Approach to the study of the Late Hallstatt and Early La Tène periods in eastern parts of Central Europe: results from comparative classification of ‘Knickwandschale’

Abstract

The chronological sequence of the latest phases of prehistory in Central Europe is a critical question, concerning the relationship between the Hallstatt and La Téne periods, and their regional variants. My aim in this article is to draw attention to one source of chronological evidence, the pronounced Late Hallstatt pottery form which is represented by the bowl with curved neck and sharply carinateded belly, the ‘Knickwandschale’. The genesis of this form may be looked for in cups of the Middle Hallstatt period (Hallstatt C2–D1), and its final development in the Early La Téne period (La Téne A–Bl). Its long tradition and morphological development, together with its extraordinarily broad geographical distribution, make it one of the leading types for relative chronological periodization of the Late Hallstatt and Early La Téne periods as well as for the synchronization of cultural development in central Europe (FIGURE 1).