Now Part II. In which I show how the configuration and "the center of gravity" in MBA changed from Unetice Elbe/Harz towards NBA!
Not by pointing at the direct relationship between Unetice and NBA area, but by looking at almost a kind of "sidekick region" in the outmost NW corner of the continent namely in Drenthe.
![[Image: Scherm-afbeelding-2023-10-08-om-15-10-53.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/43wkg9SF/Scherm-afbeelding-2023-10-08-om-15-10-53.png)
Here we see (red star) Drouwen, Drenthe, may be the maximum extention of Unetice in E/MBA. Here we find a kind of anomaly a rich grave still visible in the landscape there, a grave of a man that belonged- seen by his grave goods- to the very highest rankings of the Unetice elite. He had golden earrings, so second in rank just after the king and prince:
![[Image: Scherm-afbeelding-2023-10-08-om-13-07-01.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/jj3hssrK/Scherm-afbeelding-2023-10-08-om-13-07-01.png)
What was this man doing in Drouwen, Drenthe? That remains a guess. A possible explanation may be that the Hunze River originates here and that river led to the Wadden Sea, between Ameland and Schiermonnikoog, where amber could still be found then and now. And amber was highly desirable in Unetice culture! So Drouwen was probably a transshipment point that had to be kept under control.
VandKilde 2017, red star Drouwen:
![[Image: Drouwen-en-Amber.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/GhCgh2nF/Drouwen-en-Amber.png)
It is remarkable that Drouwen, Drenthe remained the spur of the Germanic circuit. Because after the Unetice period we see quite unique finds that indicate ties with Scandinavia (including an unique sword from that area). The eminent archaeologist JJ Butler, who investigated all this, could not have known what we know now. But those ties with both the Elbe area and Scandinavia had certainly not escaped his notice, as the shift in LBA. I draw the conclusion from this that the initiative and cultural appearance - probably including language development - also shifted in Germanic, without that the circuit as a whole disappeared! So imo the LBA radiance from NBA was more cultural than an exodus of people.
https://ugp.rug.nl/Palaeohistoria/article/view/25026
As Jaska concluded, this doesn't hinder the exchange between Germanic and Finnic/Saami and everything related to it. And neither does the strong influence on proto Germanic by the bilingual situation with the Finnic/Saami area, nothing at all.
Not by pointing at the direct relationship between Unetice and NBA area, but by looking at almost a kind of "sidekick region" in the outmost NW corner of the continent namely in Drenthe.
Here we see (red star) Drouwen, Drenthe, may be the maximum extention of Unetice in E/MBA. Here we find a kind of anomaly a rich grave still visible in the landscape there, a grave of a man that belonged- seen by his grave goods- to the very highest rankings of the Unetice elite. He had golden earrings, so second in rank just after the king and prince:
What was this man doing in Drouwen, Drenthe? That remains a guess. A possible explanation may be that the Hunze River originates here and that river led to the Wadden Sea, between Ameland and Schiermonnikoog, where amber could still be found then and now. And amber was highly desirable in Unetice culture! So Drouwen was probably a transshipment point that had to be kept under control.
VandKilde 2017, red star Drouwen:
It is remarkable that Drouwen, Drenthe remained the spur of the Germanic circuit. Because after the Unetice period we see quite unique finds that indicate ties with Scandinavia (including an unique sword from that area). The eminent archaeologist JJ Butler, who investigated all this, could not have known what we know now. But those ties with both the Elbe area and Scandinavia had certainly not escaped his notice, as the shift in LBA. I draw the conclusion from this that the initiative and cultural appearance - probably including language development - also shifted in Germanic, without that the circuit as a whole disappeared! So imo the LBA radiance from NBA was more cultural than an exodus of people.
https://ugp.rug.nl/Palaeohistoria/article/view/25026
As Jaska concluded, this doesn't hinder the exchange between Germanic and Finnic/Saami and everything related to it. And neither does the strong influence on proto Germanic by the bilingual situation with the Finnic/Saami area, nothing at all.