The Únětice culture, Aunjetitz culture, or Unetician culture (, , , ) is an archaeological culture at the start of the Central European Bronze Age, dated roughly to about 2300–1600BC. The eponymous site for this culture, the village of Únětice (), is located in the central Czech Republic, northwest of Prague. There are about 1,400 documented Únětice culture sites in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and 550 in Poland, with about 500 further sites and loose-finds locations in Germany.Zich B. 1996, Studien zur regionalen und chronologischen Gliederung der nördlichen Aunjetitzer Kultur, Berlin, p. 5–19 The Únětice culture is also known from northeastern Austria (in association with the so-called Böheimkirchen group) and from western Ukraine.
History of research
The Únětice culture is named after a discovery by Czech surgeon and amateur archaeologist Čeněk Rýzner (1845–1923), who in 1879 found a cemetery in Bohemia of over 50 inhumations on Holý Vrch, the hill overlooking the village of Únětice. At about the same time, the first Úněticean burial ground was unearthed in Southern Moravia in Měnín by A.Rzehak. Following these initial discoveries and until the 1930s, many more sites, primarily cemeteries, were identified, including Němčice nad Hanou (1926), sites in the vicinity of Prague, Polepy (1926–1927), and Šardičky (1927).
In Germany, a princely grave in Leubingen had already been excavated in 1877 by F.Klopfleisch; however, he incorrectly dated the monument to the Hallstatt during the Iron Age. In subsequent years, a main cluster of Úněticean sites in Central Germany were identified at Baalberge, Helmsdorf, Nienstedt, Körner, Leubingen, Halberstadt, Klein Quenstedt, Wernigerode, Blankenburg, and Quedlinburg. At the same time, Adlerberg and Straubing groups were defined in 1918 by Schumacher.
In Silesia, the first archaeologist associated with the discovery and identification of the Únětice culture was Hans Seger (1864–1943). Seger not only discovered several Úněticean sites and supervised pioneering excavations in locations in Silesia, now in Poland as Przecławice, but he also linked Bohemian European Bronze Age (EBA) materials with similar assemblages in Lower Silesia. In Greater Poland, the first excavations at the royal Úněticean necropolis of Łęki Małe were undertaken by Józef Kostrzewski in 1931, but major archaeological discoveries at this site were made only years later, in 1953 and 1955.Kowiańska-Piaszykowa M. (ed.) 2008, Cmentarzysko kurhanowe z wczesnej epoki brązu w Łękach Małych w Wielkopolsce, Poznań In 1935, Kostrzewski published the first data and findings of the Iwno culture, another Bronze Age culture contemporaneous with the Únětice EBA, from western Poland. In 1960, Wanda Sarnowska (1911–1989) began excavations in Szczepankowice, near Wrocław, southwest Poland, where a new group of barrows was unearthed. In 1969, she published a new monograph on the Únětice culture, in which she cataloged, analysed, and described assemblages deriving from 373 known EBA Úněticean sites in Poland.Sarnowska W. 1975, Kultura unietycka w Polsce, vol. 2, Wrocław
The first unified chronological system (relative chronology) based on a typology of ceramics and metal artefacts for the Únětice culture in Bohemia was introduced by Václav Moucha in 1963.Moucha V. 1963, Die Periodisierung der Úněticer Kultur in Böhmen, Sborník ČSSA 3, p. 9–60 This chronological system, consisting of six sub-phases, was considered valid for the Bohemian groups of the Únětice culture, and it was later adapted in PolandMachnik J. 1977, Frühbronzezeit Polens (Übersicht über die Kulturen und Kulturgruppen), Wrocław and in Germany.Müller J. 1999, Radiocarbonchronologie-Keramiktechnologie-Osteologie-Anthropologie-Raumanalysen. Beiträge zum Neolithikum und zur Frühbronzezeit im Mittelelbe-Saale-Gebiet, Bericht der Römisch-Germanischen Kommission 80, p. 28–211
More recently, the Únětice culture has been cited as a pan-European cultural phenomenon whose influence covered large areas due to intensive exchange, with Únětice pottery and bronze artefacts found from Ireland to Scandinavia, the Italian Peninsula, and the Balkans. As such, it is a candidate for a community connecting a continuum of already scattered, late Indo-European languages ancestral to the Italo-Celtic, Germanic, and perhaps Balto–Slavic groups, between which words were frequently exchanged, and a common lexicon, as well as regional isoglosses were shared.Gamkrelidze, T. V., and V. V. Ivanov. 1995. Indo-European and the Indo-Europeans: A Reconstruction and Historical Analysis of a Proto-Language and Proto-Culture. Part I: The Structure of Proto-Indo-European. Part II: Semantic Dictionary of Proto-IndoEuropean Language. Vol. 80. Walter de Gruyter, 1995. Edited by W. Winter. Vol. 80. Berlin / New York: Mouton de Gruyter
Chronology
The culture corresponds to Bronze A1 and A2 in the chronological schema of Paul Reinecke: A1: 2300–1950 BC: triangular daggers, flat axes, stone wrist-guards, flint arrowheads A2: 1950–1700 BC: daggers with metal hilt, flanged axes, halberds, pins with perforated spherical heads, solid bracelets
+ Relative chronology of the Únětice culture in Czechia and Slovakia Period Reinecke 1924Reinecke, P. 1924, Zur chronologischen Gliederung der süddeutschen Bronzezeit, Germania 8, p. 40–44 Moucha 1963 Pleinerová 1967Pleinerová I. 1967, Únetická kultura v oblasti Krušných hor a jejím sousedství II, Památky archeologické 58, p. 1–36Bartelheim 1998Bartelheim M. 1998, Studien zur böhmischen Aunjetitzer Kultur: Chronologie und chronologische Untersuchungen, vols. 1–2, Bonn Absolute datingLate Eneolithic(A0)1. Proto-ÚněticeIa IbOlder Únětice12300–2000 BC2. Old Únětice3. Middle ÚněticeII24. Pre-classical ÚněticeOlder Bronze AgeA15. Classic ÚněticeIIIYounger Únětice32000–1800 BCA26. Post-classical Únětice1800–1700 BCMiddle Bronze AgeB2Tumulus culture (west), Trzciniec culture (east)
Sub-groups
The Únětice culture originated in the territories of contemporary Bohemia. Ten local sub-groups can be distinguished in its classical phase:Pokutta D. 2013, Population Dynamics, Diet and Migrations of the Únětice culture in Poland, Gothenburg, p.25
Moravia GroupBartelheim M. 1998, Studien zur böhmischen Aunjetitzer Kultur: Chronologie und chronologische Untersuchungen, vols. 1–2. Bonn Slovakia Group; following the so-called Nitra GroupBátora J. 2000, Das Gräberfeld von Jelšovce/Slowakei. Ein Beitrag zur Frühbronzezeit im nordwestlichen Karpatenbecken, vols. 1–2, Kiel Lower Austria GroupNeugebauer J. W. 1994, Bronzezeit in Ostösterreich, Wien Central Germany GroupZich B. 1996, Studien zur regionalen und chronologischen Gliederung der nördlichen Aunjetitzer Kultur, Berlin Lower Saxony GroupGimbutas, M. 1965, Bronze Age cultures in Central and Eastern Europe, Hague–London, p. 248, 261–265 Lower Lusatia Group Silesia GroupSarnowska W. 1969, Kultura unietycka w Polsce, vol. 1, WrocławPokutta D. 2013, Population Dynamics, Diet and Migrations of the Únětice culture in Poland, Gothenburg Greater Poland (Kościan) GroupLasak I. 2001, Epoka brązu na pograniczu śląsko-wielkopolskim. Część II. Zagadnienia kulturowo -osadnicze, Seria: Monografie Archeologiczne 6, WrocławMachnik J. 1977, Frühbronzezeit Polens (Übersicht über die Kulturen und Kulturgruppen), Wrocław Galicia (Western Ukraine) GroupPasternak J. 1933, Перша бронзова доба в Галичині в світлі нових розкопок, Записки НТШ Львів, vol.152, p. 63–112
Artefacts and characteristics Burials
From a technical point of view, Úněticean graves can be divided in two categories: flat graves and barrows.Steffen C. 2010, Die Prunkgräber der Wessex-und der Aunjetitz-Kultur, BAR International Series 2160 The Únětice culture practiced skeletal inhumations, but cremation occasionally took place as well.
A typical Úněticean cemetery was situated near a settlement, usually on a hill or acclivity, and in the vicinity of a creek or river. The distance between the cemetery and the adjacent settlement very rarely exceeded . Cemeteries were usually spatially organized, with symmetrical rows or alleys.Butent-Stefaniak B. 1997, Z badań nad stosunkami kulturowymi w dorzeczu górnej i środkowej Odry we wczesnym okresie epoki brązu, Prace Komisji Archeologicznej 12, Wrocław-Warszawa-Kraków Burials were orientated according to stars and the relative position of the sun on the horizon during the year, which may indicate advanced prehistoric astronomical observations.Romanow J., Wachowski K., Miszkiewicz B. 1973, Tomice, pow. Dzierżoniów. Wielokulturowe stanowisko archeologiczne, WrocławPokutta D 2013, Population Dynamics, Diet and Migrations of the Únětice culture in Poland, Gothenburg, p. 71–74
Barrows—princely graves To date, over fifty Úněticean barrows have been found in Central Europe; the majority of the monuments have been published in archaeological literature, but only about 60% of that number have been excavated according to modern standards. Some of the tombs found in the early 19th century, such as the many tombs in Kościan County, Poland, were incorrectly identified and robbed or otherwise destroyed.
The largest concentrations of Úněticean barrows, also known in archaeological literature as "princely graves", can be found: in Czechia—in the vicinity of Prague, e.g., Brandýs, Březno, Mladá Boleslav–Čejetičky–Choboty, Prague 5—Řeporyje, Prague 6—Bubeneč; in Central Germany—in, for example, Bornhöck, Leubingen, Helmsdorf, Baalberge, Dieskau II, Sömmerda I–IIKlopfleisch, F. 1884, Die Grabhügel von Leubingen, Sömmerda und Nienstedt : allgemeine Einleitung : Charakteristik und Zeitfolge der Keramik Mitteldeutschlands, Historische Commission der Provinz Sachsen, Druck und Verl. von O. Hendel and Groß Gastrose; in Poland—in Greater Poland, e.g., Łęki Małe I–V, in Silesia, e.g., Szczepankowice Ia–Ib, Kąty Wrocławskie.
The size of the tombs varies, with the largest originally being the Bornhöck burial mound (the largest Bronze Age burial mound in Central Europe), dating from . The mound belonged to a ruler or "prince" who was likely associated with the Nebra sky disc. It was originally around 65 metres in diameter and 15 metres in height, but it was mostly destroyed in the late 19th century. The mound was originally covered with white limestone (chalk)—a very unusual practice in Central Europe but common in contemporary Bronze Age Britain. A 'brotlaibidol' clay tablet was also found in the grave.
The largest surviving burial mound is Barrow No.4 at Łęki Małe, associated with the Kościan Group of the Únětice Culture—which is 50 metres in diameter and 5–6 metres in height today. In the classic phase, a typical "princely grave" was approximately 25 metres in diameter and 5 metres in height.
Gold weapons
A gold axe and jewellery dating from 1800 BC were discovered at Dieskau in Germany and are thought to be associated with the ruler buried in the Bornhöck mound. A gold dagger dating from the Early Bronze Age has also been recovered from Inowrocław in Poland, associated with the Iwno culture. Gold weapons are known from other parts of Europe in this period, including an axe from Tufalau in Romania, belonging to the Wietenberg culture, a dagger from Mala Gruda in Montenegro, associated with the Vučedol culture, a dagger from Dabene in Bulgaria, and daggers and halberds from Perșinari and Măcin in Romania, belonging to the Tei culture. The Tei culture weapons were found buried with Únětice-style gold bracelets. In Switzerland, a large ceremonial axe of a type also found in the Únětice culture (the Thun-Renzenbühl axe) was inlaid with gold decorations using a damascening technique also known from gold-decorated weapons in Mycenaean Greece. A similar axe inlaid with gold was found in a hoard from Trassem in Germany, dating from 1600 BC.
Flat graves