Bell beaker culture

The Bell Beaker culture, also known as the Bell Beaker complex or Bell Beaker phenomenon, is an archaeological culture named after the inverted-bell beaker drinking vessel used at the beginning of the European Bronze Age, arising as early as 2800 BC. The term was first coined as Glockenbecher by German prehistorian Paul Reinecke, and the English translation Bell Beaker was introduced by John Abercromby in 1904.

Bell Beaker culture lasted up to c. 1650 BC in some areas, and disappeared as early as 2300 BCE at others, varying dates depending on the region. In Britain, it lasted from c. 2450 BC, with the appearance of single burial graves, until as late as 1800 BC, but in central Europe only until 2300 BC, when it was succeeded by the Únětice culture. The culture was widely dispersed throughout Western Europe, being present in many regions of Iberia and stretching eastward to the Danubian plains, and northward to the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and was also present in the islands of Sardinia and Sicily and some coastal areas in north-western Africa. The Bell Beaker phenomenon shows substantial regional variation, and a study from 2018 found that it was associated with genetically diverse populations.