Urnfield culture

Urnfield culture appears on the timeline as a people or culture of Central Europe (Europe) from c. 1300 to 750 BCE, a span of 550 years. Its people spoke Celtic languages (Gaulish, Irish, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Breton).

Late Bronze Age peoples who cremated their dead and buried the ashes in urn cemeteries across central Europe. Many scholars think they spoke an early form of Celtic.

See Urnfield culture on the interactive timeline

Facts

Dates

c. 1300 to 750 BCE

Duration

550 years

Type

People or culture

Region

Central Europe, Europe

Language family

Celtic

Came from

• Tumulus culture c. 1600 to 1200 BCE

Became

• Hallstatt culture c. 800 to 450 BCE

Events in Europe during its time

• 1200 BCE Late Bronze Age collapse
• 776 BCE First Olympic Games
• 753 BCE Traditional founding of Rome

Neighbours in Europe

• Greek city-states c. 800 to 338 BCE
• Sparta c. 900 to 192 BCE
• Mycenaean Greece c. 1600 to 1100 BCE
• Roman Kingdom c. 753 to 509 BCE
• Phoenician colonies in Iberia c. 800 to 237 BCE
• Magna Graecia c. 750 to 272 BCE

Elsewhere in the world at the same time

• Carthage c. 814 to 146 BCE, North and West Africa
• Shang dynasty c. 1600 to 1046 BCE, East Asia
• New Kingdom of Egypt c. 1550 to 1069 BCE, North and West Africa
• Neo-Assyrian Empire 911 to 609 BCE, Middle East
• Hittite Empire (New Kingdom) c. 1400 to 1180 BCE, Middle East

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