Sprawozdania Archeologiczne

Jolanta Małecka-Kukawka

Grzegorz Osipowicz, Justyna Orłowska — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Kazimierz Żurowski (1909–1987): life and work in Lviv till 1945

Natalia Bulyk — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Lviv stage of life and scientific activity of the famous Polish archaeologist Kazimierz Żurowski is covered in this article. Based on documents preserved in the Lviv region State Archive and private archival collections, his studies at the Department of Prehistory of the Jan Kazimierz University of Lviv, the first archaeological research, site protection documentation, and conservator’s reports on the work done are examined. Special attention is paid to the topic of scientific research conducted in his Lviv period and the influence of Lviv on the further scientific life of the archaeologist. Studies and cooperation with such famous archaeologists as Leon Kozłowski, Tadeusz Sulimirski, and Markiyan Smishko, who played an important role in the development of K. Żurowski as an archaeologist, seem to be important. A particular place in the article is given to photos from excavations conducted by K. Żurowski and his scientific travels, which are introduced into the scientific literature for the first
time.

The beginnings of Polish archaeological museums in the 19th century

Marzena Woźny — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The first Polish archaeological museums or those with archaeological departments – institutions dealing with
gathering collections, conducting research, organizing exhibitions and publishing works devoted to archaeology, as it was understood at that time – began to be established in the mid-19th century. They were created by scientific societies or on the initiative of private individuals. They were: the Museum of Antiquities of the Kraków Scientific Society, the Museum of Antiquities in Vilnius, the Museum of Polish and Slavic Antiquities in the Grand Duchy of Poznań, the Museum of the Toruń Scientific Society, the Museum of the Lubomirski Princes in Lviv and the Dzieduszycki Natural History Museum in Lviv. The article discusses the beginnings of Polish archaeological museums, their creation, the scope and shape of the collections, methods of obtaining artefacts, the headquarters and the further fate of these institutions.

Combining experiment and ethnoarchaeology to differentiate the surface conditions of animal hides

Sylvie Beyries, Cristina De Stefanis, Eugénie Gauvrit Roux — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

There is a wide range of technical processes involved in working animal skins, depending on the environment, the size of the skins and the purpose of the work (clothing, tent covers, etc.). The archaeological tools and their shape, weight, and use-wear are often the only evidence of these technical processes. Their understanding requires an experimental approach combined with ethnoarchaeological data to establish protocols allowing processes compatible with the type of skin to be treated and carry out the correct gestures at each stage of the process. This study, dedicated to the processing of very large hides, presents the experimental replication of the production process of moose hides observed in Canada (B.C.) in an Athaspakan group. The functional analysis of the experimental tools allows identifying different wear patterns corresponding to different surface conditions of animal hides; each of them having particular implications for the interpretation of the archaeological record.

Value, significance and use of 'exotic' materials – in the light of the presence of obsidian on Neolithic sites in Poland

Dagmara H. Werra, Marcin Szeliga, Katarzyna Pyżewicz, Pavel Burgert — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

At Neolithic archaeological sites in Poland, obsidian stands out as the most common ‘exotic’ raw material. There
are over several hundred Neolithic sites where artefacts made from this raw material have been recovered. Given the absence of natural obsidian outcrops in Poland, it is evident that these artefacts were imported to the sites through various means, such as direct procurement or exchanges.
One of the most extensive collections was found at Opatów, representing the Samborzec-Opatów group of the Late Neolithic. This collection forms the core of our discussion, in which we aim to explore the economic systems involved in the acquisition of obsidian. Results obtained from our analyses (technological, morphological, and traceological) constitute the foundation for considering various hypotheses regarding the significance and value of ‘exotic’ materials for Neolithic communities.

Traceology of metalwork - limitations and new perspectives

Kamil Nowak, Dawid Sych — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The article focuses on the traceology of metalwork, its methodological limitations, and new research perspectives. In the text, we explain what studies on traces on metals entail and how they are characterized. We provide examples from both Poland and other regions of Europe. We highlight possible directions for the development of the method as well as factors that hinder it.

Grinding Installations in Pre- and Protohistoric Eurasia

Ana Tetruashvili — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The paper investigates grinding installations found across diverse archaeological sites in Eurasia, spanning from the Neolithic (10000-8800 BCE) to the Early Roman period (2nd century BC) in regions such as Georgia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Israel, and Moldova. The study employs typological, traceological, experimental and comparative analyses. A significant focus is on the interdisciplinary examination of an installation at Grakliani Gora, representing the first comprehensive study within Georgia’s territory.

This study aims to fill knowledge gaps regarding the origin, types, and functions of grinding installations found at archaeological sites like Gesher, Ulucak H.yük, Varvarovka VIII, Branzeni III, Kodzadermen, Liga, Ilipinar, Shiqmim, Tel Rehov, Grakliani Gora, Tsikhiagora, and Dedoplis Gora. Notable shared characteristics include indoor placement, using clay in platform construction, surrounding walls to contain scattered flour and the incorporation of side recesses for the material being ground or the produced flour. These installations were constructed to enhance the efficacy of working devices, increase flour yield, and minimize physical strain during daily activities.

On the polysemic nature of traces and co-occurring patterns in anthropized material — contribution of a “Retoucher” with a flaked bone aspect from Roc-en-Pail (France)

Éva David — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This article presents a new archaeological material to discuss methodological issues encountered by scientists working both on minimally-modified bones from Mousterian assemblages, to those dealing with the identification of “retouchers” having a flaked bone aspect. The technological approach integrates complementary analytical study-frames in order to assess archaeological information. On the one hand, analogies with similar experimentally produced patterns reduce the functional identification of the archaeological specimen. They do not deal with a single artefact-type in the category of “retouchers”, which thus remains generic. On the other hand, the recording of the patterns in their chronological order, combined together with that of modifications relative to the diagenesis of the bone as an artefact, suggests the “retoucher” was reduced in a relatively fresh state by a carnivorous predator also. The evidence of this co-occurrence, if characterizing the successive anthropic-originated bone beds ultimately degraded by predators in situ, would suggest a relatively short period of human occupation generated by the use of the site in a singular cyclical conception “prey-hunter-predator” at regional scale.

Andrzej Pelisiak (rec.) Janusz Kruk, Tomasz Oberc, Kathryn M. Hudson and Sarunas Milisauskas, Neolithic Flint Technology at Bronocic (4th millennium BC). Kraków, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology. Polish Academy of Sciences, 314 pages, 33 tables, 55

Andrzej Pelisiak — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Magdalenian site Kleszczowa 9, Pilica commune, Silesian voivodship (Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, Poland). Multi-aspectual analysis of the flint inventory and the importance of the site

Magdalena Sudoł-Procyk, Grzegorz Osipowicz, Kacper Baranowski — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The site no. 9 in Kleszczowa is located within the region of the so-called Barańskie Mountains, within a distance of ca. 7 km from the locality named Pilica, Silesian voiv. In the course of the field survey and trial excavations conducted in the area of the site since 2012 relics of the Late Palaeolithic settlement were discovered. Based on technological and typological traits flint inventory obtained from the site was classified as typical of the Magdalenian cultural tradition.

Distinctive groups of artefacts were single-platform cores for blades with changed orientation, at various stages of exploitation and blade blanks with diagnostic en éperon butts. Amongst tools there were recorded mainly burins, endscrapers, perforators and truncated blades. Raw materials used for production of artefacts were, in great majority, high quality Jurassic flints, the outcrops of which occurred within direct surroundings of the site.

Flint assemblage from the site Kleszczowa 9 was subjected to multi-aspect technological and functional analysis. In this paper the authors would like to stress the results of use-wear analysis, in particular, which revealed that nearly half of the artefacts investigated in this respect bore traces of utilisation for processing of wood, meat and hide. On few of them there were detected traces indicating processing of silica plants and elaboration of soaked bone. Moreover, many forms bore traces of hafting and organic substance, being most likely relics of some sort of a binder. Apart from these traces the artefacts under scrutiny were characterised by an extremely high degree of post-depositional destruction, resulting from deep ploughing employed within the area of the site.

The results of analysis performed for flint assemblage from the site Kleszczowa 9 correspond well with the current state-of-the-art referring to utilisation of tools by the Magdalenian societies, and they undoubtedly extend our knowledge upon behaviour of humans at the decline of the Pleistocene in the region of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland.

Biographies of Swiderian blades – various examples from the Polish territory

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The article discusses the use of unretouched blades by Swiderian societies. To answer the question regarding the function of the artefacts, we analysed macroscopically and microscopically selected blades from five sites: Kołomań, Kielce district, Świętokrzyskie voivodship, Sulejówek Site 4, Mińsk district, Mazowieckie voivodship, Kochlew Site 1, Krzeczów Site 2 and Troniny Site 5, Wieluń district, Łódzkie voivodship. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the unretouched blades, although fulfilling the conditions of being tools, were not used in everyday activities. We can presume that the unretouched blades were usually treated among the Swiderian societies as a waste product, or an element of exchanges or stock.

New data on fossils in the Mesolithic of the Polish Plain

Tomasz Płonka, Marcin Diakowski, Marcin Chłoń, Robert Niedźwiedzki — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Two fossil shark teeth (B1 and B6/2014) were discovered in a cluster of flints excavated in 2014 on the Mesolithic site Wierzchowo 6, in Pomerania, NW Poland. Found a small distance apart the surface of both teeth displays natural modifications. The apex of tooth B1/2014 was broken off after deposition, and on its surface were some marks of trampling and transport. On tooth B6/2014 marks clustered on three surfaces labelled G1-G3. The most apparent striations and irregular points seen on surface G1are interpreted as trampling marks caused by low intensity action of the sand deposit. The occasional occurrence of fossil shark teeth in Quaternary sediments in Poland suggests the specimens from Wierzchowo were brought deliberately to the camp site by Mesolithic settlers. Fossilized shark teeth are recorded in Palaeolithic and Mesolithic sites in Europe and have been used for various practical and symbolic purposes by modern age foragers.

Mesolithic Ulna “daggers” from Dąbki Site 9 – on the track of their function

Justyna Orłowska — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

So-called “bone daggers” made from ulna bones of Cervidae are commonly found at Late Mesolithic hunter-gatherer sites of the western circum-Baltic area. The main objective of this paper is to showcase the results of the technological and functional analysis conducted on three tools found at the Dąbki 9 site in northern Poland. During the traceological analysis, technological traces facilitated the reconstruction of the chaîne opératoire of the tools’ production process. The use-wear also points to the probable function of the artefacts. The results presented in this work are discussed in the context of other artefacts of a similar type known from various prehistoric contexts.

Identifying organic residue on ground stone tools from Mesolithic sandy sites: selected examples from Paliwodzizna 29 in Central Poland

Emanuela Cristiani, Justyna Orłowska, Grzegorz Osipowicz — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

During excavations at the Mesolithic site Paliwodzizna 29 (central Poland), in addition to the flint artefacts typical for this period and region, a collection of 175 non-flint stone artefacts was discovered. This collection included various “macro-lithic tools” displaying visible intentional modifications and usage traces. This observation prompted a preliminary traceological analysis of a selection of tools. The primary goal of the presented research was to assess the possibility of analysing and interpreting use-wear traces and potential residues on these tools. The ultimate aim was to investigate the feasibility of conducting such analyses on macro-lithic tools from the sandy sites of the Polish Lowland dating back to the Mesolithic.

What has the sea taken from us? Cognitive possibilities of studying artefacts from newly-discovered submerged prehistoric sites in Puck Bay (Gulf of Gdańsk, Baltic Sea)

Krzysztof Kurzyk, Grzegorz Osipowicz, Justyna Orłowska, Justyna Kuriga — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The article presents the latest results of research in the area of the Bay of Puck. After the last glaciation, the Bay of Puck was gradually flooded by sea water. As a result, we can expect submerged Stone Age sites in this area. The article discusses the latest results of underwater research in this area and analyses in detail four new underwater sites from this region, including a loose find of a bâton percé from Hel dated to about 7000 BC, a collection of flint artefacts, including a flint dagger and pottery from Late Neolithic/Protobronze Age site on Seagull Sandbar and two antler adzes from Site 23 in Puck. A typological and technological analysis of the artefacts was carried out, including analyses of working traces and radiocarbon dating.

On the issue of functional use of pics during the Early Neolithic: a case study from the LBK site in Wólka Wojnowska (S Poland)

Marcin Szeliga, Grzegorz Osipowicz, Mariusz Bosiak — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Picks are extremely rare artefacts associated with flint inventories of the Linear Band Pottery culture (hereinafter: LBK). Previously, only three such artefacts attributed to this culture have been found in the drainage basins of the Vistula and Oder Rivers. The contexts of discovery of picks dated to slightly later times indicated that they should be linked with mining activities of early agricultural societies. The presented collection from Wólka Wojnowska is one of the most numerous typological series of LBK picks found at a single site within the entire range of the LBK. The results of traceological and chemical SEM-EDX analyses of residues preserved on their surfaces indicate that these tools were used in processing hematite in order to produce ochre. The obtained data considerably broaden the scope of the functions of picks used during the Early Neolithic and allow us to question the interpretation that they were only employed in mining for siliceous materials.

Tracing the Past: Microwear Analysis of Stone and Shell Beads Unearthed in Early Neolithic Burials at Samborzec, Poland

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This paper presents a thorough analysis of ornaments discovered in two Neolithic burials at Samborzec Site 1, providing valuable insights into their origins and significance. The artefacts, retrieved over six decades ago in the burials of a woman and child, have undergone extensive examination, including raw material identification, microwear studies, and the analysis of red residues found on their surfaces. While most of the ornaments concerned were crafted from marble, two beads were identified as Spondylus shells. Chemical analysis of residues, primarily found on the marble ornaments, revealed the presence of cinnabar, a red pigment of foreign origin. The remarkable similarities in ornaments between the investigated burials strongly suggest the association of both with LBK communities. The presented studies offer valuable insights into their object biographies, from the acquisition of raw materials from distant regions through their manufacture, assembly, and prolonged use as personal items. In this context, our research emphasizes their belonging to a shared Neolithic tradition in Europe.

Made of flint, bone and boar’s tusks – burial goods from male grave No. 2 in Świerszczów (Kolonia) 28, Hrubieszów District – attributed to the Malice culture – in the light of traceological analysis

Anna Zakościelna, Grzegorz Osipowicz — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The article presents the results of a traceological analysis conducted on artefacts made of bone, boar’s tusks and flint – the only funerary goods discovered in Grave No. 2 at Świerszczów (Kolonia) Site 28, in which an adult male was buried. Despite the lack of pottery vessels that could indicate cultural affiliation, the grave is attributed to the Rzeszów phase of the Malice culture, i.e., the final, Eneolithic, stage of that culture. This attribution is based on 14C dating and on the presence in the grave of artefacts made of boar’s tusks and flint burins. Microscopic analysis conducted on the discovered artefacts revealed traces related to their production, use and repair on their surfaces. Most items bear traces indicating their usage in processing soft materials, like siliceous (wild and domesticated) plants and hide. Interestingly, the artefacts with holes for hanging – traditionally regarded as adornments in archaeological literature – were also employed in different activities.

Use-wear studies of the function of prehistoric wooden products, is it really possible? The example of pestles from sites in Šventoji, Lithuania

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The article presents the preliminary results of the traceological analysis of the collection of wooden pestles obtained during excavations of the complex of subneolithic sites in Šventoji in Lithuania. During the studies, an attempt was made to assess the possibility of interpreting the functions of the analysed tools based on the (probably) functional damage visible on them and to verify the hypotheses about the way they were used put forward by the authors of the excavations. The primary goal of the reported research was an attempt to first (preliminary) assess the nature of damage occurring on wooden tools (in this case, pestles) as a result of their use, the possibility of analysing and interpreting these traces (also in the context of post-depositional changes and modifications resulting from the conservation process), and consequently (in general) the possibility of conducting functional analyses of wooden tools dating back to the Stone Age.

Hidden lithic treasures. Research perspectives on museum collections of the Neolithic stone tools

Bernadeta Kufel-Diakowska, Marcin Chłoń, Wojciech Bronowicki, Michał Borowski — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Museum collections contain numerous finds that are considered low-quality data and do not attract the proper attention of researchers. The most common reason is the uncertain context of the finds or lack of other precise identification. The main aim of this paper is to increase the scientific value of so-called stray finds. The collection of the Neolithic stone tools from two museums was subjected to multifaceted analysis combined with detailed archival research. The results allowed us to address two important aspects. At the level of objects, the use of microscopic observations proved the complexity and prolonged use-life of the Neolithic tools. At the cultural level, the re-evaluation of stray finds introduces changes in the range of Neolithic settlements in SW Poland.

Macrolithic retouched blades from Kałdus and Stare Marzy: foreign technology and new ideology in the lithic traditions of the TRB communities in the Lower Vistula region

Kamil Adamczak, Magdalena Sudoł-Procyk — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Over a dozen macrolithic retouched blades or their fragments are known from archaeological sites at Kałdus and Stare Marzy, located in the Lower Vistula region in northern Poland. The context of deposition links these artefacts to the settlements of the younger Funnel Beaker culture, spanning a period of 3650/3500-3300/3100 BC. This article presents and discusses the results of morphological, technological and raw material examinations of the macrolithic retouched blades or their fragments from Kałdus and Stare Marzy and relates them to the lithic industry of the local TRB communities. The results show that the blades were made of high-quality lithic materials sourced from the Polish and Ukrainian Uplands and indicate that their technology is very specific and not rooted in the flintworking traditions of the region. Furthermore, the obtained results suggest that macrolithic retouched blades were charged by the TRB people with a specific function and significance that can be traced beyond the Polish Lowlands.

Old find – new information. Hoard of long flint blades from Wąworków (Sandomierz Upland, Poland)

Piotr Mączyński — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Deposits of flint blades have been found in southern Poland for many years. These finds, although rare, due to their nature have aroused the curiosity of many researchers. One such assemblage, consisting of seven macrolithic chocolate flint blades, was discovered in 1958 in the village of Wąworków, Opatów District. In order to understand the reasons for depositing these lithics in the ground and to uncover all the secrets they conceal, the artefacts were subjected to multidimensional research. In the first phase of the studies aimed at analysing and recording the assemblage, a detailed description of the specimens was made, and raw material, technological, and functional analyses were carried out. Then, on the basis of the collected data, an attempt was made to establish
their age, cultural provenance, and final interpretation.

Organisation of activities in settlements of the southeastern group of the Funnel Beaker Culture. Patterns of use and deposition of lithic artefacts from Zawarża, Site 2, Pińczów commune

Tomasz Oberc — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The aim of the study is to provide an insight in the possible modes of use of space and organization of work within the settlements of the south-eastern group of Funnel Beaker Culture (FBC SE) utilizing framework for integrating use-wear of lithic artefacts and intra-site analyses of their deposition patterns. Those analyses concerns Site 2 in Zawarża, Pińczów commune. Excavations on the site spanned from 1959 to 1963, culminating in the uncovering of 58 ares of the site, which equals approximately 60% of its supposed area. This fact along with already published set of data concerning archaeological remains, and short occupation period make it a nearly ideal candidate for testing new analytical approaches. This study utilizes traces of use recorded on 32 of the 119 flint artefacts, as well as the data on their deposition to identify possible functional areas of the site linked to butchering and related practices and other activities such as production or repairing of tools.

A superb axe-head of G-type flint from the vicinity of Bronocice as a reason to consider the production of macrolithic four-sided tools in the Eneolithic of Lesser Poland

Agnieszka Brzeska-Zastawna, Bernadeta Kufel-Diakowska, Albert Zastawny — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This article presents the study of a unique artefact in the form of a very large trapezoidal axe-head with rectangular section from Słupów, Lesser Poland, against the background of Eneolithic phenomena occurring in the area. The specimen is in the collection of the Archaeological Museum in Kraków since 1929, but has not been discussed until now. It was made by local communities from flint of the G variety, a raw material exploited by Eneolithic groups in western Lesser Poland. The axe-head from Słupów is one of the largest flint axes to have been discovered on Polish lands. This find provokes a broader discussion of the role of local production of macrolithic
four-sided forms against a wider background.

A contribution to research on the knapped lithic assemblage from the Late Neolithic site of Altheim in Lower Bavaria

Andrzej Pelisiak, Thomas Saile, Maciej Dębiec — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The lithic artefacts from Altheim, being regarded as essential for the interpretation of the site, have for a very
long time attracted attention. Here we concentrate on the discoveries made during the excavation of sections of ditches in 2013-2020. Certain earlier observations were confirmed by the latest excavations, namely the high proportion of arrowheads among the flaked stone tools. A large number of the arrowheads were burnt. Many of them have broken tips, and all the analysed arrowheads with broken tips bear diagnostic impact fractures: stepterminating bending fractures or spin-off fractures specifically in the shape of small fractures on the edge between one surface of the arrowhead and the surface of the fracture of the tip. These suggest an angle of impact of the arrow into a hard surface of about 60°-70°. Broken and burnt arrowheads were found in the solid context of the structures. The context suggest that these arrowheads can be connected with conflict.

Red Deer Antler Artefacts from Gordineşti II- ”Stînca goală” and Vynnyky-”Zhupan”: Shape-and-Trace Formation Processes in Natural, Functional and Depositional Contexts

Walenty Pankowski, Małgorzata Rybicka, Joanna Piątkowska Małecka — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The paper scrutinizes the red deer hard tissues from the contexts attributed to the Trypillia Culture’s final phases. Having once been reported elsewhere, the objects under study are this time conceptualized in terms of shape-and trace formation processes, with an eye to incorporating them into research advances under the topic of the late Trypillia transformation, including typological affiliation, radiocarbon dating, archaeoecology, subsistence studies, etc. Particular attention is paid to artefacts that lack the overwhelming power of the tiniest wear marks, but do display extensive topographic features of manufacture and use. The formalized shape-and-trace aspects for the antler artefacts are proposed, which are considered to be suitable rather for a morphological than for a morphographic
systematization of a prehistoric antler assemblage. An interpretative application of the shape-and-trace approach for the sake of clarification of both past currents in morphogenesis of artefacts and praxis of their use is only possible in a systemic context of knowledge about habitats and lifestyles of the past.

Flint arrowheads from the inventories of the Corded Ware culture: morphology and function - on the example grave from Mydłów (Sandomierz Upland)

Jerzy Libera, Piotr Mączyński — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Flint arrowheads are one of the most common artefact types found in funerary materials attributed to the Corded Ware culture. One of the most numerous assemblages was discovered in Mydłów (on the Sandomierz Upland) in 1990. It was composed of 27 arrowheads deposited in Feature 2. In order to better understand the character of this collection, it was re-examined with the use of new findings concerning the most recent research into Corded Ware flint-knapping across Lesser Poland. To obtain new information, the investigation was considerably enriched with microscopic analyses of the surfaces of the artefacts – conducted to identify potential use-wear patterns on them.

Flint arrowhead from a hoard in Papowo Biskupie, Chełmno district: comments on the discussion on the sacral function of lithic artefacts from the turn of the Iron Age

Jacek Gackowski — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The article presents a flint arrowhead from Papowo Biskupie, Chełmno district. Hoards from this place and many loose metal finds are interpreted as votive offerings deposited in the water. Numerous objects made in bronze are accompanied by abundant non-cremated human bones unearthed there. The archaeological site is dated back to a period from about 1000 to 400 BC. A traceological analysis of the flint arrowhead showed that it had never been used, and that it found its way into one of the hoards on purpose as an element of a set of many artefacts that were deposited with in a birch bark container. Therefore, it probably served a purpose similar to that attributed to flint artefacts discovered in Lusatian-culture cremation graves. The provenance of the arrowhead can be determined in the context of Scythian-style ornaments that were reaching Kuyavia and Chełmno Land, as they have been found more and more often in the Lusatian culture in the area of Tarnobrzeg.

Unusual transformations of sickle-shaped knives made of Ożarów flint

Janusz Budziszewski, Katarzyna Pyżewicz — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Three raw materials played the greatest role in the flintworking of the Samborzec group of the Mierzanowice culture. Chocolate flints were used to make small arrowheads, banded flints were used to make bifacial axe blades, sickleshaped knives were made from Ożarów flint. The latter were systematically transformed during their use, changing their shape and size. When the blade reached a length of about 11 cm, it could not be shortened any further. However, it was then also not possible to convert the specimen into some other core tool. For this reason, the conversion of sickle knives into other tools was something of an exception. Among the materials from the Małopolska Upland are only two flat bifacial axes made from fragments of damaged sickle-shaped knives from the Ożarów flint. These will be analysed in detail. The creation of these tools was possible due to unusual damage to the sickle-shaped knife (Samborzec) or was due to difficulties in obtaining good quality flint (Majkowice).

Shifting techniques in perforating animal teeth and metal objects. Some examples from Early Bronze Age contexts

Justyna Baron, Kamil Nowak — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This paper addresses shifting techniques between manufacturing two types of raw materials. On the one hand, they are copper-based alloys that were processed in the Early Bronze Age (c. 2300-1600 BCE) only by a few craftspersons, and, on the other hand, well-known and commonly processed animal hard tissues. At least one technique we observed on the metal objects originates from those of working with animal hard tissues, while the other one can be found in already published evidence. Application of techniques known from bone and antler processing in metallurgy indicates cross-craft communication and learning processes.

Osseous artefacts from the Church of St James in Toruń as a source of information on the production and use of everyday bone objects in Poland from the 14th to the 18th centuries

Krystyna Sulkowska-Tuszyńska, Justyna Orłowska — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The article presents the results of typological and traceological analyses that involved seven objects made of osseous raw materials found around the church of Saint James in Toruń. Owing to technological analysis, it was possible to reconstruct the methods applied for working osseous materials by craftsmen of past times, whereas the analysis of use-wear traces allowed us to formulate conclusions regarding the function of the examined specimens. The objects were compared to other analogous finds in an attempt to recreate the techniques used for making them, the context in which they were used, and the role they could have played in the past.