Razgranati reljef sjeverne Hrvatske ispresijecan je riječnim tokovima i plodnim nizinama i kao takav pružao je povoljne uvjete za naseljavanje kroz sva razdoblja prapovijesti s posebnim obzirom tijekom kasnog brončanog i starijeg željeznog doba. Zahvaljujući dominantnim riječnim slivovima (Sutla, Krapina, Bednja, Drava, Mura i Sava) i njihovim pritocima satkanim u zajedničku mrežu vodotoka zapadnog međurječja, omogućavali su kretanja pojedinim etničkim skupinama te bržu razmjenu kulturnih dobara najkraćim i najbržim prirodnim pravcima. Uz izvore voda kao sveta mjesta vezano je polaganje bakrenih i brončanih predmeta u rijekama, sprudovima ili neposrednom okruženju u naseljima. Ostave su vjeran pokazatelj kojim su se pravcima odvijali kontinentalni ili riječni trgovački putovi kroz naseljene prostore sjeverozapadne Hrvatske u razdoblju kulture polja sa žarama.The network of roads in use in north-western Croatia during the Late Bronze Age enabled quick connections between certain local settlements and major centres with a large part of the south-east Alpine region and southwestern Pannonian basin. Of particular importance were the main roads running along the following rivers: the Sutla in the west, the Mura in the north, the Drava in the east, the Krapnica and Sava in the centre. All these connected Zagorje, Podravina and Posavina as a micro-regional unit, or in other words, a western inter-river area. River valleys and their streams were dangerous and represented insurmountable obstacles for settling over longer periods of time. Thus, Late Bronze Age settlements were mostly located in foothills or on prominent hilltops which offered strategic control over the valleys. Sometimes, rivers and their backwaters provided a less difficult crossing from one side to the other, and thus opened up communications with neighbouring areas and populations. Finds at settlements and necropolises located by major fluvial streams speak of the density of the population of Hrvatsko Zagorje, Podravina and Turopolje from the Late Bronze Age across the Developed and Late Iron Age