The development of large agglomerations is one of the most important phenomena in later Eurasian prehistory. In west-central temperate Europe, the origins of urbanism have long been associated with the oppida of the second to first centuries BC. However, large-scale excavations and surveys carried out over the last two decades have fundamentally modified the traditional picture of early centralization processes. New results indicate that the first urban centres north of the Alps developed over time between the end of the seventh and the fifth century BC in an area stretching from Bohemia to southern Germany and Central France. Sites such as the Heuneburg, Závist, Mont Lassois and Bourges produce evidence of a process of differentiation and hierarchization in the pattern of settlement that was concurrently an expression of, and a catalyst for, increasing social inequality. Although contacts with the Mediterranean world would certainly have played a role in such processes, endogenous factors were primarily responsible for the development of these early Central European agglomerations. This paper summarizes recent fieldwork results, showing the heterogeneity and diversity of Early Iron Age central places and outlining their diachronic development. The fragility and ephemeral character of these centres of power and their territories is highlighted. Their demise was followed by a period of decentralization that constitutes a prime example of the non-linear character of history.

中文翻译：

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中西温带欧洲铁器时代早期城市主义的复杂性和脆弱性

大型集聚体的发展是后来的欧亚史前时期最重要的现象之一。在中西部的温带欧洲，都市主义的起源长期以来一直与乌皮达有关。公元前第二至第一个世纪。然而，过去二十年来进行的大规模发掘和勘测从根本上改变了早期集中化进程的传统面貌。新的结果表明，从公元前七世纪到公元五世纪末，从波西米亚到德国南部和法国中部，阿尔卑斯山以北的第一个城市中心逐渐发展。诸如Heuneburg，Závist，Mont Lassois和Bourges之类的遗址，以定居方式的分化和等级划分过程为证据，同时又是加剧和加剧社会不平等现象的证据。尽管与地中海世界的接触肯定会在此类过程中发挥作用，内源性因素是这些早期中欧城市群发展的主要原因。本文总结了最近的田野调查结果，显示了铁器时代早期中心地区的异质性和多样性，并概述了其历时性发展。这些权力中心及其领土的脆弱性和短暂特征得到了强调。他们的消亡之后是一段权力下放时期，这是历史非线性特征的一个典型例子。