Eketorp is an Iron Age fort , located in southeastern Öland , Sweden , and extensively reconstructed and enlarged in the Middle Ages . Throughout the ages the fortification has served a variety of somewhat differing uses: from defensive ringfort , to medieval safe haven and thence a cavalry garrison . In the 20th century it was further reconstructed to become a heavily visited tourist site and a location for re-enactment of medieval battles. Eketorp is the only one of the 19 known prehistoric fortifications on Öland that has been completely excavated, yielding a total of over 24,000 individual artifacts. The entirety of southern Öland has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO . The Eketorp fortification is often referred to as Eketorp Castle .
59-463: The indigenous peoples of the Iron Age constructed the original fortification about 400 AD, a period known to have engendered contact between Öland natives with Romans and other Europeans . The ringfort in that era is thought to have been a gathering place for religious ceremonies and also a place of refuge for the local agricultural community when an outside enemy appeared. The circular design
118-791: A European state or have special political arrangements. Under the commonly used geographic definition, the boundary between the continents of Asia and Europe stretches along the Ural Mountains , the Ural River , and the Caspian Sea in the east, the Greater Caucasus range, and the Black Sea with its outlets, the Bosporus and the Dardanelles , in the south. Based on such a commonly used division of
177-557: A description of Greece itself, besides accounts of western and northern Europe. His work survives only fragmentarily, but was received by Polybius and others. Roman Empire period authors include Diodorus Siculus , Strabo and Tacitus . Julius Caesar gives an account of the Celtic tribes of Gaul , while Tacitus describes the Germanic tribes of Magna Germania . A number of authors like Diodorus Siculus, Pausanias and Sallust depict
236-684: A long history in Europe , but is a small minority religion, with France (1%) the only European country with a Jewish population in excess of 0.5%. The Jewish population of Europe is composed primarily of two groups , the Ashkenazi and the Sephardi . Ancestors of Ashkenazi Jews likely migrated to Central Europe at least as early as the 8th century , while Sephardi Jews established themselves in Spain and Portugal at least one thousand years before that. Jews originated in
295-508: A mixture of four distinct ancestral components. Iron Age (pre- Great Migrations ) populations of Europe known from Greco-Roman historiography , notably Herodotus , Pliny , Ptolemy and Tacitus : Ethno-linguistic groups that arrived from outside Europe during historical times are: The earliest accounts of European ethnography date from Classical Antiquity . Herodotus described the Scythians and Thraco-Illyrians . Dicaearchus gave
354-448: A relation of the peoples of Europe are expressed in terms of genealogy of mythical founders of the individual groups. The Europeans were considered the descendants of Japheth from early times, corresponding to the division of the known world into three continents , the descendants of Shem peopling Asia and those of Ham peopling Africa . Identification of Europeans as " Japhetites " is also reflected in early suggestions for terming
413-611: Is a political association with effective sovereignty over a population for whom it makes decisions in the national interest. According to the Montevideo Convention , a state must have a permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states. There are 50 sovereign states with territory located within the common definition of Europe and/or membership in international European organisations that are almost universally recognized internationally. All are either member states of
472-413: Is an ample unpaved parking area situated approximately two kilometers west of the paved Öland perimeter highway . In 2005 the exhibition was the centre of a controversy when the staff recreated Iron Age horse sacrifices which involved presenting real horse heads mounted on poles, based on archaeological evidence. Several children saw the displayed heads and the museum was reported to the police. The case
531-503: Is generally linked to the classical definition of the Western world . In this definition, Western culture is the set of literary , scientific , political , artistic and philosophical principles which set it apart from other civilizations. Much of this set of traditions and knowledge is collected in the Western canon . The term has come to apply to countries whose history has been strongly marked by European immigration or settlement during
590-634: Is part of the Kingdom of Denmark but is located closer to the continent of North America and is usually grouped with that continent. Other territories are part of European countries but are geographically located on other continents, such as the French overseas regions , the Spanish autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla on the coast of Africa, and the Dutch BES islands of Bonaire , Sint Eustatius , and Saba in
649-547: Is the largest Christian country in Europe by population, followed by Germany and Italy . According to Scholars, in 2017, Europe's population was 77.8% Christian (up from 74.9% 1970), these changes were largely result of the collapse of Communism and switching to Christianity in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries. Islam has some tradition in the Balkans and the Caucasus due to conquest and colonization from
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#1733085485668708-657: Is the largest religion in the European Union , accounting for 72% of the EU 's population. As of 2010 Catholics were the largest Christian group in Europe , accounting for more than 48% of European Christians. The second-largest Christian group in Europe were the Orthodox , who made up 32% of European Christians. About 19% of European Christians were part of the Protestant tradition. Russia
767-423: Is the so-called "time element", or how long the original inhabitants of a land occupied it before the arrival of later settlers. As there is no fixed time frame, the answer to the question of what groups constitute Indigenous minorities is often context-dependent. The most extreme view claims that all Europeans are "descendants of previous waves of immigrants", and as such, the countries of Europe are no different from
826-754: Is very heterogeneous, with more than 95% in Poland, and less than 20% in the Czech Republic and Estonia. The 2005 Eurobarometer poll found that 52% of EU citizens believe in God. According to a Pew Research Center Survey in 2012 the Religiously Unaffiliated ( Atheists and Agnostics ) make up about 18.2% of the European population in 2010. According to the same Survey the Religiously Unaffiliated make up
885-520: The Bell beaker period), and a Proto-Balto-Slavic language (assumed for roughly the Corded Ware horizon) has been postulated with less confidence. Old European hydronymy has been taken as indicating an early (Bronze Age) Indo-European predecessor of the later centum languages. According to geneticist David Reich , based on ancient human genomes that his laboratory sequenced in 2016, Europeans descend from
944-767: The Caribbean . The political boundaries of Europe vary with the definition of Europe that is used by different political organizations. For instance, the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights include 46 countries in their definition of Europe. The European Higher Education Area includes 48 countries, and the European Cultural Convention and the European Olympic Committees include 50 countries in their definitions. A sovereign state
1003-556: The Cold War , since the 1990s. The foundation of the OSCE following the 1990s Paris Charter has facilitated this process on a political level during the 1990s and 2000s. From the later 20th century, 'Europe' has come to be widely used as a synonym for the European Union even though there are millions of people living on the European continent in non-EU member states. The prefix pan implies that
1062-536: The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities . The broad aims of the convention are to ensure that the signatory states respect the rights of national minorities, undertaking to combat discrimination, promote equality, preserve and develop the culture and identity of national minorities, guarantee certain freedoms in relation to access to the media, minority languages and education and encourage
1121-623: The Indo-European languages of Europe, including: Besides the Indo-European languages, there are other language families on the European continent which are considered unrelated to Indo-European: The Basques have been found to descend from the population of the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age directly. By contrast, Indo-European groups of Europe (the Centum , Balto-Slavic , and Albanian groups) migrated throughout most of Europe from
1180-569: The Indo-European languages "Japhetic". In this tradition, the Historia Brittonum (9th century) introduces a genealogy of the peoples of the Migration Period based on the sixth-century Frankish Table of Nations as follows, The text goes then on to list the genealogy of Alanus, connecting him to Japheth via eighteen generations. European culture is largely rooted in what is often referred to as its "common cultural heritage". Due to
1239-697: The Levant where they resided for thousands of years until the 2nd century AD, when they spread around the Mediterranean and into Europe, although small communities were known to exist in Greece as well as the Balkans since at least the 1st century BC. Jewish history was notably affected by the Holocaust and emigration (including Aliyah , as well as emigration to America ) in the 20th century. The Jewish population of Europe in 2010
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#17330854856681298-722: The Oriental Church , is also in Europe – another branch of Christianity (world's oldest National Church). Catholicism , while typically centered in Western Europe , also has a very significant following in Central Europe (especially among the Germanic , Western Slavic and Hungarian peoples/regions) as well as in Ireland (with some in Great Britain). Christianity has been the dominant religion shaping European culture for at least
1357-555: The Ottoman Empire in the 16th to 19th centuries, as well as earlier though discontinued long-term presence in much of Iberia as well as Sicily . Muslims account for the majority of the populations in Albania , Azerbaijan , Kosovo , Northern Cyprus (controlled by Turks ), and Bosnia and Herzegovina . Significant minorities are present in the rest of Europe. Russia also has one of the largest Muslim communities in Europe, including
1416-601: The Pontic steppe . They are assumed to have developed in situ through admixture of earlier Mesolithic and Neolithic populations with Bronze Age, proto-Indo-Europeans . The Finnic peoples are assumed to also be descended from Proto-Uralic populations further to the east, nearer to the Ural Mountains , that had migrated to their historical homelands in Europe by about 3,000 years ago. Reconstructed languages of Iron Age Europe include Proto-Celtic , Proto-Italic and Proto-Germanic , all of these Indo-European languages of
1475-655: The Scottish Highlands , and the Isle of Man ; Also the Silesian and Sorbian people of Germany and Poland. Many non-European ethnic groups and nationalities have migrated to Europe over the centuries. Some arrived centuries ago. However, the vast majority arrived more recently, mostly in the 20th and 21st centuries. Often, they come from former colonies of the British, Dutch, French, Portuguese and Spanish empires. Medieval notions of
1534-749: The Tatars of the Middle Volga and multiple groups in the Caucasus, including Chechens , Avars , Ingush and others. With 20th-century migrations, Muslims in Western Europe have become a noticeable minority. According to the Pew Forum , the total number of Muslims in Europe in 2010 was about 44 million (6%), while the total number of Muslims in the European Union in 2007 was about 16 million (3.2%). Judaism has
1593-605: The United Nations or non-member observer states at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), and all except Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Vatican City are members of the Council of Europe . 44 countries have their capital city located within Europe, and (as of 2022) 27 of those countries are member states of the European Union , which means that they are highly integrated with one another and share their sovereignty through EU institutions . Each entry in
1652-537: The centum group, and Proto-Slavic and Proto-Baltic , of the satem group. A group of Tyrrhenian languages appears to have included Etruscan , Rhaetian , Lemnian , and perhaps Camunic . A pre-Roman stage of Proto-Basque can only be reconstructed with great uncertainty. Regarding the European Bronze Age , the only relatively likely reconstruction is that of Proto-Greek (ca. 2000 BC). A Proto-Italo-Celtic ancestor of both Italic and Celtic (assumed for
1711-447: The constitutive theory of statehood ) or have no diplomatic recognition by any UN member state but are defined as states by the declarative theory of statehood . None are members of the UN, Council of Europe or EU. The following six European entities are dependent territories . The following places are considered integral parts of their sovereign state, but have a political arrangement that
1770-399: The states of Europe . Groups may be defined by common ancestry, common language, common faith, etc. The total number of national minority populations in Europe is estimated at 105 million people, or 14% of 770 million Europeans in 2002. The Russians are the most populous among Europeans, with a population of roughly 120 million. There are no universally accepted and precise definitions of
1829-403: The various common definitions of Europe , geographical or political. Fifty generally recognised sovereign states, Kosovo with limited, but substantial, international recognition, and four largely unrecognised de facto states with limited to no recognition have territory in Europe and/or membership in international European organisations. There are eight entities that are not integral parts of
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1888-445: The "Western World" has been intimately connected with the concept of " Christianity and Christendom " many even attribute Christianity for being the link that created a unified European identity . Christianity is still the largest religion in Europe; according to a 2011 survey, 76.2% of Europeans considered themselves Christians . Also according to a study on Religiosity in the European Union in 2012, by Eurobarometer , Christianity
1947-690: The 10th century gives an account of the Bolghar and the Rus' peoples . William Rubruck , while most notable for his account of the Mongols , in his account of his journey to Asia also gives accounts of the Tatars and the Alans . Saxo Grammaticus and Adam of Bremen give an account of pre-Christian Scandinavia. The Chronicon Slavorum (12th century) gives an account of the northwestern Slavic tribes. Gottfried Hensel in his 1741 Synopsis Universae Philologiae published one of
2006-591: The 18th and 19th centuries, such as the Americas , and Australasia , and is not restricted to Europe. Since the High Middle Ages , most of Europe has been dominated by Christianity . There are three major denominations: Roman Catholic , Protestant and Eastern Orthodox , with Protestantism restricted mostly to Northern Europe , and Orthodoxy to East and South Slavic regions, Romania , Moldova , Greece , and Georgia . The Armenian Apostolic Church , part of
2065-577: The EU population). The countries with the largest population of non-nationals were Germany, Spain, France and Italy. These four Member States represented 70.3% of all non-EU nationals living in the EU Member States. The population of the European Union , with some 450 million residents, accounts for two thirds of the current European population. Both Spain and the United Kingdom are special cases, in that
2124-882: The Mediterranean Sea provides a clearer divide between Africa and Europe, some traditionally European islands such as Malta , Pantelleria , the Pelagie Islands , and Sicily are actually located on the African Plate . The island of Iceland is part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge , straddling the Eurasian Plate and the North American Plate . Some territories which are geographically outside of Europe have strong connections with European states. Greenland , for example, has socio-political connections with Europe and
2183-809: The United States or Canada with regards to who settled where. Some groups that claim Indigenous minority status in Europe include the Uralic Nenets , Samoyed , and Komi peoples of northern Russia; Circassians of southern Russia and the North Caucasus ; Crimean Tatars , Krymchaks and Crimean Karaites of Crimea (Ukraine); Sámi peoples of northern Norway , Sweden , and Finland and northwestern Russia (in an area also referred to as Sápmi ); Galicians of Galicia , Spain ; Catalans of Catalonia , Spain and southern France ; Basques of Basque Country , Spain and southern France ; Gaels of Ireland ,
2242-732: The ancient Sardinian and Corsican peoples. The 4th century Tabula Peutingeriana records the names of numerous peoples and tribes. Ethnographers of Late Antiquity such as Agathias of Myrina , Ammianus Marcellinus , Jordanes , and Theophylact Simocatta give early accounts of the Slavs , the Franks , the Alamanni and the Goths . Book IX of Isidore 's Etymologiae (7th century) treats de linguis, gentibus, regnis, militia, civibus (concerning languages, peoples, realms, war and cities). Ahmad ibn Fadlan in
2301-458: The categorisation of Europeans into clearly defined racial groups. A 2007 study on the genetic history of Europe found that the most important genetic differentiation in Europe occurs on a line from the north to the south-east (northern Europe to the Balkans), with another east–west axis of differentiation across Europe, separating the indigenous Basques , Sardinians and Sami from other European populations. Despite these stratifications it noted
2360-442: The continents, the transcontinental countries of Azerbaijan , Georgia , Kazakhstan , Russia , and Turkey have territory in both Asia and Europe. The island of Cyprus in Western Asia is close to Anatolia (or Asia Minor) but is often considered to be a part of Europe and is a member of the European Union . Like Cyprus, Armenia is also entirely in Western Asia but is a member of several European organisations. Although
2419-767: The designation of nationality , Spanish and British , may controversially take ethnic aspects, subsuming various regional ethnic groups (see nationalisms and regionalisms of Spain and native populations of the United Kingdom ). Switzerland is a similar case, but the linguistic subgroups of the Swiss are discussed in terms of both ethnicity and language affiliations. Of the total population of Europe of some 740 million (as of 2010), close to 90% (or some 650 million) fall within three large branches of Indo-European languages , these being: Three stand-alone Indo-European languages do not fall within larger sub-groups and are not closely related to those larger language families: In addition, there are also smaller sub-groups within
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2478-445: The earliest ethno-linguistic map of Europe, showing the beginning of the pater noster in the various European languages and scripts. In the 19th century, ethnicity was discussed in terms of scientific racism , and the ethnic groups of Europe were grouped into a number of " races ", Mediterranean , Alpine and Nordic , all part of a larger " Caucasian " group. The beginnings of ethnic geography as an academic subdiscipline lie in
2537-422: The fort as a whole. Some of these cells were in the center of the fortified ring, and some were actually built into the wall itself. In the mid 600s AD, the ringfort was mysteriously abandoned, and it remained unused until the early 11th century. This 11th century work generally built upon the earlier fort , except that stone interior cells were replaced with timber structures, and a second outer defensive wall
2596-433: The fortress will open at Easter and will be open until late September and the Öland Harvest Festival. 56°17′44″N 16°29′10″E / 56.29556°N 16.48611°E / 56.29556; 16.48611 Indigenous peoples of Europe This is an accepted version of this page Europeans are the focus of European ethnology , the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in
2655-445: The great number of perspectives which can be taken on the subject, it is impossible to form a single, all-embracing conception of European culture. Nonetheless, there are core elements which are generally agreed upon as forming the cultural foundation of modern Europe. One list of these elements given by K. Bochmann includes: Berting says that these points fit with "Europe's most positive realisations". The concept of European culture
2714-440: The historical costumes from the period 400–650. There are daily activities during the summer season (mid June to mid August), which include archery, bread baking, crafts and many activities mainly for children. Guided tours are also available then. There is also a gift shop on site. Besides use as a tourist attraction, the site has been used for experimental archaeology . Eketorp lies a few kilometers west of route 136 . There
2773-881: The identity applies throughout Europe, and especially in an EU context, and 'pan-European' is often contrasted with national identity. Font size reflects population size (groups smaller than 2 million not to scale) Groups not shown due to lack of geographic concentration: Romani (3.8 million), Jews (1.3 million), Karaim (4,600). Small Baltic Finns , Volga Finns and Caucasian groups (<0.2 million) not shown in map: Votes , Ludes , Setos , Võros ; Balkars , Karachays , Laks , Lazs , Nogais , Rutuls , Tabasarans , Tats , Tsakhurs . [REDACTED] Africa [REDACTED] Eurasia [REDACTED] North America [REDACTED] Oceania [REDACTED] South America List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Europe The list below includes all entities falling even partially under any of
2832-408: The last 1700 years. Modern philosophical thought has very much been influenced by Christian philosophers such as St Thomas Aquinas and Erasmus, and throughout most of its history, Europe has been nearly equivalent to Christian culture . The Christian culture was the predominant force in western civilization , guiding the course of philosophy , art , and science . The notion of "Europe" and
2891-445: The list below has a map of its location in Europe. Territory in Europe is shown in dark-green; territory not geographically in Europe is shown in a lighter shade of green. The lightest shade of green represents other states in the EU and is shown on the maps of all territories within the EU. The following five entities in Europe have partial diplomatic recognition by one or more UN member states (and therefore are defined as states by
2950-401: The majority of the population in only two European countries: Czech Republic (76%) and Estonia (60%). " Pan-European identity " or " Europatriotism " is an emerging sense of personal identification with Europe, or the European Union as a result of the gradual process of European integration taking place over the last quarter of the 20th century, and especially in the period after the end of
3009-460: The participation of national minorities in public life. The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities defines a national minority implicitly to include minorities possessing a territorial identity and a distinct cultural heritage. By 2008, 39 member states had signed and ratified the convention, with the notable exception of France . Definitions of what constitutes Indigenous minority groups in Europe can vary widely. One criterion
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#17330854856683068-457: The period following World War I, in the context of nationalism , and in the 1930s exploitation for the purposes of fascist and Nazi propaganda , so that it was only in the 1960s that ethnic geography began to thrive as a bona fide academic subdiscipline. The origins of modern ethnography are often traced to the work of Bronisław Malinowski , who emphasized the importance of fieldwork. The emergence of population genetics further undermined
3127-424: The terms " ethnic group " and " nationality ". In the context of European ethnography in particular, the terms ethnic group , people , nationality and ethno-linguistic group are used as mostly synonymous, although preference may vary in usage with respect to the situation specific to the individual countries of Europe. In 2021, the number of non-EU nationals living in EU members states was 23.7 million (5.3% of
3186-404: The unusually high degree of European homogeneity: "there is low apparent diversity in Europe with the entire continent-wide samples only marginally more dispersed than single population samples elsewhere in the world." The total number of national minority populations in Europe is estimated at 105 million people, or 14% of Europeans. The member states of the Council of Europe in 1995 signed
3245-412: Was also critical to how the media handled the situation, making a point of Kvällsposten and Expressen having focused on the sensationalism (handling of animal byproducts) of the case rather than the actual legal concerns (improper handling of remains). Since 2019, the municipality of Mörbylånga is responsible for Eketorps borg. The first season was a great success with almost 39 000 visitors. In 2020
3304-427: Was believed to be chosen because the terrain is so level that attack from any side was equally likely. The original diameter of this circular stone fortification was about 57 metres (187 ft). In the next century the stone was moved outward to construct a new circular structure of about 80 metres (260 ft) in diameter. At this juncture there were known to be about fifty individual cells or small structures within
3363-402: Was brought to court, on the basis of improper handling of slaughterhouse byproducts, but the museum was freed on all points. The museum's staff defended their actions on account of presenting the realism of the Iron Age under the guidance of experienced archaeologists. They also pointed out that the Lejre Experimental Centre in Denmark had displayed similar "sacrifices" since the 1970s. The staff
3422-433: Was erected. Presently the fort is used as a tourist site for visitors to Öland to experience a fortification for this region. A museum located in the interior long houses displays a few of the large number (26 000) of artifacts retrieved by the National Heritage Board during the major decade long excavation ending in 1974. Visitors are assessed an admission charge. Inside the fort, visitors are greeted by employees wearing
3481-442: Was estimated to be approximately 1.4 million (0.2% of European population) or 10% of the world's Jewish population. In the 21st century, France has the largest Jewish population in Europe , followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia and Ukraine. In modern times, significant secularization since the 20th century, notably in secularist France , Estonia and the Czech Republic. Currently, distribution of theism in Europe
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