Urnfield culture

It is believed that in some areas, such as in southwestern Germany, the Urnfield culture was in existence around 1200 BC (beginning of Hallstatt A or Ha A), but the Bronze D Riegsee-phase already contains cremations. As the transition from the Middle Bronze Age to the Urnfield culture was gradual, there are questions regarding how to define it. The Urnfield culture covers the phases Hallstatt A and B (Ha A and B) in Paul Reinecke's chronological system, not to be confused with the Hallstatt culture (Ha C and D) of the following Iron Age. This corresponds to the Phases Montelius III-IV of the Northern Bronze Age. Whether Reinecke's Bronze D is included varies according to the author and region. The Urnfield culture is divided into the following sub-phases (based on Müller-Karpe sen.): The existence of the Ha B3-phase is contested, as the material consists of female burials only. As can be seen by the arbitrary 100-year ranges, the dating of the phases is highly schematic. The phases are based on typological changes, which means that they do not have to be strictly contemporaneous across the whole distribution. All in all, more radiocarbon and dendro-dates would be highly desirable. ==Origin==

The Urnfield culture grew from the preceding Tumulus culture. The transition is gradual, in the pottery as well as the burial rites. The neolithic Cucuteni–Trypillia culture of modern-day northeastern Romania and Ukraine were also practicing cremation rituals as early as approximately 5500 BC. Some cremations begin to be found in the Proto-Lusatian and Trzciniec culture. ==Distribution and local groups==

e, helmets and ornaments The Urnfield culture was located in an area stretching from western Hungary to eastern France, from the Alps to near the North Sea. Local groups, mainly differentiated by pottery, include: South-German Urnfield culture • Northeast-Bavarian Group, divided into a lower Bavarian and an upper Palatinate group • Lower-Main-Swabian group in southern Hesse and Baden-Württemberg, including the Marburger, Hanauer, lower Main and Friedberger facies • Rhenish-Swiss group in Rhineland-Palatinate, Switzerland and eastern France, (abbreviated RSFO in French) Lower-Rhine Urnfield culture • Lower Hessian Group • North-Netherlands-Westphalian group • Northwest-Group in the Dutch Delta region Middle-Danube Urnfield culture with bird-headed sun ship motif, Hungary, .|227x227px • Velatice-Baierdorf in Moravia and Austria • Čaka culture in western Slovakia • Gáva culture • Belegiš culture • Piliny culture • Knovíz culture • Kyjatice culture • Milavce culture in southwestern Bohemia • Unstrut culture in Thuringia • Virovitica in Slovenia and Croatia • Lusatian culture in northern Bohemia, Lusatia and Poland Sometimes the distribution of artifacts belonging to these groups shows sharp and consistent borders, which might indicate some political structures, like tribes. Metalwork is commonly of a much more widespread distribution than pottery and does not conform to these borders. It may have been produced at specialised workshops catering for the elite of a large area. Important French cemeteries include Châtenay and Lingolsheim (Alsace). An unusual earthwork was constructed at Goloring near Koblenz in Germany. ==Related cultures==

The central European Lusatian culture forms part of the Urnfield tradition, but continues into the Iron Age without a notable break. The Piliny culture in northern Hungary and Slovakia grew from the Tumulus culture, but used urn burials as well. The pottery shows strong links to the Gáva culture, but in the later phases, a strong influence of the Lusatian culture is found. with sun-bird-ship motifs, Italy, 8th century BC. In Italy, the late Bronze Age Canegrate and Proto-Villanovan cultures and the early Iron Age Villanovan culture show similarities with the urnfields of central Europe. The Italic peoples are descended from the Urnfield and Tumulus culture, who inhabited Italy from at least the second millennium BC onwards. Latins achieved a dominant position among these tribes, establishing the ancient Roman civilization. During this development, other Italic tribes adopted the Latin language and culture in a process known as Romanization. , c. 1100-700 BC. Urnfields are found in the French Languedoc and Catalonia from the 9th to 8th centuries. The change in burial customs was most probably influenced by developments further east. Evidence for an association between the Urnfield culture and a hypothetical Italo-Celtic language group has been discussed by scholars such as Peter Schrijver. The Urnfield layers of the Hallstatt culture, "Ha A" and "Ha B", are succeeded by the Iron Age "Hallstatt period" proper: "Ha C" and "Ha D" (8th-6th centuries BC), associated with the early Celts; "Ha D" is in turn succeeded by the La Tène culture, the archaeological culture associated with the Continental Celts of antiquity. The Golasecca culture in northern Italy developed with continuity from the Canegrate culture. The influence of the Urnfield culture spread widely and found its way to the northeastern Iberian coast, where the nearby Celtiberians of the interior adapted it for use in their cemeteries. Evidence for east-to-west early Urnfield (Bronze D-Hallstatt A) elite contacts such as rilled-ware, swords and crested helmets has been found in the southwest of the Iberian peninsula. The appearance of such elite status markers provides the simplest explanation for the spread of Celtic languages in this area from prestigious, proto-Celtic, early-Urnfield metalworkers. ==Migrations==

|193x193px The numerous hoards of the Urnfield culture and the existence of fortified settlements (hill forts) were taken as evidence for widespread warfare and upheaval by some scholars. with bird-headed ship. Medinet Habu, Egypt. Written sources describe several collapses and upheavals in the Eastern Mediterranean, Anatolia and the Levant around the time of the Urnfield origins: • End of the Mycenean culture with a conventional date of  1200 BC • Destruction of Troy VI  1200 BC • Battles of Ramses III against the Sea Peoples, 1195–1190 BC • End of the Hittite empire 1180 BC • Settlement of the Philistines in Canaan  1170 BC Some scholars, among them Wolfgang Kimmig and P. Bosch-Gimpera have postulated a Europe-wide wave of migrations. The so-called Dorian invasion of Greece was placed in this context as well (although more recent evidence suggests that the Dorians moved in 1100 BC into a post-Mycenaean vacuum, rather than precipitating the collapse). ==Ethnicity==

While it is agreed that the Urnfield culture was, at least in part, linguistically Indo-European, the significant variety of regional sub-groups in the material culture is strongly suggestive of ethnic diversity. Marija Gimbutas proposed connections between Urnfield in Central Europe to later ethnolinguistic groups, in other parts of Europe: proto-Celts, proto-Italics, proto-Veneti, proto-Illyrians, proto-Phrygians, proto-Thracians, and proto-Dorians. While it is unclear whether mass migrations out of the Urnfield heartland occurred, they may have taken place during the so-called Bronze Age collapse. During that period, communities in various parts of western and southern Europe introduced the new rite of cremation, new ceramic styles, and the mass production of metal objects, as well as a new religion and Indo-European languages. ==Settlements==

, Germany. The summit was levelled and fortified in the Urnfield period. The number of settlements increased sharply in comparison with the preceding Tumulus culture. Few of them have been comprehensively excavated. Fortified settlements, often on hilltops or in river-bends, are typical for the Urnfield culture. They are heavily fortified with dry-stone or wooden ramparts. Excavations of open settlements are rare, but they show that large 3-4 aisled houses built with wooden posts and wall of wattle and daub were common. Pit dwellings are known as well; they might have served as cellars. Fortified settlements Fortified hilltop settlements became common in the Urnfield period. Often, a steep spur was used, where only part of the circumference had to be fortified. Depending on the locally available materials, dry-stone walls, gridded timbers filled with stones or soil, or plank and palisade type pfostenschlitzmauer fortifications were used. Other fortified settlements used river-bends and swampy areas. Metalworking is concentrated in the fortified settlements. On the Runder Berg near Urach, Germany, 25 stone moulds have been found. Hillforts are interpreted as central places. Some scholars see the emergence of hill forts as a sign of increased warfare. Most hillforts were abandoned at the end of the Bronze Age. Examples of fortified settlements include , Ehrenbürg, , Heunischenburg, Hesselberg, Bürgstadter Berg, Farrenberg, Gelbe Burg, and Ipf in Germany, Burgstallkogel, Thunau am Kamp, and in Austria, Corent and Gannat in France, Hořovice and in the Czech Republic, Biskupin in Poland, Ormož in Slovenia, Gradište Idoš in Serbia, Velem and Csanádpalota–Földvár in Hungary, and Udine in Italy. The 30.5-hectare plateau of the Bullenheimer Berg in Germany was the site of a "large, walled, city-like fortification" in the later Urnfield period. Excavations have revealed a dense settlement across the whole plateau, including courtyard-type buildings located on artificially raised terraces. The fortified settlement on the Ehrenbürg, also covering about 30 ha and surrounded by a timber and stone wall, was another regional centre and the residence of a regional elite. with four fortification lines and an inner settlement with a diameter of c. 2 km. Magnetic mapping and excavations have indicated the existence of a well-organised settlement of proto-urban character during the Urnfield period. An estimated 824,00 tonnes of earth had to be moved for the construction of the fortification walls alone. Magnetometric surveys at Sântana have revealed the existence of buildings with lengths exceeding 40 m, including a building approximately 60 m long and 40 m wide. The general uniformity in design, material culture, and the density of settlements in Romania and Serbia at this time is indicative of societies that were organized under a common political framework. Open settlements Urnfield period houses were one or two-aisled. Some were quite small, 4.5 m × 5 m at the Runder Berg (Urach, Germany), 5-8m long in Künzig (Bavaria, Germany), others up to 20 m long. They were built with wooden posts and walls of wattle and daub. At the Velatice-settlement of Lovčičky (Moravia, Czech Republic) 44 houses have been excavated. Large bell shaped storage pits are known from the Knovíz culture. The settlement of Radonice (Louny) contained over 100 pits. They were most probably used to store grain and demonstrate a considerable surplus-production. Pile dwellings On lakes of southern Germany and Switzerland, numerous pile dwellings were constructed. They consist either of simple houses made of wattle and daub, or log-built. The settlement at Zug, Switzerland, was destroyed by fire and gives important insights into the material culture and the settlement organisation of this period. It has yielded a number of dendro-dates as well. File:Heunischenburg fortification.jpg|Heunischenburg fortifications, Germany File:Urnfield fortification wall.jpg|Stone fortification wall, reconstruction. File:Reconstruction of a Pfostenschlizmauer wall at Ipf bei Bopfingen, Germany 1.png|Reconstruction of a pfostenschlitzmauer wall at Ipf, Germany File:Brama biskupińska.jpg|Biskupin fortified settlement reconstruction, Poland File:Pfahlbauten Bodensee -- Steinzeitdorf (7644121684).jpg|Lake Constance settlement reconstruction, Germany File:Pfahlbauten Bodensee -- Bronzezeitdorf Unteruhldingen (7644150434).jpg|House reconstruction at Lake Constance, Germany File:Settlement, Urnfield culture, Untermainbach, model at 1 to 32 scale - Naturhistorisches Museum Nürnberg - Nuremberg, Germany -DSC04219.jpg|Urnfield period village model ==Material culture==

, . Cantonal Museum of Archeology and History Pottery The pottery is normally well-made, with a smooth surface and a normally sharply carinated profile. Some forms are thought to imitate metal prototypes. Biconical pots with cylindrical necks are especially characteristic. There is some incised decoration, but a large part of the surface was normally left plain. Fluted decoration is common. In the Swiss pile dwellings, the incised decoration was sometimes inlaid with tin foil. Pottery kilns were already known (Elchinger Kreuz, Bavaria), as is indicated by the homogeneous surface of the vessels as well. Other vessels include cups of beaten sheet-bronze with riveted handles (type Jenišovice) and large cauldrons with cross attachments. Wooden vessels have only been preserved in waterlogged contexts, for example, from Auvernier (Neuchâtel), but may have been quite widespread. Tools and weapons .|266x266px in France, 9th century BC. National Archaeological Museum, France|alt= The early Urnfield period (1300 BC) was a time when the warriors of central Europe could be heavily armored with body armor, helmets and shields all made of bronze, most likely borrowing the idea from Mycenaean Greece. , illustration (1910)|188x188px The leaf-shaped Urnfield sword could be used for slashing, in contrast to the stabbing swords of the preceding Tumulus culture. It commonly possessed a ricasso. The hilt was normally made from bronze as well. It was cast separately and consisted of a different alloy. These solid-hilted swords were known since Bronze D (Rixheim swords). Other swords have tanged blades and probably had a wood, bone, or antler hilt. Flange-hilted swords had organic inlays in the hilt. Swords include Auvernier, Kressborn-Hemigkofen, Erbenheim, Möhringen, Weltenburg, Hemigkofen, and Tachlovice-types. Protective gear like shields, cuirasses, greaves, and helmets are rare and rarely found in burials. The best-known example of a bronze shield comes from Plzeň in Bohemia and has a riveted handhold. Comparable pieces have been found in Germany, Western Poland, Denmark, Great Britain, and Ireland. They are supposed to have been made in upper Italy or the Eastern Alps and imitate wooden shields. Irish bogs have yielded examples of leather shields (Clonbrinn, Co. Wexford). Bronze cuirasses are known since Bronze D (Čaka, grave II, Slovakia). Complete bronze cuirasses have been found in Saint Germain du Plain, nine examples, one inside the other, in Marmesse, Haute Marne (France), and fragments in Albstadt-Pfeffingen (Germany). Bronze dishes (phalerae) may have been sewn on a leather armour. Greaves of richly decorated sheet-bronze are known from Kloštar Ivanić (Croatia) and the Paulus cave near Beuron (Germany). Chariots and wagons About a dozen wagon-burials of four-wheeled wagons with bronze fittings are known from the early Urnfield period. They include Hart an der Altz (Kr. Altötting), Mengen (Kr. Sigmaringen), Poing (Kr. Ebersberg), Königsbronn (Kr. Heidenheim) from Germany, and St. Sulpice (Vaud), Switzerland. In Alz, the chariot had been placed on the pyre, and pieces of bone were attached to the partially melted metal of the axles. Bronze (one-part) bits appear at the same time. Two-part horse bits are only known from late Urnfield contexts and may be due to eastern influence. Wood- and bronze-spoked wheels are known from Stade (Germany), a wooden spoked wheel from Mercurago, Italy. Wooden dish-wheels have been excavated at Courcelettes, Switzerland, and the Wasserburg Buchau, Germany (diameter 80 cm). Bronze spoked wheels from Hassloch and Stade (in Germany) have been described as "the most ambitious craft endeavour of all Bronze Age bronze objects", representing "the highest achievement of prehistoric bronze casters in non-Greek Europe ... In terms of casting technique, they are on a par with the casting of a Greek bronze statue." Cult wagon models In Milavče near Domažlice, Bohemia, a four-wheeled miniature bronze wagon bearing a large cauldron (diameter 30 cm) contained a cremation. This exceptionally rich burial was covered by a barrow. The bronze wagon model from Acholshausen in (Bavaria) comes from a male burial. Such wagons are also known from the Nordic Bronze Age. The Skallerup wagon, Denmark, contained a cremation as well. At Peckatel (Kr. Schwerin) in Mecklenburg a cauldron-wagon and other rich grave goods accompanied an inhumation under a barrow (Montelius III/IV). Another example comes from Ystad in Sweden. South-eastern European examples include Kanya in Hungary and Orăştie in Romania. Clay miniature wagons, sometimes with waterfowl, were known there since the middle Bronze Age (Dupljaja, Vojvodina, Serbia). A Lusatian chariot model from Burg (Brandenburg, Germany) has three wheels on a single axle, on which waterfowl perch. The grave of Gammertingen (Kr. Sigmaringen, Germany) contained two socketed horned applications that probably belonged to a miniature wagon comparable to the Burg example, together with six miniature spoked wheels. File:Urnfield culture ceramic vessel with chariot depiction, Slovakia, 14th century BC.jpg|Urn with chariot depictions, Slovakia, 14th century BC. File:Dupljaja.jpg|Cult chariot model from Dupljaja, Serbia, . File:Kesselwagen von Acholshausen — Exponat in der Archäologischen Staatssammlung München.JPG|Bronze cult wagon model from Acholshausen in Germany . File:Orastie Celtic cauldron.JPG|Bronze cult wagon model from Orăştie in Romania. File:Speyer-2009-historisches-museum-142.jpg|Bronze wheels from Hassloch in Germany, 900-800 BC File:Bronzerad von Stade.JPG|Bronze wheel from Stade, Germany, File:Stader Bronzeräder cropped.jpg|Bronze wheels from Stade, Germany, File:AMGR - Hortfund Karbow 1.jpg|Chariot horse harness parts from Karbow, Germany. Hoards Hoards are very common in the Urnfield culture. The custom was abandoned at the end of the Bronze Age. They were often deposited in rivers and wet places like swamps. As these spots were often quite inaccessible, they most probably represent gifts to the gods. Other hoards contain either broken or miscast objects that were probably intended for reuse by bronze smiths. As Late Urnfield hoards often contain the same range of objects as earlier graves, some scholars interpret hoarding as a way to supply personal equipment for the hereafter. In the river Trieux, Côtes du Nord, complete swords were found together with numerous antlers of red deer that may have had a religious significance as well. ==Iron==

An iron knife or sickle from Ganovce in Slovakia, possibly dating from the 18th century BC, may be the earliest evidence of smelted iron in Central Europe. Other early finds include an iron ring from Vorwohlde (Germany) dating from c. the 15th century BC (Reinecke B), and an iron chisel from Heegermühle (Germany) dating from . During the late Bronze Age, iron was used to decorate the hilts of swords (Schwäbisch-Hall-Gailenkirchen, Unterkrumbach, Kr. Hersbruck), knives (Dotternhausen, Plettenberg, Germany), pins and some other ornaments. The Carpathian Basin was an early centre of iron technology, with iron artefacts dating from the 10th century BC, and possibly as early as the 12th century BC. Regular use of iron for weapons and tools in Central Europe began with the Hallstatt culture. ==Economy==

Cattle, pigs, sheep and goats were kept, as well as horses, dogs and geese. The cattle were rather small, with a height of 1.20 m at the withers. Horses were not much bigger with a mean of 1.25 m. Forest clearance was intensive in the Urnfield period. Probably open meadows were created for the first time, as shown by pollen analysis. This led to increased erosion and sediment-load of the rivers. New crops and more intensive agrarian regimes are introduced, transforming landscapes on a large scale. Bronze sickles are also thought to have served as a form of commodity money. There is some suggestion that the Urnfield culture is associated with a wetter climatic period than the earlier Tumulus cultures. This may be associated with the diversion of the mid-latitude winter storms north of the Pyrenees and the Alps, possibly associated with drier conditions in the Mediterranean basin. ==Numerals==

Large hoards of sickles dating from the Bronze Age have been excavated across central Europe which feature a range of cast markings. An analysis of the Frankleben hoard and other sickle hoards from Germany dating from the Tumulus and Urnfield periods found that markings on the sickles constitute a numeral system related to the lunar calendar. According to the Halle State Museum of Prehistory: found on the sickles The sickles also feature other marks or symbols which the archaeologist Christoph Sommmerfeld (1994) suggests may represent 'conceptual signs', or a type of proto-writing. Markings on sickles and tools from across Bronze Age Europe have been interpreted by other authors as ownership marks, sign systems, number systems or "units of information" of unknown meaning. The decorated discs on both objects have been interpreted as solar calendars. The repeated use of numbers 10, 20 and 30 in the construction of the Balkåkra and Haschendorf objects suggests the use of a ten-digit system. The archaeologist Mikkel Hansen (2019) has suggested that the Urnfield sickle-numeral system may be related to 'hand signs' found among petroglyphs from the Nordic Bronze Age, which may have a similar numerical and calendrical meaning. ==Golden hats==

, Germany, c. 1000 BC|265x265px Four elaborate cone-shaped hats made from thin sheets of gold have been found in Germany and France dating from c. 1500-800 BC (the Tumulus culture to Urnfield period). They may have been worn as ceremonial hats by individuals described by researchers as "king-priests" or oracles. The gold hats are covered in bands of ornaments or symbols along their whole length and extent. The symbols – mostly disks and concentric circles, sometimes wheels, crescents, pointed oval shapes and triangles – were punched using stamps, rolls or combs. The discs and concentric circles are interpreted as solar and possibly lunar symbols. Calendar An analysis of the Berlin Gold Hat found that the symbols numerically encode a lunisolar calendar based on the 19-year Metonic cycle. According to Wilfried Menghin "The symbols on the hat are a logarithmic table which enables the movements of the sun and the moon to be calculated in advance." Astronomers Rahlf Hansen and Christine Rink have argued that the Berlin hat encodes knowledge of Saros lunar eclipse cycles. Evidence for knowledge of these cycles is also known from the later Hallstatt period. The various ornaments on the Berlin hat include a band of 19 'star and crescent' symbols, placed above 19 pointed-oval symbols which are thought to represent the planet Venus. Similar 'Venus' symbols are found on the gold hats from Ezelsdorf-Buch and Schifferstadt. The apex of the Berlin Gold Hat is also decorated with an 8-pointed star, which was a symbol of the planet Venus and the goddess Ishtar in ancient Mesopotamia, representing the 8-year Venus cycle. Circular symbols similar to those on the gold hats are also found on gold bowls dating from the Middle to Late Bronze Age, including those from the Eberswalde hoard. Some of these are thought to contain calendrical information. Astronomical and calendrical interpretations have been proposed for a variety of other decorated artefacts dating from the Middle to Late Bronze Age, including gold artefacts from the Bullenheimer Berg in Germany, a gold diadem from Velem in Hungary, gold appliqués from Lake Bled in Slovenia, gold discs and a gold belt from the Czech Republic, the Trundholm Sun Chariot from Denmark, bronze discs from Germany and Denmark, and bronze urns from Germany, Denmark and Poland (including Seddin, Gevelinghausen and Herzberg). The gold hats and diadems have been linked to the Casco de Leiro from Spain and the Comerford Crown from Ireland, as well as to gold diadems from Mycenae in Greece, all of which bear similar symbols. In his analysis of the Velem diadem, archaeologist Gabor Ilon writes: "high-ranking members of the elite in Bronze Age Europe were proud owners of gold foil-covered costume adornments and symbols of status and power as well as of golden vessels, objects of social display, decorated with an identical set of symbols ... embodying what was presumably an identical and coherent spiritual background." , Hungary, 14th-9th centuries BC.|185x185px File:Cône d'Avanton, musée des Antiquités Nationales, 2010-03-26.jpg|Avanton Gold Hat, France, 1500-1200 BC File:Nürnberg Germanisches Nationalmuseum Goldhut 953.jpg|Ezelsdorf-Buch Gold Hat, Germany, c. 1000 BC File:Goldener hut schifferstadt hist mus speyer.jpg|Schifferstadt Gold Hat, Germany, 1400-1300 BC File:EzelsdorfBuch Golden Hat schematic.jpg|Ezelsdorf-Buch, schematic depiction of ornamention and stamps File:Schifferstadt Golden Hat schematic.jpg|Schifferstadt, schematic depiction of ornamention and stamps File:Lake Bled gold 2.jpg|Gold appliqués from Lake Bled, Slovenia, 13th-12th century BC. ==Funerary customs==

Graves In the Tumulus period, multiple inhumations under barrows were common, at least for the upper levels of society. In the Urnfield period, inhumation and burial in single flat graves prevails, though some barrows exist. In the earliest phases of the Urnfield period, man-shaped graves were dug, sometimes provided with a stone lined floor, in which the cremated remains of the deceased were spread. Only later, burial in urns became prevalent. Some scholars speculate that this may have marked a fundamental shift in people's beliefs or myths about life and the afterlife. (Germany) with sun-bird-ship motifs.|154x154px The size of the urnfields is variable. In Bavaria, they can contain hundreds of burials, while the largest cemetery in Baden-Württemberg in Dautmergen has only 30 graves. The dead were placed on pyres, covered in their personal jewellery, which often shows traces of the fire and sometimes food-offerings. The cremated bone-remains are much larger than in the Roman period, which indicates that less wood was used. Often, the bones have been incompletely collected. Most urnfields are abandoned with the end of the Bronze Age, only the Lower Rhine urnfields continue in use in the early Iron Age (Ha C, sometimes even D). The cremated bones could be placed in simple pits. Sometimes the dense concentration of the bones indicates a container of organic material, sometimes the bones were simply shattered. If the bones were placed in urns, these were often covered by a shallow bowl or a stone. In a special type of burial (bell-graves) the urns are completely covered by an inverted larger vessel. As graves rarely overlap, they may have been marked by wooden posts or stones. Stone-pacing graves are typical of the Unstrut group. Grave gifts The urn containing the cremated bones is often accompanied by other, smaller ceramic vessels, like bowls and cups. They may have contained food. The urn is often placed in the centre of the assemblage. Often, these vessels have not been placed on the pyre. Metal grave gifts include razors, weapons that often have been deliberately destroyed (bent or broken), bracelets, pendants and pins. Metal grave gifts become rarer towards the end of the Urnfield culture, while the number of hoards increase. Burnt animal bones are often found, they may have been placed on the pyre as food. The marten bones in the grave of Seddin may have belonged to a garment (pelt). Amber or glass beads (Pfahlbautönnchen) are luxury items. Upper-class graves contents, 9th century BC, Germany. Upper-class burials were placed in wooden chambers, rarely stone cists or chambers with a stone-paved floor and covered with a barrow or cairn. The graves contain especially finely made pottery, animal bones, usually of pigs, sometimes gold rings or sheets, and in exceptional cases miniature wagons. Some of these rich burials contain the remains of more than one person. In this case, women and children are normally seen as sacrifices. Until more is known about the status distribution and the social structure of the late Bronze Age, this interpretation should be viewed with caution, however. Towards the end of the Urnfield period, some bodies were burnt in situ and then covered by a barrow, reminiscent of the burial of Patroclus as described by Homer and the burial of Beowulf (with the additional ship burial element). The grave of Seddin (c. 9th century BC) has been described as a "Homeric burial" due to its close similarity to contemporary elite burials in Greece and Italy. In the early Iron Age, inhumation became the rule again. ==Cult==

An obsession with waterbirds is indicated by numerous pictures and three-dimensional representations. Combined with the hoards deposited in rivers and swamps, it indicates religious beliefs connected with water. This has led some scholars to believe in serious droughts during the late Bronze Age. Sometimes the water-birds are combined with circles, the so-called sun-barque or solar boat motif. Moon-shaped clay firedogs or 'moon idols' are thought to have a religious significance, as well as crescent shaped razors. The Goloring earthwork enclosure in Germany (c. 1200-800 BC) was a cult site with a possible calendar function, similar to earlier sites such as Pömmelte in Germany and Stonehenge in Britain with which it shares similar proportions and circular design. The Kyffhäuser caves in Thuringia contain headless skeletons and animal bones that have been interpreted as sacrifices. Other deposits include grain, knotted vegetable fibres and hair and bronze objects (axes, pendants and pins). The Ith-caves (Lower Saxony) have yielded comparative material. File:GBM - Urnenfelder 1a Rasiermesser.jpg|Crescent shaped razor, Germany File:Decorative motif, Late Bronze Age (13th-9th century BC), Urnfield culture, Hungary.png|'Sun-bird-ship' motif from a bronze vessel, Hungary File:GNM - Feuerbock.jpg|Crescent shaped fire-dog/ moon idol, Germany File:Poppy head pins, Urnfield culture, Germany (2).jpg|Opium-poppy-head pins, Germany ==Genetics==

A genetic study published in Nature in March 2015 examined the remains of an Urnfield male buried in Halberstadt, Germany ca 1100-1000 BC. He was found to be a carrier of the paternal haplogroup R1a1a1b1a2 and the maternal haplogroup H23. A genetic study published in Science in March 2019 found a significant increase in north-central European ancestry in Iberia during the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age. The authors of the study suggested that the spread of the Urnfield culture was associated with this transition, during which the Celtiberians may have emerged. A Celtiberian male examined in the study was found to be a carrier of the paternal haplogroup I2a1a1a. Studies have shown that the Urnfield culture is patrilocal. ==Gallery==

File:Large Brooch MET DP165276.jpg|Large brooch, Germany, 1100–1000 BC File:Radanhaenger-edited.jpg|Bronze wheel pendants from Switzerland File:Goldschale Altstetten - 2 von 10.jpg|Gold bowl, Altstetten, Switzerland File:0371 Waffen von der Bronzezeit zirka 11. Jh. v. Chr..jpg|Naue II swords from Slovakia, 1200-1100 BC File:Urnfield sword.jpg|Bronze sword from the Czech Republic File:Casques à crète MAN.jpg|Bronze helmets from France, 1100-900 BC File:Diadem MET h1 2000.281.1.jpg|Bronze diadem, Hungary, File:Depot de vaudrevange.jpg|Vaudrevange hoard, Germany File:Bronze shield, Nynice culture, 950 – 750 BC, Museum of Western Bohemia, 187871.jpg|Bronze shield from the Czech Republic File:Bronze Age Europe Bronze Ornament (28678548611).jpg|Bronze ornament, Slovakia, 13th c. BC File:Bronze Age Europe Gold Band & Necklace (28678596571).jpg|Gold collar & necklace, Austria, 900 BC. File:Diadem, Sichów, okres brązu, Wrocław 1.jpg|Gold diadem from Sichów, Poland File:Trésor de Blanot musée archéologique Dijon France.JPG|Bronze ornaments from Blanot, France. File:HMB Bronzezeit Wasserfunde Bern.jpg|River and lake finds from Switzerland File:DO-800.jpg|Urn with sun-bird-ship motif, Denmark File:Urnfield greave.jpg|Bronze greave with sun cross symbols, Hungary File:KM - Bronzene Pfeilspitzen.jpg|Bronze arrowheads, Austria File:Hungary, Bronze Age, c. 2500-800 BC - Ritual Cauldron - 1992.64 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif|Bronze cauldron from Hungary, File:Urnfield pottery 2.jpg|Pottery, Switzerland File:Lapus vessel lb 1 mnir.jpg|Pottery, Romania, 13th century BC File:Urnfield image 8.jpg|Various artefacts, France File:Szombathely-savariamuseum-fegyver-0.jpg|Various artefacts, Hungary File:Eberswalde 3.jpg|Gold bowls from Eberswalde, Germany File:Bronze Age Europe Bronze Ornaments (28471739120).jpg|Bronze pectorals, torcs and discs, Poland. File:Brooch2a.jpg|Large brooch, Germany File:KM - Zaumzeug Stockern.jpg|Horse bit, Austria, c. 1000 BC File:Budapest, Hungarian National Museum, collar.jpg|Gold collar, Hungary File:Età del ferro iniziale, tesoro di hinova, bracciale e frammenti vari, XII sec. ac..JPG|Hinova Treasure, Romania, 12th cent. BC File:Civilisation des champs d'urnes Wien museum.jpg|Baby bottles, Austria, c. 1200 BC. File:Sonnenstein von Harpstedt 1.png|Harpstedt Sun Stone, Germany File:München-Lehel Archäologische Staatssammlung 646.jpg|Gold appliqué from the Bullenheimer Berg, Germany File:Goloring.jpg|Goloring circular earthwork, Germany File:Sarasau hoard lb mnir.jpg|Gold from the Sarasau hoard, Romania, c. 1300-1200 BC File:Goldfund von Lorup.jpg|Gold jewellery from Lorup, Germany ==See also== • Prehistoric Europe • Bronze Age Europe • Beaker culture • Nordic Bronze Age • Tumulus culture • Hallstatt culture • Lusatian culture • Solar deity • Sorothaptic language ==References==