Theme:
The archaeology of material culture, bodies and landscapes
Session format:
Session, made up of a combination of papers, max. 15 minutes each
Title:
Bronze Age Transformation Processes in Europe – Changes and Their Triggers in Archaeological and Ecological Records
Content:
This session deals with transformation processes during the Bronze Age (2200–500 BC) in North, Central and Central Western Europe. In general, two decisive changes can be observed: on the one hand, the transition to the Middle Bronze Age, and, on the other hand, the beginning of the Urnfield period. Far-reaching but different changes in Europe mark these time horizons: 1) The end of the first Bronze Age cultures, among others the northern Únětice Culture with a following settlement gap of 150 years; 2) The beginning of the Late Bronze Age with the start of cremation burials and large urn cemeteries. The introduction of cremation burials not only bears witness to a change in the grave ritual, but also indicates crucial social and ecological changes that are visible, for example, in the diet.
This session focuses on transition phases in the Bronze Age and their social, cultural, ecological and economic aspects. Within this session, we would like to discuss changes in settlement patterns, technology and productive activities, burial construction and rituals, as well as fundamental changes in the material culture (e.g. new weapons and tools, shifts in personal goods). Furthermore, we are interested in the methods which can be used for the localisation of transformation processes (absolute dating, environmental research, genetic analyses, geochemistry, geophysics and quantitative/diachronic analyses). Finally, it will be inquired if it is possible to identify triggers for the processes of transformation (in social, economic, ideological, cultural, and ecologic contexts).
Keywords:
Bronze Age, Material Culture, Change
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Main organiser:
Stefanie Schaefer (Germany) 1
Co-organisers:
Dr. Jutta Kneisel (Germany) 1
Dr. Serena Sabatini (Sweden) 2
Affiliations:
1. Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Institute for Pre- and Protohistroric Archaeology
2. University of Gothenburg, Department of Historical Studies
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