The Network Genesis of La Tène Cultures: a western Point of View
Résumé
The emergence of La Tène cultures in temperate Europe represents the
homogenization of a material culture on a wide scale. Traditionally
archaeologists consider this process as a more or less centrifugal
diffusion from a core area to the peripheries. This diffusion is often
called "celtization" by the holders of ethnic and migrationist
interpretations, or "latènization" by the holders of acculturation models.
However the real problem is not the understanding of the actual mechanics
of the process, but if, in fact, there really was diffusion from a core
area. This question will be discussed in relation to the so called
peripheral regions with an emphasis on those to the West. Attention will
also be given to demonstrating that the role played by Atlantic components
in the complex genesis of La Tène cultures has up until now been
underestimated. This example underlines that the emergence of La Tène
cultures is derived from a multicultural hybridization and homogenization,
which involves an extensive area that is not just or even specifically
Celtic. This rapid process has no real core and no real periphery. It
resembles a network that connects nodal regions with different cultural
substrata sometimes over long distances.