Sprawozdania Archeologiczne

The Early Holocene flora of the southern part of the Western Desert of Egypt

Maria Lityńska-Zając — 2024-12-17

The article summarises archaeobotanical data and discusses the importance of plant remains for the reconstruction of ancient flora and vegetation during the development of Neolithic settlements in the southern zone of the Western Desert of Egypt. Such an attempt is possible thanks to archaeological and botanical research carried out there for many years. These studies have led to the identification of numerous plant remains that were found at different sites inhabited by nomadic tribes in various humid interphases of the Holocene. The recognised subfossil flora includes at least 52 taxa. Archaeobotanical assemblages from individual sites are neither very diverse in plant species nor abundant in plant remains. The exception is Site E-75-6 at Nabta Playa, which yielded exceptionally rich plant material. The most favourable period for the development of flora, vegetation and settlement occurred during the Holocene Climatic Optimum, correlated with the El Nabta and Al Jerar settlement phases. This period was characterised by a relatively rich flora that grew in various habitats in the vicinity of the former settlements.

Technology and raw material analysis of Linear Pottery culture ceramics from the Eastern Carpathians, Romania

Anna Rauba-Bukowska — 2024-12-17

Only a few Neolithic settlements attributed to the Linear Pottery culture 5100-4850 cal. BC) are known from the Sub-Carpathian area of Eastern Romania. From the Neamţ Depression, settlements were known from Târpeşti and recently from Topoliţa. The aim of the presented analyses was to determine data regarding ceramic technology at the Topoliţa site and to compare it with LBK ceramic technology in neighbouring areas. It was found that ceramic production patterns at Topoliţa were similar to those at nearby LBK sites in Romania and even to pottery from southeastern Poland. However, the selection of raw materials varied. At Topoliţa, only one type of raw material was used, while the nearest site at Târpeşti employed several different raw materials. These differences underscore the importance of local environmental factors in understanding ceramic production practices. The technological similarities between Topoliţa and Poland suggest that knowledge and practices were transmitted through cultural interactions and long-distance exchange networks.

14C-based absolute chronology of the Malice culture reassessed

Tomasz J. Chmielewski — 2024-12-17

This article addresses the absolute chronology of the Malice culture. It presents a Bayesian modelling based on an elementary assessment of accuracy and precision of all the relevant 14C age measurements. Thanks to the preliminary qualitative evaluation, the newly built models are of higher statistical agreement than previous ones. Based on the refined models, the Early stylistic phase (Ia) of the Malice culture can be dated to around 4770-4600, the Classic one (Ib) – 4630-4440, Post-Classic one (Ic) – 4460-4390, and the Late one (II) – 4390-4290/4250 BCE. Accordingly, subphase Ia can be synchronised with: phase Polgár-Csőszhalom II, phase Lengyel I and the subphase Stichbandkeramik IVa; subphase Ib with: phases Polgár-Csőszhalom III and Proto-Tiszapolgár, the Santovka phase of the Lengyel culture as well as Stichbandkeramik IVb; Ic subphase with: the Classical phase - Tiszapolgár culture and the Lengyel II phase; phase II with: the late Tiszapolgár/earliest Bodrogkeresztúr culture and the Lengyel III phase.

Violence against memory: communicative strategies of Scythian barrow reuse

Alisa Demina — 2024-12-17

This article provides a diachronic analysis of barrow reuse during the Bronze Age and Scythian times, focusing on a case study from the right bank of the Molochna river basin (North Azov, Ukraine). It compares the successive chronological phases of barrow-building cultures from the Yamna to the Scythian time regarding their spatial arrangement, patterns of secondary burial inclusions, and burial reopenings. The spatial analysis shows that all barrow clusters appeared in this territory during the Yamna phase. In all subsequent phases, barrows continued to be constructed exclusively within these pre-existing clusters. Various types of burial inclusions and mound modifications were typical for all Bronze Age phases. However, while Scythian burials maintained the reuse of predecessor’s barrows, they seldom made secondary burials in contemporary barrows. Simultaneously, the number and scale of burial destructions significantly increased during the Scythian time. This shows a shift in attitudes towards barrows within distant and living memory and their role in communicating inheritance claims.

Methods for studying the raw material of pottery of antiquity (on the example of material from Olbia)

Viktoriia Kotenko — 2024-12-17

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the methodology of researching the potential pottery raw materials of excavated material from the antique polis using the example of Olbia in the North Western Black Sea region. The historiography of the issue is considered and the main methods are defined. It includes fieldwork, laboratory analyses and their interpretation, as well as an experimental component. The discussion is based on the description of the stages of fieldwork, the study of the macromorphological structure of the clay deposits, micromorphological and granulometric analysis of ancient ceramics and experimental products made of potential pottery raw materials. According to the obtained results, it can be said that the population of Olbia used local materials in pottery making, although their characteristics are specific for the preparation of the clay mass. A comprehensive study confirmed the ability to find out the raw material base of the ancient polis and the possibility of its application at other sites.

A New Early Holocene site in Ujście. A preliminary report on the Mesolithic settlement of the Middle Noteć Valley

Jakub Mugaj — 2024-12-17

The paper present the newly registered early Mesolithic Ujście Site 37 located on the edge of Toruń-Eberswalde ice-marginal valley. Inferring from techno-typological analysis of collected lithic materials, the site consists of two settlement horizons of Preboreal/Boreal chronology: the older related to the Duvensee/Komornica complex and the younger correlated with the Maglemosian complex. The chronological sequence is comparable with that known from the adjacent sites Krzyż Wielkopolski 7 and Żuławka 13. The paper presents the results of preliminary studies of Ujście Site 37 and its potential for future research on Mesolithic settlement in Central European Plain.

The “Talysh” type daggers in Ukraine

Danylo Klochko — 2024-12-17

The article presents several daggers from Ukraine that have yet to be interpreted. The available data allows us to connect them to the bladed weapons of the Late Bronze Age Middle East. In addition, new, previously unpublished materials are introduced. The chronology of the spreading of so-called Talysh daggers as far as to the North Pontic Region for approximately half a millennia is reconstructed. Most of these items are unique in terms of geography and technology, so they are vital to studying the Talysh daggers of the Middle East.

Archaeological mapping of the Verteba cave

Mykhailo Sokhatskyi — 2024-12-17

Verteba Cave is an atypical archaeological site of the Cucuteni-Trypillia cultural complex. Based on years of research, a significant amount of information has been generated which has not yet been spatially represented. The main issue was the lack of a professional topographic map for the site. This article discusses the first attempt to create an archaeological map of the cave. It describes the methodological and practical process of mapping archaeological features both inside the cave and on the surface above the cave. A technological scheme for mapping using laser scanning of the cave’s interior is presented. The results of this work have provided new insights into the chronological periods of the cave’s occupation and its functional use.

Funnel Beaker Culture settlement in Jasienica Sufczyńska Site 5 as an example of the eneolithic colonisation of the Przemyśl Foothills (Western Carpathians, SE Poland)

Dariusz Król — 2024-12-17

Until now, the question of the Eneolithic settlement of the Funnel Beaker Culture in the 4th millennium BC in the area of the Przemyśl Foothills (Western Carpathians, SE Poland) has not been studied in detail. This was due to the relatively limited state of the sources, which were mainly collected during field surveys. These investigations resulted in the discovery of a relevant settlement in Jasienica Sufczyńska Site 5. The various artefacts collected from its surface have been used to formulate puzzling hypotheses concerning the chronology and the relations of its inhabitants with outer territories. It has been, for instance, suggested that it may have developed earlier than 3700/3650 BC (or even about 3800-3700 BC). These intriguing opinions were the main reason for the excavations carried out in 2017. This invasive research has provided new data about the nature of the settlement. They revealed pottery and stone materials, and the remains of several features. In this paper, we present the results of macro- and microscopic analyses of these materials and discuss them in the context of the current state of research on the Funnel Beaker Culture in the Przemyśl Foothills and adjacent areas. Based on newly collected data, it is debatable whether to date this settlement can be dated as early as previously thought.

Eneolithic grave with vessels of the so-called milk jug type from Zakrzowiec, site 7, Wieliczka district, Lesser Poland

Agnieszka Brzeska-Zastawna — 2024-12-17

In 2005, during rescue archaeological excavations preceding the building of the A-4 motorway, at site no. 7 in Zakrzowiec, Wieliczka district, an object interpreted as a grave of the Wyciąże-Złotniki group of the Lengyel-Polgár complex was discovered. A human skeleton has not been preserved. The grave furnishings consisted of two amphorae of the “milk jug” type (German term: milchtopf, Hungarian term: tejesköcsög). Vessels of this type belong to the basic taxonomic distinction of the Wyciąże-Złotniki group and are known from both graves and settlement sites. One of the vessels from the grave in Zakrzowiec has a unique decoration in the form of Scheibenhenkel type handles and a circumferential zigzag pattern formed of short engraved lines. This is the first such decoration on “milk jug” type amphorae known from the Lesser Poland region.

Vynnyky—Lysivka, district Lviv. Comparison of the results of archaeological and geomagnetic research

Andrii Hawinskyi — 2024-12-17

Archaeological research in 2023 at the Vynnyky-Lysivka site provided the basis for interpreting the results of geomagnetic work carried out in 2017. The excavations in 2016 resulted in the discovery of clusters of fired clay daub fragments, constituting the remains of the Funnel Beaker Culture household. It was assumed that noninvasive research would show the locations of other such features. However, the results of geomagnetic surveys were difficult to interpret- just like in Gordineşti II-Stînca goală. In the course of the investigation, numerous anomalies were identified, mainly of a dipole nature and less numerous point-positive anomalies. A very weak source of anomalies turned out to be a clearly visible Eneolithic ditch cutting of the Funnel Beaker Culture settlement. The discovery in 2023 in the central part of the Vynnyky-Lysivka settlement of a cluster of pits in the place where anomalies were distinguished in non-invasive studies provided the basis for a reinterpretation of geomagnetic surveys.

An axe Head from a Przeworsk Culture Settlement in Janowiec or Pictures from the Life of European Barbaricum Warriors

Bartosz Kontny — 2024-12-17

The paper presents a stray find of an axe head from the Przeworsk culture settlement at Janowiec. It is a medium weight head attributed to sub-Group II.2 after B. Kontny (2018), dated generally to the Roman Period (Phases B2-C1a). Its shape does not allow the function to be determined univocally. Most probably it was a multifunctional tool. The aforementioned axes were used mainly in the Balt milieu, but they were also known but rather not used as weapons in the Przeworsk culture. Single finds from northern Europe may be explained by the participation of the Balt warriors in the military events at these areas. One may consider the possibility that the axes and some other parts of the military equipment became commonly used thanks to multi-ethnic military expeditions and the migrations with a military background connected, among other things, with the crisis of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century.

A barrow of the Wielbark culture at Leśnictwo Wilczy Jar Site 2 in the Białowieża Forest – new data on Roman Period settlement in the Upper Narew and Middle Bug interfluve

Dariusz Krasnodębski — 2024-12-17

For many years, the Białowieża Forest has been one of the archaeologically least known areas of present-day Poland. Although the first excavations there were carried out as early as 1917-1918, until recently, knowledge of the prehistoric and Early Medieval settlement in the region has been negligible. Thanks to surface surveys and excavations undertaken at the beginning of the 21st century, it has so far been possible to record more than 600 archaeological sites in the Białowieża Forest. The great potential of this best-preserved lowland natural forest in Central Europe is evidenced, among other things, by the results of excavations carried out at Leśnictwo Wilczy Jar, Site 2. A barrow of the Wielbark culture, which is the first grave of its kind located so far to the east, was investigated there. Despite the limited scope of excavation of the mound, it is a significant contribution to the knowledge of the Roman Period in the Upper Narew and Middle Bug interfluve.

New deposit of the early medieval Axe-Like Iron Bars from settlement at Brzesko, site 16-17, Lesser Poland Voievodship

Bartłomiej Sz. Szmoniewski — 2024-12-17

The article discusses the rare find of a deposit of 38 ax-like iron bars from Brzesko, Site 16-17 (Lesser Poland Voivodedship). Each of them was forged out of iron in the form of an oblong axe with a short blade. Lugs on a part of the items form cups. The characteristic shape of the preserved fragments allows for including them in the type of Lesser Poland bars, also called Vistula’s bars. These items differ from the Greater Moravian type known from territories south of the Carpathian Mountains. They were discovered in feature 286. In the fill, only a few pottery fragments have been found. In light of the analogy of rims and analogous finds from Lesser Poland and Great Moravia, this complex can be dated to the period between the mid-9th century and the beginning of the 10th century, or its first half.

Wind from the South? Mace head from Surowica in the light of formal and metallurgical analysis

Arkadiusz Michalak — 2024-12-17

A mace head with a socket was incidentally discovered in 2020 in the locality of Surowica in the Podkarpackien Voivodeship. On the basis of analogies, it can be dated to the 14th century. These analogies also indicated that the artefact was in all probability manufactured in the territory of the Kingdom of Hungary. Metallurgical analyses demonstrated that the mace head was cast of copper with natural admixtures by using the lost wax method. Regrettably, the present state of knowledge does not allow an exact identification of the places of the manufacture of such artefacts.

New medieval sun compasses? The problem of the function of stone disks from southern Rus’

Olena Veremeychyk — 2024-12-17

The article explores stone disks discovered at medieval sites in Rus’. A total of eight pyrophyllite slate objects, sourced from outcrops near Ovruch (Ukraine), were analysed. These disks have been previously interpreted as various items, including calendars, craft tools such as needle sharpeners and polishing stones, as well as components of hand-operated bow drills. Through measurements and surface analysis, three stone disks (Kyiv, Listven, Liubech) exhibit similarities to Vikings’ sun compasses, with a limited number of examples found in Greenland and the Baltic Sea region. The analysed objects were dated to the period between the late 12th and mid-13th centuries. The origin of the raw material suggests local manufacturing. At the same time, the form and function may have been influenced by Scandinavian traders and sailors, aligning with the presence of these disks along rivers within the trade route ‘from the Varangians to the Greeks.’ Further studies and archaeological experiments are necessary to confirm whether these disks had a practical navigational purpose.

Fortified strongpoint of the Russian Army from the 1914 offensive on Kraków at Raciborowice- Prawda, Site 3, Kraków District (S. Poland)

Jakub M. Niebylski — 2024-12-17

The paper discusses a previously unknown earthwork of a fortification of the First World War found in the investigation of a barrow at Site 3 in Prawda in Raciborowice (Kraków district). The discovery consisted of a fortified strongpoint for all around defence enclosing the top of the barrow. It was built by the Russian troops during the offensive on Kraków from November to December 1914, after the strategic retreat of the Austro-Hungarian army towards the south, under the cover of the fortress artillery, ending the Battle of Kraków. The paper fills the gap in knowledge about the combat taking place between the Battle of Kraków and the battles on the right bank of the Vistula River, enabling the reconstruction of those events and giving insight into the material culture of the soldiers participating in them.

Sarunas Milisauskas (1936 – 2024)

Janusz Kruk — 2024-12-17

"Ekshumacje polityczne: teoria i praktyka” edited by Alexandra Staniewska and Ewa Domańska – a review

Paulina Żelazko — 2024-12-17

This paper reviews the book "Ekshumacje polityczne: teoria i praktyka" edited by Alexandra Staniewska and Ewa Domańska. This monumental work, published in 2023, is an attempt to compile texts from various authors: anthropologists, literary historians, archaeologists, and geographers. Such a broad approach to the issue allows for examining political exhumations from different perspectives.

Ewa Domańska advocates for the creation of a new research method – the so-called "bones as method." She argues that research on remains should be transdisciplinary and hybrid. "Ekshumacje polityczne" serves as evidence that she is correct.