
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.
Dr Joanna Sofaer
Project Leader
University of Southampton
United Kingdom
Project Partners
Dr Joanna Sofaer
Project Leader
University of Southampton
United Kingdom
Prof. Lise Bender Jørgensen
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
Norway
Dr Flemming Kaul
National Museum of Denmark
Denmark
Dr Anton Kern
Natural History Museum of Vienna
Austria
Dr Ivan Mirnik
Zagreb Archaeological Museum
Croatia
Dr Marie-Louise Stig Sørensen
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom