Academia.eduAcademia.edu

Iron Age Europe

description200 papers
group1,078 followers
lightbulbAbout this topic
Iron Age Europe refers to the period in European prehistory characterized by the widespread use of iron for tools and weapons, typically dated from around 800 BCE to the Roman conquest. This era is marked by significant social, cultural, and technological developments across various regions, leading to the formation of complex societies.
lightbulbAbout this topic
Iron Age Europe refers to the period in European prehistory characterized by the widespread use of iron for tools and weapons, typically dated from around 800 BCE to the Roman conquest. This era is marked by significant social, cultural, and technological developments across various regions, leading to the formation of complex societies.

Key research themes

1. How did iron metallurgy innovations and their socio-political contexts shape the adoption of iron in different European regions?

This theme investigates the origins, technological developments, and socio-political factors influencing the innovation and adoption of iron metallurgy across Europe and adjacent regions during the Iron Age. It explores early attempts at iron smelting, the diffusion of iron technology relative to bronze economies, and how varying social complexities and political structures shaped iron’s integration into societies. The research emphasizes the multifaceted drivers behind iron use beyond simple material advantages, highlighting regional and temporal disparities in iron adoption and associated societal transformations.

Key finding: This study synthesizes archaeometric, textual, and field data to identify Anatolia as the origin point of extractive iron metallurgy around the early 2nd millennium BC. It elucidates that widespread iron adoption occurred... Read more
Key finding: Through metallographic and microstructural analyses, this paper reveals early Middle and Early Bronze Age iron artefacts from Central Anatolia that include unintentional carburisation (incipient steel production),... Read more
Key finding: This article presents evidence of extensive iron smelting operations during the Xiongnu Empire period in Mongolia, identifying it as the driver behind a massive boom in iron metallurgy from the 2nd century BCE onward. It... Read more
Key finding: This study provides a longue durée comparative examination of Early Iron Age fortified settlements in NW Iberia, revealing contrasting levels of social complexity and the symbolic role of metalworking in legitimizing social... Read more

2. What do settlement patterns, urbanism alternatives, and metal resource exchanges reveal about social organization and interregional interactions in Iron Age Europe?

This research theme addresses the spatial organization, urban characteristics, and interregional metal circulation during the Iron Age in Europe. It investigates the nature of oppida as complex social centers diverging from classical urban models, exchanges of metal sources between geographically disparate regions, and settlement location choices shaped by environmental and social factors. The theme contributes to understanding the diversity of Iron Age social complexity and connectivity beyond simplistic urban or economic models.

Key finding: By analyzing two well-documented oppida, Bibracte and Manching, this paper highlights how many Iron Age large agglomerations defy classical urban definitions due to features such as low-density settlement and large open... Read more
by Johan Ling and 
1 more
Key finding: Through lead isotope and trace element analysis of 31 Hungarian and 62 Scandinavian Bronze Age copper alloy artefacts, this study demonstrates partial overlap in copper sources, notably linked to the Slovak Ore Mountains and... Read more
Key finding: Utilizing GIS spatial analyses, this dissertation reveals patterned non-random clustering of castro hillfort settlements characteristic of the Celtic Iron Age Castro Culture in NW Iberia. It identifies preferred landscape... Read more

3. How can bioarchaeological proxies and interdisciplinary methodologies enhance the reconstruction of Iron Age land-use, social dynamics, and cultural identity?

This theme examines the application of scientific techniques such as faecal biomarker analysis, archaeometallurgical compositional studies, landscape detection via AI-assisted Lidar, and interdisciplinary approaches to the characterization of Iron Age socio-environmental systems. It focuses on the refinement of palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, demographic estimations, and cultural interpretations through novel empirical data and methodological innovations, advancing understandings of Iron Age land-use histories, social stratification, and technological expressions.

Key finding: This study integrates AI-assisted automated detection of Celtic field systems using Lidar data with traditional archaeological datasets to model prehistoric land-use and palaeodemography in the Netherlands. Results show a... Read more
Key finding: By analyzing faecal biomarkers (5β-stanols, bile acids) in lake sediments from two volcanic maar sites, this paper identifies statistically significant biomarker variations correlating with periods of increased land use... Read more
Key finding: This metallurgical reassessment of the Chiemsee cauldron, using comprehensive LA-ICP-MS trace mineral data, refutes prior claims that zinc content in the solder indicates a post-medieval forgery. It demonstrates that ancient... Read more

All papers in Iron Age Europe

With particularly solid witnesses, the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula seems to be at the origin of a major technical innovation that will have a strong posterity for milling systems. The first rotary querns appeared there in the Iron... more
The paper offers a preliminary and summary discussion of the burial features from the necropolis of Baley, excavated in 2010–2015. The 2009 chance finds, which led to the discovery of the necropolis, are considered in the context of the... more
During the spring of 1993 Mr Darren Nichols was searching land near Canterbury with his new metal detector when he made a most interesting discovery. At a shallow depth he unearthed a burial, containing a decorated bronze mirror, a bronze... more
In 2005, during excavations of the monastic cemetery at Auldhame, in Anglian Northumbria, not far from present-day Berwick, 5 burials were distinct from the rest. These graves could be dated to a approximately a century after the monastic... more
For over a century, Iron Age chronologies have been constructed according to the phase principle. Archaeological phases have a start and end date, and are usually associated with a particular, sometimes regionally specific, artefact type.... more
La cáliga era un calzado fuerte y pesado utilizado por los soldados romanos. Su aspecto abierto le confería una apariencia de sandalia. Era de fabricación muy resistente y constaba de tres partes: suela, plantilla o suela interna y un... more
Continuités et discontinuités à la fin du II e siècle avant notre ère dans l'espace celtique et à sa périphérie Collection 32 2023 Ouvrages parus dans la collection Bibracte
The Shetland Islands were settled by Norse Vikings beginning before 800 AD. There is no evidence that any of the original Pict occupiers of the Islands were still there when the Vikings arrived, and if they were there it appears the... more
Este trabajo presenta los resultados de la actuación arqueológica realizada en el campamento romano de La Cabaña (Cantabria), un recinto fortificado vinculado con las guerras cántabras (29-19 a. C.). La relación de los restos materiales... more
This paper applies KOCOA terrain analysis to the study of the Iron Age hillfort of Burnswark Hill (SW Scotland) and its associated Roman military remains. The Roman camps and projectiles identified at Burnswark have sparked a long... more
Each year the Portz Committee reads and selects the top three research/creativity papers by undergraduate honors students who are nominated by their institutions. The winners present their papers at the NCHC conference and receive a $250... more
This chapter covers the area between eastern France and western Hungary, and from the Alps to the central European Mittelgebirge, following the established division between the early Iron Age (Hallstatt) and later Iron Age (La Tène)... more
The paper deals with the cultural and spatial evaluation of numerous finds of the eastern type from Transdanubia, dated to the Ha D–Lt A stages. The main point of our interest was to provide a complex overview of these finds, focused... more
The Second Punic War and the revolt of 197-195 BC plunged part of the Iberian peninsula into a state of instability and uncertainty, leading to the emergence of new conflicts that intertwined with pre-existing ones. Throughout the region,... more
This dissertation will focus on the weapons cache discovered in 2002 in the area of South Cave, East Riding of Yorkshire. The weapons cache contained five swords and thirty-­‐three spearheads deposited within an oval pit cut through a... more
O pós-orientalizante que nunca o foi. Uma comunidade camponesa na Herdade da Sapatoa Rui Mataloto.
Este trabajo presenta los resultados de la actuación arqueológica realizada en el campamento romano de La Cabaña (Cantabria), un recinto fortificado vinculado con las Guerras Cántabras (29-19 a. C.). La relación de los restos materiales... more
Este trabajo presenta los resultados de la actuación arqueológica realizada en el campamento romano de La Cabaña (Cantabria), un recinto fortificado vinculado con las guerras cántabras (29-19 a. C.). La relación de los restos materiales... more
Tesis doctoral sobre los cántabros prerromanos, publicada por la Real Academia de la Historia
, S.: Faecal biomarkers as tools to reconstruct land-use history in maar sediments in the Westeifel Volcanic Field, Germany. Boreas.
The study provides a detailed investigation into several representatives of La Tène jewellery. Primarily, it deals with nonmetallic decorative inlays from the Late La Tène period, particularly with their application on a metal base.... more
Tracing Marnian pottery imports in the Central Netherlands through XRF analysis Bertil van Os, Peter van den Broeke & Ineke Joosten PART III. COMPARATIVE ANALYSES AND SOCIAL INTERPRETATIONS 12 Changing pottery style and the diffusion of... more
The pre-Roman history of the town of Aléria has been interpreted in various ways since the early 20th century. However, some of these interpretations have been more political than scientific, particularly within fascist historiography and... more
Tiny, fragile, and colourful -yet often overlooked. Prehistoric glass beads remain under-recognised and underexplored. While scientific interest in these artefacts is rapidly increasing, the objects chosen for analysis have frequently not... more
by Daniel Schäfer and 
1 more
Excavations carried out between 2008 and 2013 for the development of the “Industriepark A61”near Koblenz led to the discovery of extensive settlement finds and burials from various periods. Among them was a large annular ditch which dates... more
The souterrains of the northern mainland comprise a distinctive group within the wider national dis-tribution: they are stone-built, narrow with massive lintels and typically associated with hut-circle settlements. Most are known from... more
‘Gildet women’ – remarks on appliqués made of precious metals in the Vekerzug culture: This study deals with the findings of appliqués made of precious metals from the sites of the Vekerzug culture in Eastern Hungary and Southwestern... more
Online-Version inklusive Fundstellenkatalog und Fundkarten!
Place name mapping ………………………………………………………………………. Field names ………………………………………………………………………………... 12 Settlement typology ……..………………………………………………………………… 1) Large nucleations 2) Smaller nucleations 3) Service nucleations 4) Compact hamlets 5)... more
The project was funded by the Blackdown Hills Rural Partnership through the Sustainability Development Fund, and the University of Exeter.
Poszterünkön négy, eddig még nem közölt vaskori bronz kisplasztikát mutatunk be. Mindegyik szobrocska a Duna-Tisza közén került elő kontextus nélküli felszíni találatként, illetve fémkeresőzés eredményeképpen. Kalocsa környékén... more
Press permits its authors, after an embargo period, to mount copies of their work on their personal websites, on noncommercial discipline-specific servers of preprints or postprints, and within noncommercial digital repositories of... more
Archaeological features without macro-finds (i.e. finds visible with the naked eye) represent a common phenomenon that poses considerable methodological problems in interpretation. To tackle these problems, we present an approach based on... more
At the site of Hillside Farm, Bryher, on the Isles of Scilly, a materially rich single Iron Age inhumation was discovered containing the unsexable fragmented remains of one adult with a number of high-quality metal grave goods including... more
El presente trabajo establece los pormenores del equipamiento militar utilizado tanto por las tropas hispano indígenas, como por los ejércitos mexicas en su enfrentamiento en las guerras de 1521. Se hace un balance de los elementos que... more
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Библиографија Петра Поповића израђена је према Интернационалном стандарду за скраћени библиографски опис (ISBD). Референце су подељене у три целине: монографске публикације, прилози у зборницима, серијским и осталим публикацијама и... more
A navegação consulta e descarregamento dos títulos inseridos nas Bibliotecas Digitais UC Digitalis, UC Pombalina e UC Impactum, pressupõem a aceitação plena e sem reservas dos Termos e Condições de Uso destas Bibliotecas Digitais,... more
Cropmarks of a cemetery containing square- and round-ditched burials were excavated at Redcastle in 1997 and 1998. A total of sixteen graves was recorded: five in square barrows, two in round barrows and nine unenclosed graves. Another... more
Nordhessen, das Land zwischen mittlerer Lahn und unterer Werra, ist arm an Grabfunden der Merowingerzeit1. Nur ein einziges Grab des 6. Jahrhunderts ist namhaft zu machen2, nur wenige des 7.Jahrhunderts sind bekannt, und zwar überwiegend... more
To see the final version of this work please visit the publisher's website. Access to the published online version may require a subscription.
Over the last decade, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of projects and discoveries relating to Iron Age iron in the UK. These include the discovery of one of the earliest smelting furnaces at Messing ham, North... more
Unter dem unteren Niederrhein versteht man etwa die Region von Düsseldorf bis zur niederländischen Grenze beiderseits des Rheines. Sie geht rechtsrheinisch in das Ruhrgebiet über, zu dem schon Duisburg, Oberhausen und Essen gehören, eine... more
X-ray imaging is one of the oldest techniques used in art analysis. X-Radiography is now completed with tomography. Used on bronze sculptures, it gives unrivalled information on state of conservation or fabrication process. The treasure... more
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... more
Download research papers for free!