Abstract
At the end of the Bronze Age, archaeological evidence of inter-community conflict has significantly increased compared to earlier periods. Multifarious direct and indirect evidence testifies the use of a variety of weapons, in particular swords and spears, and “war machines” (for example, chariots), as well as an increase of their production and technological developments. The defensive equipment (cuirasses, helmets, shields) suggests the use of standardized panoplies. Some sites were protected with walls, and anthropological traces of interpersonal violence and, much rarer, possible battlefields, are also documented. These phenomena are the expression of social and political events with historical significance, which seem to manifest contemporarily throughout Europe. These events have recently been examined in a collective synthesis, providing an overview of violence for the various stages of the Bronze Age. In this article, we propose to extend this task to the Early Iron Age. In fact, during this period, various social status indicators seem to be decreasing, while burials of men in arms (warriors) appear prominently in the 8th and 7th centuries BCE. By analysing these data over the long period from the 13th to the 7th centuries BCE, we can examine how western European societies organised warfare, weaponry, and violence, whether real or implied.