Bronze Age This box: view • talk • edit
↑ Neolithic
Near East (3300-1200 BC) Caucasus, Anatolia, Aegean, Levant, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Elam, Sistan Bronze Age collapse India (3000-1200 BC) Europe (2300-600 BC) Beaker culture Unetice culture Urnfield culture Hallstatt culture Atlantic Bronze Age Bronze Age Britain Nordic Bronze Age China (2000-700 BC) Korea (800-400 BC)
arsenical bronze writing, literature sword, chariot
↓Iron age

The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use) included techniques for smelting copper and tin from naturally-occurring outcroppings of copper ores, and then smelting those ores to cast bronze. Metalworking is craft and practice of working with Metals to create individual parts assemblies or large scale structures Chemical reduction, or smelting, is a form of Extractive metallurgy. Copper (ˈkɒpɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol Cu (cuprum and Atomic number 29 Tin is a Chemical element with the symbol Sn (stannum and Atomic number 50 Bronze is any of a broad range of Copper alloys, usually with Tin as the main additive but sometimes with other elements such as Phosphorus These naturally-occurring ores typically included arsenic as a common impurity. Copper/tin ores are rare, as reflected in the fact that there were no tin bronzes in western Asia before 3,000 B. C. The Bronze Age forms part of the three-age system for prehistoric societies. The three-age system refers to the Periodization of Human Prehistory into three consecutive Time periods named for their respective Stone Age Paleolithic See also Paleolithic, Recent African Origin, Early Homo sapiens, Early human migrations "Paleolithic" In this system, it follows the Neolithic in some areas of the world. The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos On the other hand, in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, the Neolithic is directly followed by the Iron Age. Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. In some parts of the world, a Copper Age follows the Neolithic and precedes the Bronze Age. The Chalcolithic (Greek khalkos + lithos ' Copper stone' period or Copper Age period known as the '''Eneolithic''' ('''Æneolithic''' is a

Contents 1 Origins 2 Near East 2.1 Mesopotamia 2.2 Ancient Egypt 2.3 Levant 2.4 Anatolia 2.5 Aegean 2.6 Persian Plateau 2.7 Collapse 3 Indus valley 4 East Asia 4.1 China 4.2 Southeast Asia 4.3 Korean peninsula 5 Europe 5.1 Central Europe 5.2 Caucasus 5.3 Great Britain 5.3.1 Bronze Age boats 5.4 Ireland 6 Notes 7 References 8 See also 9 External links

Origins

The place and time of the invention of bronze are controversial and it is possible that bronzing was invented independently in multiple places. The earliest known tin bronzes are from what is now Iran and Iraq and date to the late 4th millennium BC. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Arsenical bronzes were made in Anatolia and on both sides of the Caucasus by the early 3rd millennium BC. Arsenical bronze (or arsenical copper) is an Alloy in which Arsenic is added to Copper as opposed to or in addition to other constituent The Caucasus ( also referred to as North Caucasus) is a geopolitical region located between Europe Asia & Middle East Some scholars date some arsenical bronze artifacts of the Maykop culture in the North Caucasus as far back as the mid 4th millennium BC, which would make them the oldest known bronzes, but others date the same Maykop artifacts to the mid 3rd millennium BC. The Maykop culture, ca 3500 BC &mdash 2500 BC, is a major Bronze Age archaeological culture situated in Southern Russia running from The North Caucasus, also Ciscaucasus, Ciscaucasia or Forecaucasia, is the northern part of the Caucasus region between Europe Arsenic bronze however is a naturally occurring alloy, in contrary to the later used tin bronze. Tin had to be delved and smelted separately (mainly as the tin ore cassiterite), and added to the molten copper to make the alloy. Cassiterite is a Tin Oxide Mineral, SnO2. It is generally opaque but is translucent in thin crystals

Near East

Main article: Ancient Near East

Periodization for the Bronze Age in the Ancient Near East is as follows:

Bronze Age (3300 BCE - 1200 BCE)	Early Bronze Age (3300 BCE - 2000 BCE)	Early Bronze Age I	3300 BCE - 3000 BCE
		Early Bronze Age II	3000 BCE - 2700 BCE
		Early Bronze Age III	2700 BCE - 2200 BCE
		Early Bronze Age IV	2200 BCE - 2000 BCE
	Middle Bronze Age (2000 BCE - 1550 BCE)	Middle Bronze Age I	2000 BCE - 1750 BCE
		Middle Bronze Age II	1750 BCE - 1650 BCE
		Middle Bronze Age III	1650 BCE - 1550 BCE
	Late Bronze Age (1550 BCE - 1200 BCE)	Late Bronze Age I	1550 BCE - 1400 BCE
		Late Bronze Age II A	1400 BCE - 1300 BCE
		Late Bronze Age II B	1300 BCE - 1200 BCE

Mesopotamia

In Mesopotamia, the Bronze Age begins in the late Uruk period, spanning the Early Dynastic period of Sumer, the Akkadian Empire, the Old Babylonian and Old Assyrian periods and the period of Kassite hegemony. The Ancient Near East refers to early Civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia (modern Iraq The Ancient Near East refers to early Civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia (modern Iraq Events The Great God "Krishna" who is worshiped in all forms as a boy lover warrior brother king teacher son husband etc The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for Events The Great God "Krishna" who is worshiped in all forms as a boy lover warrior brother king teacher son husband etc The 20th century BC is a Century which lasted from the year 2000 BC to 1901 BC The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for Events The Great God "Krishna" who is worshiped in all forms as a boy lover warrior brother king teacher son husband etc The 30th century BC is a Century which lasted from the year 3000 BC to 2901 BC The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for The 30th century BC is a Century which lasted from the year 3000 BC to 2901 BC The 27th century BC is a Century which lasted from the year 2700 BC to 2601 BC The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for The 27th century BC is a Century which lasted from the year 2700 BC to 2601 BC The 22nd century BC is a Century which lasted from the year 2200 BC to 2101 BC The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for The 22nd century BC is a Century which lasted from the year 2200 BC to 2101 BC The 20th century BC is a Century which lasted from the year 2000 BC to 1901 BC The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for The 20th century BC is a Century which lasted from the year 2000 BC to 1901 BC The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for The 20th century BC is a Century which lasted from the year 2000 BC to 1901 BC The 18th century BC was the Century which lasted from 1800 BC to 1701 BC The 18th century BC was the Century which lasted from 1800 BC to 1701 BC The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for The Bronze Age collapse is the name given by those historians who see the transition from the Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding The Uruk period (ca 4000 to 3100 BC existed from the protohistoric Chalcolithic to Early Bronze Age period in the history of Mesopotamia, The history of Sumer, taken to include the prehistoric Ubaid and Uruk periods spans the 5th to 3rd millennia BC ending with the downfall of the Third The Kassites were an Ancient Near Eastern tribe who gained control of Babylonia after the fall of the Old Babylonian Empire after ca

Ancient Egypt

In Ancient Egypt, the Bronze Age begins in the Protodynastic period. Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now The Protodynastic Period of Egypt (generally dated 3200 BC - 3000 BC) refers to the period of time at the very end of the Predynastic Period.

• Early Bronze Age
  • Early Dynastic Period of Egypt
  • Old Kingdom
  • First Intermediate Period of Egypt
• Middle Bronze Age
  • Middle Kingdom of Egypt
  • Second Intermediate Period of Egypt (Hyksos)
• Late Bronze Age
  • New Kingdom

Levant

Main article: Bronze Age Levant

Further information: Canaan, Pre-history of the Southern Levant, and List of archaeological periods (Levant)

• Early Bronze Age
  • Ebla
• Middle Bronze Age
  • Amorites
• Late Bronze Age
  • Mitanni
  • Ugarit
  • Aramaeans

Anatolia

Main article: Bronze Age Anatolia

• Hittite Empire
• Arzawa
• Assuwa

Aegean

Main article: Aegean Bronze Age

The Aegean Bronze Age begins around 3000 BC when civilizations first established a far-ranging trade network. Aegean civilization is a general term for the Bronze Age Civilizations of Greece and the Aegean. Trade is the willing exchange of goods, services, or both Trade is also called Commerce. This network imported tin and charcoal to Cyprus, where copper was mined and alloyed with the tin to produce bronze. Tin is a Chemical element with the symbol Sn (stannum and Atomic number 50 Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía Copper (ˈkɒpɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol Cu (cuprum and Atomic number 29 Bronze objects were then exported far and wide, and supported the trade. Isotopic analysis of the tin in some Mediterranean bronze objects indicates it came from as far away as Great Britain. Isotopes (Greek isos = "equal" tópos = "site place" are any of the different types of atoms ( Nuclides See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands

Knowledge of navigation was well developed at this time, and reached a peak of skill not exceeded until a method was discovered (or perhaps rediscovered) to determine longitude around 1750 AD, with the notable exception of the Polynesian sailors. Navigation is the process of reading and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another Longitude (ˈlɒndʒɪˌtjuːd or ˈlɒŋgɪˌtjuːd symbolized by the Greek character Lambda (λ is the east-west Geographic coordinate measurement Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a Subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over

The Minoan civilization based from Knossos appears to have coordinated and defended its Bronze Age trade. The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization which arose on the island of Crete. Knossos (alternative spellings Knossus, Cnossus, Greek Κνωσός kno̞ˈso̞s also known as the Knossos Palace is the largest

One crucial lack in this period was that modern methods of accounting were not available. Numerous authorities believe that ancient empires were prone to misvalue staples in favor of luxuries, and thereby perish by famines created by uneconomic trading. A staple food is a Food that forms the basis of a Traditional diet. In Economics, a luxury good is a good for which Demand increases more than proportionally as income rises in contrast to a "necessity good"

Persian Plateau

• Elam
• Jiroft civilization
• BMAC

Collapse

Main article: Bronze Age collapse

How the Bronze Age ended in this region is still being studied. Elam is the name of an ancient civilization located in what is now southwest Iran. The Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (or BMAC, also known as the Oxus civilization) is the modern archaeological designation for a Bronze Age The Bronze Age collapse is the name given by those historians who see the transition from the There is evidence that Mycenaean administration of the regional trade empire followed the decline of Minoan primacy. Mycenaean Greece is a cultural period of ancient Greece taking its name from the archaeological site of Mycenae in northeastern Argolis, in the Peloponnese Evidence also exists that supports the assumption that several Minoan client states lost large portions of their respective populations to extreme famines and/or pestilence, which in turn would indicate that the trade network may have failed at some point, preventing the trade that would have previously relieved such famines and prevented some forms of illness (by nutrition). Satellite state is a political term that refers to a country which is formally independent but under heavy influence or control by another country It is also known that the breadbasket of the Minoan empire, the area north of the Black Sea, also suddenly lost significant portions of its population, and thus probably some degree of cultivation in this era. The Breadbasket of a country is a region which because of richness of Soil or advantageous Climate, produces an agricultural surplus which is often considered The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey

Recent research has discredited the theory that exhaustion of the Cypriot forests caused the end of the bronze trade. Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía The Cypriot forests are known to have existed into later times, and experiments have shown that charcoal production on the scale necessary for the bronze production of the late Bronze Age would have exhausted them in less than fifty years. Charcoal' is the blackish residue consisting of impure Carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from Animal and Vegetation

One theory says that as iron tools became more common, the main justification of the tin trade ended, and that trade network ceased to function as it once did. Iron (ˈаɪɚn is a Chemical element with the symbol Fe (ferrum and Atomic number 26 The individual colonies of the Minoan empire then suffered drought, famine, war, or some combination of these three factors, and thus they had no access to the far-flung resources of an empire by which they could easily recover.

Another family of theories looks to Knossos itself. The Thera eruption occurred at this time, 110 kilometers (70 mi) north of Crete. The Minoan eruption of Thera, also referred to as the Thera eruption or Santorini eruption was a major catastrophic volcanic eruption ( VEI Some authorities speculate that a tsunami from Thera destroyed Cretan cities. A tsunami ((tsuːˈnɑːmi is a series of waves created when Others say that perhaps a tsunami destroyed the Cretan navy in its home harbor, which then lost crucial naval battles; so that in the LMIB/LMII event (c. Minoan chronology refers to the relative dating scheme developed by Sir Arthur Evans for the Bronze Age in Crete based on the excavations initiated and 1450 BC) the cities of Crete burned and the Mycenaean civilization took over Knossos. Crete ( Greek: Κρήτη transliteration: Krētē, modern transliteration Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the Mycenaean Greece is a cultural period of ancient Greece taking its name from the archaeological site of Mycenae in northeastern Argolis, in the Peloponnese If the eruption occurred in the late 17th century BC (as most chronologists now think), then its immediate effects belong to the Middle Bronze to Late Bronze Age transition, and not to the end of the Late Bronze Age; but it could have triggered the instability which led to the collapse first of Knossos and then of Bronze Age society overall. One such theory looks to the role of Cretan expertise in administering the empire, post-Thera. If this expertise was concentrated in Crete, then the Mycenaeans may have made crucial political and commercial mistakes when administering the Cretans' empire. Mycenaean Greece is a cultural period of ancient Greece taking its name from the archaeological site of Mycenae in northeastern Argolis, in the Peloponnese

More recent archaeological findings, including on the island of Thera (more commonly known today as Santorini), suggest that the center of Minoan Civilization at the time of the eruption was actually on this island rather than on Crete. Some think that this was the fabled Atlantis (a map drawn on a wall of a Minoan palace in Crete depicts an island similar to that described by Plato and similar too to the form Thera very likely had prior to its explosion). According to this theory, the catastrophic loss of the political, administrative and economic center by the eruption as well as the damage wrought by the tsunami to the coastal towns and villages of Crete precipitated the decline of the Minoans. A weakened political entity with a reduced economic and military capability and fabled riches would have then been more vulnerable to human predators. Indeed, the Santorini Eruption is usually dated to c. 1630 BC. And, the Mycenaean Greeks first enter the historical record a few decades later c. 1600 BC. Thus, the later Mycenaean assaults on Crete (c. 1450 BC) and Troy (c. 1250 BC) are revealed as but continuations of the steady encroachments of the Greeks upon the weakened Minoan world.

Each of these theories is persuasive, and aspects of all of them may have some validity in describing the end of the Bronze Age in this region.

Indus valley

Main article: Indus Valley civilization

The Bronze Age on the Indian subcontinent began around 3300 BCE with the beginning of the Indus Valley civilization. The Indus Valley Civilization (Mature period 2600&ndash1900 BCE abbreviated IVC, was an ancient Civilization that flourished in the Indus River basin This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia For geopolitical treatments see South Asia. The Indus Valley Civilization (Mature period 2600&ndash1900 BCE abbreviated IVC, was an ancient Civilization that flourished in the Indus River basin Inhabitants of the ancient Indus Valley, the Harappans, developed new techniques in metallurgy and produced copper, bronze, lead and tin. Harappa ( Urdu:, Hindi: हड़प्पा) is a City in Punjab, northeast Pakistan, about 35km (22 miles southwest The Indian Bronze Age ends at the start of the Iron Age Vedic Period (1500 BCE - 500 BCE). This is during the Harappan culture, which dates from 1700 BCE to 1300 BCE, that overlaps the transition period between the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age period. As a result, it is difficult to pinpoint the true end of the Indian Bronze Age.

East Asia

China

Historians disagree about the dates that should be attached to a “Bronze Age” in China. The difficulty lies in the term “Bronze Age” itself, as it has been applied to signify a period in European and Middle Eastern history when bronze tools replaced stone tools, and were later replaced by iron ones. In those places, the medium of the new “Age” made that of the old obsolete. In China, however, any attempt to establish a definite set of dates for a Bronze Age is complicated by two factors: the early arrival of iron smelting technology and the persistence of bronze in tools, weapons and sacred vessels.

Bronze metallurgy in China originated in what is referred to as the Erlitou (also Erh-li-t’ou) period, which some historians argue places it within the range of dates controlled by the Shang dynasty. The Erlitou culture (simplified Chinese 二里头文化 traditional Chinese 二里頭文化 Pinyin: èrlǐtóu wénhuà ( 2100 BC to 1800 BC or 1500 The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the ^[1] Others believe the Erlitou sites belong to the preceding Xia (also Hsia) dynasty. The Xia Dynasty ( of China is the first dynasty to be described in ancient historical records such as Records of the Grand Historian and ^[2] The U. S. National Gallery of Art defines the Chinese Bronze Age as the “period between about 2000 BC and 771 BC,” a period which begins with Erlitou culture and ends abruptly with the disintegration of Western Zhou rule. This article is about the National Gallery of the United States for other National Galleries see National Gallery. The Zhou Dynasty ( POJ: Chiu Tiau 1122 BC to 256 BC was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. ^[3] Though this provides a concise frame of reference, it overlooks the continued importance of bronze in Chinese metallurgy and culture. Since this is significantly later than the discovery of bronze in Mesopotamia, bronze technology could have been imported rather than discovered independently in China. ^[4]

Iron is found in the Zhou period, but its use is minimal. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Chinese Dragon or Oriental dragon is a mythical creature in East Asian culture with a Chinese origin The Spring and Autumn Period ( was a period in Chinese history which roughly corresponds to the first half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty (from the second half of the 8th century BC Chinese literature dating to the 6th century BC attests a knowledge of iron smelting, possibly making iron a Chinese invention, yet bronze continues to occupy the seat of significance in the archaeological and historical record for some time after this. ^[5] Historian W. C. White argues that iron did not supplant bronze “at any period before the end of the Zhou dynasty (481 BC)” and that bronze vessels make up the majority of metal vessels all the way through the Later Han period, or through 221 AD. ^[6]

The Chinese bronze artifacts generally are either utilitarian, like spear points or adze heads, or ritualistic, like the numerous large sacrificial tripods. However, even some of the most utilitarian objects bear the markings of more sacred items. The Chinese inscribed all kinds of bronze items with three main motif types: demons, symbolic animals, and abstract symbols. ^[7] Some large bronzes also bear inscriptions that have helped historians and archaeologists piece together the history of China, especially during the Zhou period.

The bronzes of the Western Zhou period document large portions of history not found in the extant texts, and often were composed by persons of varying rank and possibly even social class. Further, the medium of cast bronze lends the record they preserve a permanence not enjoyed by manuscripts. ^[8] These inscriptions can commonly be subdivided into four parts: a reference to the date and place, the naming of the event commemorated, the list of gifts given to the artisan in exchange for the bronze, and a dedication. ^[9] The relative points of reference these vessels provide have enabled historians to place most of the vessels within a certain time frame of the Western Zhou period, allowing them to trace the evolution of the vessels and the events they record. ^[10]

Southeast Asia

In Ban Chiang, Thailand, (Southeast Asia) bronze artifacts have been discovered dating to 2100 BC. Dong Son drums (also called Heger Type I drums) are Bronze Drums fabricated by the Dong Son culture, in the Red River Delta of northern The Đông Sơn culture was a prehistoric Iron Age culture that was centered at the Red River Valley of northern Vietnam. Ban Chiang () is an archeological site located in Nong Han district, Udon Thani Province, Thailand. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj In Archaeology, an artifact or artefact is any object made or modified by a human culture, and often one later recovered by some archaeological [1]

In Nyaunggan, Myanmar bronze tools have been excavated along with ceramics and stone artefacts. Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. Dating is still currently broad (3500–500 BC). [2]

Korean peninsula

Main article: Mumun Pottery Period

The Middle Mumun pottery period culture of the southern Korean Peninsula gradually adopted bronze production (c. The Mumun pottery period is an Archaeological era in Korean prehistory that dates to approximately 1500-300 BC The Mumun pottery period is an Archaeological era in Korean prehistory that dates to approximately 1500-300 BC Physical geography See also Geography of North Korea, Geography of South Korea Mountains cover 70 percent of the Korean Peninsula and arable plains are 700–600? BC) after a period when Liaoning-style bronze daggers and other bronze artifacts were exchanged as far as the interior part of the Southern Peninsula (c. 900–700 BC). The bronze daggers lent prestige and authority to the personages who wielded and were buried with them in high-status megalithic burials at south-coastal centres such as the Igeum-dong site [3]. Igeum-dong is a complex Archaeological site located in Igeum-dong Samcheonpo in Sacheon -si South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Bronze was an important element in ceremonies and as for mortuary offerings until 100.

Europe

Main article: Bronze Age Europe

Central Europe

In Central Europe, the early Bronze Age Unetice culture (1800–1600 BC) includes numerous smaller groups like the Straubing, Adlerberg and Hatvan cultures. The Bronze Age in Europe succeeds the Neolithic in the late 3rd millennium BC (late Beaker culture) and spans the entire Central Europe is the Region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Unetice -- or more properly Únětice culture (German Aunjetitz -- is the name given to an early Bronze Age culture, preceded by the Beaker culture Hatvan is a town in Heves county, Hungary. Hatvan is the Hungarian word for "sixty" Some very rich burials, such as the one located at Leubingen with grave gifts crafted from gold, point to an increase of social stratification already present in the Unetice culture. All in all, cemeteries of this period are rare and of small size. The Unetice culture is followed by the middle Bronze Age (1600–1200 BC) Tumulus culture, which is characterised by inhumation burials in tumuli (barrows). The Tumulus culture dominated Central Europe during the Middle Bronze Age (ca A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a Mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves In the eastern Hungarian Körös tributaries, the early Bronze Age first saw the introduction of the Mako culture, followed by the Ottomany and Gyulavarsand cultures. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic The Ottomány culture located in Western Romania in eastern Hungary,Crisana (in Romania and Slovakia is a local middle Bronze age culture (2100-1700 BC near the village of

The late Bronze Age Urnfield culture, (1300–700 BC) is characterized by cremation burials. The Urnfield culture (c 1300 BC - 750 BC) was a late Bronze Age culture of central Europe. It includes the Lusatian culture in eastern Germany and Poland (1300–500 BC) that continues into the Iron Age. The Lusatian culture existed in the later Bronze Age and early Iron Age ( 1300 BC - 500 BC) in eastern Germany, most of Poland Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. The Central European Bronze Age is followed by the Iron Age Hallstatt culture (700–450 BC). The Hallstatt culture was the predominant

Important sites include:

• Biskupin (Poland)
• Nebra (Germany)
• Vráble (Slovakia)
• Zug-Sumpf, Zug, Switzerland

Caucasus

Some scholars date some arsenical bronze artifacts of the Maykop culture in the North Caucasus as far back as the mid 4th millennium BC. This is a list of notable Archaeological sites sorted by country Biskupin is an archaeological site and a life-size model of an Iron Age fortified settlement in north-central Poland ( Kuyavian-Pomeranian Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Nebra / Unstrut is a municipality in the district of Burgenlandkreis of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Vráble (Verebély is a town in the Nitra District, Nitra Region, western Slovakia. Slovakia (long form Slovak Republic; Slovak:, long form, is a Landlocked country in Central Europe with a population of over five million The Canton of Zug ( German Kanton) is one of the 26 Cantons of Switzerland. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The Maykop culture, ca 3500 BC &mdash 2500 BC, is a major Bronze Age archaeological culture situated in Southern Russia running from The North Caucasus, also Ciscaucasus, Ciscaucasia or Forecaucasia, is the northern part of the Caucasus region between Europe ^[11]

Great Britain

Main article: Bronze Age Britain

In Great Britain, the Bronze Age is considered to have been the period from around 2100 to 750 BC. In Great Britain, the Bronze Age is considered to have been the period from around 2700 to 700 BC. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Migration brought new people to the islands from the continent. Recent tooth enamel isotope research on bodies found in early Bronze Age graves around Stonehenge indicate that at least some of the migrants came from the area of modern Switzerland. Stonehenge is a Prehistoric Monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The Beaker culture displayed different behaviours from the earlier Neolithic people and cultural change was significant. The Bell-Beaker culture (sometimes shortened to Beaker culture, Beaker people, or Beaker folk; Glockenbecherkultur) ca The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos Integration is thought to have been peaceful as many of the early henge sites were seemingly adopted by the newcomers. henge is a prehistoric Architectural structure. In form it is a nearly circular or oval-shaped flat area over 20 Metres (65 feet) in diameter The rich Wessex culture developed in southern Britain at this time. The Wessex culture is the predominant prehistoric culture of central and southern Britain during the early Bronze Age, originally defined by the British Additionally, the climate was deteriorating, where once the weather was warm and dry it became much wetter as the Bronze Age continued, forcing the population away from easily-defended sites in the hills and into the fertile valleys. In Geology, a valley (also called a vale, dale, glen or strath and near or in Appalachia, a draw) is Large livestock farms developed in the lowlands which appear to have contributed to economic growth and inspired increasing forest clearances. The Deverel-Rimbury culture began to emerge in the second half of the Middle Bronze Age (c. The Deverel-Rimbury culture was a name given to an Archaeological culture of the British Middle Bronze Age. 1400–1100 BC) to exploit these conditions. Cornwall was a major source of tin for much of western Europe and copper was extracted from sites such as the Great Orme mine in northern Wales. Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar Tin is a Chemical element with the symbol Sn (stannum and Atomic number 50 Copper (ˈkɒpɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol Cu (cuprum and Atomic number 29 The Great Orme ( Welsh: Y Gogarth or Pen y Gogarth) is a prominent Limestone headland on the north coast of Social groups appear to have been tribal but with growing complexity and hierarchies becoming apparent.

Also, the burial of dead (which until this period had usually been communal) became more individual. For example, whereas in the Neolithic a large chambered cairn or long barrow was used to house the dead, the Early Bronze Age saw people buried in individual barrows (also commonly known and marked on modern British Ordnance Survey maps as Tumuli), or sometimes in cists covered with cairns. A chambered cairn is a burial monument usually constructed during the Neolithic, consisting of a Cairn of stones inside which a sizeable (usually stone chamber A long barrow is a prehistoric monument dating to the early Neolithic period A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a Mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves Ordnance Survey (OS is an Executive agency of the United Kingdom government A cist (ˈkɪst or /ˈsɪst/ or kist (/ˈkɪst/ is a small stone-built coffin-like box or Ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead. A cairn ( carn in Irish is an artificial pile of stones often in a conical form

The greatest quantities of bronze objects found in England were discovered in East Cambridgeshire, where the most important finds were recovered in Isleham (more than 6500 pieces). England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Archaeology The recent Fenland survey of archaeological finds mentions an enumeration of findings made between 1884 and 1994 in the region to the north Isleham is a small Village and Civil parish in the English county of Cambridgeshire. The Isleham Hoard is a hoard of more than 6500 pieces of worked and unworked Bronze found in 1959 at Isleham in the English county of Cambridgeshire ^[12]

Bronze Age boats

• Ferriby Boats
• Langdon Bay hoard - see also Dover Museum
• Divers unearth Bronze Age hoard off the coast of Devon
• Moor Sands finds, including a remarkably well preserved and complete sword which has parallels with material from the Seine basin of northern France

Ireland

The Bronze Age in Ireland commenced in the centuries around 2000 BC when copper was alloyed with tin and used to manufacture Ballybeg type flat axes and associated metalwork. The Ferriby Boats are three Bronze Age sewn plank-built boats, parts of which were discovered at North Ferriby in the East Riding of the Langdon Bay is a Bay in east Kent, England It is named after the nearby villages of Langdon, East Langdon and West Langdon. For museums in any other town or city named Dover see Dover (disambiguation. Ballybeg is a generic name given to small Irish towns similar in meaning and context to Smallville in the Superman universe The preceding period is known as the Copper Age and is characterised by the production of flat axes, daggers, halberds and awls in copper. The Chalcolithic (Greek khalkos + lithos ' Copper stone' period or Copper Age period known as the '''Eneolithic''' ('''Æneolithic''' is a A dagger (from Vulgar Latin: 'daca' - a Dacian Knife) is a typically double-edged blade used for Stabbing or thrusting The period is divided into three phases: Early Bronze Age (2000–1500 BC), Middle Bronze Age (1500–1200 BC), and Late Bronze Age (1200 – c. The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for 500 BC). Ireland is also known for a relatively large number of Early Bronze Age burials. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for Burial, also called interment and inhumation, is the act of placing a person or object into the ground

One of the characteristic type of artifact of the Early Bronze Age in Ireland is the flat axe. There are five main types of flat axes: Lough Ravel (c. 2200 BC), Ballybeg (c. Ballybeg is a generic name given to small Irish towns similar in meaning and context to Smallville in the Superman universe 2000 BC), Killaha (c. 2000 BC), Ballyvalley (c. 2000–1600 BC), Derryniggin (c. 1600 BC), and a number of metal ingots in the shape of axes. ^[13]

Notes

References

• Eogan, George (1983) The hoards of the Irish later Bronze Age, Dublin : University College, 331p. , ISBN 0-901120-77-4
• Hall, David and Coles, John (1994) Fenland survey : an essay in landscape and persistence, Archaeological report 1, London : English Heritage, 170 p. , ISBN 1-85074-477-7
• Pernicka, E. , Eibner, C. , Öztunah, Ö. , Wagener, G. A. (2003) "Early Bronze Age Metallurgy in the Northeast Aegean", In: Wagner, G. A. , Pernicka, E. and Uerpmann, H-P. (eds), Troia and the Troad : scientific approaches, Natural science in archaeology, Berlin; London : Springer, ISBN 3-540-43711-8, p. 143–172
• Waddell, John (1998) The prehistoric archaeology of Ireland, Galway University Press, 433 p. , ISBN 1-901421-10-4

See also

• Synoptic table of the principal old world prehistoric cultures
• Bronze Age collapse
• Three age system

External links

• Web index Bronze Age in Europe
• Ancient tin: old question and a new answer
• Pretanic World - Bronze Age Britain
• Pretanic World - Bronze Age Ireland
• Bronze Age Experimental Archeology and Museum Reproductions
• Hypothetical reconstruction of a Lusatian culture settlement, raised using only bronze age tools - Wola Radziszowska (near Cracow) - Poland
• Umha Aois - Reconstructed Bronze Age metal casting
• Umha Aois - ancient bronze casting videoclip
• Reconstructing the Danish Trundholm Sun Chariot

The synoptic table of the principal old world prehistoric cultures gives a rough picture of the relationships between the various principal cultures of Prehistory The Bronze Age collapse is the name given by those historians who see the transition from the The three-age system refers to the Periodization of Human Prehistory into three consecutive Time periods named for their respective

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