Creativity and Craft Production in Middle and Late Bronze Age Europe

CinBA investigated Bronze Age objects as a means of gaining insights into the development of a creativity before the written word.

Studies of creativity frequently focus on the modern era, yet creativity has played an important role throughout human history. Creativity can therefore only be properly understood by complementing present-day studies with investigations of the past. This collaborative research project aimed to fill that gap by exploring creativity during Middle and Late Bronze Age Europe (1800–800/500 bc), looking at developments in decorative motifs, techniques and skills for three different materials: pottery, metal (bronze) and textiles. The Middle and Late Bronze Age is a fertile period for such study because changes in material culture were driven largely by developments related to creativity rather than technology, which saw only modest changes. The research comprised comparative studies of these materials in three regions on a north-south axis: Scandinavia, Central Europe and South East Europe.