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Our traditional chronology systems hardly ever reflect cultural changes accurately and may even mask real moments of discontinuity. This is particularly true for the second part of the Late Bronze Age Urnfield Period where a radical change in iconography can actually be noticed around 900 BC. Within a very short period, the famous solar bird-boat iconography, which had widely developed over centuries and given rise to the elaborate and sophisticated ornamentation known on solid hilted swords from the 11th/10th century, takes a back seat and we can see a single new symbol coming to the fore, concentrating figurative representation in form of a singular vase-shaped build (Wirth S. 2021, 652-654).The history of solid-hilted swords perfectly illustrates this abrupt transformation in iconography that goes hand in hand with substantial morphological change and there are other examples in ornaments (armrings, pins) and tools. Discontinuity in material culture is a key issue in LBA metalwork studies, changes in “style” having already been pointed out by E. Vogt in 1942. We argue that there is clear correlation with a well organised restructuring in production techniques: new forms of objects are being manufactured using stone moulds (which were already very common in serial axe production but until then rarely seen, for example, in sword hilt manufacture: Dumont 2022, 383-389) and innovative coquille casting (Wirth M. 2002, 87 sq., 114 sq.). Nearly all areas of metalwork production were affected by this general shift towards standardized morphologies and extremely simplified ornamentation. We are convinced that this phenomenon has its counterpart in structural changes encompassing all sectors of Late Bronze Age societies.Dumont L., 2022. Production et circulation des épées à poignée métallique de l’âge du Bronze en Europe occidentale. PhD dissertation. Ghent University and Université de Bourgogne-Franche-ComtéVogt E., 1942. Der Zierstil der späten Pfahlbaubronzen. Zeitschr. für Schweiz. Arch. und Kunstgesch., 4, 193-206.Wirth M., 2002, Rekonstruktion bronzezeitlicher Gießereitechniken mittels numerischer Simulation, gießtechnologischer Experimente und werkstofftechnischer Untersuchungen an Nachguss und Original. Diss. RWTH. Aachen.Wirth S., 2021. Une place au soleil. Le motif central de la symbolique du Bronze final en contexte et en action. In: Marcigny C., Mordant C., eds., Bronze 2019. 20 ans de recherches. Bulletin de l'APRAB, Suppl. 7. Nonant, 643-660. |
