Dividing time-An absolute chronological study of material culture from Early Iron Age urnfields in Denmark
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.This study provides the first absolute chronology for Denmark's Early Iron Age urnfields using radiocarbon dating. It reveals gradual changes in material culture and dates the Bronze-Iron Age transition to the 7th century BC.
Area Of Science
- Archaeology
- Chronometry
- Material Culture Studies
Background
- Archaeological interpretation relies on chronological frameworks, but these often oversimplify cultural transitions.
- The Early Iron Age in Southern Scandinavia lacks precise absolute dating due to the Hallstatt calibration plateau and limited imported artifacts.
- Understanding material culture transformation requires detailed chronological data.
Purpose Of The Study
- To establish an absolute chronological framework for Early Iron Age urnfields in Southern Jutland, Denmark.
- To investigate the tempo and nature of change in material culture during this period.
- To refine the dating of the Bronze-Iron Age transition in the region.
Main Methods
- Application of advanced radiocarbon dating techniques on cremated bone.
- Utilisation of Bayesian chronological modeling, including a statistical model for wood-age offsets.
- Analysis of 111 cremation burials from three urnfields, dating 16 pottery and 15 metalwork types.
Main Results
- Provides the first absolute date ranges for key Early Iron Age pottery and metalwork types in Southern Scandinavia.
- Reveals gradual change in artifact production, adoption, and abandonment, highlighting periods of accelerated and decelerated cultural change.
- Demonstrates that the Bronze-Iron Age transformation occurred in the 7th century BC, earlier than previously assumed.
Conclusions
- The study establishes a robust absolute chronology for the Early Iron Age in Southern Scandinavia, enabling better regional and inter-regional correlations.
- It offers new insights into the diachronic development of material culture, challenging previous assumptions about abrupt cultural shifts.
- The revised dating of the Bronze-Iron Age transition prompts re-evaluation of the final Bronze Age as a transitional period.
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