Tumulus culture
| Geographical range | Europe |
|---|---|
| Period | Bronze Age Europe |
| Dates | circa 1,600 B.C.E. — circa 1,200 B.C.E. |
| Preceded by | Unetice culture |
| Followed by | Urnfield culture |
| Bronze Age |
|---|
| ↑ Neolithic |
|
Near East (c. 3300–1200 BC) South Asia (c. 3300–1200 BC) Europe (c. 3200–600 BC)
China (c. 2000–700 BC) |
|
arsenical bronze |
| ↓Iron age |
The Tumulus culture (German: Hügelgräberkultur) dominated Central Europe during the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 1600 BC to 1200 BC).
It was the descendant of the Unetice culture. Its heartland was the area previously occupied by the Unetice culture besides Bavaria and Württemberg. It was succeeded by the Late Bronze Age Urnfield culture.
As the name implies, the Tumulus culture is distinguished by the practice of burying the dead beneath burial mounds (tumuli or kurgans).
In 1902, Paul Reinecke distinguished a number of cultural horizons based on research of Bronze Age hoards and tumuli in South Germany that he designated A–D. The A and C periods were further divided into A1, A2 and C1 and C2 horizons. The time periods covered by these cultural horizons are shown in the table below. The Tumulus culture was prevalent during the Bronze Age periods B, C1, and C2. Tumuli have been used elsewhere in Europe from the Stone Age to the Iron Age and the term "Tumulus culture" specifically refers to the South German variant of the Bronze Age. In the table, Ha designates Hallstatt. Archaeological horizons Hallstatt A–B are part of the Bronze Age Urnfield culture, while horizons Hallstatt C–D are the type site for the Iron Age Hallstatt culture.
| Central European Bronze Age | |
| Late Bronze Age | |
| Ha B2/3 | 800–950 BC |
| Ha B1 | 950–1050 BC |
| Ha A2 | 1050–1100 BC |
| Ha A1 | 1100–1200 BC |
| Bz D | 1200–1300 BC |
| Middle Bronze Age | |
| Bz C2 | 1300–1400 BC |
| Bz C1 | 1400–1500 BC |
| Bz B | 1500–1600 BC |
| Early Bronze Age | |
| Bz A2 | 1600–2000 BC |
| Bz A1 | 2000–2200 BC |