The Laugen-Melaun culture (from

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

''Laugen-Melaun-Kultur'') or Luco culture (in Italian) developed between the late

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

and the early

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

, between

Trentino Trentino ( lld, Trentin), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento, is an autonomous province of Italy, in the country's far north. The Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, an autonomous region ...

South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous area, Autonomous Provinces of Italy, province , image_skyline = ...

East Tyrol East Tyrol, occasionally East Tirol (german: Osttirol), is an exclave of the Austrian state of Tyrol, separated from the main North Tyrol part by the short common border of Salzburg and Italian South Tyrol (''Südtirol'', it, Alto Adige). It i ...

, and in the

Engadin The Engadin or Engadine ( rm, ;This is the name in the two Romansh idioms that are spoken in the Engadin, Vallader and Puter, as well as in Sursilvan and Rumantsch Grischun. In Surmiran, the name is ''Nagiadegna'', and in Sutsilvan, it is ...

. The term, coined in 1927 by Gero von Merhart, initially included only Melaun (also ''Mellaun''), a village near

Brixen Brixen (, ; it, Bressanone ; lld, Porsenù or ) is a town in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about north of Bolzano. Geography First mentioned in 901, Brixen is the third largest city and oldest town in the province, and the artistic an ...

. The ''pitcher of Laugen'', found at

Villanders Villanders (; it, Villandro ) is a village and ''comune'' in South Tyrol in northern Italy with 1,875 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2013). It is located in the Eisack Valley above Klausen. Geography Villanders lies on the ''Villanderer Berg'' ...

and preserved at the

South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology (german: Südtiroler Archäologiemuseum; it, Museo archeologico dell'Alto Adige) is an archaeological museum in the city of Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy. It is the home of the preserved body of Ötzi the Iceman. ...

, is a typical example of this culture: it has a triangular nozzle, a decorative outer grooves, and a height of 18.3 cm ; next to the handle are two horn-shaped appendices. Also at Villanders it was found a place used for votive burnings (Opferplatz) remained in use for centuries until the

Bibliography

* Walter Leitner, ''Eppan - St. Pauls, eine Siedlung der späten Bronzezeit - ein Beitrag zur inneralpinen Laugen/Melaun-Kultur'', 2 voll., Innsbruck, 1987. * Günther Niederwanger, ''Ein Laugener Brandopferplatz am Schwarzsee auf dem Seeberg im Sarntal'', in «

Der Schlern ''Der Schlern'' (full German title: ''Der Schlern – Zeitschrift für Südtiroler Landeskunde''; en, The Schlern – Magazine for South Tyrolean Regional Studies) is a German-language monthly for the study of science, research, art and culture r ...

», 64, 1990, pp. 371–397. {{Authority control Archaeological cultures of Central Europe Archaeological cultures of Southern Europe Celtic archaeological cultures Bronze Age cultures of Europe Archaeological cultures in Austria Archaeological cultures in Italy Archaeological cultures in Switzerland