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Beaker cultures
Beaker cultures The people in many parts of western Europe at the end of the NEOLITHIC period (c.2600–2200 BC) who made and used a particular type of decorated pottery drinking-vessel. It was shaped like an inverted bell, with or without handles, and ornamented with zones of stamped impressions. These pots were valuable to their owners, and are often found as grave-goods in male burials, along with weapons such as a copper dagger or the remains of archery equipment. Their wide distribution, from the western Mediterranean to northern Germany, led earlier investigators to postulate a ‘Beaker Folk’ spreading northwards from Portugal, or perhaps from central Europe. They are now seen more simply as part of a general trend to ostentatious display of personal wealth, introduced at that time from central Europe.
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"Beaker cultures." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Beaker cultures." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-Beakercultures.html "Beaker cultures." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-Beakercultures.html |
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Beaker culture
Beaker culture Distinctive Neolithic culture that spread throughout Europe in the late 3rd millennium bc. Beaker culture is characterized by single-grave burials in round barrows, and by a common type of decorated, beaker-shaped pot that accompanied the burial. It is likely that the diffusion of this culture represented a gradual spread of new ideas to existing groups, rather than the migration of large numbers of people.
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Cite this article
"Beaker culture." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Beaker culture." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Beakerculture.html "Beaker culture." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Beakerculture.html |
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