Studia Hercynia (Sep 2022)
At the confluence of the Corded Ware and the Únětice cultures. The case of amber discs
Abstract
The relationship between the Corded Ware Culture and the Únětice Culture is one of the topics present in the literature, which also gives rise to discussion. The article discusses amber discs and puts forward the thesis that these products belong to the elements that bind both the above mentioned cultural traditions. Amber discs are known from three contexts: the Globular Amphora Culture, the Corded Ware Culture, and the Únětice Culture. In the first one there is also a decorated version, while in the other two only artefacts without ornaments are known. Therefore, the article focuses on the Corded Ware Culture and the Únětice Culture. The finds were collected and analysed contextually and chronologically. Analyses show that the use of these artefacts continued uninterruptedly from the beginning of the Corded Ware Culture (especially in its Jutland variant known as the Single Grave Culture), i.e., from the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC, to the classic Únětice Culture (beginning of the 2nd millennium BC). The article also discusses the type of cultural content with which amber discs were associated in the discussed ar chaeological communities.
