- Landscape Archaeology, Neolithic Archaeology, Flint Mining, Neolithic Europe, Baltic archaeology, Archaeology of Ritual and Magic, and 61 moreFunnel Beaker Culture, Neolithic Transition, Gender Archaeology, The Past in prehistoric societies, History of Archaeology, Archaeology, Early Bronze Age, Copper age, Neolithic & Chalcolithic Archaeology, Social Archaeology, Bell Beakers (Archaeology), Ancient DNA Research, Baltic Sea Region Studies, Pitted Ware Culture, Corded Ware Culture, Göbekli Tepe, Residue Analysis (Archaeology), TRB culture, Eneolithic in Central Europe, Early Bronze Age (Archaeology), Archaeometallurgy, Neolithic, Chalcolithic Archaeology, Baden culture, Bronze Age metal hoards, Copper extraction and production, Social Stratification, Ancient Metallurgy, Eneolithic, Metalwork (Archaeology), Hoards, Ancient Mining and Metallurgy, Human-Environment Relations, Archaeology of Pipes and Smoking, Hoard finds, Daggers, Hunters, Fishers and Gatherers' Archaeology, Archaeology of Violence, Burial rites of the Corded Ware and the Bell Beaker Cultures in Central Europe, Lengyel Culture, Kupferzeit Südosteuropa, Tiszapolgar Culture, Bodrogkeresztur Culture, Pottery technology and function, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Archaeological Method & Theory, Pottery studies, Ceramics (Archaeology), Ceramic Technology, Cucuteni-Trypillian culture, Late Trypillian culture, Bronze Age Europe (Archaeology), Unetice culture, Coţofeni culture, Metallurgy, Pottery, Iwno Culture, Copper metallurgy, Usatovo period, Flint (Archaeology), and Pottery (Archaeology)edit
Chemical and lead isotope analyses aided by metallographic examination of copper axes found at the Late Neolithic settlement of Kietrz in southwestern Poland provide new evidence for the origin of copper and metal trade routes in the... more
Chemical and lead isotope analyses aided by metallographic examination of copper axes found at the Late Neolithic settlement of Kietrz in southwestern Poland provide new evidence for the origin of copper and metal trade routes in the region. Our results indicate that metal used for the axes could be sourced from copper mines in modern Slovakia, Bulgaria and perhaps Serbia. The evidence from this study confirms that the Funnel Beaker people from Poland became parties to a metal trading network that connected much of continental Europe in the mid-4th millennium BCE and provides a better understanding of how these contacts provided the background for the technological and socioeconomic developments of the Baden era.
Research Interests:
Human history has been shaped by global dispersals of technologies, although understanding of what enabled these processes is limited. Here, we explore the behavioural mechanisms that led to the emergence of pottery among hunter-gatherer... more
Human history has been shaped by global dispersals of technologies, although understanding of what enabled these processes is limited. Here, we explore the behavioural mechanisms that led to the emergence of pottery among hunter-gatherer communities in Europe during the mid-Holocene. Through radiocarbon dating, we propose this dispersal occurred at a far faster rate than previously thought. Chemical characterization of organic residues shows that European hunter-gatherer pottery had a function structured around regional culinary practices rather than environmental factors. Analysis of the forms, decoration and technological choices suggests that knowledge of pottery spread through a process of cultural transmission. We demonstrate a correlation between the physical properties of pots and how they were used, reflecting social traditions inherited by successive generations of hunter-gatherers. Taken together the evidence supports kinship-driven, super-regional communication networks that existed long before other major innovations such as agriculture, writing, urbanism or metallurgy.
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In recent years, the region of Starogard Lake District in northern Poland has seen a growing interest in the Funnel Beaker culture, including the research on local flintworking, which has fed the discussion on the traffic in "exotic"... more
In recent years, the region of Starogard Lake District in northern Poland has seen a growing interest in the Funnel Beaker culture, including the research on local flintworking, which has fed the discussion on the traffic in "exotic" flint in the younger phases of the Funnel Beaker settlement in the region (3650-3100 calBC). In this study, lithic assemblages from the Starogard Lake District are screened for "imported" flint artefacts to determine the parent rock material used for their production and monitor their frequencies in the local assemblages. By exploring the use-wear analysis results, we also investigate the production and consumption patterns of the local and "imported" flint artefacts from the Chełmno land and the Starogard Lake District. The obtained results were confronted with comparative data from other parts of the Eastern Group and confirming the marginal position of the Eastern Pomerania region in the "exotic" flint trading network during the Funnel Beaker era in Poland.
Małecka-Kukawka J., Kukawka S. and Adamczak K. 2022. New insights into the use of "imported" flint raw materials in the younger phases of the Funnel Beaker culture in the Starogard Lake District. Sprawozdania Archeologiczne 74/1, 187-204.
Małecka-Kukawka J., Kukawka S. and Adamczak K. 2022. New insights into the use of "imported" flint raw materials in the younger phases of the Funnel Beaker culture in the Starogard Lake District. Sprawozdania Archeologiczne 74/1, 187-204.
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Artificial illumination is a fundamental human need. Burning wood and other materials usually in hearths and fireplaces extended daylight hours, whilst the use of flammable substances in torches offered light on the move. It is... more
Artificial illumination is a fundamental human need. Burning wood and other materials usually in hearths and fireplaces extended daylight hours, whilst the use of flammable substances in torches offered light on the move. It is increasingly understood that pottery played a role in light production. In this study, we focus on ceramic oval bowls, made and used primarily by hunter-gatherer-fishers of the circum-Baltic over a c. 2000 year period beginning in the mid-6th millennium cal BC.Oval bowls commonly occur alongside larger (cooking) vessels.Their function as ‘oil lamps’ for illumination
has been proposed on many occasions but only limited direct evidence has been secured to test this functional association. This study presents the results of molecular and isotopic analysis of preserved organic residues obtained
from 115 oval bowls from 25 archaeological sites representing a wide range of environmental settings. Our findings confirm that the oval bowls of the circum-Baltic were used primarily for burning fats and oils, predominantly for the purposes of illumination. The fats derive from the tissues of marine, freshwater, and terrestrial organisms. Bulk isotope data of charred surface deposits show a consistently different pattern of use when oval bowls are compared to other pottery vessels within the same assemblage. It is suggested that hunter-gatherer-fishers around the 55th parallel commonly deployed material culture for artificial light production but the evidence is restricted to times and places where more durable technologies were employed, including the circum-Baltic.
has been proposed on many occasions but only limited direct evidence has been secured to test this functional association. This study presents the results of molecular and isotopic analysis of preserved organic residues obtained
from 115 oval bowls from 25 archaeological sites representing a wide range of environmental settings. Our findings confirm that the oval bowls of the circum-Baltic were used primarily for burning fats and oils, predominantly for the purposes of illumination. The fats derive from the tissues of marine, freshwater, and terrestrial organisms. Bulk isotope data of charred surface deposits show a consistently different pattern of use when oval bowls are compared to other pottery vessels within the same assemblage. It is suggested that hunter-gatherer-fishers around the 55th parallel commonly deployed material culture for artificial light production but the evidence is restricted to times and places where more durable technologies were employed, including the circum-Baltic.
This paper reports on archived archaeological material and some recent discoveries of stray finds from north-central Poland that can be dated to the Early Bronze Age, mostly from the site of Lachmirowice in the Kuyavia region, including... more
This paper reports on archived archaeological material and some recent discoveries of stray finds from north-central Poland that can be dated to the Early Bronze Age, mostly from the site of Lachmirowice in the Kuyavia region, including ceramic vessels and a stone tool identified as an arrow shaft straightener. The other objects analysed are two clay tuyeres from Chełmno land (Culm) and three bronze daggers from the region of Greater Poland and Mazovia, which can be connected to the Úněticean metal industry. To improve the quality of the information on the artefacts, we determined their chemistry and technology and combined this with the stylistic and technological trajectories of the era. The results obtained add information about the beginnings of the Bronze Age in northern Poland and help to better understand how the local post- neolithic communities in this region were being integrated within the Bell Beaker and Úněticean milieu.
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Throughout the long history of the Funnel Beaker (TRB) culture in the region of modern Poland (4100–3100 BCE) we can observe how local farming communities interacted with the wild world and how deer species became an important ideological... more
Throughout the long history of the Funnel Beaker (TRB) culture in the region of modern Poland (4100–3100 BCE) we can observe how local farming communities interacted with the wild world and how deer species became an important ideological resource for the TRB people. Biomolecular and histomorphometric evidence from two archaeological sites in central Poland add new information for a better understanding of these multilayered interactions. Our findings fuel a discussion of deer valorisation during the TRB era in Poland, showing that the dagger from Sławęcinek was made from the bone of a red deer or elk and may have served as a clan accessory. Furthermore, the results indicate that a likely candidate for the bone used to temper the ceramic vessel from Kałdus is red deer, which allowed us to speculate that the utilisation of bone-tempered pottery by the local TRB farmers may possibly reflect the magical domestication of cervids.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The introduction of pottery vessels to Europe has long been seen as closely linked with the spread of agriculture and pastoralism from the Near East. The adoption of pottery technology by hunter-gatherers in Northern and Eastern Europe... more
The introduction of pottery vessels to Europe has long been seen as closely linked with the spread of agriculture and pastoralism from the Near East. The adoption of pottery technology by hunter-gatherers in Northern and Eastern Europe does not fit this paradigm, and its role within these communities is so far unresolved. To investigate the motivations for hunter-gatherer pottery use, here, we present the systematic analysis of the contents of 528 early vessels from the Baltic Sea region, mostly dating to the late 6th-5th millennium cal BC, using molecular and isotopic characterization techniques. The results demonstrate clear sub-regional trends in the use of ceramics by hunter-gatherers; aquatic resources in the Eastern Baltic, non-ruminant animal fats in the Southeastern Baltic, and a more variable use, including ruminant animal products, in the Western Baltic, potentially including dairy. We found surprisingly little evidence for the use of ceramics for non-culinary activities, such as the production of resins. We attribute the emergence of these sub-regional cuisines to the diffusion of new culinary ideas afforded by the adoption of pottery, e.g. cooking and combining foods, but culturally contextualized and influenced by traditional practices.
Research Interests:
The introduction of pottery vessels to Europe has long been seen as closely linked with the spread of agriculture and pastoralism from the Near East. The adoption of pottery technology by hunter-gatherers in Northern and Eastern Europe... more
The introduction of pottery vessels to Europe has long been seen as closely linked with the spread of agriculture and pastoralism from the Near East. The adoption of pottery technology by hunter-gatherers in Northern and Eastern Europe does not fit this paradigm, and its role within these communities is so far unresolved. To investigate the motivations for hunter-gatherer pottery use, here, we present the systematic analysis of the contents of 528 early vessels from the Baltic Sea region, mostly dating to the late 6th-5th millennium cal BC, using molecular and isotopic characterization techniques. The results demonstrate clear sub-regional trends in the use of ceramics by hunter-gatherers; aquatic resources in the Eastern Baltic, non-ruminant animal fats in the Southeastern Baltic, and a more variable use, including ruminant animal products, in the Western Baltic, potentially including dairy. We found surprisingly little evidence for the use of ceramics for non-culinary activities, such as the production of resins. We attribute the emergence of these sub-regional cuisines to the diffusion of new culinary ideas afforded by the adoption of pottery, e.g. cooking and combining foods, but culturally contextualized and influenced by traditional practices.
Research Interests:
This work reports the results of an interdisciplinary study seeking to address the issue of bone tempering in the Funnel Beaker (TRB) culture from the territory that is today Poland. In this paper we contribute to this debate by closely... more
This work reports the results of an interdisciplinary study seeking to address the issue of bone tempering in the
Funnel Beaker (TRB) culture from the territory that is today Poland. In this paper we contribute to this debate by
closely examining the geochemical characteristics (using INAA, ICP-MS, SEM-EDS, γ-ray spectrometry and OM)
of six ceramic vessels collected from the archaeological site in Kałdus, northern Poland. Particular emphasis is
placed on the need to clarify whether the bones in the pottery from Kałdus were deliberately added or incidentally
incorporated in a clay paste. Through exploring the chemical, mineralogical and petrographic composition
of ceramics, we also investigate whether different pastes were used contemporarily by potters from
Kałdus for different types of wares during the mid-4th millennium BC.
The results has allowed us to hypothesise a local provenance of the bone-tempered vase from Kałdus.
Furthermore, the TRB potters’ choices to add crushed and burned bones to a clay paste seemed to lack a
technological basis. Rather, it appears that a temper made of bones had strong symbolic associations and was
most likely ritualised in the working memory of the TRB potters from Kałdus, or even the entire TRB East Group
milieu.
Funnel Beaker (TRB) culture from the territory that is today Poland. In this paper we contribute to this debate by
closely examining the geochemical characteristics (using INAA, ICP-MS, SEM-EDS, γ-ray spectrometry and OM)
of six ceramic vessels collected from the archaeological site in Kałdus, northern Poland. Particular emphasis is
placed on the need to clarify whether the bones in the pottery from Kałdus were deliberately added or incidentally
incorporated in a clay paste. Through exploring the chemical, mineralogical and petrographic composition
of ceramics, we also investigate whether different pastes were used contemporarily by potters from
Kałdus for different types of wares during the mid-4th millennium BC.
The results has allowed us to hypothesise a local provenance of the bone-tempered vase from Kałdus.
Furthermore, the TRB potters’ choices to add crushed and burned bones to a clay paste seemed to lack a
technological basis. Rather, it appears that a temper made of bones had strong symbolic associations and was
most likely ritualised in the working memory of the TRB potters from Kałdus, or even the entire TRB East Group
milieu.
Research Interests:
The study was carried out using materials of the Funnel Beaker culture’s (FBC) eastern group from its late phases (Figs. 1 & 2). The sample selected for the study comprised 55 flint assemblages from 50 archaeological sites (Tabs. 1 & 2).... more
The study was carried out using materials of the Funnel Beaker culture’s (FBC) eastern group from its late phases (Figs. 1 & 2). The sample selected for the study comprised 55 flint assemblages from 50 archaeological sites (Tabs. 1 & 2). The sites concentrated in several settlement agglomerations: north-western Kujawy, south-eastern Kujawy, Gostynin Lakeland, Chełmno Land, Wielkopolska and central Poland. A few assemblages come from the Dobrzyń Land and Gdańsk Pomerania. The total number of flint specimens studied was 15,000. The article discusses only one aspect of flint working, namely the incidence of non-local raw materials (not occurring naturally within the reach of the FBC
eastern group). The presence of various flint types, their frequency and share in the assemblages may be considered markers of ties with remote cultural centres (FBC southeastern group and Tripolye culture).
eastern group). The presence of various flint types, their frequency and share in the assemblages may be considered markers of ties with remote cultural centres (FBC southeastern group and Tripolye culture).
Research Interests:
This study reports the results of archaeometallurgical investigations performed on a complete two-part bronze casting mould discovered in the village of Elgiszewo (north Poland). The mould was part of the so-called Lusatian founder’s... more
This study reports the results of archaeometallurgical investigations performed on a complete two-part bronze casting mould discovered in the village of Elgiszewo (north Poland). The mould was part of the so-called Lusatian founder’s hoard deposited on the southern borders of the Chełmno group territory between 900 and 700 BC. The investigations involved the employment of spectral (ED XRF, SEM-EDS, X-ray) and microscopic (SEM-EDS, OM) analyses. The experimental casting of the model mould and socketed axe was carried out in this study as well. The chemical composition of the mould indicates the use of fire-refined (oxidized) fahlore scrap bronze, which could originally be composed of North Tyrolean copper fahlores. The metallographic results furthermore indicate deliberate tin abandonment by the Lusatian metalworker to maintain a thermal resistance of the mould during direct metal casting. Having analysed the results of the performed research, we can state that the mould from Elgiszewo was capable of ensuring direct casting and was in fact used by the Lusatian metalworkers for this purpose before the mould was finally deposited.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Bronze Age Europe (Archaeology), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) Spectroscopy, Late Bronze Age archaeology, and 8 moreArchaeometallurgy, Urnfield Culture, Ancient Metallurgy, Metallography, Bronze Age metal hoards, Lusatian Culture, Non invasive analyses, and Copper Alloys
For a long time, the Eneolithic attribution of the Rudki-type double spiral ornaments was contested by a wide academic audience, and therefore, this new and extraordinary category of the copper metalwork seemed to have fallen into... more
For a long time, the Eneolithic attribution of the Rudki-type double spiral ornaments was contested by a wide academic audience, and therefore, this new and extraordinary category of the copper metalwork seemed to have fallen into scientific oblivion. In this paper, we contribute to the debate about cultural attribution of the Rudki-type double spiral ornaments considering their chemical and isotope characteristics (using ED XRF and MC-ICP-MS) and the manufacturing technology (OM, X-ray, CT). Noticeably, this study represents the first documented implementation of the lead isotope analysis (LIA) for the Eneolithic metalwork from Poland. The new scientific analyses give ground to the hypothesis that the Rudki-type double spiral ornaments were produced by the Baden culture metalworker(s) who practiced somewhere in the Carpathian Basin and who have used copper ore mined in the Slovak Ore Mountains (Špania Dolina-Banská Bystrica-Kremnica mine complex). These ornaments were redistributed towards the northern ecumene of the Baden culture complex. The new owners, the Funnel Beaker (TRB) culture communities from the region of modern Poland, deposited the ornaments in hoards (Kałdus, Przeuszyn and Rudki) during the mid-4th millennium BC. The results, furthermore, indicate that the so-called Baden spiral metalwork package must be now complemented by the Rudki-type double spiral ornaments. Remarkably, this package also found an echo in pottery decoration, as documented by a narrative scene incised on an amphora from Kałdus, which could be also interpreted as one of the earliest known proofs for the wagon transport in Europe, alongside the famous ones reported from Bronocice or Flintbek.
Research Interests:
W artykule przedstawiono wyniki studiów archeometalurgicznych dotyczących płaskiej siekiery, odkrytej przypadkowo w 2016 r. na gruntach miejscowości Łady, gm. Iłów, pow. sochaczewski. Zabytek jest pierwszym okazem eneolitycznej siekiery... more
W artykule przedstawiono wyniki studiów archeometalurgicznych dotyczących płaskiej siekiery, odkrytej przypadkowo w 2016 r. na gruntach miejscowości Łady, gm. Iłów, pow. sochaczewski. Zabytek jest pierwszym okazem eneolitycznej siekiery miedzianej z Mazowsza. Przeprowadzono badanie składu surowcowego siekiery (EDXRF) i analizę jej powierzchni (OM). Określono przynależność typologiczną zabytku i poddano pod dyskusję kul-turowo-społeczny kontekst siekier płaskich na obszarze ziem polskich. Ustalono, że siekiera została odlana z miedzi arsenowej i nie była najprawdopodobniej użytkowana w pradziejach. Kontekst odkrycia oraz stan zachowania zabytku wskazują, że został on zdeponowany w środowisku mokrym. Na podstawie analizy typologicznej siekierę z Ład zaklasyfikowano do typu Bytyń w wariancie A. Powinno się zatem traktować ją jako pojedynczy skarb akwatyczny, zdeponowany przez wspólnoty kultury pucharów lejkowatych z Kotliny Warszawskiej między 3600/3500–3200/3100 cal.BC.
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ABSTRACT-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This work presents the archaeometallurgical studies performed on the flat axe discovered accidentally in 2016 near the village Łady, Iłów commune, Sochaczew district. The axe is the first find of such an object reported from Mazovia. The axe is described in terms of raw-material profile (EDXRF) as well as its macrostucture (OM). This has been juxtaposed throughout this work with the results of typological and contextual (sociocultural) analysis of the Bytyń axes, which have also been found on Polish territory. It has been established that the axe was cast from arsenical copper. It is likely that the find from Łady did not serve as a functional tool in the past. The discovery context and the state of preservation indicate that the axe was deposited in an aquatic environment. By means of a typological analysis the find from Łady was classified as a flat axe of Bytyń A type and therefore it should be considered as the single hoard deposited by the Funnel Beaker culture communities from the Warsaw Basin between 3600/3500 and 3200/3100 cal. BC.
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ABSTRACT-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This work presents the archaeometallurgical studies performed on the flat axe discovered accidentally in 2016 near the village Łady, Iłów commune, Sochaczew district. The axe is the first find of such an object reported from Mazovia. The axe is described in terms of raw-material profile (EDXRF) as well as its macrostucture (OM). This has been juxtaposed throughout this work with the results of typological and contextual (sociocultural) analysis of the Bytyń axes, which have also been found on Polish territory. It has been established that the axe was cast from arsenical copper. It is likely that the find from Łady did not serve as a functional tool in the past. The discovery context and the state of preservation indicate that the axe was deposited in an aquatic environment. By means of a typological analysis the find from Łady was classified as a flat axe of Bytyń A type and therefore it should be considered as the single hoard deposited by the Funnel Beaker culture communities from the Warsaw Basin between 3600/3500 and 3200/3100 cal. BC.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
2016 year marks the 80th anniversary of the publication of Konrad Jażdżewski’s monograph, „Kultura puharów lejkowatych w Polsce zachodniej i środkowej” (“Funnel Beaker culture in Western and Central Poland”) (1936). Its significance for... more
2016 year marks the 80th anniversary of the publication of Konrad Jażdżewski’s monograph, „Kultura puharów lejkowatych w Polsce zachodniej i środkowej” (“Funnel Beaker culture in Western and Central Poland”) (1936). Its significance for the research of the TRB culture, or even wider – the Neolithic period in the Polish Lowlands, is hard to overestimate. However, we do not intend here to evaluate its role in
the context of the then state of knowledge on the Neolithic, rather we wish to depict the changes in the understanding and recognition of this cultural phenomenon. Therefore, this study is focused on north-eastern periphery of the TRB, contained by K. Jażdżewski almost exclusively in the cartographic form. A particular focus will be given to the relatively well-known Chełmno Land, whose artefacts are often referred to in his text. Some of the comments will be more general and related to Konrad Jażdżewski’s concept of the Eastern group of the TRB.
the context of the then state of knowledge on the Neolithic, rather we wish to depict the changes in the understanding and recognition of this cultural phenomenon. Therefore, this study is focused on north-eastern periphery of the TRB, contained by K. Jażdżewski almost exclusively in the cartographic form. A particular focus will be given to the relatively well-known Chełmno Land, whose artefacts are often referred to in his text. Some of the comments will be more general and related to Konrad Jażdżewski’s concept of the Eastern group of the TRB.
Research Interests:
Preliminary chronology of the copper ingot from Skołoszow, site 7, Jarosław district falls within the range from 2nd half of phase TRB-MES I to 1st half of phase TRB-MES II (3950/3900– 3700/3600 BC). It seems reliable that the upper limit... more
Preliminary chronology of the copper ingot from Skołoszow,
site 7, Jarosław district falls within the range from 2nd half of
phase TRB-MES I to 1st half of phase TRB-MES II (3950/3900–
3700/3600 BC). It seems reliable that the upper limit of
possible dating of the ingot is the beginning of phase TRBMES
III (3600/3500 BC), which in fact is marked by significant
emergence of artefacts made from arsenic copper to Central Europe, especially their intensified flow-in to the Funnel Beaker
Culture communities. Concerning the discovery context of the
copper artefacts recovered from Racibórz, Gródek Nadbużny
and Przybranówek (Funnel Beaker Culture), chronological
range for the copper ingot from Skołoszów (based on raw
material profile) may be narrowed and established between
3800/3700 and 3650/3500 BC.
site 7, Jarosław district falls within the range from 2nd half of
phase TRB-MES I to 1st half of phase TRB-MES II (3950/3900–
3700/3600 BC). It seems reliable that the upper limit of
possible dating of the ingot is the beginning of phase TRBMES
III (3600/3500 BC), which in fact is marked by significant
emergence of artefacts made from arsenic copper to Central Europe, especially their intensified flow-in to the Funnel Beaker
Culture communities. Concerning the discovery context of the
copper artefacts recovered from Racibórz, Gródek Nadbużny
and Przybranówek (Funnel Beaker Culture), chronological
range for the copper ingot from Skołoszów (based on raw
material profile) may be narrowed and established between
3800/3700 and 3650/3500 BC.
Research Interests:
At the beginning of the 1980s, a single fi nd of a flint dagger was made in Brzoza (northern Kuyavia, Poland). The dagger was investigated in terms of raw material profi le, typological, technological and use-wear analyses. It was... more
At the beginning of the 1980s, a single fi nd of a flint dagger was made in Brzoza (northern Kuyavia, Poland). The dagger was investigated in terms of raw material profi le, typological, technological and use-wear analyses. It was established that it was made of Scandinavian retaceous fl int and may be classifi ed into the subtype VIA (acc. Lomborg) or ubvariant BBII2a (acc. Libera). The chronology of the dagger tends to be placed towards the end of the Early Bronze Age or the beginning of the Older Bronze Age in Poland (ca 1700-1500 cal BC). By means of use-wear analysis, diversifi ed and well-developed usage traces were ecognized on the surface of the dagger. Some of them resulted in an obverse and inverse retouch indicative of secondary treatment.
Here it appears that the dagger from Brzoza may be considered as an import from the western-Baltic production centre. Before deposition, the dagger had also been frequently used as a strike-a-light.
Here it appears that the dagger from Brzoza may be considered as an import from the western-Baltic production centre. Before deposition, the dagger had also been frequently used as a strike-a-light.
Na północno-wschodnim pograniczu kultury pucharów lejkowatych znanych jest obecnie około 1300 stanowisk archeologicznych, z których ponad 60 zostało przebadanych wykopaliskowo. Uzyskano stamtąd około 70 oznaczeń radiowęglowych, w wielu... more
Na północno-wschodnim pograniczu kultury pucharów lejkowatych znanych jest obecnie około 1300 stanowisk archeologicznych, z których ponad 60 zostało przebadanych wykopaliskowo. Uzyskano stamtąd około 70 oznaczeń radiowęglowych, w wielu przypadkach odnoszących się do konkretnych fragmentów naczyń. Dysponujemy zatem bogatym zbiorem materiałów i rezultatami wieloaspektowych studiów archeologicznych.
W prezentowanym opracowaniu szczególną uwagę poświęciliśmy pomiarom radiowęglowym i studiom nad naczyniami ceramicznymi. Ich wyniki stanowią podstawy do badań chronologii i periodyzacji kultury pucharów lejkowatych. W tym kontekście osobno zostaną omówione «obce» i «rodzime» elementy tradycji garncarskich, m.in. udział naczyń przygotowanych z masy schudzanej tłuczonymi muszlami oraz o wzorcach subneolitycznych.
W prezentowanym opracowaniu szczególną uwagę poświęciliśmy pomiarom radiowęglowym i studiom nad naczyniami ceramicznymi. Ich wyniki stanowią podstawy do badań chronologii i periodyzacji kultury pucharów lejkowatych. W tym kontekście osobno zostaną omówione «obce» i «rodzime» elementy tradycji garncarskich, m.in. udział naczyń przygotowanych z masy schudzanej tłuczonymi muszlami oraz o wzorcach subneolitycznych.
Research Interests:
The article presents the results of archaeometallurgical studies performed on a so-called copper axe recovered from the vicinity of a former village of Antoniny, Chodzież district (Great Poland).The relics of an intensive settlement... more
The article presents the results of archaeometallurgical studies performed on a so-called copper axe recovered from the vicinity of a former village of Antoniny, Chodzież district (Great Poland).The relics of an intensive settlement activity taken by the Funnel Beaker culture (TRB) groups were recognized around the discovery place. By means of the typological analysis it was found that the so-called axe from Antoniny is a defragmented part of a Jászladány B3 type axe-adze. Its chronology can be arbitrarily placed between the late 5th and 2nd half of 4th millennium BC. The axe-adze from Antoniny is another aquatic metal finding (deposited probably also with a dagger) related to the Funnel Beaker culture. The axe-adze was described in terms of its raw material profile (EDXRF) and micro- and macrostructure (OM). With established both contextual and raw material profiles, the provenance and chronology of the deposition act of the axe-adze from Antoniny were also discussed
Research Interests: Prehistoric Archaeology, Neolithic Archaeology, Neolithic & Chalcolithic Archaeology, Archaeometallurgy, Funnel Beaker Culture, and 10 moreNeolithic Europe, Non Destructive Testing, Metallography, Copper, Hoard finds, Eneolithic, Copper age, Archaeometallurgical Researchs, Eneolithic in Central Europe, and Bodrogkeresztur Culture
During the rescue excavations made prior to the A-1 highway A investments in Rogowo, Toruń district (Fig. 2) over 600 ares of a multicultural site (Number 23) were explored. The chronology of the site can be placed between the Final... more
During the rescue excavations made prior to the A-1 highway A investments in Rogowo, Toruń district (Fig. 2) over 600 ares of a multicultural site (Number 23) were explored. The chronology of the site can be placed between the Final Palaeolithic and the modern period.
Only a small number of flint artefacts (a total of 175) including a unique assemblage of 15 flint blades was recovered. The blades were deposited into a small pit located on a culmination of a moraine hill (Fig. 3). Having been found closely adjacent to each other, the blades seem to be intentionally deposited. One more flint blade was found (Fig. 8: 3) in the vicinity of the deposit. It is highly likely that this single find was initially a part of the deposit thus it has been also included in this study.
The blades were made of three different variants of the Baltic erratic flint (Fig. 4:8; Table 3). With two refitting (Fig. 10, 11) made in terms of a morphometric analysis (Fig. 9) it was found that the knapping technique was based on the orientation change of the single platform cores. Since the blades were originally of greater length (Fig. 4:5) they have been suitably reduced (to about 6 cm) before the deposition act was done.
Among the Neolithic settlement relics recognised on the site (Table 1), only two were clearly distinguishable, the campsites of the Brześć Kujawski group of the Lengyel culture and the settlements of the Globular Amphora communities (Fig. 3). Possibly related to both cultural units, the stratigraphic context of the flint deposit does not betray any clear information. Hence, to fingerprint the cultural attribution of the deposit several analyses were performed: 1. technological analysis (the technique of blade procurement with reference to the flint working traditions of the Neolithic communities in Poland); 2. raw material analysis of the flint artefacts collected from the site and also related to a broader cultural background; 3. analysis concerning the spatial relationship between the flint deposit and the other features recovered from the site; 4. comparative analysis of the Neolithic depositional traditions in the Oder and Vistula river-basins (Fig. 1, 12).
By means of the analyses performed in this study, it is now possible to connect the deposit of flint blades from the site 23 at Rogowo with the communities of the Brześć Kujawski group of the Lengyel culture.
Only a small number of flint artefacts (a total of 175) including a unique assemblage of 15 flint blades was recovered. The blades were deposited into a small pit located on a culmination of a moraine hill (Fig. 3). Having been found closely adjacent to each other, the blades seem to be intentionally deposited. One more flint blade was found (Fig. 8: 3) in the vicinity of the deposit. It is highly likely that this single find was initially a part of the deposit thus it has been also included in this study.
The blades were made of three different variants of the Baltic erratic flint (Fig. 4:8; Table 3). With two refitting (Fig. 10, 11) made in terms of a morphometric analysis (Fig. 9) it was found that the knapping technique was based on the orientation change of the single platform cores. Since the blades were originally of greater length (Fig. 4:5) they have been suitably reduced (to about 6 cm) before the deposition act was done.
Among the Neolithic settlement relics recognised on the site (Table 1), only two were clearly distinguishable, the campsites of the Brześć Kujawski group of the Lengyel culture and the settlements of the Globular Amphora communities (Fig. 3). Possibly related to both cultural units, the stratigraphic context of the flint deposit does not betray any clear information. Hence, to fingerprint the cultural attribution of the deposit several analyses were performed: 1. technological analysis (the technique of blade procurement with reference to the flint working traditions of the Neolithic communities in Poland); 2. raw material analysis of the flint artefacts collected from the site and also related to a broader cultural background; 3. analysis concerning the spatial relationship between the flint deposit and the other features recovered from the site; 4. comparative analysis of the Neolithic depositional traditions in the Oder and Vistula river-basins (Fig. 1, 12).
By means of the analyses performed in this study, it is now possible to connect the deposit of flint blades from the site 23 at Rogowo with the communities of the Brześć Kujawski group of the Lengyel culture.
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In the present work, an archaeological and metallurgical approach were used to investigate a hammer-axe collected from Karłowice Małe, Kamiennik municipality, Nysa district, Opole voivodeship. Multicultural Neolithic relics were recovered... more
In the present work, an archaeological and metallurgical approach were used to investigate a hammer-axe collected from Karłowice Małe, Kamiennik municipality, Nysa district, Opole voivodeship. Multicultural Neolithic relics were recovered within a 5 km of the artifact’s discovery place. However, it is difficult to apply the hammer- axe to a certain Neolithic cultural group. By means of a typological analysis, both type and relative chronology of the artifact were established. The hammer-axe belongs to a Szendrő A type and it is highly likely to be an import from the Carpathian Basin. The Szendrő hammer-axes were in circulation around the late 5th millenium to a first half of 4th millennium cal. BC. In order to establish a chemical composition of the artifact and to examine its surface in terms of macrostructural defects, the metallurgical analyses were performed. It was found that the hammer-axe was made of arsenical copper. The workmanship technique and usage traces left on its surface were recognized. The chemical composition and spatial distribution of the Szendrő hammer-axes were contrasted throughout this work in order to highlight the possible provenance of the hammer-axe from Karłowice Małe.
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This work presents the results of metallographic studies performed on four Eneolithic and Bronze Age artifacts from Poland. All of them are of none archaeological context therefore its academic value is strongly reduced. The aim of this... more
This work presents the results of metallographic studies performed on four Eneolithic and Bronze Age artifacts from Poland. All of them are of none archaeological context therefore its academic value is strongly reduced. The aim of this work is to deal with such a reduced data in a way of improving and verifing current state of knowledge about the artifacts. In order to achieve this goal elemental composition (XRF), microstructure analysis (SEM-EDS), macrostructure analysis
(optical microscopy) and 3D scanning were performed.
(optical microscopy) and 3D scanning were performed.
Research Interests:
The paper presents the results of archaeological and metallurgical research performed on a hoard of three metal objects: a double spiral ornament, a dagger and a hammer-axe. The artefacts were discovered at site 2 in Kałdus, Chełmno... more
The paper presents the results of archaeological and metallurgical research performed on a hoard of three metal objects: a double spiral ornament, a dagger and a hammer-axe. The artefacts were discovered at site 2 in Kałdus, Chełmno commune, kujawsko-pomorskie voivodeship. The objects were discovered within the Wiórek phase of a Funnel Beaker culture context. They were probably deposited into a votive pit. Typological analyses have been carried out. The relative chronology of the objects was determined by the results of typological analyses. The dagger is of Usatovo type and the typological classification of the other objects causes difficulties. The hoard is dated to the second half of the 4th millennium cal. BC. The artefacts’ chemical composition and macrostructure analyses were also performed. It has been concluded that all the objects from the hoard were made of arsenic copper with the dagger also enriched with arsenic minerals. The manufacture technique and objects’ usage traces have been recognized. Using the results of typological and chemical analyses the provenance of the hoard from Kałdus is discussed.
Research Interests: Neolithic Archaeology, Neolithic & Chalcolithic Archaeology, Archaeometry, X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) Spectroscopy, Archaeometallurgy, and 12 moreFunnel Beaker Culture, Neolithic Europe, Copper extraction and production, Copper, Hoard finds, Eneolithic, Eneolithic in Central Europe, Daggers, Neolithic, Eneolithic, Early Bronze Age, European Copper and Bronze Age – Archaeometallurgy – Prehistoric Metalworking in Social Context – Settlement Archaeology – Application of Geophysical Methods in Archaeology – Neolithic – Theory / Cultural Anthropology – Material Culture Studies, Late Eneolithic, and Arsenical Copper-tin Bronze
Arsenical copper has been used since 5 th millennium cal.BC, later exchanged by application of Cu-Sn alloys in metallurgy. This work presents the results of metallographic and mechanical properties studies performed on two flat axes... more
Arsenical copper has been used since 5 th millennium cal.BC, later exchanged by application of Cu-Sn alloys in metallurgy. This work presents the results of metallographic and mechanical properties studies performed on two flat axes connected with local Eneolithic societies (4500-3000 cal.BC). The axes are one of the oldest metal artifacts from Polish land. Originally they were made from Cu-As alloy, and their chemical composition was established by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF). Their microstructure was analysed using optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy conducted with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The macrostructure analysis (OM) of the axes was performed as well. On the basis of the results, the alloys used in the Eneolithic to cast the axes were reproduced in lab. In order to achieve the characteristics of the alloys, their mechanical properties including ultimate tensile strenght (UTS), hardness (HB), microhardness (HV0,1) and ductility were examined. The solidification process was studied by means of thermal analysis.
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In the archaeological collection of the Museum in Grudziądz there is the copper axe (inventory no. MG/A/158, previously no. 3407, fig. 1), of the Neolithic chronology. This is one of the oldest metal artifacts from Lower Vistula Valley... more
In the archaeological collection of the Museum in Grudziądz there is the copper axe (inventory no. MG/A/158, previously
no. 3407, fig. 1), of the Neolithic chronology. This is one of the oldest metal artifacts from Lower Vistula Valley and
Grudziądz Basin. The axe was discovered in 1896 in Weißhof, Kr. Graudenz (Białydwór, mun. Grudziądz), as an isolated
artifact. We do not know whether the axe was a part of a hoard or an element of burial equipment, or whether
it was abandoned or deposited in some settlement in the Neolithic. We may assume that this isolated artifact was taken
out of primary archaeological context that remains obscure to us. As a result the scientific value of the discovery was
reduced to information on the circumstances of the discovery and morphological and technological features of the
axe. These data have not been fulfill yet.
This article is devoted to organize and verify the information on the axe from Biały Bór. Moreover it is aimed to improve knowladge about the axe by performing the metallurgical analyses including elemental composition and macrostructure analyses.
no. 3407, fig. 1), of the Neolithic chronology. This is one of the oldest metal artifacts from Lower Vistula Valley and
Grudziądz Basin. The axe was discovered in 1896 in Weißhof, Kr. Graudenz (Białydwór, mun. Grudziądz), as an isolated
artifact. We do not know whether the axe was a part of a hoard or an element of burial equipment, or whether
it was abandoned or deposited in some settlement in the Neolithic. We may assume that this isolated artifact was taken
out of primary archaeological context that remains obscure to us. As a result the scientific value of the discovery was
reduced to information on the circumstances of the discovery and morphological and technological features of the
axe. These data have not been fulfill yet.
This article is devoted to organize and verify the information on the axe from Biały Bór. Moreover it is aimed to improve knowladge about the axe by performing the metallurgical analyses including elemental composition and macrostructure analyses.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
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Research Interests:
Research Interests:
"The flint mine at Wierzbica ‘Zele’ is one of several mines from the central cluster of chocolate flint exploitation points. Chocolate flint was one of the most common siliceous rock materials found in central Europe during the Stone... more
"The flint mine at Wierzbica ‘Zele’ is one of several mines from the central cluster of chocolate flint exploitation points. Chocolate flint was one of the most common siliceous rock materials found in central Europe during the Stone Age. However, the ‘Zele’ mine operated in the Bronze Age and its largest dated shafts were exploited in the Late Bronze Age. At ‘Zele’ methods of flint extraction and production in the Early Bronze Age and in the Late Bronze Age differed signifi cantly."