Middle Bronze Age
Quick Summary
The Middle Bronze Age, spanning roughly from 2000 to 1600 BCE, was a significant period in European and Aegean history, marked by advancements in metalworking and evolving cultural practices.123
In the Aegean, this era saw the rise of palatial societies on Crete, known as the Minoan civilization. While much of the art from this period has been lost due to natural disasters, pottery provides insight into their aesthetic development, featuring curvilinear patterns. On mainland Greece (Helladic) and the Cycladic islands, this period experienced disruptions, possibly due to migrations, but also saw the development of new pottery styles like the gray burnished "Minyan" ware and "Matt-painted" pottery.1456
In Palestine, the Middle Bronze Age (c. 2000–c. 1550 BCE) introduced the Canaanite culture, laying the groundwork for the biblical narrative. This era was characterized by new pottery types, weapons, and burial practices, with established urban civilizations connected to the Phoenician-Canaanite coast. Egyptian influence was also notable during this time.7
Across Europe, the Bronze Age (c. 2300–700 BCE) saw the conscious production and use of metals, leading to changes in settlement, ritual, and inter-societal interactions. While influenced by the East, European Metal Ages are understood as largely independent cultural evolutions.28
- Western painting - Middle Minoan
- Aegean civilizations - The Middle Bronze Age on the mainland ( c. 2000–1550)
- Palestine - Middle Bronze Age
- history of Europe - The chronology of the Metal Ages
- history of Europe - The Bronze Age
- Western painting - Middle Cycladic and Middle Helladic
- Western sculpture - Middle Cycladic, Middle Helladic, and Middle Cypriot
- Western sculpture - Middle Minoan
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history of EuropeThe chronology of the Metal Ages…Bronze Age into either Early, Middle, and Late phases or into the Unetician, Tumulus, and Urnfield cultures. Synchronizations of the more detailed local subdivisions, which were based on typology of metal objects and cross-associations, have employed schemes of Paul Reinecke and Oscar Montelius. Oscar Montelius’ chronology was developed on the
Read More…Bronze Age into either Early, Middle, and Late phases or into the Unetician, Tumulus, and Urnfield cultures. Synchronizations of the more detailed local subdivisions, which were based on typology of metal objects and cross-associations, have employed schemes of Paul Reinecke and Oscar Montelius. Oscar Montelius’ chronology was developed on the
Read More- history of EuropeRituals, religion, and art
…Early Bronze Age and the Middle Bronze Age, when the activity spread throughout Europe and became an established phenomenon in most of its communities. In the Middle and Late Bronze Age, large numbers of hoards were deposited, and a substantial number of bronze objects were in this way consumed and…
Read More…Early Bronze Age and the Middle Bronze Age, when the activity spread throughout Europe and became an established phenomenon in most of its communities. In the Middle and Late Bronze Age, large numbers of hoards were deposited, and a substantial number of bronze objects were in this way consumed and…
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