The Tumulus culture, which dominates Central Europe during the Middle Bronze Age (ca.

1600 BCE to 1200 BCE), is the descendant of the Unetice culture, its heartland the area previously occupied by the Unetice culture besides Bavaria and Württemberg.

It is succeeded by the Late Bronze Age Urnfield culture.As the name implies, the Tumulus culture is distinguished by the practice of burying the dead beneath burial mounds (tumuli).