In this blog, we assemble the equipment of a late bronze Age warrior. We have based the used items on the late bronze Age in central Europe (region of Austria and Switzerland). However, this warrior is largely also representative of the late bronze Age from Northern and Eastern Europe, and the early Iron Age.

Reconstructing characters from the bronze Age comes with challenges. There are few replicas s of objects from this period that are accessible within an acceptable budget. Therefore, it is all the more challenging to reconstruct a character from the bronze Age as realistically as possible. 

Europe has always been a popular destination for peoples seeking new hunting grounds or new land to graze their livestock. Broadly, three major migration waves to Europe can be distinguished. DNA research indicates that the migration waves were always accompanied by violence and genocide against the indigenous population. This is probably the nature of humans (homo sapiens).

• Exodus from Africa - Archaeological findings reveal that Homo sapiens, modern humans, began the trek from Africa to Europe about 45,000 years ago, living as hunter-gatherers. The first European inhabitants followed migrating herds of antelopes, aurochs, and other large game and led a nomadic existence for 30,000 years.
• Arrival of Anatolian Farmers - Between 8,000 and 9,000 years ago, peoples from Anatolia, the region of Turkey, gradually began to replace the hunter-gatherers. This second wave of migration led to the establishment of farming communities that cultivated the land and kept livestock. With the ability to store grain and other crops, these agrarians could better feed their population. In times of need, sheep, goats, or pigs were slaughtered.
• Invasion of the Yamnaya Culture (Pit Grave Culture) - About 5,000 years ago, the Neolithic farming era ended when the nomadic Yamnaya tribes left the steppes of Russia and Ukraine and moved westward. Armed with bronze weapons, they very likely brought with them a language from which almost all Europeans now speak a variant, the Proto-Indo-European.

During the bronze Age in Europe, from approximately 3300 to 1200 BC, advanced societies emerged with complex structures, metallurgical knowledge, and extensive trade networks. At the same time, Europe was strongly influenced by the migration waves of the Yamnaya culture, which migrated from Eastern Ukraine and the Russian steppes to Europe. They likely spoke Proto-Indo-European, a language that was the basic for most languages spoken in Europe today. They possessed bronze weapons and had perfected the wheel, allowing them to easily cover long distances with ox carts.

The steppe peoples quickly spread across Europe and did not shy away from violence. From the cultural identity and customs of the original prehistoric population and the dominant Yamnaya-related tribes, new cultures emerged, such as the Bell Beaker culture, El Argar culture, Wessex culture, the Armorican Tumulus culture, and Corded Ware culture. These cultures were often related to each other but had their own unique characteristic that differed from neighboring cultures, such as burying the dead in barrows or making unique pottery. They spoke an early form of Indo-European.

The various European peoples had contact with each other. Populations migrated and traded with one another, as evidenced by archaeological findings. Amber from the Baltic regions, and tin from Great Britain, an essential component for bronze production, was traded. Through this exchange, knowledge about agriculture, architecture, religion, and art was shared, and ideas, technologies, and goods were widely disseminated. Despite the differences between Bronze Age cultures, artifacts such as weapons, jewelry, and pottery in Europe show remarkable similarities. This indicates a cultural continuity and widespread influences that connected the regions with each other.

The Yamnaya culture lasted from 3500-2000 BC. Other important Bronze Age cultures are the Corded Ware culture (3000-2350 BC), the Únětice culture from Central Europe (2300-1600 BC), and the Urnfield culture in Central Europe (1300-950 BC).

The Corded Ware culture developed in Northern Europe, parallel to the Yamnaya-related cultures. This culture likely also originally came from the steppe and had a common ancestral lineage with the Yamnaya culture.

The Corded Ware culture spanned modern Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, White-Russia, Czechia, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Switzerland, northwestern Romania, northern Ukraine, the European part of Russia, and parts of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. It is therefore not surprising that it was not a homogeneous culture and that there were regional variations in material culture, settlements, and social structures. Nevertheless, there were also common elements, such as burial rituals, pottery with distinctive "cord" decorations, and unique stone axes, with which men were buried.

Around 2800 BC, the Bell Beaker culture also emerged, which appeared in various smaller regionss of Europe, named after the shape of their ceramics. This was followed in central Europe by the Únětice culture.

The Únětice culture (named after the Czech village Únětice) was present in Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, and Germany. Additionally, findings in Austria and Ukraine suggest a more permanent settlement of this culture. Genetically, there were many similarities with the Yamnaya culture, the Corded Ware culture, and the Bell Beaker culture.

The Únětice culture was likely very influential, and much trade was conducted. Pottery and bronze objects from this culture have been found in Ireland, Scandinavia, the Italian peninsula, and the Balkans. Through large-scale trade, linguistic exchange and influence also took place.

From the Únětice culture emerged the Tumulus culture (1600-1200 BC), named after the custom of burying the dead in burial mounds. This was gradually succeeded by the Urnfield culture, where it was customary to cremate the dead, store their ashes in urns, and then bury these in urnfields. Around 1000 BC, the Urnfield tradition had spread throughout central and northwestern Europe, parts of Italy and southern France, up to the Pyrenees.

The late Bronze Age was a period of many skirmishes. Settlements were fortified with ditches and palisades, often as hill forts. For a long time, scholars thought that the late bronze Age was characterized by relatively little warfare. However, archaeological evidence, such as from the Battle of Tollense in northern Germany around 1250 BC, contradicts this. It is estimated that during this battle, 4,000 individuals fought, coming from all corners of Germany. This presents a completely different picture.

Some linguists suspected that this was the period when pre-Celtic or proto-Celtic languages emerged. The larger quantities of bronze objects and fortified settlements lead some to believe this was related to Celtic expansion.

The Urnfield culture consisted of various regional currents and periods, the most important for this article being the Hallstatt A and B periods. These were succeeded by the Hallstatt C and D periods, which we now recognize as the early Celtic culture.

We have based this composition on the Hallstatt B period. The warrior has bronze weapons and jewelry, which only wealthy people could afford. We have named the warrior Esugenos, a (reconstructed) proto-Celtic name.

Esugenos, of course, knew nothing about the Urnfield culture or that Hallstatt would become an important power center. However, he was well aware of his living area, knew where international trade connections were, and might even have been aware of the emerging Italic societies south of the Alps. He did not distinguish between his own culture and other cultures. Instead, he distinguished between his tribe and other tribes. He realized that other tribes spoke the same or a similar language and was possibly able to speak different variants of the proto-Celtic language. From his language, Gaulish later developed. He named himself after his tribe, whose name has long been forgotten.

Status and prestige were very important in Esugenos' world. His achievements were not so much individually centered but primarily aimed at advancing his family and tribe. War was common, but in most cases, war involved raiding cattle from the tribe or Esugenos himself raiding cattle from neighboring tribes. In his younger years, Esugenos was undoubtedly also part of a war band, which, stemming from the cult of a god or sacred animal, aimed to enrich the tribe and make a name for himself.

Large wars and battles also occurred, although sporadically. War was more a sport than a war of conquest as modern people know it. In Esugenos' world, tribes formed alliances, which resulted in trade and exchange. Politics was undoubtedly an important means. 

The footwear that Esugenos wears is possibly the oldest type of footwear that ever existed. This footwear was used until the 16th century AD! Remains of these shoes have been found all over Europe. 

Few clothing fragments have been found from the late bronze Age, as textiles decay quickly. Therefore, artistic freedom has been taken regarding clothing. When we look at Mediterranean cultures, the tunic was widely used. Later, into the Middle Ages, tunics continued to be worn. Therefore, we assume that Esugenos also wore tunics. Naturally, the primary purpose of clothing was not to depict status, but to stay warm. Therefore, Esugenos wears an undertunic.

The cultures of the late bronze Age were very advanced. In the later Hallstatt periods, people were buried with precious grave goods. In the mountains of Hallstatt, near Salzburg, salt was extracted from the stone Age. Salt was indispensable for preserving food. As a result, the population of Hallstatt was very wealthy. Esugenos therefore wears a blue tunic. Blue was a dye that was expensive to produce. 

We assume that Esugenos did not wear trousers, because this was also not the case among neighboring peoples. If Esugenos had worn a trousers, we expect it would have been in a style similar to the Thorsberg trousers.

Esugenos probably wore a cloak. A similar cloak would certainly have been suitable for the summer or autumn. In winter, Esugenos wore heavier clothing to withstand the harsh winters in the Alpine region. 

We have given Esugenos a textile belt in this setup. But leather belts were also used. 

Bronze jewelry has been found in graves from the Hallstatt period. This gives us a good understanding of the jewelry that was worn. Traditionally, it was thought that women were buried with jewelry and men with war objects. It has now been shown that this is not entirely accurate. Therefore, we estimate that jewelry was worn by both genders. 

Many spear heads from the late bronze Age have been recovered. These range from very large, almost unusable specimens, to more practical, smaller spear heads.  In this setup, Esugenos wears a practical spear with shoulders and a leather wrapping around the shaft. 

Many swords from the bronze Age have been found. Swords must have been one of the most valuable possessions. If Esugenos had been a normal middle-class person, he would have only worn a shield and spear, and his clothing would have contained more brown and yellow tones. But Esugenos was very wealthy and therefore had a sword.