Audio reading of this section (English)
Around 1720-1100 SA (by our calendar) or about 2300-1680 BCE, the next group emerged returning to the usual pattern of emerging from the east. In Nouiogalaticos, the culture is called Cassiberios (“bronze bearer” – in academia, the Únětice culture). This culture came from what is now the Czech Republic, the culture being named from the village where the earliest remains from it were found, Únětice. The Nouiogalaticos name Cassiberios has no relation linguistically to the village of Únětice.
It is this culture that excelled at working with bronze proper. This culture also appears to be one of the first to wear the ever enigmatic torcs for which in later times, the Senogalatîs are known for wearing as well. While certainly situated in Central Europe, they had access to continent wide trade networks that reached all the way to Ireland. They were also importing amber from the Baltic region. Like the Senogalatîs much later, we also see thatch roofed, wattle and daub style housing constructions. Another inherited trait is the fortified market town.
It is with the Cassiberios (Únětice) culture that we begin to see the enigmatic torcs. [Wikimedia Commons]
The well known Nebra Sky Disk is another artefact of the Cassiberios (Únětice) culture. [Wikimedia Commons]
More reading on the Cassiberios (Únětice) culture:
- The Beginning of the Bronze Age in South Bohemia, by Daniel Hlásek and Ondřej Chvojka
- Social processes in ancient Europe and changes in the use of ore and alloys in metallurgical production, by Stanislav Grigoriev
Continue to Chapter Two, Part Five: Dumiatis (Tumulus) Culture
Bessus Nouiogalation 