In the Bronze Age, the Trzciniec culture (2400 - 1300 BCE) occupies areas of Central-East Europe in Poland and parts of Lithuania. Migration, warfare or mingling of clan groups pushes them north to the coast of the Baltic Sea, where they find the golden treasure and vanish.
From 3000 - 2350 BCE, the areas of Europe and West Asia are the domain of three groups of Corded Ware cultures, so named because of the constructions and decorations of pottery.
From the early Bronze Age on, the mysterious gem amber makes its way from the stormy Baltic shores into Spanish caves and Pharaohs' graves. By 1700 BCE, Baltic amber travels to Greece and the Mediterranean.
For almost a thousand years the Trzciniec people are a vital part of the shifting roles and territories of Bronze Age Europe.
From 1600 - 1300 BCE the Tumulus to the south are a major power. Warlike and aggressive, they push other tribes to migration. The Tumulus culture comes from the South German lands, spreading through Czech Republic, Austria, Carpathia, Switzerland and Poland.
The Tumulus are named for the grave mounds or tumuli (sing. tumulus). Although it isn't the only culture to use burial mounds, it's one of the most distinct societies who do.
In the central Polish town of Rawa Mazowiecka, a look through the treasury in 1948 reveals a hoard, literally rooms of hidden treasure, from about 600 BCE. Further investigation uncovers an older treasure yet, pointing to Trzciniec origins c. 1700 BCE.
Silver and gold are found in other Trzciniec burial sites. The Trzciniec people are upwardly mobile, with chariots and horses to pull them. They bury the dead in kurgans or mounds. A kurgan contains the body, tools, weapons, vessels, ornaments, personal items and sometimes horses.
Depending on region a kurgan might serve as a grave site or a crematorium. By 1300 BCE two-horse burial sites appear, linked to the use of chariots. The wooden chariots have spoked wheels; spokes develop in Anatolia c. 2000 BCE.
The Trzciniec people are skilled in metallurgy as evidenced by beautiful bronze work as below. Use of carved antler parts for bridles and bridle decorations also show considerable craftwork.
In the Bronze Age people like the Trzcieniec drink a lot of sheep and goat milk, which helps strengthen bones, teeth and constitution. They eat less meat than people do today, with most of the diet being cereals and other products of agriculture.
They trade for salt or gather it from the sea. As agriculture spreads and people eat less meat, healthy salt intake is lacking. Ancient salt trade routes develop in the Neolithic and are well traveled by other traders by the Bronze Age.
Northern societies and lineages like those of the Trzceiniec develop the ability to drink milk due to a genetic enzyme, lactase. Lactose tolerance begins in the Neolithic, with the agricultural revolution, and is culturally defined. About 68% of the world's population today is lactose intolerant.
The average human diet improves considerably with advances in animal husbandry, crop and vegetable breeding. Better nutrition is one of the reasons for the early Bronze Age population explosion.
The Trzciniec people live in semi-pit and surface habitations. They erect outbuildings on pilings for grain storage. Agriculture and animal husbandry is supplemented by hunting and fishing.
As well as tools and weapons of flint and stone, archaeologists have uncovered a wealth of pottery, bronze decor and jewelry. Flint workshops are discovered at settlement sites.
Even in the Bronze Age flint is a favorite stone for blades, tools and arrowheads as it breaks with sharp edges. It can be formed with simple tools, like hand axes.
By the late Bronze Age and the approach of the Iron Age, the Trzcieniec people are around in a small area by the Baltic Sea. Ferocious Baltic storms must be conjured by demons, but leave nuggets of golden amber strewn over the beaches and shores, found and traded by these early people.
As time goes on, the Trzceineic culture is assimilated into other groups, either by sea or land. The people vanish into the nearby Lustatian society and the northern settlements.
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