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Geographical range | Western Europe |
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Period | Bronze Age |
Dates | c. 1300 — c. 700 BC |
Preceded by | Bell Beaker culture, Bronze Age Britain, Armorican Tumulus culture, Wessex culture |
Followed by | Iron Age Britain, Iron Age Ireland, Iron Age France, Iron Age Spain |
The Atlantic Bronze Age refers to a cultural complex of the Bronze Age period in prehistoric Europe, spanning approximately 1300–700 BC. This complex includes various cultures in Britain, France, Ireland, Portugal and Spain.
The Atlantic Bronze Age is characterized by economic and cultural exchange, resulting in a high degree of cultural similarity between coastal communities from central Portugal to Galicia, Armorica, Cornwall and Scotland. This is evidenced by the frequent use of stone as chevaux-de-frise, the construction of cliff castles, and domestic architecture, sometimes characterized by roundhouses. [1] Trade contacts extended from Sweden [2] and Denmark to the Mediterranean. [1] The Bronze Age was characterized by distinct regional centers of metal production, linked by regular maritime trade. The main centers were in southern England and Ireland, northwestern France, and western Iberia. [3] Radiocarbon dating indicates that the Early Bronze Age began on the northern Iberian plateau in 2100 cal. BC, while the Late Bronze Age began in 1350 cal. BC. [4] [5] [6] Items associated with this culture are often found in hoards or deposited in ritual areas, [7] [8] typically in watery contexts such as rivers, lakes, and bogs. The cultural complex includes various items, such as socketed and double-ring bronze axes, sometimes buried in large hoards in Brittany and Galicia. Military equipment such as lunate spearheads, V-notched shields, and a variety of bronze swords, including carp-tongue swords, are usually found buried in lakes, rivers, or rocky outcrops. [9] Elite feasting equipment such as spits, kettles, and meat hooks [8] [10] have also been found from central Portugal to Scotland. [1]
In 2008, John T. Koch attributed the origins of the Celts to this period. [11] This theory is supported by Barry Cunliffe, [12] who argues that Celtic developed as an Atlantic lingua franca before spreading to mainland Europe. [8] The authors argue that communities in the Late Bronze Age adopted elite status markers, such as grip-tongue swords and bronze sheet metalwork, from the Urnfield period (Bronze D and Hallstatt A). They also acquired new skills for their production and ritual knowledge about their proper treatment after deposition. [13] These changes may indicate processes related to language change. [13] In 2013, Koch suggested that the emergence of Celtic languages with a Proto-Celtic homeland in west-central Europe could be explained by elite contact from east to west. [14] However, this view contrasts with the more widely accepted view that Celtic origins are linked to the central European Hallstatt C culture.
This article has multiple issues. Please help
improve it or discuss these issues on the
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|
Geographical range | Western Europe |
---|---|
Period | Bronze Age |
Dates | c. 1300 — c. 700 BC |
Preceded by | Bell Beaker culture, Bronze Age Britain, Armorican Tumulus culture, Wessex culture |
Followed by | Iron Age Britain, Iron Age Ireland, Iron Age France, Iron Age Spain |
The Atlantic Bronze Age refers to a cultural complex of the Bronze Age period in prehistoric Europe, spanning approximately 1300–700 BC. This complex includes various cultures in Britain, France, Ireland, Portugal and Spain.
The Atlantic Bronze Age is characterized by economic and cultural exchange, resulting in a high degree of cultural similarity between coastal communities from central Portugal to Galicia, Armorica, Cornwall and Scotland. This is evidenced by the frequent use of stone as chevaux-de-frise, the construction of cliff castles, and domestic architecture, sometimes characterized by roundhouses. [1] Trade contacts extended from Sweden [2] and Denmark to the Mediterranean. [1] The Bronze Age was characterized by distinct regional centers of metal production, linked by regular maritime trade. The main centers were in southern England and Ireland, northwestern France, and western Iberia. [3] Radiocarbon dating indicates that the Early Bronze Age began on the northern Iberian plateau in 2100 cal. BC, while the Late Bronze Age began in 1350 cal. BC. [4] [5] [6] Items associated with this culture are often found in hoards or deposited in ritual areas, [7] [8] typically in watery contexts such as rivers, lakes, and bogs. The cultural complex includes various items, such as socketed and double-ring bronze axes, sometimes buried in large hoards in Brittany and Galicia. Military equipment such as lunate spearheads, V-notched shields, and a variety of bronze swords, including carp-tongue swords, are usually found buried in lakes, rivers, or rocky outcrops. [9] Elite feasting equipment such as spits, kettles, and meat hooks [8] [10] have also been found from central Portugal to Scotland. [1]
In 2008, John T. Koch attributed the origins of the Celts to this period. [11] This theory is supported by Barry Cunliffe, [12] who argues that Celtic developed as an Atlantic lingua franca before spreading to mainland Europe. [8] The authors argue that communities in the Late Bronze Age adopted elite status markers, such as grip-tongue swords and bronze sheet metalwork, from the Urnfield period (Bronze D and Hallstatt A). They also acquired new skills for their production and ritual knowledge about their proper treatment after deposition. [13] These changes may indicate processes related to language change. [13] In 2013, Koch suggested that the emergence of Celtic languages with a Proto-Celtic homeland in west-central Europe could be explained by elite contact from east to west. [14] However, this view contrasts with the more widely accepted view that Celtic origins are linked to the central European Hallstatt C culture.