A team of researchers from University College Dublin, in collaboration with researchers from Serbia and Slovenia, has made a "mega" archaeological discovery.
The team utilized satellite images and aerial photography to reveal a previously unknown network of massive sites in the heart of Europe, shedding light on the emergence of the continent's Bronze Age megaforts - the largest prehistoric constructions witnessed before the Iron Age.
They pieced together the prehistoric landscape in the south Carpathian Basin of Central Europe and unveiled over 100 sites that were part of a complex society.
These sites, marked by defensible enclosures, played a crucial role as precursors to and influences behind the well-known hillforts of Europe, constructed later in the Bronze Age for community protection.
PRITZWALK, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 02: In this aerial view an excavator dumps earth back onto the site of a completed archaeological dig at Seddin on November 02, 2023 near Pritzwalk, Germany.
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Lead author Associate Professor Barry Molloy from UCD School of Archaeology stated, "What is new, however, is finding that these massive sites did not stand alone, they were part of a dense network of closely related and codependent communities.
At their peak, the people living within this lower Pannonian network of sites must have numbered into the tens of thousands." These colossal sites, including Gradište Iđoš, Csanádpalota, Sântana, and the expansive Corneşti Iarcuri, surrounded by 33km of ditches, surpassed contemporary citadels and fortifications of the Hittites, Mycenaeans, or Egyptians in size.
The discovery indicates that these massive sites were not isolated but were interconnected components of a thriving and connected society. Dubbed the Tisza Site Group (TSG), these previously unknown communities were located within 5 km of one another along the Tisza and Danube rivers, forming a cooperative community network.
This latest investigation underscores the pivotal role of the Tisza Site Group (TSG) as a hub of innovation in prehistoric Europe, exerting influence over the region during the height of the Mycenaeans, Hittites, and New Kingdom Egypt around 1500-1200 BC.
The results offer valuable perspectives into the interconnections within Europe during the second millennium BC, a crucial epoch in prehistory.
According to the researchers, the disintegration of these societies around 1200 BC led to the diffusion of sophisticated military and earthwork technologies throughout Europe, fostering parallels in material culture and iconography.
Unprecedented View on Bronze Age People
Associate Professor Barry Molloy emphasized the unprecedented view offered by this research, stating, "This really gives an unprecedented view of how these Bronze Age people lived with each other and their many neighbors."
He also highlighted the turbulent nature of the time, marked by major innovations in warfare and organized violence. Contrary to the popular perception of archaeology being limited to traditional tools, this discovery relied on cutting-edge technologies, including satellite imagery, to reveal an extensive network of massive sites in the Carpathian Basin.
The team validated their findings using on-the-ground methods such as survey, excavation, and geophysical prospection. Most sites were established between 1600 and 1450 BC, experiencing mass abandonment around 1200 BC, a period characterized by widespread societal collapses across southwest Asia, north Africa, and southern Europe.
The findings of the team were published in the journal PLoS ONE.
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