Przegląd Archeologiczny

Wartość autentyczności w kontakcie z pełnowymiarowymi rekonstrukcjami archeologicznymi

2025-02-18T10:34:47+00:00

The article addresses the issue of authenticity in the context of representations of the past created by archaeology. Starting from the traditional, dominant understanding of authenticity as the originality of monuments that have preserved their original features and form, I discuss alternative approaches to authenticity that focus not on the authenticity of material but on the ways of experiencing the past. Using full-scale open-air archaeological reconstructions as an example, I focus on the authenticity of relationships with the past that are created through copies, replicas, or re-enactments of life in prehistoric times. I argue that both original artefacts and archaeological sites, as well as their reconstructions, can carry values, including the value of authenticity, although understood in different ways. I also highlight the need for a deeper reflection on the concept of authenticity and its value in the context of contemporary archaeological practice, particularly in activities aimed at popularizing knowledge of the past among people outside this discipline.

„Jak po egipskich piaskach piramidy, po obszernych stepach usadzone mogiły”. Adama Naruszewicza starożytnicze obserwacje z podróży przez ziemie ukrainne w roku 1787

2024-11-27T10:46:03+00:00

Adam Naruszewicz (1733–1796) is considered the father of critical historiography in Poland. His most important work in this respect was the multi-volume History of the Polish Nation, the first volume of which, dealing with the prehistoric era, was published after the author’s death (1824). It is of interest to scholars of the history of archaeology in Poland, who also point to some other works of Naruszewicz where archaeological themes appear. However, until now, no attention has been paid in this respect to the Diary of the journey of king Stanislaus Augustus to Ukraine and other Crown lands in 1787, which contains an extensive passage devoted to barrows preserved in the Ukrainian steppes. It attempts to explain their origins or their connection to specific historical circumstances by referring to the testimony of ancient authors (including those from the Byzantine world). The author of the Diary of the journey of king Stanislaus Augustus… is not unaware that some of the impressive graves scattered across the steppe may be of later origin (from the Middle Ages or even modern times) and may be the result of long-lasting battles in these lands. In his description, Adam Naruszewicz also refers to local tradition, including folk accounts, which provides material of interest not only to the archaeologist or historian but also to the ethnographer. As part of the following article, the 1787 account has been selectively commented on – in the hope that it will not be overlooked when attempting to cover in more detail the origins of archaeological interest in domestic writing in the future.

Historia archeologii podwodnej w Polsce do 1990 roku

2025-03-17T13:27:36+00:00

The focus of this article is to introduce the history of underwater archaeology in Poland until 1990. The chosen caesura corresponds to the profound systemic changes after the fall of communism in 1989. Tracing the history of underwater archaeology shows how the research methods of this subdiscipline has changed over six decades. Underwater archaeology has evolved from an amateur activity to a science with developed methods and methodology. In addition, the turbulent history shows the impact of acute historical events on the researchers' fate, including how deep a mark was left on scientists by World War II and the subsequent communist period. Scientific centres in Szczecin, Warsaw, Gdansk and Torun played an essential role in developing underwater archaeology in Poland. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, some centres of underwater archaeology in Poland had developed, and some had halted their activities. Despite many challenges and problems, underwater research has experienced dynamic growth and still holds an important place alongside other historical sciences.

Wczesnośredniowieczne grody z pogranicza śląsko-wielkopolskiego w dyskursie archeologicznym w drugiej połowie XX w. Wprowadzenie do problematyki

2025-10-30T13:20:44+00:00

In this article, the author analyses the beginnings of the discourse on early medieval strongholds from the Silesian–Greater Poland border that was conducted in the second half of the 20th century. It approaches the different understandings of the word discourse in the humanities or in sociology and addresses the question of who led the discourse on a given topic and why, who participated in it and to whom it was directed. The essence of discourse is not only the content that is spoken, but also how it is constructed and what meanings are included and communicated to the researchers. The text discusses the views of researchers who were important in shaping the knowledge of early medieval fortresses located in the area examined.

W pełnym rynsztunku w zaświaty? Problem występowania elementów broni ochronnej na wczesnośredniowiecznych cmentarzyskach z terenu ziem polskich

2025-01-22T09:24:08+00:00

In contrast to offensive weapons, swords, spears, axes etc., elements of defensive weapons are a category of armaments very rarely recorded in early medieval cemeteries from Polish lands. Sometimes, including some finds in this category may even raise doubts (due to the difficulty of correctly identifying their military purpose). Therefore, the phenomenon of burying the dead with such items is difficult to assess unequivocally. This issue is discussed in this paper on the basis of the information available in the literature on the remains of chainmail (Dziekanowice, Giecz, Kałdus, Ostrowąż, Iwno) and shields (Dziekanowice, Kałdus, Lewino, Turowo, Żukowo) from cemeteries. One helmet (Silniczka) completes the collection, although its connection to the burial site is uncertain. The low frequency of defensive weapons in graves may have been influenced by various factors, resulting from the need for selection, giving preference to certain categories of weapons over others. Perhaps the custom of burying the dead in mail, helmets and with shields in the area in question did not take root or its reception was low. This may have been compounded by the high material value of the weapons that may have completely ruled out their ritual use as post-mortem equipment or otherwise limited this possibility, for example the inclusion of a small fragment of chainmail as an amulet (or on a pars pro toto basis). Another problem is the identification of certain pieces of weaponry due to their state of preservation.

Wczesnośredniowieczne naczynia z podciętym brzegiem z obszaru Środkowego Nadodrza. Problem chronologii oraz związku z genezą naczyń typu Feldberg

2024-07-08T09:10:25+00:00

In the area of the Middle Odra basin in the 7th and 8th centuries, among the ceramic finds characteristic of the older phases of the early Middle Ages (Sukow-type pottery) there are fragments that are elements of vessels with an undercut rim. This specific type of vessels was first pointed out almost 30 years ago by Edward Dąbrowski. Nowadays it is possible to distinguish two groups of these vessels: the first group includes specimens made without the use of the potter's wheel, the undercut is not exact and the edges belong to simple forms. The second group consists specimens made with the potter's wheel with clearly marked undercuts and strongly developed edges. The common feature is the lack of decoration and the forms, which correspond to types C1, C2 and C3 according to the local typology. In addition, vessels classified in the first group are mainly found in the 7th century, while those in the second group are found in the 8th and disappear in the early 9th century. This paper characterises the fragments of vessels with an undercut rim both in terms of territorial distribution and chronology, as well as possible relationships with Feldberg-type pottery.

Obecność koni w grodzie wrocławskim. Możliwości i problemy interpretacyjne

2024-11-25T10:19:18+00:00

This article addresses the problem of equine presence in the Wrocław stronghold. In order to identify places where horses were possibly kept, all finds associated with these animals were taken into account: remains of hair, bones, horseshoes and horseshoe nails, spurs, elements of harnesses, etc. Based on the spatial distribution of these accessories, buildings were identified in which equines could have been kept. The presence of horses was also noted in the streets and empty squares, as well as within a larger enclosure located near the cathedral. An attempt was also made to identify the space inhabited by the riders. These issues are presented in the context of changes in the sociotopography and overall development of the Wrocław stronghold between the second half of the 10th century and the mid-13th century.

Sieć grodowa w dorzeczu Świdra? Wstęp do badań nad organizacją terytorialną wschodniej części średniowiecznej Ziemi Czerskiej

2024-10-07T09:16:21+00:00

The current state of knowledge about medieval strongholds in the Świder basin has been verified in the course of research on the settlement of the south-eastern frontier of Mazovia. In addition to four such sites discovered during the field prospection made as a part of the Polish Archaeological Record (AZP) Project, the location of the previously undiscovered stronghold in Starogród, Mińsk Mazowiecki district was established, and onomastic traces of two others have been identified. The article presents preliminary data on a previously unknown chain of fortifications, which may be a trace of the internal territorial divisions, of the eastern part of medieval Czersk Land, previously little known to archaeologists.

Dwór na kopcu w Lipinkach, pow. wschowski. Siedziba rycerska na pograniczu Śląska i Wielkopolski

2025-04-01T11:12:03+00:00

The article presents the results of archaeological and historical research on a small knight's residence from the village of Lipinki located in the eastern part of the former Duchy of Głogów. The excavations were prompted by the maintenance of the site by its new owner. The manor house had not been excavated before, and its chronology had been determined on the basis of formal criteria, classifying it as a late medieval motte-type settlement. The remains of this defensive-residential complex are situated in the south-western part of the village, about 200 metres west of its built-up area. The structure was built on a low natural hill, originally surrounded on three sides by marshy meadows and situated between two small watercourses, which were converted into drainage ditches in the period between the two World Wars. The main element of the complex is a mound, almost circular in shape, with a diameter of approximately 45 metres at the base, 32 metres at the top and a height of 2.5 metres. The mound is surrounded by a wet ditch 6 to 8 metres wide. Despite the limited scale of the excavations, cultural layers and features associated with two main phases of settlement were uncovered. The first phase was associated with a defensive residence built on the natural rise, surrounded by wetlands and a moat. Wood samples taken from the wooden reinforcements at the base of the mound and along the edge of the moat indicated that the manor was built in the 1430s. During the second phase of the occupation, which dates from the second half of the 16th century to the 18th century, a new manor house was built on the site of the earlier residence. At this time, a new mound of sand and clay was constructed and two brick buildings were built on its plateau: a main dwelling in the central part and an outbuilding near the north-eastern edge. The excavations have yielded numerous small finds related to the daily life of the manor’s inhabitants, including ceramic vessels, fragments of wooden bowls,, weaponry elements, and household equipment, such as stove tiles, nails, and building fittings.

Pre-Columbian weaving toolsets from the San Francisco cemetery in the Yauca valley on the Peruvian southern coast

2024-12-12T11:49:43+00:00

Weaving is undoubtedly a hallmark of the Pre-Columbian societies that occupied the Andean region, reflected in the varied roles of textiles based on their characteristics as objects for clothing, funeral offerings, and vehicles for the transmission of ideas, ethnic differentiation or status indicators. Many textiles excavated in Peru – deposited without access of humidity, light, and oxygen – are still in excellent condition. Analyses of specimens of weaving from the archaeological sites in the Yauca Valley confirm a relatively high level of textile production and the proficiency of local craftsmen. The paper discusses the results of analyses of the weaving workbaskets and their equipment – sometimes precisely crafted and elaborately decorated – belonging to the textile manufacturers buried within the San Francisco cemetery (Caravelí Province) in the Yauca Valley. Although often colloquially referred to as weavers’ workbaskets, the materials and implements found within them are also associated with other stages of textile production, such as spinning, sewing, and embroidery. Radiocarbon dating allowed determination of the chronology of these materials to the 15^th and 16^thcenturies, i.e. the Late Horizon in the Central Andean chronology.

Materialność akcji 1005 – przykład zacierania śladów niemieckich, masowych zbrodni w Lesie Szpęgawskim

2025-06-23T10:19:30+00:00

During the first months of the Second World War in the Pomeranian Voivodeship (and Kuyavia), the Germans murdered – as can only be generally estimated – about 20,000-30,000 citizens of the Second Polish Republic. The bodies of the victims were usually buried in mass graves. This was the first example of German genocide committed in the years 1939-1945. In the second half of 1944, the bodies of the victims were exhumed from about 30 execution sites and then burned in order to cover up the traces of the crime (Aktion 1005). This article emphasizes the key role of archaeological research in the context of documenting and studying the traces of mass crimes. Despite the mass scale of the atrocity in the autumn of 1939 and the c. 400 execution sites known, they were have been the subject of research primarily by professional historians and local historians. The project “Archaeology of the Pomeranian Crime of 1939” is the first attempt at a new, archaeological (and in fact interdisciplinary) look at the legacy of the events of autumn 1939 and their concealment at the end of 1944. The results of research in the Szpęgawsk Forest are presented as a case study. This was one of the largest and most important places of execution from the initial period of the Second World War in Gdańsk Pomerania, where the Germans destroyed mass graves as part of Aktion 1005.

Stan i potrzeby badań nad zamkami w Polsce i krajach sąsiednich. Uwagi umiarkowanego optymisty

2025-05-20T21:39:21+00:00

Karol Bykowski (17 października 1949 – 29 grudnia 2024)

2025-05-19T20:52:10+00:00

Prof. dr hab. Michał Kobusiewicz (8 października 1939 – 21 października 2024)

2025-07-03T09:57:55+00:00

Prof. dr hab. Zenon Woźniak (29 listopada 1931 – 3 lutego 2025)

2025-06-01T15:15:18+00:00

Arkadiusz Marciniak, Anna I. Zalewska, Dorota Cyngot, Stanisław Iwaniszewski, Hanna Kowalewska- Marszałek, Franciszek M. Stępniowski (red.), Leksykon terminów archeologicznych. Kraków 2024: Universitas, ss. 648. ISBN 978-83-242-4109-5

2025-04-22T17:27:52+00:00

Anna Józefowska, Krzysztof Nowaczyk, Lubomiła Nowaczyk, Marek Anioła, Agnieszka Zarzycka- Anioła, Cmentarzysko z epoki brązu w Domasławiu 10/11/12 i Chrzanowie 4, pow. wrocławski. Tom IV. Wydawnictwo Profil-Archeo. Wrocław-Pękowice 2024, ss. 413, ISBN: 978-83-66579-36-1

2025-06-10T18:33:51+00:00