The archaeology of bronze and iron age europe

You will examine the Bronze and Iron Age periods of Prehistoric Europe. We will study the peoples who inhabited Europe at this time from the first introduction of metal to the beginnings of history with the Greeks and Romans. Study will be by themes including social organisation, belief systems, exchange networks and settlement patterns. The increasing complexity of European cultures will be investigated as well as the development of civilizations in Crete and on mainland Greece .

Student & Entry Requirements:

No previous experience required. Basic literacy. Additional costs may be for books purchased and entry to museums/sites.

General & First Session:

Paper and pen for notes.

A reading list will be provided at the first meeting. You may like to read the following prior to course commencement:  Cunliffe B (ed) 1995. The Oxford Illustrated Prehistory of Europe. OUP

Course Aim & Objective:

The aim of the course is to introduce students to the methods and theories that provide the framework to our knowledge of the Bronze and Iron Age periods of prehistoric Europe. We will consider the nature, structure and complexity of the archaeology of later European prehistory and will study the material culture, landscapes and cultural behaviour of the various peoples which inhabited and developed later prehistoric Europe. The outcomes will include knowledge of the geographic spread of metal working, the variations in material culture across Europe, the social construction of Bronze and Iron Age landscapes, exchange and trade systems, belief systems, the establishment of complex societies and the impact of the first civilizations.

Specific aims of the course include:

• At the end of the course each learner will be able to identify the centres of early metal working in Europe.
• Each learner will be able to explain the land management system of the Bronze Age as developed in the Dartmoor reave systems.
• Each learner will be able to describe the importance for gender studies of the Iron Age graves at Vix and Hochdorf.
• Each learner will be able to discuss the problems associated with the concept of the Celts as a people in late Iron Age Britain.
• Each learner will be able to outline the development of the Hillfort as a reflection of the growing complexity of social organisation in later Iron Age Britain.

Assessment:

There being no qualification of this course the assessments will be by written quiz and slide identification tests.

Progression:

Students may wish to continue with further courses at KAE in archaeology. They may also enrol in

archaeology courses run by Birkbeck College, Faculty of Continuing Education.

These courses allow the student to gain a Certificate in HE (archaeology) or advanced study leading to an MA is possible.

Course Syllabus:

The course will adopt a chronological approach to the topic of the Bronze and Iron Age periods in later prehistoric Europe, focusing on current research, ideas, thoughts and theories.

Part 1 – The Bronze Age : The Emergence of Social Stratification.

The Bronze Age is a time of increased social and economic complexity in which the development of regional Bronze Age societies and exchange and redistribution networks are established. The early Bronze Age is associated with the rise of the individual in society recognised archaeologically through the presence of individual burials and monuments of power and prestige. The middle Bronze Age sees a focus on a more "tamed landscape" recognisable in the development of settlements and the construction of social space. The late Bronze Age is characterised by the development of major field systems and a more settled ritual landscape. We will look at the ways in which the landscape of Europe is changed by each period. The development of civilizations in Crete and in mainland Greece will be examined.

Part 2 – The Iron Age: Culture Contact and Culture Change.

The mechanisms of culture contact and culture change with the preceding Bronze Age and with the influence of the Romans will be explored. These influences can be seen in the evidence for increased artefact and settlement diversity, models for cultural interaction, the social significance of trade and exchange networks and the growth of social complexity. For example, concepts of urbanism and urban planning in the Etruscan culture and the concept of the "Celts" and Celtic art and Scythian iconography offer an insight into the complexities of Iron Age art and society.