Just like copper marked a revolution in tool production, so too did the discovery of bronze mean a great leap forward in the craft of metallurgy and the creation of blades, tools and weapons. Bronze alloy is a mixture of two metals; copper and tin. The percentage of tin used in the forging of bronze artifacts varied depending on the type and purpose, but it usually revolved around 9 parts copper and 1 part tin. While tin was purposely added to enhance the alloy, other impurities were also present in the ancient bronze objects. Bronze is a harder metal than copper, making bronze weapons better suited for sharper blades. However, a lot of early bronze weapons in Europe were more suited for thrusting motions due to their design. Additionally, bronze blades could be made thinner and longer than their shorter, copper predecessors . Bronze items and the knowledge of bronze working gradually moved from Mesopotamia to the Mediterranean, and the Balkans into central Europe and beyond. Weapons from Early and Middle Bronze Ages are relatively rare finds. Most are uniquely made daggers and swords with elaborate decorations of incised lines and geometric patterns, probably made for the leading men of contemporary societies. These prestigious weapons were rarely found in European graves, but more often in watery sites, indicating they were some kind of votive offerings. Axes also went through an interesting evolution. Different designs were used, first axe with flanges, then winged axes with medial wings and winged axes with butt wings. Socketed axes were also used. The bronze winged axes of the eastern alps often bear incised markings. While it would be easy to assume these are the first examples of a written language in the area, opinions of archeologists differ. Some scholars believe them to be workshop marks, while others that they could be royal inscriptions, like those in the eastern Mediterranean, or votive inscriptions of the axes offered in sanctuaries. The context of such a writing system therefore remains open. The rarer, solid-hilted swords probably maintained their prestigious significance even into the Late Bronze Age, when they were outnumbered by the newer flange-hilted swords. Flange-hilted swords were the most common type in the middle and late bronze age. They enabled quicker and more serial production - a large contrast to the previous uniquely-designed swords of the early Bronze Age. An organic, most probably wooden grip would be attached with rivets to the flanged hilt and handguard plate. However, it is not swords that are the most common weapon finds of the late bronze age, but spearheads. These would be found in the hoard deposits, as well as stray finds near watery bodies. There are even examples of being found stuck within a human skeleton. Such bog bodies were found across Europe, especially in Scandinavia and British Isles. Perhaps the person died in battle, but more probable is the assumption that these were either punished criminals or individuals sacrificed to divine forces. Sets of armor and shields too were becoming more and more prominent. The armor could be made of organic material, like bones, teeth and tusks, metal, or combination of the two. Like the weapons, armor also served as a symbol of prestige. Throughout the era, a Bronze Age warrior had the use of swords, daggers, axes, halberds, spears, warpicks and arrows and more... During the 10th and 9th century BC, the first iron weapons reached inland Europe, imported from the Aegean. The beginning of the Iron age in Central Europe is settled at around 800 BC, which would last until the Roman Expansion over a large part of the continent in the 1st century BC. Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mnK9tpEvz9UgeVWuUh8fPFaoJ3QNLQOYiG7Q2jz1zZI/edit?usp=sharing I hope you learn something new in this video. If you want to see more history videos, feel free to like and subscribe... you know how YouTube works. ? Learn more about the history in the heart of Europe: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj-ONVAJL4HEcG3BnigOO6Zuh0iL28-mU Edited with Vegas Pro Edit 19 #history #europe #archeology #bronzeage ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pTZfAK3u7c

As Rome grew more and more powerful, many Celtic tribes decided to cooperate with the rising Mediterranean giant, instead of warring against it. The kingdom of Noricum is a great example of that. While tribes like Taurisci and Iapodes still proved a threat, Rome now had a friend at its north-eastern border, allowing it to focus on the massive campaigns and conquests that brought large parts of western Europe into the fold. Throughout this period, the Noricum trade and prosperity intensified and a local coinage was developed as a medium of exchange. Taurisci were a warring tribe, their raids were mentioned across multiple scriptures and authors. They were not shy of pillaging and were predominantly hostile toward the Roman state. Slaves, cattle and hides from the Celtic lands were exchanged for wine, olive oil and seafood. Baltic amber also traveled there through the Celtic lands. Ironworking also played a big role in Celtic economy, which was adopted and improved from the preceding Hallstatt craft. Besides the improved metallurgy, the Celts also brought new iron tools, and potter’s wheel. The power of Taurisci dropped significantly around 40 BC, when the military coalition of them and Boii was annihilated in a battle against Dacians led by King Burebista and the Roman Empire soon annexed their territory. If Taurisci were a part of the Kingdom of Noricum, they probably had a large role to play. However, Taurisci had a longer and more often history of conflicts with Romans than other neighboring chiefdoms, acting on their own or in cooperation with non-Norican tribes of Histri, Iapodes and Carni. A big distinction is also coins. The Noricum coins depict horse and its rider, while Tauriscan depict only horses. Without a doubt the lives of Taurisci and Noricum were interconnected in many ways. Perhaps some and not all Taurisci were a part of the kingdom of Noricum, the borders of which also fluctuated with time. The different coins and foreign policy to Rome indicate separate entities, but the blurry line between them is as unresolved today, as it was confusing for the ancient writers. The relationship between these two was not always friendly either and it was changing with time. Which of these people came first and if these were at first a single entity which then split, remains unknown. The most probable theory we have today is that Taurisci was a union of different tribes, some of which were included in the kingdom of Noricum, which fluctuated in size. Meanwhile other Tauriscii remained more independent and hostile towards Rome. Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mnK9tpEvz9UgeVWuUh8fPFaoJ3QNLQOYiG7Q2jz1zZI/edit?usp=sharing I hope you learned something new in this video. If you want to see more history videos, feel free to like and subscribe... You know how YouTube works. ? Learn more about the history in the heart of Europe: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj-ONVAJL4HEcG3BnigOO6Zuh0iL28-mU Edited with Vegas Pro Edit 19 #history #europe #celts #ancienthistory #ironage ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mWUlpYJ5gs