Household Economy, Long-Term Change, and Social Transformation: The Bronze Age Political Economy of Northwestern Europe

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristian Kristiansen
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Social Transformation ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Term Change ◽  
History Of Vegetation ◽  
History Of ◽  
Triggering Factor ◽  
The Bronze Age

In this article I examine how long-term economic strategies in the Bronze Age of northern Europe between 2300 and 500 BCE transformed the environment and thus created and imposed new ecological constraints that finally led to a major social transformation and a "dark age" that became the start of the new long-term cycle of the Iron Age. During the last 30 years hundreds of well-excavated farmsteads and houses from south Scandinavia have made it possible to reconstruct the size and the structure of settlement and individual households through time. During the same period numerous pollen diagrams have established the history of vegetation and environmental changes. I will therefore use the size of individual households or farmsteads as a parameter of economic strength, and to this I add the role of metal as a triggering factor in the economy, especially after 1700 BCE when a full-scale bronze technology was adopted and after 500 BCE when it was replaced by iron as the dominant metal. A major theoretical concern is the relationships between micro- and macroeconomic changes and how they articulated in economic practices. Finally the nature of the "dark age" during the beginning of the Iron Age will be discussed, referring to Sing Chew's use of the concept (Chew 2006).

scholarly journals Visual Culture in Prehistoric South-east Italy

2002 ◽  
Vol 68 ◽  
pp. 165-183
Author(s):  
Robin Skeates
Keyword(s):  
Visual Culture ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Cultural Landscape ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
History Of ◽  
Visual Cultures ◽  
The Bronze Age

Using the approach of visual culture, which highlights the embeddedness of art in dynamic human processes, this paper examines the prehistoric archaeology of the Lecce province in south-east Italy, in order to provide a history of successive visual cultures in that area, between the Middle Palaeolithic and the Bronze Age. It is argued that art may have helped human groups to deal with problems in subsistence and society, including environmental changes affecting the cultural landscape and its resources, the breaking up of old social relations and the establishment and maintenance of new ones. More specifically, art appears to have become increasingly related to the expression of religious and even mythical beliefs, and in particular to the performance of ceremonies and rituals in selected spaces such as caves. This may reflect the existence of a long-term tradition of performance art in prehistory, involving performers and viewers, in which art helped to structure and heighten the sensual and social impact of the acting human body.

North European Rock Art

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joakim Goldhahn
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Rock Art ◽  
Northern Europe ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Migration Period ◽  
Farming Communities ◽  
And Migration ◽  
The Bronze Age

This chapter offers a long-term perspective on rock art in northern Europe. It first provides an overview of research on the rock art traditions of northern Europe before discussing the societies and cultures that created such traditions. It then considers examples of rock art made by hunter-gatherer societies in northern Europe, focusing on the first rock art boom related to Neolithization. It also examines the second rock art boom, which was associated with social and religious changes within farming communities that took place around 1600–1400 bc. The chapter concludes by analysing the breakdown of long-distance networks in the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age and its consequences for the making of rock art within the southern traditions, as well as the use of rock art sites during the Pre-Roman Iron Age, Roman Iron Age, and Migration Period.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS M.P. GRYAZNOV, V.I. MATYUSHCHENKO AND THE STATE HERMITAGE MUSEUM

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 62-69
Author(s):  
MARSADOLOV L. ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
The State ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Bronze Age

Many decades the life and work of Mikhail Petrovich Gryaznov (1902-1984) was connected with the State Hermitage museum. Long-term friendship bound him with Vladimir Ivanovich Matyushchenko (1928-2005). These archaeologists were lucky in the excavations in the field and in the office behind a desk that was reached by stressful daily work. The most valuable materials from the excavations of M.P. Gryaznov were transferred to the Hermitage (Pazyryk-1, Arzhan-1), and in the museum's funds he taught a course in tracology for students of LSU. Archaeologists are well aware of the scientific works of VI. Matyushchenko on the history of Siberian archaeology, materials from excavations of the Bronze Age sites in the Tomsk and Omsk regions (Elovka, Rostovka and others), and the mounds of the Xiongnu era in Sidorovka. This article briefly discusses the main stages of M.P. Gryaznov's work in the Hermitage and his further relations with this museum. The author of the article was familiar with M.P. Gryaznov and VI. Matyushchenko, studied archaeology with them, gained experience and repeatedly helped them, both in the Hermitage and beyond. Keywords: M.P Gryaznov, V.I. Matyushchenko, hermitage, Pazyryk, Arzhan, state award

scholarly journals Ancient DNA shows domestic horses were introduced in the southern Caucasus and Anatolia during the Bronze Age

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (38) ◽  
pp. eabb0030
Author(s):  
Silvia Guimaraes ◽  
Benjamin S. Arbuckle ◽  
Joris Peters ◽  
Sarah E. Adcock ◽  
Hijlke Buitenhuis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Early Neolithic ◽  
The Caucasus ◽  
Domestic Horses ◽  
Third Millennium Bce ◽  
History Of ◽  
Southern Caucasus ◽  
The Bronze Age

Despite the important roles that horses have played in human history, particularly in the spread of languages and cultures, and correspondingly intensive research on this topic, the origin of domestic horses remains elusive. Several domestication centers have been hypothesized, but most of these have been invalidated through recent paleogenetic studies. Anatolia is a region with an extended history of horse exploitation that has been considered a candidate for the origins of domestic horses but has never been subject to detailed investigation. Our paleogenetic study of pre- and protohistoric horses in Anatolia and the Caucasus, based on a diachronic sample from the early Neolithic to the Iron Age (~8000 to ~1000 BCE) that encompasses the presumed transition from wild to domestic horses (4000 to 3000 BCE), shows the rapid and large-scale introduction of domestic horses at the end of the third millennium BCE. Thus, our results argue strongly against autochthonous independent domestication of horses in Anatolia.

scholarly journals Sten som betydelsebärare i den förhistoriska föreställningsvärlden

AmS-Varia ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 77-86
Author(s):  
Marianne Lönn
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Religious Tradition ◽  
Medieval Period ◽  
Migration Period ◽  
Basic Change ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
Similar Appearance ◽  
The Bronze Age

This article discusses the meaning of stones and the practice of gathering stones, in graves, clearance cairns and stone-covered hillocks. The emphases are on stone-covered hillocks and their long-term usage (up to 1500 years), analyzed using the concept of longue durée. In this paper I propose that the stones in themselves have a cultic meaning as well as the actions, i.e. the remodeling of hillocks and the placing of clearance cairns among graves. In this, I see a connection between stone-covered hillocks, graves and clearance cairns. The underlying concept is a stable, but slowly changing, prehistoric religious tradition that lasted from the Bronze Age to the Migration Period and possibly also through the Late Iron Age. A basic change in this does not take place until the coming of Christianity in the Medieval Period. The reason that Medieval and later clearance cairns were placed together with graves is probably due to their similar appearance.

scholarly journals From the History of Shamanism: Images of Shamanic Assistant Spirits on the Petroglyphs of the Upper Amur and Aldan (Article Two)

2019 ◽  
pp. 65-72
Author(s):  
Tatyana Yu. Sem ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Early Iron Age ◽  
History Of ◽  
Sacrificial Ritual ◽  
Cultural Genesis ◽  
The Universe ◽  
The Bronze Age

The article deals with the history of shamanism and interpret the images on the petroglyphs of the Upper Amur, Olekma and Aldan rivers, dating back to 2000–1000 BC. Important role in the petroglyphs is played by the images of the Supreme gods and forest spirits that were accessed by shamans and shamanic spirit-helpers. The opposition of light and dark spirits-assistants in the form of deer and bear riders symbolizing the two worlds of the universe – the upper and lower ones – stands out among the latter. The first rider was accompanied by mushroom-shaped spirits, the second one – by hammer-shaped, sharp-headed spirits. The first spirits were associated with the mushroom ritual drink from used during the ritual to communicate with the gods, and the second ones – with farriery. Images of one-legged and two-legged hunchbacks and mother goddesses were widespread as well. The scene of making a sacrifice to the spirits highlights two shamanic guardian spirits: the first is depicted with a radiant head; the second is a sharp-headed one, having similarities with main shamanic patron spirits of the Tungus-Manchus – Buchu and Manga. Images of spirits-assistants of shamans in the form of one-legged hunchbacks, deer and bear riders, mushroom idols and mother goddesses depicted in the petroglyphs of the Upper Amur and Aldan rivers also have direct correspondences in shamanism of Tungus-Manchu peoples (Evenks, Nanais, Udege) that testifies to participation of ancient Upper Amur tribes in ethnocultural genesis of Tungus-Manchurians. Some plots of the sacrificial ritual are genetically related to the Okunev culture, probably also being genetic and cultural impulses for the Upper Amur population of the Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. The opposition of the spirits of the light and dark sides of the sky has analogues in the culture of the Yakuts and Buryats. Blacksmith ongons as the assistant spirits of the shamans are found in the Buryat culture. This indicates the participation of the Upper Amur tribes of the Bronze Age in the cultural genesis of some peoples of Siberia

Stages in the Chronological Development of Hoards and Votive Deposits

1987 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 351-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Non Local ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
Votive Deposition ◽  
Stage Characteristic ◽  
The Bronze Age

Some recent literature on the problem of hoards is reviewed, dealing particularly with the distinction between votive deposits and stores of objects. An alternative approach is developed, considering the long-term variations in the nature of intentional deposits in European prehistory. Three stages are suggested. In the initial stage, a unitary system of deposits prevailed, especially of food and selected artefacts, including metal when available. In the developed stage, characteristic of the Bronze Age, a dual system allowed both votive deposition and accumulation and recycling, especially of non-local metal. The final stage, in the later Iron Age, saw renewed emphasis on votive deposits, especially on the borders of emerging polities.

Late Holocene Paleoecology and Sedimentary History of a Small Lowland Catchment in Central England

1985 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antony G. Brown ◽  
Keith E. Barber
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Structural Damage ◽  
Late Holocene ◽  
Sediment Storage ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
History Of ◽  
Floodplain Deposits ◽  
Floodplain Sediments

A variety of paleoecological and sedimentary techniques were used to investigate the storage of sediment within a small lowland catchment during the Holocene. Radiocarbon dating of vertically accreted floodplain deposits allowed the calculation of inorganic accumulation rates. These rates show a dramatic increase in sediment deposition during the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age (2900-2300 yr B.P.) due to deforestation and cultivation of the catchment slopes and resultant soil erosion. The soils within the catchment were susceptible to structural damage, surface waterlogging, and slope-wash erosion. From the calculated increases in sediment storage estimates of catchment erosion were made which vary from around 20 to 140 tons km−2 yr−1. The study of alluvial chronology at this scale can provide unique information on the source areas of Holocene floodplain sediments and provide long-term erosion rates.

Unraveling the Occupation History of the Cremation Cemetery at Wijnegem/Blikstraat (Belgium)

Radiocarbon ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 1645-1656
Author(s):  
Guy De Mulder ◽  
Mark Van Strydonck ◽  
Mathieu Boudin ◽  
Ignace Bourgeois
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Early Iron Age ◽  
Late Bronze Age ◽  
Funerary Monuments ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
History Of

ABSTRACTRecently a cremation cemetery was excavated at the site of Wijnegem where 29 cremation graves and 9 funerary monuments were uncovered. Thirty radiocarbon (14C) dates were carried out, mostly on cremated bone but also 10 charcoal samples were dated. Twenty-four cremations were studied. Four ring ditches were dated by charcoal samples from the infill of the ditch. The 14C dates showed an interesting long-term occupation of the cemetery. Different phases were ascertained. The history of the cemetery starts in the northern part of the site around a circular funerary monument. Two cremations were dated at the transition of the Early to Middle Bronze Ages. Two other graves represent the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Ages. The main occupation period dates between the end of the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. Finally, an isolated cremation grave marks the definite abandonment of the site during the Late Iron Age.

scholarly journals Ancient Xinjiang mitogenomes reveal intense admixture with high genetic diversity

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (14) ◽  
pp. eabd6690
Author(s):  
Wenjun Wang ◽  
Manyu Ding ◽  
Jacob D. Gardner ◽  
Yongqiang Wang ◽  
Bo Miao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Genetic Admixture ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
High Genetic Diversity ◽  
Genetic History ◽  
Asian Populations ◽  
History Of ◽  
Genetic Continuity ◽  
The Bronze Age

Xinjiang is a key region in northwestern China, connecting East and West Eurasian populations and cultures for thousands of years. To understand the genetic history of Xinjiang, we sequenced 237 complete ancient human mitochondrial genomes from the Bronze Age through Historical Era (41 archaeological sites). Overall, the Bronze Age Xinjiang populations show high diversity and regional genetic affinities with Steppe and northeastern Asian populations along with a deep ancient Siberian connection for the Tarim Basin Xiaohe individuals. In the Iron Age, in general, Steppe-related and northeastern Asian admixture intensified, with North and East Xinjiang populations showing more affinity with northeastern Asians and South Xinjiang populations showing more affinity with Central Asians. The genetic structure observed in the Historical Era of Xinjiang is similar to that in the Iron Age, demonstrating genetic continuity since the Iron Age with some additional genetic admixture with populations surrounding the Xinjiang region.

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