The Rise of Bronze Age Society: Travels, Transmissions and Transformations

by Kristian Kristiansen, Thomas B. Larsson

Winner of the 2006 SAA Book Award Beginning with state formation and urbanization in the Near East c. 3000 BC and ending in Central and Northern Europe c. 1000-500 BC, the Bronze Age marks an heroic age of travels and transformations throughout Europe. Kristian Kristiansen and Thomas Larsson reconstruct the travel and transmission of knowledge that took place between the Near East, the Mediterranean and Europe. They explore how religious, political and social conceptions of Bronze Age people were informed by long-distance connections and alliances between local elites.

Genres: History, Archaeology, Nonfiction

464 pages, Paperback

First published December 26, 2005

About the author

Kristian Kristiansen is a Professor of Archaeology at the University of Gothenburg. His research focuses on the Bronze Age, archaeological theory, and archaeological heritage.

Reviews

[Mikael Cerbing · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more fun archaeological books I have read. I am not sure how right Kristiansen and Larson is in some of the things they say in this book, some of the material seems to be lifted from quite different contexts, but I hope they are right. Their view of the bronze age is one of the more fascinating ones I have read. If you have any kind of academic interest in European Bronze age, this is a must.

[Ida]

Had to skim through, will return to this book in the (hopefully) near future.

[Sanjay Prabhakar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe goes a bit beyond the evidence as presented, but stimulating and prescient.