The Societies Of The European Bronze Age Produced Elaborate Artifacts And Were Drawn Into A Wide Trade Network Extending Over The Whole Of Europe Yet They Were Economically And Politically Undiversified. Kristian Kristiansen Attempts To Explain This Paradox Using A World-Systems Analysis And Provides A Rich Body Of Evidence To Support His Case. The Result Is A Coherent Overview Of This Period Of European Prehistory That Addresses Some Of The Larger Questions Raised In The Study Of The Period.