The Bronze Age in Europe is known for the use of bronze tools and objects. This period follows the Stone Age (the Neolithic) and the Copper Age and is succeeded by the Iron Age. The European Bronze Age began around 3200 BCE in the Aegean region and lasted throughout the second millennium BCE. During this time, several important cultures emerged, including the Indo-European Únětice and Ottomány cultures, as well as the British and Nordic Bronze Age cultures, and the Tumulus, Nuragic, Terramare, Urnfield, and Lusatian cultures. In Central Europe, the Bronze Age ended around 800 BCE.
Often, the Copper Age is skipped in European chronology. This period lasted from 5000 to 2000 BCE and overlapped partly with the Bronze Age. The Copper Age is characterized by the Proto-Indo-European migrations from the Pontic steppes into Europe. You can also find more information about the Corded Ware Culture (PIE), Bell Beaker Culture (PIE), and Yamnaya Culture (PIE). Read more about this in our summary of the Copper Age.
Archaeological Cultures & Migrations
An archaeological culture is defined based on material remains. This is not the same as an ethnic culture, which also considers language, traditions, religion, history, and social structure. Sometimes an archaeological culture overlaps with an ethnic culture, but often it does not.
When studying the transition from one culture to another, it is important not to draw conclusions too quickly. In many cases, such transitions point to changes in customs or lifestyles rather than the replacement of a population. This requires a nuanced and open-minded approach. See this article for more information about Archaeological and Ethnic Cultures.
To provide a better overview of the origins of archaeological cultures, we will mention the possible DNA composition for certain cultures. For a culture that emerged through significant mixing, we will list the full composition. However, if one group was dominant, we will only name that dominant group.
Keep in mind that European cultures have always been a mix of different groups and that they influenced each other. No culture existed completely independently of others.
The Origins of Bronze
Around the 4th millennium BCE, arsenical bronze — an early form of bronze — was already being produced in some regions, such as the Balkans. However, around 4650 BCE, tin bronze was produced for the first time in Southeastern Europe, for example in Pločnik (Serbia). Early tin bronze objects have also been found in Bulgaria and Serbia, indicating that tin bronze was independently developed in Europe. However, this early bronze production stopped after about 500 years, possibly due to the collapse of major cultural communities in what is now Bulgaria and Thrace. This collapse may have been linked to climate changes and the conflicts that arose from them between Neolithic farming communities. It was not until 1,500 years later that tin bronze was used again — this time by the descendants of the Proto-Indo-European steppe herders.
Copper and Tin
During the Copper Age in Europe, there were approximately 36 copper mines. However, tin was rare. Most of the tin that was used came from Central-North Afghanistan, Cornwall, and Galicia. Obtaining tin required a complex and extensive trade network. This network led to significant interaction between different regions and caused cultural exchange. Isotope analysis shows that the tin used in the Minoan civilization (EEF) was traded to the Levant and Ancient Egypt.
Aegean Bronze Age
The Aegean Bronze Age began around 3200 BCE, a time when long-distance trade emerged. Tin and charcoal were imported to Cyprus, where copper was mined and mixed with tin to make bronze. These bronze objects were then traded to Greece, the Levant, Turkey, Troy, Syria, and Ancient Egypt.
During this period, navigation reached a high level — one that would not be equaled again until the 18th century CE. Around this time, the Minoan civilization on Crete reached its peak. The Minoans produced expensive export products and transported goods to various regions.
Around 1600 BCE, a volcanic eruption on Thera (modern Santorini) caused severe damage to Crete and other Aegean areas, although the precise consequences remain unclear. The Minoan civilization recovered but was significantly weakened.
Mycenaean Influence
From 1500 BCE onward, the Indo-European Mycenaeans spread their power over the Aegean region, Western Anatolia, and Troy. Around 1450 BCE, they ruled over the palace of Knossos and other islands, creating a hybrid Minoan-Mycenaean culture. This marked a period of cultural unity in the region, known as the "Koine" period.
The Mycenaeans were masters of architecture, military construction, and trade. Their script, Linear B, contains the earliest written Greek texts. Their religion included gods who would later appear in the Olympian pantheon. Mycenaean society was strongly hierarchical, with a king, the "wanax," at the top of the social structure.
Southeastern and Eastern Europe
In Southeastern Europe, early arsenical bronze artifacts have been found in Serbia and Bulgaria, dating from before 4000 BCE. This production ended at the end of the 5th millennium BCE, but arsenical bronze was later reintroduced. The Maykop culture in the Caucasus was one of the earliest Bronze Age cultures in this area.
In Eastern Europe, Proto-Indo-European cultures such as the Yamnaya (3600–2300 BCE) were primarily nomadic. Later cultures introduced new pottery styles and the use of spoked chariots, as found in the Sintashta culture around 2000 BCE.
Central and Northern Europe
The Proto-Indo-European Únětice culture (2300–1600 BCE) in Central Europe is known for its rich graves containing golden gifts. Later cultures, such as the Tumulus Culture, introduced burial mounds, and the Urnfield Culture (1300–750 BCE) became known for cremation burials.
In Northern Europe (Denmark, Sweden, Norway), artistic bronze objects such as horns and sun discs were created. Around 2000 BCE, an early Indo-European language was probably introduced, possibly a predecessor of Germanic. From the Urnfield Culture, the Hallstatt Culture emerged around 1200 BCE, forming the early foundation for the Celtic peoples.
The British Bronze Age
In Great Britain, the Bronze Age lasted from approximately 2100 to 700 BCE. Migrants from the Bell Beaker Culture introduced new customs, such as individual burials in burial mounds. The Wessex Culture developed in southern England and became known for its trade contacts and impressive metalworking. Cornwall supplied tin for all of Western Europe, while copper was mined in Wales.
The shift from communal to individual burials reflected social changes that can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European peoples. For example, in East Cambridgeshire, thousands of bronze objects were discovered, including more than 6,500 pieces in Isleham.
The West and the Mediterranean
In southern Spain, the Argar Culture (2200–1550 BCE) flourished. Their DNA was approximately 60% EEF, ~25% WHG, and ~15% PIE. This early state society had a hierarchical social structure.
On Sardinia, the Nuragic Culture (80% EEF, 20% WHG) built more than 7,000 towers, as well as temples and sacred wells. This civilization flourished into the early Iron Age.
The Atlantic Bronze Age (1300–700 BCE) included coastal areas from Portugal to Ireland. Trade routes connected these regions and stimulated cultural exchange, such as the construction of stone forts and round houses.
Conclusion
The need for tin to produce bronze led to the development of an extensive trade network across Europe and beyond during the Bronze Age. The Proto-Indo-European cultures of the Copper Age evolved into Bronze Age cultures with a widespread trade network. This was a period in which societies thrived, laying the foundation for future periods.
Bronze Age Jewelry
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Bronze Age Weapons
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/bronze-age-sword.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/bronze-age-sword-denmark.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/hallstatt-antenna-sword.html
Bronze Age Artifacts
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/bronze-age-razor.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/bronze-age-woman-knife.html