Vol. 57 (2019): The Neolithic in Polish Lands. Fundamentals, Research Directions and Interpretations of Cultural Systems – Fifty Years Ago and Today

Fifty years have now passed since the publication in 1969 of Jan Kowalczyk’s text entitled Początki neolitu na ziemiach polskich [The Origins of the Neolithic Age on Polish Territories] (Wiadomości Archeologiczne, 34(1): 3-69), which was an exceptional work because of its critical stance towards existing knowledge. The theses and opinions contained in this publication quickly aroused wide discussion in the milieu of Polish archaeologists, and they also became an inspiration for later research.
This anniversary has prompted us to prepare a thematic publication, which contains texts by over a dozen researchers making use of the latest research to discuss the nature of the economic, technological and cultural changes that took place in the 6th to 3rd millennia BC in the Polish lands and in their immediate vicinity. The centre of attention of most of these articles is the state of knowledge about the origins and beginnings of the production economy in Polish lands, including the formation of native Neolithic social structures. [From Editorial]