Lusatian culture

Lusatian culture

The Lusatian culture existed in the later Bronze Age and early Iron Age (1300 BC-500 BC) in eastern Germany, most of Poland, parts of Czech Republic and Slovakia and parts of Ukraine. It covers the Periods Montelius III (early Lusatian culture) to V of the Northern-European chronological scheme.

The Lusatian culture developed from Trzciniec culture under some influence of the middle Bronze Age Tumulus bronze Age ("Hügelgräberkultur"). It is contemporaneous with the Urnfield culture found from eastern France, southern Germany and Austria to Hungary and the Nordic Bronze Age in northwestern Germany and Scandinavia. It is followed by the early Iron Age Billendorf culture in the West. In Poland, the Lusatian culture is taken to span part of the Iron Age as well (the is only a terminological difference) and is succeeded in Montelius VIIbc in northern ranges around mouth of Vistula by the Pomeranian culture spreading south.

There were close contacts with the Nordic Bronze Age, and the Scandinavian influence on Pomerania and northern Poland during this period was so considerable that this region is sometimes included in the Nordic Bronze Age culture (Dąbrowski 1989:73).

Burial was by cremation, inhumations are rare. The urn is usually accompanied by numerous, up to 40 secondary vessels. Metal grave gifts are sparse, but there are numerous hoards (e.g. Kopaniewo, Pomerania) that contain rich metalwork, both bronze and gold (hoard of Eberswalde, Brandenburg). Graves containing moulds, like at Bataune, Saxony or tuyeres attest the production of bronze tools and weapons at village level.The 'royal' tomb of Seddin, Brandenburg, Germany, covered by a large earthen barrow contained Mediterranean imports like bronze-vessels and glass beads. Cemeteries can be quite large and contain thousands of graves.

Well known settlements include Biskupin in Poland and Buch near Berlin. There are both open villages and fortified settlements (Burgwall or grod) on hilltops or in swampy areas. The ramparts were constructed of wooden boxes filled with soil or stones.

The economy was mainly based on arable agriculture, as is attested by numerous storage pits. Wheat (emmer) and six-row barley formed the basic crops, together with millet, rye and oats, peas, broad beans, lentils and gold of pleasure (Camelina sativa). Flax was grown, and remains of domesticated apples, pears and plums have been found. Cattle and pigs were the most important domestic animals, followed by sheep, goats, horses and dogs. Pictures on Iron Age urns from Silesia attest horse riding, but horses were used to draw chariots as well.Hunting was practiced, as bones of red and roe deer, boar, bison, elk, hare, fox and wolf attest, but did not provide much of the meat consumed. The numerous frog-bones found at Biskupin may indicate that frog's legs were eaten as well.

Hoards in swampy areas are considered by some archaeologists (Hãnsel) as 'gifts for the Gods'. Human bones in 5m deep sacrificial pits in Lossow (Brandenburg) might point to human sacrifice and possible cannibalism.

History of research

'Lausitz-type' burials were first described by the German pathologist and archaeologist Rudolf Virchow (1821-1902). The name refers to the Lusatia (Lausitz) area in eastern Germany (Brandenburg and Saxony) and Poland. Virchow identified the pottery as 'pre-Germanic' but refused to speculate on the ethnic identity of their makers.

Numerous Czech (Píč, Niederle, Červinka) and Polish (Majewski, Kostrzewski, Kozłowski) authors believed the Lusatians to be Proto-Slavs, while the German archaeologist A. Götze saw them as Thracian, and Gustaf Kossinna first as Karpo-Dacian, a tribe mentioned by Zosimus and then as Illyrian.

Today, most scholars have accepted the historical and changing nature of ethnic groups and do not try to continue ethnic groups known from written sources into the prehistoric period.

Further reading

*J. M. Coles and A. F. Harding, "The Bronze Age in Europe" (London 1979).
*Dabrowski, J. (1989) Nordische Kreis und Kulturen Polnischer Gebiete. "Die Bronzezeit im Ostseegebiet. Ein Rapport der Kgl. Schwedischen Akademie der Literatur-Geschichte und Altertumsforschung über das Julita-Symposium 1986". Ed Ambrosiani, B. Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien. Konferenser 22. Stockholm.

External links

* [http://www.dziejba.org Hypothetical reconstruction of a Lusatian culture settlement, raised using only bronze age tools - Wola Radziszowska (near Cracow)- Poland]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Culture lusacienne — L extention de la culture lusacienne (en vert) La culture lusacienne est une culture préhistorique qui doit son nom à la Lusace, région géographique du nord est de l’Allemagne, aux confins de la Pologne (Silésie) et de la République tchèque… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Lusatian — [lo͞o′sā′shən] n. 1. a member of an old Slavic people formerly living in the historical region of Lusatia, and now living in an enclave in E Germany, south of Berlin; Sorb; Wend 2. the West Slavic language of this people adj. of the Lusatians or… …   English World dictionary

  • Urnfield culture — The Urnfield culture (c. 1300 BC 750 BC) was a late Bronze Age culture of central Europe. The name comes from the custom of cremating the dead and placing their ashes in urns which were then buried in fields. The Urnfield culture followed the… …   Wikipedia

  • Pomeranian culture — thumb|240px|European early Iron Age cultures: dark green Nordic group dark red Jastorf culture yellow Harpstedt Nienburger group orange Celtic groups olive green Pomeranic culture bold green House Urn culture light red east Baltic cultures of… …   Wikipedia

  • Deverel-Rimbury culture — Bronze Age This box: view · talk · edit ↑ Chalcolithic …   Wikipedia

  • House Urns culture — thumb|240px|European early Iron Age cultures: dark green Nordic group dark red Jastorf culture yellow Harpstedt Nienburger group orange Celtic groups olive green Pomeranic culture bold green House Urn culture light red east Baltic cultures of… …   Wikipedia

  • Púchov culture — The Púchov culture was an archaeological culture named after site of Púchov Skalka in Slovakia. Its probable bearer was the Celt Cotini tribe. It existed in northern and central Slovakia (although it also plausibly spread to the surrounding… …   Wikipedia

  • Trzciniec culture — The Trzciniec culture was an ancient tradition that subsisted in central Europe. Archeologists speculate its existence to have been between the years 1700 B.C. and 1200 B.C.Remains of the Trzciniec culture have been found in many Polish regions,… …   Wikipedia

  • Oksywie culture — (brown) The Oksywie Culture, was an archaeological culture which existed in the area of modern day Eastern Pomerania around the lower Vistula river, from the 2nd century BC to the early 1st century AD. The Oxhöft culture is associated with the… …   Wikipedia

  • Dębczyn culture — The pink area is the Debczyn culture; the red area is the extent of the Wielbark culture in the first half of the 3rd century. The green area is the Przeworsk culture, and the yellow area is a Baltic culture (possibly the Aesti). The purple area… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”