The adjustability of stone processing techniques to the kind and quality of accessible stone raw ... more The adjustability of stone processing techniques to the kind and quality of accessible stone raw materials is an important factor of Middle Palaeolithic stone tool production. Middle Palaeolithic people mostly exploited local rocks, preferably of good quality, and yet in some sites, even located in flint-rich areas (like the Obłazowa Cave site discussed in the text), Neanderthals used rocks they found elsewhere, alongside locally sourced but quite unusual raw materials. These are rocks that are likely to crack or that are very soft, unsuitable for knapping and for later use as tools. The question that arises is, to what end were these rocks even processed? In the paper, the typological character of those artefacts, prepared from a variety of raw material (high-quality foreign rocks and low-quality local ones), and their place in the chaîne opératoire will be discussed. Studying the subject of Neanderthal raw materials use has brought us a better and fuller understanding of the past ...
Research on the timing of Homo sapiens dispersals in Central Europe is pivotal for understanding ... more Research on the timing of Homo sapiens dispersals in Central Europe is pivotal for understanding the behavioral trajectories of human adaptation to low biomass environments and cold climates. Previous studies on the Early Upper Paleolithic of Poland described a different scenario from the European panorama characterized by the local development of a laminar/lamellar technology from the foregoing Middle Paleolithic and the coexistence of different Aurignacian variants after 35 ka BP. In this paper, we examine this technical diversity by reassessing and revising the chronological and technological information of the key Aurignacian sites in Poland. Our study reveals that the distinctive techno-typological features of the different Aurignacian types are most likely the result of the mixing of artifacts from different chronologies. In our view, Poland was visited intermittently by Homo sapiens since the Early Aurignacian. The deterioration of the climatic conditions during the second ha...
During the many years of excavations in Obłazowa Cave, it has been stated that apart from the mai... more During the many years of excavations in Obłazowa Cave, it has been stated that apart from the main entrance to the cave, at least one more opening must have existed in the past. Excavations in the area of a supposed second entrance were conducted in the years 2009-2016, and led to the discovery of the mentioned opening under a rock shelter as well as a small, yet consistent inventory of artefacts found in a concentration interpreted as the remains of a fireplace. Dates obtained from the bones and charcoal point towards the final phase of the last glacial period. In the inventory there are no cores, but the presence of en éperon butt type was noted. Such a technological feature suggests that the inventory might have had a Late Magdalenian connection, or that it was possibly Hamburgian. The Magdalenian connection hypothesis is supported by the discovery of a backed bladelet, a form atypical in Hamburgian inventories. Also, a part of the inventory was chipped from a specific raw materi...
This article discusses the objectives of the Stone Age Man in Caves of the Tatra Mountains projec... more This article discusses the objectives of the Stone Age Man in Caves of the Tatra Mountains project, which aims to explain the mysterious absence of evidence for the Palaeolithic in the Tatra Mountains of Eastern Europe. We present preliminary work from Hučivá Cave, which demonstrates clear traces of Magdalenian settlement within this region.
In der bekannten Oblazowa-Hohle im sudlichen Polen konnte bei notwendig gewordenen neuen Grabunge... more In der bekannten Oblazowa-Hohle im sudlichen Polen konnte bei notwendig gewordenen neuen Grabungen eine bisher unbekannte spatmittelpalaolithische Fundschicht aus einem Horizont (XVIIIb) angetroffen werden, der bislang als steril galt. Dieses neue, wenn auch kleine Inventar findet sich zwischen Industrien, die als Taubachien klassifiziert wurden. Die Untersuchungen legen nahe, dass es sich bei dem neuen Fundensemble um einen bisher in der Oblazowa-Hohle unbekannten Technokomplex handelt, der mit den Keilmessergruppen zu verbinden ist. Zugleich konnte damit fur das sudliche Verbreitungsgebiet dieses spatmittelpalaolithischen Technokomplexes eine Uberlieferungslucke geschlossen werden, wo die Menschen den lokalen Radiolarit nutzten.
Short-Term Occupations in Paleolithic Archaeology, 2020
Short-term settlement of Middle Paleolithic hunters leaves a specific toolkit on an archaeologica... more Short-term settlement of Middle Paleolithic hunters leaves a specific toolkit on an archaeological site. In spite of this well-known fact, in some cases, concerning the duration of stay of groups of Neanderthals, mere techno-typological analysis of lithic assemblages seems insufficient. Analysis of raw material exploitation, combined with information about long use, or reworking of certain artifacts appears to be helpful.
There is a widespread belief that the abrupt warming at 14.7 ka had a profound impact on the envi... more There is a widespread belief that the abrupt warming at 14.7 ka had a profound impact on the environment. However, the direct correlation between the global climatic event and changes in local environments is not obvious. We examined faunal succession in an intra-mountain basin of the Western Carpathians to assess the potential influence of the climatic change between Greenland Stadial-2a and Greenland Interstadial-1e on the local environment. We investigated three vertebrate assemblages (total number of identified specimens = 18,745; minimum number of individuals = 7515; 138 taxa) from Obłazowa Cave (western entrance) and a Rock overhang in Cisowa Rock, radiocarbon dated to the period before and after the global warming, between ca. 17.0 and 14.0 ka. Our data revealed that the major abrupt warming that occurred 14.7 ka had little impact on the local environment, which could suggest that ecosystems in Central Europe were resilient to the abrupt global climate changes. The increase i...
The adjustability of stone processing techniques to the kind and quality of accessible stone raw ... more The adjustability of stone processing techniques to the kind and quality of accessible stone raw materials is an important factor of Middle Palaeolithic stone tool production. Middle Palaeolithic people mostly exploited local rocks, preferably of good quality, and yet in some sites, even located in flint-rich areas (like the Obłazowa Cave site discussed in the text), Neanderthals used rocks they found elsewhere, alongside locally sourced but quite unusual raw materials. These are rocks that are likely to crack or that are very soft, unsuitable for knapping and for later use as tools. The question that arises is, to what end were these rocks even processed? In the paper, the typological character of those artefacts, prepared from a variety of raw material (high-quality foreign rocks and low-quality local ones), and their place in the chaîne opératoire will be discussed. Studying the subject of Neanderthal raw materials use has brought us a better and fuller understanding of the past ...
Research on the timing of Homo sapiens dispersals in Central Europe is pivotal for understanding ... more Research on the timing of Homo sapiens dispersals in Central Europe is pivotal for understanding the behavioral trajectories of human adaptation to low biomass environments and cold climates. Previous studies on the Early Upper Paleolithic of Poland described a different scenario from the European panorama characterized by the local development of a laminar/lamellar technology from the foregoing Middle Paleolithic and the coexistence of different Aurignacian variants after 35 ka BP. In this paper, we examine this technical diversity by reassessing and revising the chronological and technological information of the key Aurignacian sites in Poland. Our study reveals that the distinctive techno-typological features of the different Aurignacian types are most likely the result of the mixing of artifacts from different chronologies. In our view, Poland was visited intermittently by Homo sapiens since the Early Aurignacian. The deterioration of the climatic conditions during the second ha...
During the many years of excavations in Obłazowa Cave, it has been stated that apart from the mai... more During the many years of excavations in Obłazowa Cave, it has been stated that apart from the main entrance to the cave, at least one more opening must have existed in the past. Excavations in the area of a supposed second entrance were conducted in the years 2009-2016, and led to the discovery of the mentioned opening under a rock shelter as well as a small, yet consistent inventory of artefacts found in a concentration interpreted as the remains of a fireplace. Dates obtained from the bones and charcoal point towards the final phase of the last glacial period. In the inventory there are no cores, but the presence of en éperon butt type was noted. Such a technological feature suggests that the inventory might have had a Late Magdalenian connection, or that it was possibly Hamburgian. The Magdalenian connection hypothesis is supported by the discovery of a backed bladelet, a form atypical in Hamburgian inventories. Also, a part of the inventory was chipped from a specific raw materi...
This article discusses the objectives of the Stone Age Man in Caves of the Tatra Mountains projec... more This article discusses the objectives of the Stone Age Man in Caves of the Tatra Mountains project, which aims to explain the mysterious absence of evidence for the Palaeolithic in the Tatra Mountains of Eastern Europe. We present preliminary work from Hučivá Cave, which demonstrates clear traces of Magdalenian settlement within this region.
In der bekannten Oblazowa-Hohle im sudlichen Polen konnte bei notwendig gewordenen neuen Grabunge... more In der bekannten Oblazowa-Hohle im sudlichen Polen konnte bei notwendig gewordenen neuen Grabungen eine bisher unbekannte spatmittelpalaolithische Fundschicht aus einem Horizont (XVIIIb) angetroffen werden, der bislang als steril galt. Dieses neue, wenn auch kleine Inventar findet sich zwischen Industrien, die als Taubachien klassifiziert wurden. Die Untersuchungen legen nahe, dass es sich bei dem neuen Fundensemble um einen bisher in der Oblazowa-Hohle unbekannten Technokomplex handelt, der mit den Keilmessergruppen zu verbinden ist. Zugleich konnte damit fur das sudliche Verbreitungsgebiet dieses spatmittelpalaolithischen Technokomplexes eine Uberlieferungslucke geschlossen werden, wo die Menschen den lokalen Radiolarit nutzten.
Short-Term Occupations in Paleolithic Archaeology, 2020
Short-term settlement of Middle Paleolithic hunters leaves a specific toolkit on an archaeologica... more Short-term settlement of Middle Paleolithic hunters leaves a specific toolkit on an archaeological site. In spite of this well-known fact, in some cases, concerning the duration of stay of groups of Neanderthals, mere techno-typological analysis of lithic assemblages seems insufficient. Analysis of raw material exploitation, combined with information about long use, or reworking of certain artifacts appears to be helpful.
There is a widespread belief that the abrupt warming at 14.7 ka had a profound impact on the envi... more There is a widespread belief that the abrupt warming at 14.7 ka had a profound impact on the environment. However, the direct correlation between the global climatic event and changes in local environments is not obvious. We examined faunal succession in an intra-mountain basin of the Western Carpathians to assess the potential influence of the climatic change between Greenland Stadial-2a and Greenland Interstadial-1e on the local environment. We investigated three vertebrate assemblages (total number of identified specimens = 18,745; minimum number of individuals = 7515; 138 taxa) from Obłazowa Cave (western entrance) and a Rock overhang in Cisowa Rock, radiocarbon dated to the period before and after the global warming, between ca. 17.0 and 14.0 ka. Our data revealed that the major abrupt warming that occurred 14.7 ka had little impact on the local environment, which could suggest that ecosystems in Central Europe were resilient to the abrupt global climate changes. The increase i...
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