Armies in the Early Bronze Age? An alternative interpretation of Únetice Culture axe hoards

• Autores: Harald Meller
• Localización: Antiquity, ISSN 0003-598X, Vol. 91, Nº 360, 2017, págs. 1529-1545
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The Early Bronze Age Únetice Culture in central Germany was a highly stratified society with a ruling class of �princes�, as evidenced by the famous burials at Leubingen and Helmsdorf, and the newly excavated burial mound Bornhöck near Dieskau. To investigate the notion of Únetice military organisation, this article presents a new interpretation of the numerous weapons hoards recovered from the region. Hoard deposition and composition from central Germany strongly suggests a shift from a Late Neolithic culture of �warrior heroes� to the creation of organised standing armies of professional soldiers under the control of ruling elites.