The "Hallstatt-Plateau" is a phenomenon where dates taken between 750 to 400 BC give the same result regardless of the precision of the measurement. It has proven difficult to use Radiocarbon dating for the Early Iron Age due to the so-called "Hallstatt-Plateau". Paul Reinecke based his chronological divisions on finds from the south of Germany.Īlready by 1881 Otto Tischler had made analogies to the Iron Age in the Northern Alps based on finds of brooches from graves in the south of Germany. Only a few of the largest settlements, like Heuneburg in the south of Germany, were towns rather than villages by modern standards.Ĭhronology Bronze Age Central Europe Īccording to Paul Reinecke's time-scheme from 1902, the end of the Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age were divided into four periods: Society was organized on a tribal basis, though very little is known about this. Social distinctions became increasingly important, with emerging elite classes of chieftains and warriors, and perhaps those with other skills. The culture was based on farming, but metal-working was considerably advanced, and by the end of the period long-range trade within the area and with Mediterranean cultures was economically significant. Parts of Britain and Iberia are included in the ultimate expansion of the culture. Hallstatt A and B are regarded as Late Bronze Age and the terms used for wider areas, such as "Hallstatt culture", or "period", "style" and so on, relate to the Iron Age Hallstatt C and D.īy the 6th century BC, it had expanded to include wide territories, falling into two zones, east and west, between them covering much of western and central Europe down to the Alps, and extending into northern Italy. Material from Hallstatt has been classified into four periods, designated "Hallstatt A" to "D". It is named for its type site, Hallstatt, a lakeside village in the Austrian Salzkammergut southeast of Salzburg, where there was a rich salt mine, and some 1,300 burials are known, many with fine artifacts. Older assumptions of the early 20th century of Illyrians having been the bearers of especially the Eastern Hallstatt culture are indefensible and archeologically unsubstantiated. It is commonly associated with Proto-Celtic populations. The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Western and Central European culture of Late Bronze Age (Hallstatt A, Hallstatt B) from the 12th to 8th centuries BC and Early Iron Age Europe (Hallstatt C, Hallstatt D) from the 8th to 6th centuries BC, developing out of the Urnfield culture of the 12th century BC ( Late Bronze Age) and followed in much of its area by the La Tène culture.
Archaeological culture in Europe Hallstatt culture