Bronze Age Burial

Individual Burial in Ireland during the Bronze Age

Bronze Age: Chronology
•The Bronze Age begins around 2350 BC in Ireland
•First evidence of use of copper dates to around 2350 BC
•By 2000 BC, copper is being alloyed with tin to make bronze
•Gold appears around this time as well
•Conventionally the Bronze Age is divided into three phases:
–Early (2350 BC to 1700 BC);
–Middle (1700 BC to 1200 BC)
–Late (1200 BC to 700 BC).

Characteristics of the Early Bronze Age
•Individual burials
•Flat axes
•Tanged daggers
•Barbed and tanged arrowheads
•Decorated pottery
•Archers wristguards
•V-perforated buttons
Characteristics of the Early Bronze Age
•Individual burials
•Flat axes
•Tanged daggers
•Barbed and tanged arrowheads
•Decorated pottery
•Archers wristguards
•V-perforated buttons
Characteristics of the Early Bronze Age
•Individual burials
•Flat axes
•Tanged daggers
•Barbed and tanged arrowheads
•Decorated pottery
•Archers wristguards
•V-perforated buttons
Characteristics of the Early Bronze Age
•Individual burials
•Flat axes
•Tanged daggers
•Barbed and tanged arrowheads
•Decorated pottery
•Archers wristguards
•V-perforated buttons
Characteristics of the Early Bronze Age
•Individual burials
•Flat axes
•Decorated Pottery
•Tanged daggers
•Barbed and tanged
arrowheads
•Decorated pottery
•Archers wristguards
•V-perforated buttons
Characteristics of the Early Bronze Age
•Individual burials
•Flat axes
•Decorated Pottery
•Tanged daggers
•Barbed and tanged
arrowheads
•Decorated pottery
•Archers wristguards
•V-perforated buttons
Characteristics of the Early Bronze Age
•GOLD
Characteristics of the Early Bronze Age
•GOLD
Lunulae
Two main types:
Classical (heavily decorated, symmetrical), from Killarney, Co. Kerry
Unaccomplished (i.e. little decoration, asymmetric) as shown here from a hoard of four from Dunfierny in Co. Kildare

Characteristics of the Early Bronze Age
•Halberds
•Battleaxes
Pottery
Bowl Tradition pottery



Vase Tradition pottery
Urns from the Vase Tradition
Collared Urn (Tara, Co. Meath)
Cordoned Urn (Gortlush, Co. Donegal)

Ballinagore (Co. Wicklow)
Finds associated with Collared Urns
Finds associated with Cordoned Urns
Razors found with Cordoned Urns
Faience Beads




Burial Mounds
•Poulawack, Co. Clare
Burial Mounds
•Poulawack, Co. Clare
•Excavation revealed multiple phases of use
Poulawack, Co. Clare
Clogher Lower (Co. Roscommon)
•Typical mound – Bronze Age in date.
•Central burial sealed by cairn/earthen mound.
Clogher Lower (Co. Roscommon)
Ballinagore (Co. Wicklow)

Knockast, Co. Westmeath
Knockast, Co. Westmeath

Individual Burial
•CISTS
Segmented Cist
Laughanstown, Co. Dublin

Ballygalley,County Antrim

Death and Burial in continental Europe
Variation in practice across Europe
Early Bronze Age: Dominant Burial Rites
•Tumulus Burials (i.e. in a mound, barrow, cairn or kurgan): Ireland, Britain, Southern Russia, Southern Scandinavia, Northern Germany, Netherlands, Brittany, East Hungary, West Serbia, Albania

•Flat Inhumation Cemetery: Central Europe, Italy, Central Russia, Northern Russia.

•Cremation Cemetery: Hungary

Early Bronze Age: Dominant Burial Rites
•Tumulus Burials (i.e. in a mound, barrow, cairn or kurgan): Ireland, Britain, Southern Russia, Southern Scandinavia, Northern Germany, Netherlands, Brittany, East Hungary, West Serbia, Albania
•Novaya Kvasnikovka, Volgograd (kurgan 4, burial 5) – 2000 BC
Early Bronze Age: Dominant Burial Rites
•Novaya Kvasnikovka, Volgograd (kurgan 4, burial 5) – 2000 BC
Early Bronze Age: Dominant Burial Rites
Early Bronze Age: Dominant Burial Rites
•Tumulus Burials (i.e. in a mound, barrow, cairn or kurgan): Ireland, Britain, Southern Russia, Southern Scandinavia, Northern Germany, Netherlands, Brittany, East Hungary, West Serbia, Albania
•Chastiye, Kurgan 20, Lower Don (Russia)– 2000 BC
Kurgan, Aliaga Steppe, Ukraine
Kurgan Vizir, Romania
Normanton Down barrow cemetery
Bush Barrow
Bush Barrow Finds
Golden Barrow
Golden Barrow
Helmsdorf, Germany (EBA)
Leubingen, Germany (EBA)
Middle Bronze Age: Dominant Burial Rites
•Tumulus Burials (i.e. in a mound, barrow, cairn or kurgan): Central Europe, Northern Europe, Pontic Zone, Parts of the Balkans
•Inhumation Cemetery: Rare
•Cremation Cemetery: Rare
Middle Bronze Age: Dominant Burial Rites
•Tumulus Burials (i.e. in a mound, barrow, cairn or kurgan): Central Europe, Northern Europe, Pontic Zone, Parts of the Balkans
•Egtved kommune, Denmark
Middle Bronze Age: Dominant Burial Rites
•Tumulus Burials (i.e. in a mound, barrow, cairn or kurgan): Central Europe, Northern Europe, Pontic Zone, Parts of the Balkans
•Egtved kommune, Denmark
Middle Bronze Age: Dominant Burial Rites
•Tumulus Burials (i.e. in a mound, barrow, cairn or kurgan): Central Europe, Northern Europe, Pontic Zone, Parts of the Balkans
•Egtved kommune, Denmark
Middle Bronze Age: Dominant Burial Rites
•Tumulus Burials (i.e. in a mound, barrow, cairn or kurgan): Central Europe, Northern Europe, Pontic Zone, Parts of the Balkans
•Egtved kommune, Denmark
Middle Bronze Age: Dominant Burial Rites
•Tumulus Burials (i.e. in a mound, barrow, cairn or kurgan): Central Europe, Northern Europe, Pontic Zone, Parts of the Balkans
•Boat-shaped graves (Sweden)
Lugnaro, Sweden
Middle Bronze Age: Dominant Burial Rites
•Tumulus Burials (i.e. in a mound, barrow, cairn or kurgan): Central Europe, Northern Europe, Pontic Zone, Parts of the Balkans
•Toterfout (Netherlands)
Middle Bronze Age: Dominant Burial Rites
•Tumulus Burials (i.e. in a mound, barrow, cairn or kurgan): Central Europe, Northern Europe, Pontic Zone, Parts of the Balkans
•Toterfout (Netherlands)
Middle Bronze Age: Dominant Burial Rites
•Tumulus Burials (i.e. in a mound, barrow, cairn or kurgan): Central Europe, Northern Europe, Pontic Zone, Parts of the Balkans
•Balkans (various)
Late Bronze Age: Dominant Burial Rites
•Tumulus Burials (i.e. in a mound, barrow, cairn or kurgan): Central Europe (rare), Parts of Balkans, Steppe zone
•Inhumation Cemetery: Central Europe (rare)
•Cremation Cemetery: Ireland and Britain, Central Europe, Italy, Northern Europe, France, Spain, most of the Balkans
Late Bronze Age: Dominant Burial Rites
•Inhumation Cemetery: Central Europe (rare)
•Vyčapy-Opatovce
Late Bronze Age: Dominant Burial Rites
•Cremation Cemetery: Ireland and Britain, Central Europe, Italy, Northern Europe, France, Spain, most of the Balkans
•Vollmarshausen (Germany) - Urnfield Cemetery
Vollmarshausen - Urnfield Cemetery
Cemeteries
•Provide useful data on population health and general demographics.

•Estimated life expectancy in Britain was 31.3 (male) and 29.9 (female). Only 3.3% live to see 50.

•Central Europeans – life expectancy poor beyond 40, but in Iberia it is a different picture.

Thapsos, Sicily
Tholos, Mycenae

The "Agamemnon" MaskGold, from Tomb V at Mycenae Sixteenth century BC