Prerequisites

At least a passive understanding of German, English, Italian, and French is recommended.

Content (Syllabus outline)

Adequate chronological systems are indispensable for relative and absolute determination of closed-find complexes (e.g., graves, hoards, settlement objects and closed complexes, and wells) and archaeological material that cannot be closely dated based on its find environment (e.g., water finds, metal detector finds from settlements, and finds from unpreserved grave groups). The existing chronological systems differ in the number of phases, their names, their content and absolute age. Special attention will be paid to presenting the archaeological sources available for creating relative chronological phases. To determine absolute chronology, rare dendrochronological data as well as some imported objects (e.g., Roman republican coins, pottery, silver and bronze vessels), archaeologically recognizable historical events (e.g., the capture of Alesia in France), and shipwrecks can be used. Imported objects (e.g., silver and bronze vessels) enable parallelization of the chronological systems of the Late La Tène period from the Iberian Peninsula to the Lower Danube.

1. Chronological systems of the Late La Tène period:

• History of research
• Archaeological sources
• Relative chronology
• Absolute chronology
• Continuity and discontinuity
• Local, regional, and supra-regional chronological systems

2. Regional chronological systems:

• Iberian Peninsula, southern France, northern Italy, south-eastern Alps, Croatian-Serbian Danube basin, Lower Danube

3. Parallelization of regional chronological systems of the Late La Tène period

4. Supra-regional chronological system

Readings

• Božič, D. 1981. Relativna kronologija mlajše železne dobe v jugoslovanskem Podonavju. Arheološki vestnik 32: 315-347.
• Božič, D. 1999. Die Erforschung der Latènezeit in Slowenien seit Jahr 1964. Arheološki vestnik 50: 189-213.
• Božič, D. 2008. Late La Tène-Roman cemetery in Novo mesto. Ljubljana.
• De Marinis, R. 1986. L’età gallica in Lombardia (IV – I secolo a.C.): risultati delle ultime ricerche e problemi aperti. V: Atti del 2° Convegno Archeologico Regionale, Como: 93-173.
• Duval, A., J.-P. Morel in Y. Roman ur. 1990. Gaule interne et Gaule méditerranéenne aux IIe et Ier siècles avant J.-C.: confrontations chronologiques. Paris.
• Feugère, M. in C. Rolley ur. 1991. La vaisselle tardo-républicaine en bronze. Dijon.
• Guštin, M. 1991. Posočje. Posočje in der jüngeren Eisenzeit. – Ljubljana.
• Luik, M. 2002. Die Funde aus den römischen Lagern um Numantia im Römisch- Germanischen Zentralmuseum. Mainz.
• Martin-Kilcher, S. 1998. Gräber der späten Republik und der frühen Kaiserzeit am Lago Maggiore: Tradition und Romanisierung. V: Bestattungssitte und kulturelle Identität, Köln: 191-252.
• Rustoiu, A. 1997. Fibulele din Dacia preromană (sec. II î.e.n. – I e.n.). Bucureşti.

Objectives and competences

One of the main conditions for recognizing the historical development of prehistoric communities (characterized by romanization in the Late La Tène period) is adequate age determination of finds and sites, made possible by various chronological systems. The actual state of research in this research field involves several different systems. These are not compatible and are often constructed on false suppositions; in some points they are demonstrably wrong. This course provides a thorough and critical familiarity with the existing chronological systems of the Late La Tène period from the Iberian Peninsula, across southern France, northern Italy, and the south-eastern Alpine region, to the Lower Danube, and presents the archaeological sources available for carrying out relative and absolute chronologies along with a method of construction of new regional chronological systems as well as a supra-regional chronological system.

Intended learning outcomes

Scientific article.

Assessment

Long written assignment (70 %), presentation (20 %), final examination (written/oral) (10 %).