Fasciculi Archaeologiae Historicae

To the Kitchen, on the Tables and... to the Afterlife. Remains of Eggs in Early Medieval Graves from Poland

Tomasz Kurasiński — 2024-12-31

In the early Middle Ages, birds were the source of meat, fat, feathers, and eggs. Their main supplier was domestic poultry, especially chickens. Eggs were an important and widely available component of the diet, but also played a role, among other things, in the funeral rituals of that time. In the cemeteries of the early Piast period, their remains in the form of shells are a rarely recorded element of grave furnishings (33 graves from thirteen cemeteries). These finds occur mainly in burials of children (infans) and adolescents (iuvenis). There are various meanings, content, and connotations associated with depositing eggs as grave goods, relating to both pagan and Christian religious worldviews. The key issues seem to be those related to fertility, stimulation of life forces, regeneration, and transformation. The magical and protective significance of the egg is also revealed.

Remains of Copper Alloy Vessels from the Medieval Knightly Residence in Mierzyn, Central Poland

Piotr Strzyż — 2024-12-31

During investigations carried out at the site of a late medieval knightly residence in Mierzyn (Piotrków Trybunalski District, Central Poland), archaeologists discovered, among other things, numerous fragments of three-legged vessels cast from copper alloy, known as ‘Grapens.’ They were used for cooking and reheating food. The collection obtained from the above-mentioned site comprises 13 fragments from several different vessels, which distinguishes Mierzyn from other motte type knightly residences in Poland. In the course of research, including specialist analyses, at least four vessels were identified based on the discussed fragments. They varied in appearance – there were both classic forms with bulbous bodies and fitted with characteristic handles and legs, but also a form similar to cauldrons or frying pans – with a sleeve for a wooden handle. The fact that a fairly diverse assortment of metal Grapens was used at the excavated site testifies to the material status of the representatives of the knightly Nagodzice family of Mierzyn.

Evidence of Food Preparation, Consumption and Storage in a Late Medieval Manor in Czechowice, Upper Silesia

Radosław Zdaniewicz — 2024-12-31

While researching the late medieval manor house in Czechowice, a small number of discoveries were made that directly or indirectly represent traces of food preparation, consumption and storage by the inhabitants of the local settlement. Archaeobotanical and archaeozoological remains and movable material were analysed, and archaeological structures representing the remains of buildings were uncovered. They indicate that the inhabitants of the Czechowice Manor were engaged in cereal cultivation and animal husbandry, which provided the local table with vegetable and meat and dairy products. Unfortunately, it has not been possible to discover the specific place where the food was prepared, but it seems that it was outside the residential part of the manor, perhaps in the open air or within an above-ground building with a light structure. The discovered storage pits or individual objects indicate that the Czechowice manor both stored and preserved meat or other products in a natural manner. It is difficult to create a complete picture of the sphere of life that constituted the consumption, preparation and storage of food by the inhabitants of the manor, however, they are certainly an interesting and important example for comparative studies with other late medieval settlement sites of this type.

Just the Kitchen. On Food Preparation in the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period

Anna Marciniak-Kajzer — 2024-12-31

The paper, based on written sources as well as archaeological findings, points out that food preparation in the late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period required much more effort and skills. It also required more space and sometimes specialised rooms. The source records mention bakeries as well as cheese making and storage places, breweries and malt houses. These are usually separate buildings, functioning as back-of-house facilities. The former were located separately, most probably because of the fire hazard, and the latter perhaps because of the odours that were generated by the brewing process and the maturation or drying of the cheeses. Thus, instead of the single kitchen room that we are now accustomed to, on many farms, other rooms were used for food preparation and separate buildings that allowed for the production of the food and its preservation and safe storage. We need to take this into account when planning excavation studies of settlement assemblages dating from the time discussed here.

Culinary Topography of the Castle in Sieradz (Central Poland) in the Early Modern Period (16th Century - 1st Half of the 17th Century)

Tomasz Olszacki — 2025-01-04

The article discusses the broadly understood issue of food in the castle in Sieradz in the 16^th century - 1^st half of the 17^th century, which was the capital seat of the county – starosty (Polish: starostwo) and also land, and later of the Sieradz voivodeship, an administrative and economic centre headed by startoste (Polish: starosta) – an official appointed for life by the king. Although the castle was destroyed about 200 years ago, its form and many aspects of everyday life are perfectly legible in the light of numerous archival written sources and, to a lesser extent, archaeological evidence, which allows for its analysis in the historical context of ‘food studies.’ They enable us to determine the location and formal reconstruction of places where food products were processed and stored (larder, kitchen, bakery, brewery, breeding and cultivation areas), make an attempt to recreate the inventory of the objects collected in these places, and capture the dynamics of the accompanying changes. An attempt was also made to hypothetically reconstruct the dishes and places where they were served, and the groups of people who consumed them. This enabled us to notice social stratification manifested in the standards of food and the conditions of its consumption.

Rough Beauty. The Case of Ice Glass. Finds from the Tykocin Castle, Poland, and Beyond

Magdalena Bis — 2024-12-31

Ice glass was invented by glassmakers in Renaissance Venice. Its distinctive surface texture made it an original and very visually appealing item, desirable as fine tableware in the modern era. It was manufactured not only in its place of origin but also in other glass-making centres north of the Alps, especially in the Low Countries. Examples of this glass are known primarily from museum collections and are relatively rarely recorded among archaeological finds. The article aims to discuss the unique finds of ice glass, dated to the 17^th century, discovered at the Tykocin Castle complex in north-eastern Poland. An attempt is made to establish their form, function, and attribution through comparative analyses based on museum exhibits and archaeological artefacts from Poland and beyond. The finds from Tykocin can be seen as part of the broader phenomenon that was the popularity of Venetian glass and its imitation, i.e., façon de Venise, in modern Europe.

Between Idea and Reality

Radosław Zdaniewicz — 2024-12-31

The considerations based on the artefacts discovered during the excavations of the motte tower in Widów are an interesting source for research on the chivalric culture of the Middle Ages. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to connect the discovered sword fragment – regarded as a symbol of knighthood – with a specific representative of the Widowski family. Leaving aside any purely theoretical deliberations on the circumstances in which this artefact was buried among the remains of the building with other objects used in the manor house, it must be admitted that this discovery can hardly be considered accidental and completely unrelated to the occupants of the said residence. It is certainly very likely that the analysed artefact is material evidence of the cohabitation of the manor’s inhabitants with a sword, an attribute of the knightly class and a symbol of their membership in the group of local milites. Finds of stove tiles with various images associated with chivalric culture are testimony to the fact that the local manor belonged to people whose material status, but also spiritual needs and worldview went beyond the everyday mundane life of the local country estate owners. The traces of material culture uncovered through archaeological research are carriers of ideas that complete the picture of a past reality.

Review of Jan Kypta, Jiří Marounek, Teréní stopy obléhání hradů w husitském století (Terrain Traces of the Besiegers’ Activities in the Vicinity of Czech and Moravia Castles in the Late Middle Ages). Praha 2022, pp. 295, published by Národní Památkový Ústav

Piotr Strzyż — 2024-12-31

Review of book

The "Art of Defence. The Use, Craftmanship, Decoration and Symbolism of Defensive Equipment from the Late Roman Age to the Early Post-Medieval Period” – the 15th Edition of the Professor Andrzej Nadolski International Arms and Armour Colloquium in Sanok (2024)

Piotr Kotowicz — 2024-12-31

Conference report.

Roast It and Save the Juice! Medieval Ceramic Dripping Pots from Gdańsk

Joanna Dąbal — 2024-12-31

Many aspects of medieval cuisine may be identified through material sources discovered during the archaeological investigations, one of which is the use of spit-roasting equipment, particularly ceramic dripping pots. The paper presents the largest collection of such finds, comprising 133 artefacts from Gdańsk discovered during excavations carried out at 3 Maja and Sukiennicza Streets. Although some examples from this city have already been mentioned in literature, they have never been studied in a wider context.

Early Meissen Coffee and Tea Sets in the Collections of the Museum of Warsaw – Introductory Remarks

Ewelina Więcek-Bonowska — 2024-12-31

The 18^th century was a period of intensive cultural changes in Europe. For Poland, this was the beginning of the reign of a new dynasty – the Wettins. As a lover of art and collector of Far Eastern porcelain, the first king of this dynasty, August II, led to the establishment of the first European porcelain factory in 1710 in Saxon Meissen. Early Meissen products include coffee and tea sets as an expression of socio-cultural changes related to changes in culinary habits. The work aims to present early Meissen products as evidence of the rapid development of consumption of new beverages, as well as to announce the interesting phenomenon of the occurrence of a relatively large number of vessels from early manufacturing activities in Warsaw, which will be confronted with analogies from other cities in present-day Poland.