Celtic art, the Snettisham Great Torc and the Battersea Shield
I can describe some of the features of Celtic La Tène art.
Celtic art, the Snettisham Great Torc and the Battersea Shield
I can describe some of the features of Celtic La Tène art.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Iron Age Britain was dominated by a group of people called the Celts, who had spread across Europe.
- Art was very important to the Celts, who made large numbers of metal objects in a style known as La Tène.
- The Snettisham Great Torc shows the incredible artistry and craftsmanship the Celts were capable of.
- The Battersea Shield made of bronze shows incredible craftmanship and the distinctive swirling patterns of La Tène.
- Archaeologists have worked out that it was too thin for protection, and so was probably an offering to the gods.
Keywords
Celts - the Celts were groups of Iron Age people in Europe who shared similar languages and culture
La Tène - a popular later style of Celtic art which uses curves, swirls and leafy patterns is called La Tène
Torc - a torc is a large solid ring worn around the neck
Common misconception
Pupils may think that all of our knowledge of the Iron Age is definitely correct.
Explain that archaeologists use artefacts to learn about the past, they get ideas and clues from the artefacts and build up a picture of what they think the past was like. There is very little written evidence about the Celts.
To help you plan your year 3 history lesson on: Celtic art, the Snettisham Great Torc and the Battersea Shield, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 3 history lesson on: Celtic art, the Snettisham Great Torc and the Battersea Shield, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 2 history lessons from the Iron Age Britain: what have historians learnt about Iron Age Britain? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
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- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
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Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
pieces of art, created to express ideas and feelings
ancient items created by humans
someone who studies human history
someone who creates art
Exit quiz
6 Questions
made from gold alloy, it has metal rope and decorative terminals
made from bronze, the cover has red glass beads and three circles