The Bronze Age (2300 – 1000 BC)

The Bronze Age in Europe was characterized by significant social changes. Access to ore deposits, knowledge about how to produce and work bronze, and trade in bronze and bronze objects led to the social stratification of society. A rich upper echelon emerged. In the Alps people increasingly settled in the side valleys and built fortified settlements on the heights. This apparent need for security and the invention of new weapons such as the sword testify to an increase in warlike and predatory conflicts.