Fabulous ornaments of Gallic elites at the Torcs and Company exhibition

Information updated on 24/09/19

Until September 2, the Henri Prades Museum in Lattes is exhibiting splendid ornaments worn by Gallic elites nearly 2,500 years ago, together with pristine ceramics and weapons. An exceptional collection on tour from Champagne.

Torque, bracelets et fibules, Villeseneux (Marne), IIIe siècle avant notre ère. — Torcs, bracelets and ornaments, Villeseneux (Marne, France), IIIrd century BCE

Forget about the huts and other dismissive preconceptions you may have about the Gallic people! The reality is that theirs was a flourishing civilization nearly 2,500 years ago. That aspect is clearly demonstrated by the Torcs and Company exhibition at the Henri Prades museum in Lattes, from February 23 to September 2, 2019.

A symbol of the little-known splendor of Celtic art, torcs are finely worked bronze necklaces, of which many varieties are featured in the exhibition – smooth, braided, ornate, and sculpted pieces worn by high ranking men and women. In a state of impeccable preservation, the torcs are the main feature of the 350 works in the exhibition, along with bracelets and other ornaments, fine ceramics, and Celtic warrior weapons. Some of the objects come to us from great distances, as the Gallic elite traded with the Greeks and populations living around the Baltic Sea area.

Enthusiastic explorers

Yet another fact to overturn preconceived ideas about people long ignored by academic circles. The struggle to find out more was led by a handful of impassioned amateur archaeologists who have explored hundreds of Gallic necropolises in France’s chalky Champagne countryside. Their story is also told by the exhibition on loan from the Epernay museum, which has preserved the rich findings of these determined explorers.

Among them, two figures stand out: “the Abbot Favret (1875-1950), who was the first to carry out solid work as an archaeologist, keeping logbooks and collecting ceramics and not just valuable objects; and André Brisson (1902-1973), a farmer with a keen eye, who tirelessly searched the Champagne territory and uncovered hundreds of graves, while also compiling a detailed inventory,” tells Diane Dusseaux, director of the Lattara archaeological site and Henri Prades museum.

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Until September 2, the Henri Prades Museum in Lattes is exhibiting splendid ornaments worn by Gallic elites nearly 2,500 years ago, together with pristine ceramics and weapons. An exceptional collection on tour from Champagne.

Enthusiastic explorers

Find out more…

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