Savaria - A Vas Megyei Múzeumok értesítője 16. (1982) (Szombathely, 1983)
Fr Kőszegi: World history and the Urnfield culture
SAVARIA 16. KÖTET A VAS IMEGYEI MŰZEUiMOK ÉRTESÍTŐJE 1982 WORLD HISTORY AND THE URNFIELD CULTURE FR. KŐSZEGI It is well know that the birth of the European Urntfield culture coinjoides with the emergence of a great historical period to be rightfully called the Dawn of the Iron Age even though iron itself found its way to the areas of Europe of a temperate climate only at a much later date. The rather vague sources provide us with some oiuitline of the 13th century В. C. of the Mediterraenean area but more so the history of the early decades of the following century. These sources equivocally give evidence concerning the ill fated future to befall the Mediternaenean; natural disasters, economic crises, bloody wars are made known which basically shook the smaller or larger powers of the region. The sources .also tell us that the disasters usually struck upon these countries or city states when their respective armies were elsewhere occupied, or were to fall lapart just because of the above mentioned troubles. It is then easy to see that iboth on land, and on the sea robbers, venturesome adventurers and even mercenaries took advantage of the situations. The main blow to hit the countries of the 'Mediterraenean was the attack of the league of the so called „Sea People". The miemlbers of this league, living formerly on the periphery, overran the whole of the eastern Mediiterraenean Basin and reached even Egypt >on their way of victory Where finally Ramses HI defeated 'them deoisevely. 1 These events, quoted in a nutshell, however, seemed to have 'effected only the Mediterraenean. It had in fact a great influence upon the development of the people of Central and southeastern Europe. Experts ,are in an agreement more or less concerning this quession. To what extent and how did the northerners get involved into these confused series of events is not known exactly, and this is exactly where the discrepencies of the experts ooncentrate. Notwithstanding it is for sure that exactly the period in question had brought decisive changes in the economic ,and social development of these northern people and the Mediterraenean civilization either in an .active or in a passive way contributed greatly to the evolution of the new period. In fact these provided the framework to that immensely extensive industrial and trade prosperity whereby some groups of the evolving Urnfieid iculture contributed to the development of urlban life to the outformling of the polis. A little more of an introduction is to say that these are times when people turn up, one after ,ano:ther from some unknown haze, become tangible by names, to mention only a few like the Achaians, Dorians, the Etruscans, Sardinians, Sicilians, Phffisteans, Illyrians, ancient Pannonlians, and Thracáans.
