| Geographical range | North Italy, Austria, Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Period | Iron Age |
| Dates | c. 1350 BC - 500 BC |
| Preceded by | Laugen-Melaun culture, Inntal culture, Urnfield culture |
| Followed by | Roman Empire |
The Fritzens-Sanzeno culture is an archaeological culture attested in the second Iron Age, from ca. 500 BC until the end of the first century BC, in the Alpine region of Trentino and South Tyrol; in the period of maximum expansion it also reached the Engadin region to the west and East Tyrol.[1] It takes its name from the two towns of Fritzens (Austria) and Sanzeno (Trentino), where important archaeological excavations were carried out at the beginning of the 20th century.
The Fritzens-Sanzeno culture replaced the Laugen-Melaun culture in South Tyrol and Trentino and the Inntal culture (associated with the Urnfield and Hallstatt cultures) in the Austrian Tyrol, merging the two cultures together.[2] It also had some impact on East Tyrol. The culture has been identified with the Raeti and it ceased to exist in the period following the conquest of the Alps by Augustus in 15 BC, which also marks the end of the Iron Age in the region.