrangements for purchases to be shipped out via domestic mail. If I am in the field, you may have to wait for a week or two for a COA to arrive via international air mail. But you can be sure your purchase will arrive properly packaged and promptly – even if I am absent. And when I am in a remote field location with merely a notebook computer, at times I am not able to access my email for a day or two, so be patient, I will always respond to every email. Please see our "ADDITIONAL TERMS OF SALE."