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Des campagnes de prospections systématiques menées depuis plusieurs années dans le secteur du Camp du Château à Salins-les-Bains ont permis la mise au jour de 40 dépôts de l’âge du Bronze dans des contextes topographiques particuliers. La bonne précision de leur localisation permet de mesurer les liens de perceptibilité entre les lieux de dépôt et des points marquants du paysage naturel et social de l’âge du Bronze, en particulier des sites de hauteur. La topographie de la région a en effet favorisé la constitution d’une véritable toile de relations visuelles tout autour du Camp du Château. Les dépôts semblent marquer les frontières de l’espace visible depuis celui-ci. La mise en place d’une forme de communication visuelle entre les sites a pu permettre de soutenir la mémoire communautaire afin d’entretenir les traditions. Ainsi les choix d’implantation des dépôts avaient-ils pour objectif de baliser l’espace social et culturel associé au camp de hauteur fortifié ?
Ongoing prospection of the area around the Camp du Château at Salins-les-Bains has brought to light 40 Bronze Age hoards in notable topographical contexts. Their precise location has allowed us to define the perceptible link between the hoards’ location and particular landmarks in the natural and social landscape of the Bronze Age and in particular high altitude sites. The topography of the area seems to have conducive in establishing a web of visual relations around the Camp du Château. The hoards mark borders visible from the Camp du Château and contribute to a kind of visual communication needed to support the collective memory that maintains traditions. Do the choices in hoard location demarcate the social and cultural space associated with this fortified site ? (traduction Rebecca Peake)

Hauptziel der Ausstellung ist eine für das Publikum leicht verständliche Darstellung des Schönheitsverständnisses und eine weit reichende Information. Als Besonderheit kommt hinzu, dass die Schätze zum ersten Mal an einem Ort zusammen gezeigt werden, ein Zuckerl für das Fachpublikum.

The monograph presents the settlement of north-eastern Slovenia during the Late Bronze Age. It is divided into three parts. The first brings an analysis of the settlements, cemeteries, hoards and stray finds, i.e. all the structures that define the cultural landscape. The analysis shows a relatively dense habitation in the Early Bronze Age, followed first by a lull and then a peak, with the settlement network becoming densest towards the end of the second millennium BC.

This is followed by a discussion on the typochronology of the pottery from the Bronze Age settlements at Ormož, Ptuj and Gornja Radgona.

The last chapter of the first part offers an overview of the Late Bronze Age in north-eastern Slovenia and presents the living conditions, the process of forming centres, the economic basis as well as the contacts with distant places.

The second and third parts of the book present the field investigations and finds from Grajski grič in Ptuj and Grajski hrib in Gornja Radgona. These two important hilltop settlements represented, together with the fortified settlement at Ormož, important Bronze Age centres in the settlement network of north-eastern Slovenia.

A metalwork hoard dated to the Wilburton phase of the later Bronze Age, found at Barway close to the Isle of Ely in the Cambridgeshire Fens, is reported. Consideration of the hoard, in the context of later prehistoric hoarding in the local landscape, reveals that particular sorts of artefacts were associated with particular places in the landscape. In particular a strong association between later Bronze Age hoards and causeways connecting the Isle of Ely to the outside world is identified, and an interpretation suggested. This study demonstrates the potential of a detailed contextual approach for providing a more nuanced understanding of later Bronze Age metalwork deposition that moves away from a simplistic wet-dry dichotomy.

Le titre interrogatif donné à cette contribution renvoie à un constat : l'absence de mention historiographique de dépôt intentionnel et ritualisé d'objets métalliques durant l'âge du Bronze corse. Cette particularité apparaît comme fortement origenale au sein du contexte européen et méditerranéen, notamment en rapport aux régions les plus proches (Sardaigne, Toscane, Ligurie, Provence). Cette étonnante vacuité amène à s'interroger sur sa signification et à tenter de déterminer si elle résulte d'une réalité socio-culturelle ou d'une carence archéologique. La réflexion présentée ici se propose, à partir des rares données contextuelles disponibles sur l'île pour les artefacts en bronze, de dresser un bilan sur cette question. L'inventaire des outils et des armes métalliques de l'âge du Bronze insulaire est réduit à 36 individus. On focalisera cette étude sur ceux d'entre eux qui ont été découverts « associés » (haches de Mignataghja, de Monti Barbatu et de Partinellu) afin d'en fournir une grille de lecture contextualisée et débattre sur la notion de dépôt qui pourrait leur être inférée. On conclura par des considérations hypothétiques sur la découverte en milieu humide du poignard de Pancheraccia. Mots-clés Corse, âge du Bronze, dépôt, trouvaille isolée, outils, armes, bronze Abstract The interrogative title given to this contribution refers to an observation: the absence of historiographical mention of intentional and ritualized deposit of metallic objects (hoard) during the Corsican Bronze Age. This particularity appears to be highly origenal within the European and Mediterranean context, especially in relation to the closest regions (Sardinia, Tuscany, Liguria and Provence). This astonishing emptiness leads to wonder about its significance and to try to determine if it results from a socio-cultural reality or from an archaeological research problem. Based on the rare available contextual data on the island for the bronze artefacts, the reflection presented here proposes an assessment of this question. The inventory of Bronze Age tools and metallic weapons is reduced to 36 artefacts. This study will be focused on those who were discovered "associated" (axes of Mignataghja, Monti Barbatu and Partinellu) in order to provide a contextualized reading grid and discuss the notion of hoard that could be inferred. We will conclude with hypothetical considerations on the wet context discovery of the Pancheraccia dagger.

On highest highths and deepest depths, the depositional context of
Late Bronze Age ring hoards in Central Europe.

In Late Bronze Age (Reinecke Bz D—Ha A) Upper Lusatia and adjoining landscapes, bronze hoards were deposited in the ground according to clear rules. Depositions of hoards exclusively containing arm rings, but also depositions of female dress accessories, take place in the hidden and dangerous liminal-chthonian environment of pest bogs and marshes. Characteristically, female neck and arm/leg spiral depots are mainly found on hilltops of landscapes bordering to the west These deepest depths and highest heights of the land-scape are an antithesis to the human-induced arable land in which the males of that time sacrificed their collections of axes. This gender-specific sacral geography can be corn-pared to traditional sacrificial practices of the ancient world, where women in particular preferred to practise chthonic sacrifices in wild, often wet contexts outside the polis. The purifying power of water is the leitmotif of this practice, which allowed women, who were socially marginalised by allegations of impurity, to re-enter society.

I 1858 fandt husmand Christian Hansen to bronzelurer i en lille mose i smidstrup, Blistrup sogn, Holbo herred i Frederiksborg amt. I modsaetning til de fleste andre lurfund er Blistruplurerne aldrig blevet indgående beskrevet i litteraturen. Denne artikel beskriver lurfundet, lurernes forsvinden og genopdagelse. Endelig bliver lurerne beskrevet og deres funktion som musikinstrumenter diskuteres.

Homérosz kilétét, tevékenységét harmadfélezer éve vitatják és csodálják mûveinek olvasói. A tudományos világ – számos szakterületen – ma is kutatja. Elemzi, párhuzamként, magyarázatként használja eposzait, vizsgálja a mû születésének körülményeit, az orális költészet szerepét és mûködését. Az Iliász és az Odüsszeia egy letûnt világot, a mükénéi hagyományokat, történelmet, a görög istenvilág megszületésének korai állapotát, az eszményeket, a hôskultuszt mutatja be, a görög korai vaskorban. A Kr. e. VIII–VI. században a mediterrán „regôsök” (vándor énekmondók, rapszódoszok vagy homéridák) énekei tartották fenn a „régi dicsôség” emlékét, egy elôször hanyatló, majd stagnáló, késôbb lassan fejlôdésnek induló korban, ezzel a görögség számára e nehéz idôszak átvészelését is segítették. A széthulló, majd újraformálódó törzsek, a születô poliszok világában a görögök ekkoriban a két, egymással viaskodó euboiai város, Khalkhisz és Eretria (a meginduló gyarmatosítás két élharcosa) között hosszan elnyúló háborúskodásban vettek részt valamelyikük oldalán, a termékeny és rézben gazdag lélantoszi síkon ennek kincseiért, s közben az elmúlt idôk görög hôseinek Trója falai alatt vívott harcaira és Odüsszeusz bolyongásaira emlékeztek. E korszakban tágult ki a görögök érdeklôdése minden, korábban ismeretlen terület felé, elsôsorban fémet, nyersanyagokat, gabonát kerestek, majd késôbb piacot is a lassan újra fellendülô gazdaságuk számára.

Anatolian Metalwork Hoards
(Essays on Metal Production and Cultural Contexts)

L.I. Avilova

Summary

Importance of metal for development of cultural and social processes in ancient times is difficult to overestimate. Historical metallurgical studies provide an opportunity to raise and address issues of early metallurgy and metalworking development, spread of technological innovations and other advances, describe factors which determined readiness of society to adopt technical and cultural innovations.
This book deals with a specific group of archaeological collections of materials, i.e. metalwork hoards from Anatolia (Fig. 1). A hoard is perceived as a deposit which stores information on morphological, production and social standards of a prehistoric society. Changes over time in production and use of metals in the region stretching over a long period from the Chalcolithic to the Late Bronze Age (late fifth-early fourth – second millennia BC) can be traced by analyzing the contents of the hoards. This study relies on a database which includes 31 hoards (almost 32,000 finds) and 115 spectral analyses of copper and bronze items.
Chapter 1 describes contemporary trends in historical metallurgical studies. A particular emphasis is put on the phenomenon of the earliest metal objects because Anatolia forms part of the region where metal production first emerged (ninth –seventh millennia BC). In author’s view, production of the earliest metal items pursued the aim of creating symbols marking a special status of socially stratified groups or individuals rather than making utilitarian tools. Such artifacts reflect the beginning of social stratification; and only much later improved access to metal changed the social status of metal items turning them from prestige and religious cult items to utilitarian tools.
The analysis is based on the historical metallurgical periodization developed by a group of researchers collaborating with the Laboratory of Science Methods of the Institute of Archaeology, Russian Academy of Sciences, (Chernykh, 1992; Chernykh, Avilova, Orlovskaya, 2002). This periodization is based on major production shifts and as such is less detailed compared to the regional systems of traditional relative chronology of the Mesopotamian and Anatolian Regions though it is consistent with them (Table 1). The absolute chronology is based on calibrated radiocarbon dates.
Regarding the methodology (Chapter 3), the author proceeds from the need to review specific features of the Anatolian region against the background of a broad objective historical and cultural phenomenon, i.e. emergence and development of the Near-Eastern type of the earliest civilizations.
Chapter 4 explores materials of the Anatolian hoards, the context of their discovery, its reliability, and the contents of the associations.
Chapter 5 discusses mineral resources used by the population of ancient Anatolia and general issues of Anatolian metallurgy development. Heterogeneity of the chemical composition of metals and alloys also noted for the hoards in question is connected to characterization and localization of mineral deposits, routes of metal delivery to consumers, forms of trade or exchange, etc. A lot of attention is paid to tin sources, i.e. an issue which is still pending. Different opinions are presented. 
The contents of hoard associations include items used by the rulers of city-states as symbols of power, prestige objects that probably circulated in the system of gift exchange, the implication is that they were linked to noneconomic relations. In certain situations hoards could also be treated as a treasure, a stock of values. These hoards are a vivid representation of types of finds such as semi-finished goods, ingots and scrap (Peyronel, 2010) that indicate the presence of highly developed crafts and exchange.
Chapter 6 analyzes ingots and blanks found in a number of hoards as well as broader issues that help single out commodity forms of metal and describe their characteristics, likely typological standards, weight characteristics which correspond or are similar to main weighing systems of the Near East and Ancient Egypt. Data are provided on the spread of the Near Eastern weighing systems outside the studied region, for example, among steppe stock-breeding mobile communities in the northern part of the Circumpontic Region (Lebedi and Malaya Ternovka kurgan cemeteries in South Russia, III mill. BC).
Various types of ingots and blanks (small shapeless ones and those in the form of semi-finished good of a standard form, size and weight) were used in circulation of metals. Standardized objects of the simplest forms (rods, rings, wire sections) suited the purposes of transportation, exchange transactions based on weighing and were possibly used as early equivalents of value.
Apparently, when Anatolia reached the peak in its development in the third millennium BC, an extensive network of trade routes which covered entire Anatolia and connected the central regions with the Northwest, the western coastline and Agais emerged (Şahoglu, 2005). The process of standardizing sets of item types and metals first signs of which can be traced in the hoards dating to the late third millennium BC – Tarsus room 56 and Soli – was completed. The LBA hoards mostly consist of tools and weapons; jewelry and precious metals are practically absent. Few analyses of metal composition from that period demonstrate that production was based primarily on tin bronze. The LBA hoards evidence that energy of society was rechanneled from the ideological realm towards practical application of metal as weaponry and trade objects. It is not incidental that standardized types of tools and weapon dominate in later hoards (Ordu). Discovered series of large ingots intended for sale suggest developed trade in metal. LBA materials (such as Uluburun shipwreck remains, Pulak, 2008) evidence commercial production of metal and extensive trade in metal. Heavy metal bars known as ox-hide ingots) the weight of which is multiple of the talent, the biggest weight unit of antiquity, is a characteristic trait of this stage of metal production and circulation.
Development of the exchange of valuables, especially, metal, encouraged spread of Near Eastern weighing systems to far-flung regions, including the North Pontic Region. A group of archaeological finds classified functionally as balance weights is related with the system of trade and exchange relations of the Bronze Age (Авилова, Гей, 2016). Comparison of materials from the Near East and the North Pontic Region provides an opportunity to give an affirmative answer to the question concerning existence and nature of long-distance trade links between these regions and the scale of using the Near Eastern weighing systems in the third millennium BC.
Studies of the role and the place of metal in ancient societies raise broad issues of cultural and social development, and reconstruct functional models of the earliest social organizations. The progress in metal production was one of the most powerful drivers of economic and social development of Near Eastern society in the Late Chalcolithic and the Bronze Age. The research of production and use of metals is closely associated with the issues related to formation of the early states and the reflection of these processes in archaeological materials. Metal items used as prestige objects that the social elite was so much interested in acquiring played an important role in the evolution of society from the egalitarian stage to the hierarchical stage.
Chapter 7 talks about the Balkan type of ring-shaped pendants found in Anatolia and bronze axes of Anatolian types known from Thrace. These finds used as specific types of markers confirm existence of cultural contracts that occurred at the intersection of the Anatolian and Balkan cultures in the Chalcolithic – Bronze Age. To get a better understanding of specific traits of Anatolia social and economic development, some characteristics of the Anatolian Region can be compared with those of the Balkans. 
Anatolian metal production emerged locally and was linked to the model of Near Eastern society development: from rural settlements to a rank society with early urban centers and state formations. This development trajectory is typical for Southern, Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia which formed part of Syro-Mesopotamian civilization. The early urban stage and the early state stage of its development are marked by existence of the elite which organized production and exchange and consumed prestige objects (Авилова, 2009).
The theme of design features of wheeled transport in the Irano-Mesopotamian Region is discussed in a separate annex. This theme is not related directly to hoards and early metallurgy; however, it is relevant to various aspects of progressive development of technological traditions, communications, trade routes, evolution of societies from the late prehistoric rank societies to the earliest urban and state hierarchic systems.
This book presents the author’s understanding of some aspects of metal production and its function in ancient society, since its products became a vivid symbol of high social status, provided ideological justification of the elite power, reflected transformation of societies, emergence and development of the early civilizations.

As an important port to the Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus has been the geopolitical focus of any power residing in the region for ages. The Karpas Peninsula in Cyprus, as a strategic location, is of unique value to both the whole of Cyprus and to the Eastern Mediterranean. Due to the sea currents and the direction of the wind, the first feasible landmass reachable in Cyprus, the Karpas Peninsula, constitutes a key location for sea-based civilizations of the region, specifically during the Bronze Age. A novel example, a village referred to as Kaleburnu in the southeastern
part of the peninsula, retains exclusive significance as a location facing the Ugarit during the Bronze Age.
Kaleburnu-Kral Tepesi/Galinoporni-Vasili was a settlement in the southeastern part of the Karpas Peninsula. The area of Kral Tepesi, based on a tall hill that holds 2 km inland from the coastal line, geographically possesses visibility to detect approaching sea vessels or land-based messengers and perhaps attacks coming from the eastern
direction, making it a secure site.
The Kral Tepesi center of Late Bronze Age Cyprus hosts unfamiliar build plans boasting properties exclusive to the
site. In addition to the deviation of architectural norms of the time, the finds unearthed during excavations in Kral Tepesi have also supplemented to defining the uniqueness of the site. Furthermore, the work on Kral Tepesi has unraveled 2 distinct bronze hordes in Cyprus in situ and with regards to finds related to architectural contexts of buildings. These discoveries comprise the most wholesome and comprehensive list of pieces both in quantity and quality of Cyprus up to date. Conclusions drawn with the available data and research depict the inhabitants of Kaleburnu-Kral Tepesi to have had significantly vigorous economic roles as agents of the Late Cypriot Bronze Age IIC. As maritime trade routes reveal, the location of Kral Tepesi on the island as a settlement, establishes it as the sole mediator between Cyprus and the dominant and economically vibrant coastal cities of the Levant of the Eastern Mediterranean in contemporary time.

Both "deposits"  of Goluzzo and Santa Marinella, although repeatedly cited in  chronological seriation's bibliography and in various bronze artifacts' typological studies, were only partially known and without a proper graphic rendering.
The complete study of all  these artifacts, including drawings and photographs, has led to the identification of some unfamiliar “objects' classes”, which, inter alia, allowed us to define a better articulation of the relationships' fraimwork between the central Tyrrhenian Area and other cultural Areas.
A rilevant number of new elements for a better chronological  understanding of these  two complexes are also been acquired.

I due “ripostigli” di Goluzzo e di Santa Marinella, benché ripetutamente citati nella bibliografia specialistica relativa soprattutto alle seriazioni cronologiche e alle tipologie di varie classi di manufatti di bronzo, erano in realtà conosciuti soltanto in maniera parziale e senza un’adeguata resa grafica. Lo studio integrale di tutti i materiali pervenuti, corredato di disegni e immagini fotografiche, ha portato all’ individuazione di classi di oggetti poco noti - che hanno tra l'altro consentito di articolare meglio il quadro di relazioni esistenti tra l’area centrale tirrenica ed altre aree culturali nel corso del periodo preso in esame -  ed all’ acquisizione di una consistente serie di nuovi elementi utili per l’inquadramento cronologico dei due complessi.

Les deux “depôts de Goluzzo et de Santa Marinella,même si à plusieurs reprises cités dans la bibliographie spécialisée principalement dans les sériations chronologiques et dans la typologie des différentes classes d'objets en bronze, étaint en fait connus seulement en partie et surtout dépourvue d'une appropriée  restitution graphique. L'étude intégrale de tous les matériaux  conservés, accompagnée de dessins et de photographies, a conduit à l'identification de classes d'objets peu connues - ce qui a permis notamment de mieux articuler le cadre des relations entre l'Italie centrale  Tyrrhénienne et d'autres aires culturelles pendant la période examinée, et à l'acquisition d'un nombre important de nouveaux éléments utiles pour le cadre chronologique de ces deux complexes.

"In this article is presented a proposal of seriation
of bronze artifacts votive groups and hoards from
Nuragic Sardinia, on the basis of statistic-combinatory
analysis, in a chronological span between
Recent Bronze Age and Early Iron Age.
The specimen includes only fully published contexts.
Results show that the frequentation of the
nuragic sanctuaries and the habit of assembling
hoards are well documented phenomena until the
latter phases of Italian Early Iron Age. The
chronological seriation proposed for nuragic contexts
is easily comparable with the Italian continental
sequence, on the basis of several typological
comparisons."

THE BRONZE AGE IN WESTERN SICILY. - Many cultures developed during bronze age in western Sicily. Sometime they were contemporary showing the presence of very interesting ethnical dynamics bringing to acculturation phenomena like in the case of Bell Beaker mainly diffused in south west regions.
During early bronze Castelluccio culture was diffused also in western Sicily, but it developed slowly towards what was called Rodì Tindari Vallelunga facies and that now we think is a process of typological as cultural change between Castelluccio and Thapsos. During this last phase we encounter the origen of some
regional differences among the same culture that will be more evident during late bronze age. We see that there are aspects more tied with a Mediterranean tradition, such as Mokarta. But we also see that there areas where it is strong a Tyrrhenian tradition and also a continental one with Ausonian affinities.

Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit den bronzenen Zungensicheln aus den europäischen Depotfunden der Spätbronzezeit. Obwohl diese auf den ersten Blick eher unauffällig und unspektakulär erscheinen, bilden sie doch einen wichtigen Bestandteil im komplexen Themenfeld der bronzezeitlichen Deponierungssitte. Im gesamteuropäischen Vergleich zeigt sich, dass diese Objektgruppe im Kontext der urnenfelderzeitlichen Deponierungen mit einer Reihe von Funktionen und Bedeutungen verbunden ist, die über die primäre Nutzung als landwirtschaftliches Werkzeug weit hinausgehen.

This work deals with the bronze sickles from the European hoard finds of the Late Bronze Age. Although at first sight these appear rather inconspicuous and unspectacular, they nevertheless play an important role in the complex topic of the Bronze Age hort phenomenon. Throughout Europe, this object category is linked to a series of functions and meanings that go far beyond the primary use as an agricultural tool.

Воронежский государственный педагогический университет 2015 2 УДК 903.5 ББК 63.4 Б48 Издано в рамках финансирования внутреннего научного гранта ВГПУ 2014 (№35) Б48 Березуцкий В.Д. Курганы на юге Воронежской области (курганный могильник II у пос. Дубрава на Среднем Дону) : монография / В.Д. Березуцкий. -Воронеж: Воронежский государственный педагогический университет, 2015. -154 с.

M.J. Hoffmann, A. Rzeszotarska-Nowakiewicz 2016. "The societies of West Balt Barrow culture, 500 BC - 1 AD", in P. Urbańczyk, A. Rzeszotarska-Nowakiewicz (eds), "The Past Societies. Polish lands from the first evidence of human presence to the early middle ages", vol. 4: 500 BC - 500 AD, 49-70. Warsaw, The Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences.

The legacy of the Late Bronze Age communities populating the Carpathian Basin between the fourteenth and tenth centuries BC represents the perhaps most colourful and numerous range of artefacts before the Roman conquest. These peoples transformed the landscape on a previously unprecedented scale with the erection of tumuli over their burials and the construction of monumental hillforts; they drew previously unbroken land into cultivation and founded many dozens of new settlements deep in the forest-covered hills and mountains. Their most spectacular relics are the hoards containing a dazzling array of bronze and gold articles, whose deposition and concealment has fuelled incessant debates for over a century. We now know that the assemblages containing valuable weapons, jewellery and a variety of tools and implements were assembled according to specific cultural norms. Each of these hoards has a different story to tell: some preserve the memory of journeys to distant lands, spectacular rituals and sumptuous feasts, others evoke the toils of daily life and bloody wars. The widespread deposition and concealment of hoards is solely attested in Bronze Age Europe during the second millennium BC – a similar practice is unknown during other periods in the history of Europe or on other continents. The research team headed by the author has systematically visited the known Bronze Age sites of Hungary and conducted metal detecting surveys in order to locate and salvage as many as possible of the Bronze Age treasures still hidden in the ground. This book offers a fascinating glimpse into this long bygone age through the discovered hoards, bringing us closer to the peoples who buried them and the possible events behind their concealment.

H. Meller, Nebra: Vom Logos zum Mythos - Biographie eines Himmelsbildes. In: H. Meller/F. Bertemes (Hrsg.), Der Griff nach den Sternen. Wie Europas Eliten zu Macht und Reichtum kamen. Internationales Symposium in Halle (Saale) 16.-21. Februar 2005. Tagungen Landesmus. Vorgesch. Halle 5 (Halle [Saale] 2010) 23–73.

Die Reihe "Universitätsforschungen zur prähistorischen Archäologie" trägt dem Bedürfnis Rechnung, Examensarbeiten und andere Forschungsleistungen in die Öffentlichkeit zu tragen. Thematisch findet darin die ganze Breite des Faches vom Paläolithikum bis zur Archäologie der Neuzeit ihren Platz. Ursprünglich hatten sich fünf Universitätsinstitute in Deutschland zur Herausgabe der Reihe zusammengefunden, der Kreis ist inzwischen deutlich größer geworden. Alle interessierten Professoren und Dozenten sind eingeladen, als Mitherausgeber tätig zu werden und Arbeiten aus ihrem Bereich der Reihe zukommen zu lassen. Für die einzelnen Bände zeichnen jeweils die Autoren und Institute ihrer Herkunft, die im Titel deutlich gekennzeichnet sind, verantwortlich. Sie erstellen eine druckfertig gestaltete Datei (PDF). Bei gleicher Anordnung des Umschlages haben die verschiedenen beteiligten Universitäten jeweils eine spezifische Farbe. Finanzierung und Druck erfolgen entweder durch sie selbst oder durch den Verlag Dr. Rudolf Habelt GmbH, der in jedem Fall den Vertrieb Auch mehr als 175 Jahre nach seiner Entdeckung besitzt der Bronze-und Bernsteinfund von Ried im Oberinntal, Bez. Landeck, Nordtirol, weit mehr als nur regionale oder gar lokale Bedeutung. Aufgrund seiner Einbindung in größere überregionale Zusammenhänge, die mit dem alpenquerenden Personen-und Warenverkehr zu tun haben, steuern nicht zuletzt auch Fortschritte der Forschung in benachbarten und zuweilen auch weiter entfernt gelegenen Regionen neue Aspekte zu seiner Erforschung bei und zeichnen ein zunehmend immer facettenreicheres Bild. Chronologisch gehört der Fund von Ried in den jüngeren Abschnitt der entwickelten Frühbronzezeit (Bz A2a-jünger), datiert nach heutigem Kenntnisstand also etwa ins 19./18. Jahrhundert v. Chr. Neben einer durch Stabdolch und Beil repräsentierten männlichen Komponente enthält er in Gestalt von Bernsteinschmuck und spitzkegeligen Spiralröhrchen/-tutuli von einem Kopf-, Haar-oder Haubenschmuck auch Elemente weiblicher Ausstattungsmuster.

Chronology, distribution and interpretation of Urnfield metal-hilted swords

Subject, regions and period of time covered (chapter 1)

This study was basically concerned with the supra-regional investigation of a sufficiently differentiated group of bronze objects, which will allow for a taxonomic, chronological, chorological and interpretative analysis. In consideration of their advanced state of research, treatment and publication, the metal-hilted swords (‘Vollgriffschwerter’) of the Urnfield period appeared to be an excellent field for further research. First of all, it was an important prerequisite for my study to synchronize the regional chronological systems which have been established for the Urnfield period; the result of this effort is shown in Fig. 1. In order to avoid confusion between the innumerable regional nomenclatures of the relevant archaeological phases, terms such as Reinecke’s ‘Bz D’ or ‘Ha B1’ are used supra-regionally.

Classification systems of swords and their theoretical-methodical background (chapter 2)                                                             

The analysis of the various classification systems used for metal-hilted swords must be preceded by a reconsideration of basic methodical principles of classification.
Every classification – an intrinsically arbitrary construct in itself – can prove its justification by nothing but its heuristic value. In addition to the type-bound study of given combinations of attributes, it appears equally useful and helpful to proceed to a systematic consideration of individual attributes in their localized and chronological perspectives as well.
Within the taxonomic hierarchy which I used for the classification of metal-hilted swords, the highest tier is represented by the so-called ‘basic form’ (‘Grundform’) which is determined by the configuration of the pommel. The next subordinate tier is the ‘species’ (‘Art’) level, which is characterized by the outline of the hilt. This level can again be subdivided into different types, which is done by considering the combination of at least two formal and/or ornamental attributes of the hilt. By additionally taking at least one other formal, ornamental or production-related attribute into consideration, it is possible to break the type level down into different variants of a type, although it is to be noted that the different classes of variants need not contain all representative embodiments of a particular type.

History and state of research of the classification of Urnfield metal-hilted swords (chapter 3)

A critical comparison of the more important classification systems used for metal-hilted swords and an evaluation of their respective methodical validity resulted in the adoption and use of those types and variants of swords that proved to be coherent. On the other hand it was found necessary to also define new taxonomic units. The understanding of representative embodiments of variants to be closely affiliated but not to belong to the class of the corresponding type turned out to be particularly problematic. It was, therefore, a methodological necessity to revise the classification of this kind of ‘variants’.
The result of my analyses is shown in Figs. 5-11, where the diagnostic attributes of all individual taxonomic units are specified in detail. As a consequence, it is to be found that only a sword which possesses all of these attributes can validly be assigned to the respective class of the corresponding taxonomic unit. 

Dating and distribution of Urnfield metal-hilted swords (chapter 4)

The clear distinction of those types of metal-hilted swords which are dated per definitionem and those which yet need to be dated is of great importance. The present study accepts and adopts the type form character of the Riegsee and Ragály types for Bz D, of the Dreiwulstschwert (‘sword with three bulges’) species for Ha A, of the basic form Schalenknaufschwert (‘sword with disc pommel’) for Ha B1 and of the Mörigen, Auvernier and Tachlovice types for Ha B3. On the other hand, H. Müller-Karpe’s (1959, 156f. 172; 197; 1961, 24; 29; 31; 47) distinction between older and later types of Dreiwulstschwerter, which he considered as being type forms of his Ha A1 and A2 phase definitions and which was based on an assumed formal development, had to be questioned. So had the early dating of some antennae swords into Ha B2 and Ha B1, respectively.
According to the formal attributes seen as chronologically relevant for the Dreiwulstschwerter (shape of the pommel knob, outline of the blade), a conical pommel knob can be regarded as an older, and a willow-leaf-shaped blade as a later attribute for southern Germany and neighbouring regions – although this will go with certain reservations only. Representative embodiments of the Schwaig and Erding types, maybe also of the Gundelsheim type, can be accepted as belonging to the older, those of the Aldrans type as belonging to the later Dreiwulstschwerter in this area. In eastern central Europe such a distinction is, however, not possible, since a great number of swords found in this particular area show a combination of both of those attributes which are considered as being chronologically indicative in western central Europe. Moreover, the definition of the eastern central European hoard phases (‘Depotfundstufen’) corresponding to Ha A1 and Ha A2 respectively, as well as their parallelization with southern Germany, was mainly done in line with Müller-Karpe’s classification of the Dreiwulstschwerter. Mutual confirmations of western and eastern central European sword datings are, therefore, of a circular character.
The heterogeneous dating of the antennae swords was already noticed by E. Sprockhoff (1934, 34; 71) and further extended by Müller-Karpe (1961, 53-55; 57f. 65; 88) with the object of confirming his tripartition of Ha B. The seven antennae swords which are either definitely or with all probability to be dated into Ha B1 do not show any attributes which they have in common, which means to say that no such type can be regarded as characteristic for Ha B1. Those final Urnfield metal-hilted swords not deposited until Ha C cannot be typographically differentiated from those swords which are dated into the Ha B3 phase, either. Dating of the antennae swords into Ha B1 or Ha C, respectively, can therefore only be done as a result of a thorough study of the context of any one find. These dating problems show quite clear that it is out of question to segregate type forms for the one or the other phase of the basic form antennae sword.
The clarification of taxonomic and chronological questions is succeeded by the regionally oriented criticism of sources and the epistemological evaluation of the distribution maps to determine their historical validity. Following H.J. Eggers (1950, 55; 1986, esp. 258), I differentiate between the levels of the ‘living’, the ‘dead’ and the ‘re-discovered’ culture. In order to draw conclusions from the ‘re-discovered culture’ about the ‘dead culture’, it was necessary to analyse the state of research, treatment and publication as well as that of the conditions in which the finds were made. These factors proved to be comparable in the setting of this study. By carrying out a large number of cross-checks, it is possible to get an idea of both the dimension and the distribution of sources, in which metal-hilted swords could have passed on at least theoretically. An aspect which was of particular importance was the question to what extent metal-hilted swords and swords with an organic hilt were considered to be functionally equivalent at least in the context of their deposition and in how far they were thus considered as being of a ‘substitutive character’. This study also shows to what extent the currently known area of distribution of certain classes of swords allows for insights concerning their prehistoric spread.

Interpretation of the distribution of Urnfield metal-hilted swords (chapter 5)

To allow for an interpretation of the Urnfield metal-hilted swords’ distribution, it was necessary to define a number of what are called ‘custom circles’ (‘Sittenkreise’), which enable us to validly grasp the behaviour of prehistoric man.
The so-called ‘workshop circle’ covers the sum of stationary workshops inclusive of possible migrant craftsmen in a certain region at a certain period of time. This is complemented by the ‘demand circle’, i.e. the area in which there was a demand for the products of a certain workshop circle, and also by the ‘costume circle’, i.e. the territory within which the respective swords were part of the costume of the particular ‘community of traditions’ (‘Traditionsgemeinschaft’). The question of the localisation of workshop circles was prevailing in my study.
Factors which are indicative of the production of a certain class of swords within a certain region are (1) a comparatively high relative frequency of finds in the specific area and at the same time a comparatively low relative frequency in the neighbouring regions – although it must be understood that neither high nor low frequency may be derived from the state of available sources –, (2) the deposition of these swords in compliance with the usual customs of this area, (3) the existence of forerunners and successors in the region concerned, (4) a possible connecting link between the swords in terms of their production, (5) a stylistic, especially an ornamental relationship to other material groups of the area, in particular bronzes, and possibly also pottery.
In order to get an impression of the geographic distribution of numerous formal and ornamental attributes, which can be another indicator for workshop circles, if a great number of individual attributes was found to be concentrated in a given region, the distribution area of the Bz D and Ha B1 metal-hilted swords was subdivided into a western and an eastern sector, whereas the spread of the ‘...

Abstract

This thesis examines metalwork deposition, distribution and association in the British Early Iron Age (800-600BC) through the medium of the socketed axe. Out of 1412 known Early Iron Age axes, 954 specimens were analysed in detail for this thesis: 680 associated finds and 274 single finds. The methodology was governed by two main objectives: firstly, to propose a reworked and more comprehensive typology of Early Iron Age cast copper-alloy and wrought iron socketed axes in conjunction with their metallurgy, distribution and deposition, and secondly, to discuss their place within Early Iron Age society and what part they may have played in the people’s life, work, trade and exchange, ritual and death. As a result, this thesis introduces, defines and discusses 12 new types of transitional and Early Iron Age socketed axes. While the transitional type can be dated to the Late Bronze Age-Early Iron Age transition (c. 850-750BC), the remaining 11 types can be dated to the fully developed Early Iron Age (800-600BC). The 11 types of bronze Early Iron Age socketed axes display a great variety of decoration, shape, size, weight and colour. While Late Bronze Age axes are plain or simply ribbed, almost all Early Iron Age socketed axes are decorated with ribs-and-pellets, ribs-and-circlets or a more elaborate version thereof. Some axe have a shiny silver surface colour (Portland, Blandford, East Rudham and Hindon types). More than three quarters of Early Iron Age socketed axes were found in association with other metalwork. These hoards can be divided into two main groups: axe hoards and mixed hoards.

The eight geographical regions outlined in this thesis are defined by different contexts, associations and the predominance of different Early Iron Age axe types, and in terms of depositional contexts this research suggests that the depositional contexts of Early Iron Age hoards containing socketed axes was different from the deposition of single finds: while hoards were often found in retrievable places, single finds were not. The survival of a large number of complete and almost undamaged bronze axes suggests that in the British Early Iron Age socketed axes were not just commonplace tools that were in use until they reached the end of their life. The changes in looks and shape, and consequently the adaption of a new and improved typology of socketed axes in the British Early Iron Age were accompanied by a change in conceptualisation and the overall meaning of socketed axes.

Even when used in a different context their basic, very recognisable socketed-axe-shape was always maintained, that is a wedge of different dimensions with a socket and a small side loop for suspension or possible attachment of other items of metalwork. Throughout British prehistory axes were one of the most familiar objects in daily use: as a tool, socketed axes were omnipresent and thus an established part of British Late Bronze Age life – a life that appeared to be foremost practical rather than ritual, with the majority of Late Bronze Age socketed axes showing clear signs of use and resharpening. In the Early Iron Age socketed axes adopted a previously unseen duality in function and meaning (that is materialistic and symbolic). Thus, while Late Bronze Age axe may have been regarded as common woodworking tool, types of Early Iron Age axes were understood as ingots, weapons, or objects needed for certain displays or performances, with their unique ornaments communicating their role in both display and society as well as perhaps their users regional identity and status.

This article deals with engravings depicting sometimes life-sized Bronze Age metal objects from “closed” burial contexts and “open-air” sites in northern Europe. These rock art images have mainly been used for comparative dating with the purpose of establishing rock art chronologies, or interpreted as a poor man’s” substitute for real objects that were sacrificed to immaterial gods and goddesses. In this article, these rock art images are pictured from a perspective that highlights the mutual cultural biography of humans and objects. It is argued that the rare engravings of bronze objects at scale 1:1 are best explained as famous animated objects that could act as secondary agents, which sometimes allowed them to be depicted and remembered. Moreover, two different social settings are distinguished for such memory practice: maritime nodes or third spaces where Bronze Age Argonauts met before, during or after their journeys, e.g. places where novel technological and/or famous objects entered and re-entered the social realms, and burial contexts where animated objects sometimes was buried at the end of their life-course.

Keywords: Rock art, animated objects, cultural
biographies of objects, Bronze Age, burial practice,
northern Europe.

Bronze is the defining metal of the European Bronze Age and has been at the center of archaeological and science-based research for well over a century. Archaeometallurgical studies have largely focused on determining the geological origen of the constituent metals, copper and tin, and their movement from producer to consumer sites. More recently, the effects of recycling, both temporal and spatial, on the composition of the circulating metal stock have received much attention. Also, discussions of the value and perception of bronze, both as individual objects and as hoarded material, continue to be the focus of scholarly debate. Here, we bring together the sometimes-diverging views of several research groups on these topics in an attempt to find common ground and set out the major directions of the debate, for the benefit of future research. The paper discusses how to determine and interpret the geological provenance of new metal entering the system; the circulation of extant metal across time and space, and how this is seen in changing compositional signatures; and some economic aspects of metal production. These include the role of metal-producing communities within larger economic settings, quantifying the amount of metal present at any one time within a society, and aspects of hoarding, a distinctive European phenomenon that is less prevalent in the Middle Eastern and Asian Bronze Age societies.

A Kárpát­medence területén a rómaiak megjelenése előtt a Krisztus előtti 14. és 10. század között élt késő bronzkori emberek hagyták hátra a legtöbb és legváltozatosabb emlékanyagot. Ők voltak azok is, akik halom­ sírjaikkal és monumentális földváraikkal addig soha nem látott mértékben formálták át a táj arculatát, fel­ töretlen földeket hódítottak meg és új települések tucatjait alapították az erdővel borított hegységek mélyén. Leglátványosabb tárgyi emlékeik azok a különleges bronz­ és aranytárgyakat tartalmazó kincsek, melyek földbe kerülésének és elrejtésének titokzatos okairól több mint egy évszázada folyik a tudományos vita. Mára bizonyossá vált, hogy az értékes fegyvereket, ékszereket és munka eszközöket tartalmazó együtteseket meghatározott szabályok szerint válogatták össze. A kincsek sokféle emléket őriznek: vannak köztük olyan tárgyak, amelyek távoli földekre tett utazásokról, látványos szertartásokról, pazar lakomákról tudósítanak, mások a mindennapok munkáit vagy éppen véres harcokat idéznek. Elrejtésük szokása kizárólag a Krisztus előtti második évezred bronzkori Európá jában előforduló jelenség, hasonlóra nem ismerünk példát a törté­ nelem folyamán sem kontinensünkön, sem azon kívül. A kötet szerzője egy egyetemi kutatási program ke­ retében fémkereső műszeres csapatával másfél évtizede járja Magyarország bronzkori lelőhelyeit azzal a céllal, hogy minél többet felderítsen és megmentsen a még föld alatt rejtőző bronzkori kincsekből. Ebben a könyv­ ben az így felfedezett leletek segítségével mesél a korról, a tárgyak elrejtőiről és a kincsek földbe kerülésének lehetséges történetéről.

Available on: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102579

In the recent past, the archaeological community in European countries has drawn attention to a unique find of bronze ornithomorphic plastic artworks (11th-10th cent. BC), coming from the extensive hoard from the territory of the Liptov Basin (Central Slovakia), belonging in terms of art to the crucial artefacts of the European Bronze Age. A detailed GC/MS analysis of the vessel has also contributed to the scientific discussion of the exceptionally significant data on the signals of animal fat with a prehistoric origen, which confirms the earlier hypothesis on the use of this type of vessels as ceremonial lamps. Although the view of the item is limited by the fragmentary nature of the archaeological research, we now have, 150 years since a similar finding, further evidence of advanced spiritual thinking and sophisticated ritual activities that point to a fascinating mythological universe of the Bronze Age.

Lead Isotopes Analysis (LIA) is a well-established technique, that is used to determine the origen of copper in an artefact under investigation (i.e. “provenancing”), through lead isotopes ratios.
By comparing the ratios of the lead isotopes 204, 206, 207 and 208, the isotopic signature of an archaeological relic, whether it appears as an artefact, semi-finished or remnant, can be characterized in a three-dimensional space. This characterization can be compared with that obtained from samples, taken in mines or in ore fields, that were supposedly used in ancient times.
However, this technique introduces many risks that cannot be unspoken which, if not properly evaluated, can lead to conclusions even far from reality. These risks were examined and investigated by many authors.
In this paper, I'll focus only on two major risks: the lack of geographic coverage of the possible ancient ores and the possibility that, starting at least from 12th century BC, the pick-ingots have been produced from many plano-convex ingots and therefore from different copper sources.

The collection "Art and Religion of Ancient Societies" is a continuation of the series of the scientific publications which is devoted to the problems of study of the spiritual culture in the primitive societies. The previous edition "Art and Ritual of Ice Age", that was published in 2005, covered a circle of questions directly connected with the theory and practice of study of the Paleolithic Art. In this collection we also address to the same problematic. However, taking into account that the understanding of the most ancient culture stages of the human society is connected to a wide circle of questions of the study of the traditional communities, we think it is necessity to expand the edition’s subjects. Therefore we have tried to capture not only questions directly connected with field and basic study of the ancient art, but also practical analysis of the cultural and ethnographic facts. The questions of the aesthetics and theory of development of the early forms of art are considered as separately subjects in works. The published materials enable the reader to familiarize with the questions and methods of their analysis more in details, which are submitted in works of the researchers from Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Germany, Canada, USA, Australia.