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Nordic Bronze Age
The Nordic Bronze Age (also Northern Bronze Age, or Scandinavian Bronze
Age) is a period of Scandinavian prehistory from c. 1700–500 BC. The Bronze Age culture
of this era succeeded the Nordic Stone Age culture (Late Neolithic) and was followed by the
Pre-Roman Iron Age. The archaeological legacy of the Nordic Bronze Age culture is rich,
but the ethnic and linguistic affinities of it are unknown, in the absence of written sources.
Some scholars also include sites in what is now Finland, Estonia, northern Germany and
Pomerania as part of its cultural sphere.
Contents
Map of the Nordic Bronze Age
General characteristics culture, c. 1200 BC
Sub-periodization
Climate
Religion and cult
Genetics
Culture
See also
Notes
Bibliography
General characteristics
Settlement in the Scandinavian Bronze Age period consisted mainly of single farmsteads, with no towns or substantial
villages known - farmsteads usually consisted of a longhouse plus additional four-post built structures (helms) - longhouses
were initially two aisled, and after c. 1300 BC three aisled structure became normal. Evidence of multiple longhouses at a
single site have been found, but they are thought to date to different periods, rather than being of the same date. Settlements
were geographically located on higher ground, and tended to be concentrated near the sea. Also associated with settlements
were burial mounds and cemeteries, with interments including oak coffins and urn burials; other settlement associations
include rock carvings, or bronze hoards in wetland sites.[1]
Both agriculture (including wheat, millet, and barley) and husbandry (keeping of domesticated animals such as cattle, sheep
and pigs) were practiced, and fishing and shellfish were also sources of food, as well as deer, elk, and other wild animal
hunting. There is evidence that oxen were used as draught animals, domesticated dogs were common, horses were rarer and
probably status symbols.[1]
Even though Scandinavians joined the European Bronze Age cultures fairly late through trade, Scandinavian sites present a
rich and well-preserved legacy of bronze and gold objects. These valuable metals were all imported, primarily from Central
Europe, but they were often crafted locally and the craftsmanship and metallurgy of the Nordic Bronze Age was of a high
standard. The archaeological legacy also comprise locally of crafted wool and wooden objects and there are many tumuli and
rock carving sites from this period, but no written language existed in the Nordic countries during the Bronze Age. The rock
carvings have been dated through comparison with depicted artifacts, for example bronze axes and swords. There are also
numerous Nordic Stone Age rock carvings, those of northern Scandinavia mostly portray elk.
Thousands of rock carvings from this period depict ships, and the large stone burial monuments, known as stone ships,
suggest that ships and seafaring played an important role in the culture at large. The depicted ships, most likely represents
sewn plank built canoes used for warfare, fishing and trade. These ship types may have their origin as far back as the
neolithic period and they continue into the Pre-Roman Iron Age, as exemplified by the Hjortspring boat.[2] 3,600-year old
bronze axes and other tools made from Cypriot copper have been found in the region.[3]
Sub-periodization
Oscar Montelius, who coined the term used for the period, divided it into six distinct sub-periods in his piece Om
tidsbestämning inom bronsåldern med särskilt avseende på Skandinavien ("On Bronze Age dating with particular focus on
Scandinavia") published in 1885, which is still in wide use. His absolute chronology has held up well against radiocarbon
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dating, with the exception that the period's start is closer to 1700 BC than 1800 BC, as Montelius suggested. For Central
Europe a different system developed by Paul Reinecke is commonly used, as each area has its own artifact types and
archaeological periods.
A broader subdivision is the Early Bronze Age, between 1700 BC and 1100 BC, and the Late Bronze Age, 1100 BC to 550 BC.
These divisions and periods are followed by the Pre-Roman Iron Age.
Climate
The Nordic Bronze Age was initially characterized by a warm climate that began with a climate change around 2700 BC. The
climate was comparable to that of present-day central Germany and northern France and permitted a fairly dense
population and good opportunities for farming; for example, grapes were grown in Scandinavia at this time. A minor change
in climate occurred between 850 BC and 760 BC, introducing a wetter, colder climate and a more radical climate change
began around 650 BC.[4]
Religion and cult
There is no coherent knowledge about the Nordic Bronze Age religion; its pantheon, world view and how it was practised.
Written sources are lacking, but archaeological finds draw a vague and fragmented picture of the religious practices and the
nature of the religion of this period. Only some possible sects and only certain possible tribes are known. Some of the best
clues come from tumuli, elaborate artifacts, votive offerings and rock carvings scattered across Northern Europe.
Many finds indicate a strong sun-worshipping cult in the Nordic Bronze Age and various animals have been associated with
the sun's movement across the sky, including horses, birds, snakes and marine creatures (see also Sól). A female or mother
goddess is also believed to have been widely worshipped (see Nerthus). Hieros gamos rites may have been common and
there have been several finds of fertility symbols. A pair of twin gods are believed to have been worshipped, and is reflected
in a duality in all things sacred: where sacrificial artifacts have been buried they are often found in pairs. Sacrifices (animals,
weapons, jewellery and humans) often had a strong connection to bodies of water. Boglands, ponds, streams or lakes were
often used as ceremonial and holy places for sacrifices and many artifacts have been found in such locations. Ritual
instruments such as bronze lurs have been uncovered, especially in the region of Denmark and western Sweden. Lur horns
are also depicted in several rock carvings and are believed to have been used in ceremonies. Many rock carvings are uncanny
in resemblance to those found in the Corded Ware Culture.
Remnants of the Bronze Age religion and mythology are believed to exist in Germanic mythology and Norse mythology; e.g.,
Skinfaxi and Hrímfaxi and Nerthus, and it is believed to itself be descended from an older Indo-European proto-religion.
Nordic Bronze Age cult
Boat and sun symbols. Men with weapons. Sun wagon. Petroglyph depiction
Madsebakke at Bornholm, Tanumshede, western from Tanum, Sweden.
Denmark. Sweden.
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Burial mounds.
Sun cult artifacts. The Ritualistic lur Ceremonial helmets. Veksø, Gårdstånga, Skåne,
Trundholm sun chariot, horns in bronze. Denmark. Sweden.
Denmark. Brudevælte,
Denmark.
Mound burials with oak Stone ship monuments.
coffins. Borum Eshøj Man, in Gotland in Sweden.
Borum, Denmark.
Genetics
A 2015 study published in Nature found the people of the Nordic Bronze Age to be closely genetically related to the Corded
Ware culture, the Beaker culture and the Unetice culture. People of the Nordic Bronze Age and Corded Ware show the
highest lactose tolerance among Bronze Age Europeans. The study suggested that the Sintashta culture, and its succeeding
Andronovo culture, represented an eastward migration of Corded Ware peoples. Numerous cultural similarities between the
Nordic Bronze, the Sintastha/Andronovo culture and peoples described in the Rigveda have been detected.[5]
In another 2015 study published in Nature, the remains of eight individuals ascribed to the Northern Bronze Age and the
preceding Corded Ware culture in Denmark and Sweden were analyzed. Three individuals were determined to belong to
haplogroup I, while three of the individuals were determined to belong to haplogroup R1b1a2 and various subclades, and
two individuals were found to belong to haplogroup R1a1 and various subclades.[6]
Culture
Nordic Bronze Age culture
Hunting scenes. Reindeer, hunters Agriculture. Ploughing with bulls. Boats and sun symbols.
and fishing boats. Alta in Norway. Petroglyph depiction from Tanum, Bardal Rock carvings,
Sweden. Steinkjer, Norway.
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Metallurgy and Wool clothing. Bronze combs. Gotland,
tool making. Trindhøj man, Sweden.
Bronze saw Denmark.
mold, Sweden.
Bronze swords. Rørby, Denmark.
Bronze razor knife for shaving. Scania, Sweden.
See also
Bronze Age Europe
Bronze Age sword
Egtved Girl
The King's Grave
Stone ships
Tanumshede
Pomeranian culture
Notes
1. Thrane, Henrik, Peregrine, Peter N.; Ember, Melvin (eds.), "Scandinavian Bronze Age", Encyclopedia of Prehistory, 4
(Europe), pp. 299–314
2. Ling 2008. Elevated Rock Art. GOTARC Serie B. Gothenburg Archaeological Thesis 49. Department of Archaeology
and Ancient History, University of Gothenburg, Goumlteborg, 2008. ISBN 978-91-85245-34-5.
3. https://www.realmofhistory.com/2016/05/17/cypriot-copper-axes-bronze-age-sweden/
4. Kane, Njord (1 November 2016). The Viking Stone Age: Birth of the Ax Culture. Spangenhelm Publishing.
5. Allentoft, ME (June 11, 2015). "Population genomics of Bronze Age Eurasia" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/260
62507). Nature. 522 (7555): 167–172. doi:10.1038/nature14507 (https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fnature14507).
PMC 4918750 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4918750). "European Late Neolithic and Bronze Age
cultures such as Corded Ware, Bell Beakers, Unetice, and the Scandinavian cultures are genetically very similar to each
other... The close affinity we observe between peoples of Corded Ware and Sintashta cultures suggests similar genetic
sources of the two... Among Bronze Age Europeans, the highest tolerance frequency was found in Corded Ware and
the closely-related Scandinavian Bronze Age cultures... The Andronovo culture, which arose in Central Asia during the
later Bronze Age, is genetically closely related to the Sintashta peoples, and clearly distinct from both Yamnaya and
Afanasievo. Therefore, Andronovo represents a temporal and geographical extension of the Sintashta gene pool...
There are many similarities between Sintasthta/Androvono rituals and those described in the Rig Veda and such
similarities even extend as far as to the Nordic Bronze Age."
6. Mathieson, Iain (December 24, 2015). "Genome-wide patterns of selection in 230 ancient Eurasians" (https://www.ncbi.n
lm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4918750/). Nature. 528 (7583): 499–503. doi:10.1038/nature16152 (https://doi.org/10.103
8%2Fnature16152). PMC 4918750 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4918750).
[1]
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Bibliography
Dabrowski, J. (1989) Nordische Kreis un Kulturen Polnischer Gebiete. Die Bronzezeit im Ostseegebiet. Ein Rapport der
Kgl. Schwedischen Akademie der Literatur Geschichte und Alter unt Altertumsforschung über das Julita-Symposium
1986. Ed Ambrosiani, B. Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien. Konferenser 22. Stockholm.
Davidson, H. R. Ellis and Gelling, Peter: The Chariot of the Sun and other Rites and Symbols of the Northern European
Bronze Age.
K. Demakopoulou (ed.), Gods and Heroes of the European Bronze Age, published on the occasion of the exhibition
"Gods and Heroes of the Bronze Age. Europe at the Time of Ulysses", from December 19, 1998, to April 5, 1999, at the
National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, London (1999), ISBN 0-500-01915-0.
Demougeot, E. La formation de l'Europe et les invasions barbares, Paris: Editions Montaigne, 1969-1974.
Kaliff, Anders. 2001. Gothic Connections. Contacts between eastern Scandinavia and the southern Baltic coast 1000
BC – 500 AD.
Montelius, Oscar, 1885. Om tidsbestämning inom bronsåldern med särskilt avseende på Skandinavien.
Musset, L. Les invasions: les vagues germanique, Paris: Presses universitaires de France, 1965.
1. "Oh Yeah Woo Yeah" (https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/oh-yeah-woo-yeah). Know Your Meme.
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