Warriors and Weapons in Bronze Age Europe

The Bronze Age of Europe was a time of major changes in society, economy and technology. One of these was the emergence of a warrior class, equipped with a new set of artefacts that can for the first time be called weapons. This book discusses the evidence for the existence of these warriors, and the stages by which they emerged from the Neolithic and Copper Ages. From beginnings when dagger graves were the norm, to the appearance of lavishly equipped sword graves, the book charts the rise of warrior elites and fortified stockades, and the emergence of warrior bands with a fighting mode based on inter-group raiding.