Corded Ware

A Late Neolithic pottery ware decorated with twisted cord ornament found over much of north and central Europe in the 2nd half of the 3rd millennium BC. The commonest shapes are the beaker and the globular amphora. The ware is always associated with primitive agriculture, the stone battle ax, and usually with single burial under a small barrow or kurgan. The ware may derive from Denmark, central Germany (Saxo-Thuringia), eastern Poland, or the Ukraine. The culture received its name from the characteristic pottery. Some groups also had metal artifacts. There is some evidence that Corded Ware people had domesticated horses and wheeled vehicles, and they are sometimes interpreted as nomadic groups - possibly Indo-European speaking - who spread across northern Europe from the east. Closely related are the Globular Amphora and Funnel Beaker cultures.

A culture found over large parts of the north European plain in the earlier 3rd millennium BC. The characteristic pottery, which has given its name to the culture, is decorated with twisted cord impressions; the most common forms are beakers and amphorae. Associated characteristics are stone battle-axes and the practice of single burial under round barrows; some groups also had metal artefacts. There is some evidence that Corded Ware people had domesticated horses and wheeled vehicles, and they are sometimes interpreted as nomadic groups — possibly Indo-European speaking — who spread across northern Europe from the east. A closely related group is the Globular Amphora culture.