Origins

• The torc was introduced to the Celtic peoples from Scythian culture around 500 BC. The torc had predecessors in both the European Bronze Age and early Iron Age.
  
  

Depictions in Art

• One of the earliest known depictions of a torc is that worn by the Warrior of Hirschlanden, a statue dating from the 6th century BC. Celtic deities were often portrayed as wearing torcs, and The Dying Gaul, a Roman statue of a Celtic warrior, also wears one.
  
  

Archeological Discoveries

• A buried hoard of torcs was found in Snettisham, England, in 1965. The hoard contained over 70 complete torcs, as well as many fragments. A gold torc was found in Newark in 2005, and four more were discovered in a Stirlingshire field in 2009 --- one made of twisted gold and another covered with gold beads and wire circles.
  
  

Use by Women

• Torcs were widely worn by women until the 4th century BC, after which they became more heavily associated with warriors. Women's torcs have been found buried in Waldalgesheim and Reinheim, Germany.
  
  

Symbolism

• Torcs were a sign of wealth and nobility, and were often made of gold. This association resulted in their use by warriors and chieftains, as well as by the gods in Celtic art.