The Bell Beaker culture was an archaeological culture widespread across western and central Europe in the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age, from Iberia to Hungary and the British Isles. It is named after its distinctive bell-shaped drinking vessels, which are found in graves with a kit that often includes copper daggers, stone archers' wristguards and V-perforated buttons. The culture is associated with early metalworking and a custom of individual burial. Ancient DNA studies published in 2018 showed that in Britain the arrival of people with Beaker pottery was accompanied by a large-scale replacement of the earlier Neolithic population, while elsewhere in Europe the spread involved both migration and the transmission of ideas. The Amesbury Archer, buried near Stonehenge, is a famous Beaker burial.
Before and after
- c. 2,700 BCEConstruction of Bent Pyramid
- from c. 2,686 BCE to 2,613 BCEThird Dynasty of Egypt
- c. 2,640 BCEConstruction of Pyramid of Djoser
- from c. 2,613 BCE to 2,498 BCEFourth Dynasty of Egypt
- from c. 2,600s BCE to 2,200s BCEBell beaker culture
- c. 2,601 BCECaral flourishes in the Norte Chico
- from c. 2,601 BCE to 1,901 BCEThe Indus Valley cities reach maturity
- c. 2,590 BCEConstruction of Red Pyramid
- c. 2,589 BCEConstruction of Dahshur
More in Evolution & life
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- from 16th century BCE to 1st century BCENok culture
- from c. 1,300s BCE to 500s BCEChavín culture
- from c. 1,200 BCE to 800 BCEUrnfield culture
- from c. 100 CE to 700 CEMoche culture
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 27th century BCE.