The Secrets of the Witham Shield | HENI Talks

In the early 19th century, a striking Celtic treasure was dredged-up from a river in Lincolnshire: The Witham Shield.
British Museum curator Julia Farley talks about one of her favourite objects in the museum’s collection - a highly decorative shield named after the river in which it was found. At over 2,000 years old, the shield was a remarkable find, but Farley posits that it was also exceptional in its time.
She encourages us to take a closer look at the shield to see some of its surreptitious and beastly little secrets. Through teaching our eyes to see the subtly encoded messages in such objects one gains insight into Britain’s Celtic past, and how this visual language persists through the ages. Farley shows us how this is not just a decorative art, but a powerful art.
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[@ashmckinlay1402]

That was really interesting :)

[@HENITalks]

We're so pleased you enjoyed it, Ash! Thank you for taking the time to watch.

[@gloriahanes6490]

Celtic Art was interfused into the Roman's design for centuries, and even today you can see Celtic Art influences still present in today's society. A complex design of lines, shapes and forms in a pleasing form.

[@dexterparkes6934]

wow

[@kc3718]

cows heads, such a stylised feature given such a definite label when it is clearly subjective and almost irrelevant what modern people ascribe it to. It could easily be a dragon or any mythical fabulous beast of which we know nowt. Drawing upon Abrahamic iconoclast tenets in the interpretation is surely interesting, at least about the curator.

[@supremereader7614]

I love this museum curator, but might want to practice announcing “boar,” vs “bull.”