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Chapitre D'ouvrage Année : 2018

The Bell Beaker Question

La question campaniforme

Résumé

In Europe the transition from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age is marked by a multitude of archaeological cultures which have in common, from 2600-2500 BCE and for some centuries, the use of small ceramic cups that have a S-shaped profile (bell-shaped beaker) until the appearance of the true Bell Beakers cultures. These beakers found in rich burials from Ireland to Sicily, from Poland to Morocco and from the Atlantic to the Balkans reveal the existence of long-distance relationships, practices and rites common to many cultures and depict a completely new cultural scenario in Europe at the end of the prehistoric period. Since the beginning of the 19th century and the first definition of these objects by British archaeologists numerous theories have been proposed concerning both the nature and the origin of this unusual phenomenon, considering alternately war invasions, commercial networks or social and identity markers, as well as an origin in Egypt, Asia Minor, Spain, Central Europe, Portugal, Netherland, Ukraine and even in France, in the Gulf of Lion. Even today decorated goblets are the subject of very little consensus within the scientific community. Yet research on this subject remains extensive and intense, in France as well as in the other regions of Europe, and the Bell Beaker Culture is increasingly well-known whether this concerns the objects, contexts of discovery (nearly 1,600 sites), settlement sites, rites, chronology or even individuals. In France Bell Beaker remains are numerous but discoveries stemming from burials represent only 38 %. The Bell Beaker period spans over six to seven centuries between 2550/2500 BCE and 1950/1900 BCE. In the north and the south of France periodisations of Bell Beaker assemblages can be proposed, which distinguish an early, late and final stage based on the objects, the contexts of discovery, the dating and associations of objects. These three phases can be characterised as follows: the initial phenomenon of diffusion on a European scale resulted in a second stage in the development of fully regional cultures and lastly Bell Beaker traditions in distinct areas maintained during the Early Bronze Age. This periodisation also points out that the Bell Beaker period does not postdate the Final Neolithic and Chalcolithic cultures (according to the terminology used). As a matter of fact, the Bell Beaker emerge and develop within, in interaction with or in exclusion of these latter (depending on the regions) and in most cases replace them prior to the beginning of the Bronze Age. The Bell Beaker phenomenon does not correspond to the long-distance diffusion of “prestige items” since there is little circulation of the vessels, whereas the existence of technical transfers involves human displacements. But, if the mobility of individuals can clearly be attested, this is equally the case for the spread of distinct objects (pottery, metal objects, etc.), practices and ideology: the most striking elements of the early Bell Beaker diffusion which invariably characterise the burial contexts, are particular objects (weapons, personal ornaments, etc.) and the use of decorated drinking cups. All the novelties that can be observed in connection with the Bell Beaker phenomenon (individual burial, use of the drinking cup, distinction of the “Bell Beaker archer”, i. e. an adult man accompanied by weapons, etc.) probably correspond to a large contribution of eastern European ancestry, identified in the preceding Corded Ware of Central Europe. However, the origin of the maritime style cannot be located in Central Europe or in the Netherlands, but rather in the Atlantic zone. Because of the presence of distinct Corded Ware elements in Western Europe and even in the Atlantic area, prior to the emergence of the maritime beakers, it was assumed that these eastern influences triggered the emergence of the maritime beaker, in parallel with the development of the AOC beakers in the regions of the lower Rhine basin, along with the phenomenon of rapid hybridisation. The consequences of this phenomenon appear to be very important in many regions, although they are not uniform across the continent. Numerous advances in the characterisation of the late Bell Beaker made it possible to distinguish several Bell Beakers groups (defined on the basis of decorated pottery, in most cases on the scale of two or three regions in France) that were grouped together in large “Bell Beaker cultures” (defined on the basis of their common wares, on the scale of one to several European countries). All these cultures can be defined as a vast “Bell Beaker civilisation”, as they share a distinct number of traditions and practices: in some sense a form of an early European union, much stronger marked than in the case of the initial phenomenon of diffusion. Lastly, in France its dating and its duration make the Bell Beaker cycle a link and a pivotal moment between the Final Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age. The Bell Beaker emerge during the Final Neolithic (with the Bell Beaker phenomenon) and decline during the Early Bronze Age (with the Bell Beaker traditions of incised and barbed wares). On a European scale, however, the situation is more complex because the Bell Beaker appear in different cultural substrates and at different stages of technical development, depending on the region (Bronze Age, Final Neolithic or Early Neolithic in the northernmost regions) and they seem to introduce the transformations of the Bronze Age rather than to close the Neolithic cycle.
En France, les vestiges campaniformes, de la transition du Néolithique à l’âge du Bronze, sont étudiés depuis plus d’un siècle sans que l’ensemble des questions qu’ils posent n’aient reçu de réponses satisfaisantes. Ce phénomène d’ampleur européenne fait cependant l’objet d’une recherche encore intense et le nombre de découvertes (près de 1600 sites) comme les progrès faits, concernant tout à la fois les vestiges mobiliers, les contextes de découvertes, les pratiques liées etc., sont très importants. Les diverses composantes du Campaniforme sont aujourd’hui mieux caractérisées permettant de revenir sur les nombreuses hypothèses proposées dans les dernières décennies pour interpréter ce curieux phénomène et le développement des cultures qui l’ont suivi. En France, le Campaniforme, qui ne saurait être réduit à un phénomène funéraire, correspond à un long cycle de six à sept siècles où trois phases de nature différentes peuvent être distinguées aussi bien dans la moitié nord que dans la moitié sud. Le premier phénomène de diffusion à l’échelle du continent est probablement issu d’influx d’origine orientale, mais la genèse du Campaniforme maritime demeure probablement atlantique au même moment que celle des gobelets AOC aux Pays-Bas. À partir de ce premier phénomène, on observe le développement de quelques cultures et de nombreux groupes campaniformes formant une véritable civilisation campaniforme à l’échelle de l’Europe qui inaugure le passage à l’âge du Bronze plus qu’elle ne clôt le Néolithique.
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Dates et versions

hal-02061824 , version 1 (08-03-2019)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-02061824 , version 1

Citer

Olivier Lemercier. La question campaniforme. Jean Guilaine; Dominique Garcia. La protohistoire de France, Hermann, pp.203-2015, 2018, Histoire et archéologie, 9782705695941. ⟨hal-02061824⟩
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