Witold Gumiński
University of Warsaw, Institute of Archaeology, Faculty Member
- I am archaeologist in the Institute of Archaeology Warsaw University. I am excavator of the Stone Age peat-bog sites ... moreI am archaeologist in the Institute of Archaeology Warsaw University. I am excavator of the Stone Age peat-bog sites at Dudka and Szczepanki in NE-Poland. I am interesting in the Mesolithic, Para-Neolithic, archaeozoology, bone and wooden implements, burial custom.edit
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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 ...
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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.
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Research Interests: History and Prehistory
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The article presents the earliest ceramics of the site Szczepanki, north-eastern Poland, belonging to the Para-Neolithic Zedmar culture, which existed in the south-east Baltic region. The presented pottery come from the Late Atlantic... more
The article presents the earliest ceramics of the site Szczepanki, north-eastern Poland, belonging to the Para-Neolithic Zedmar culture, which existed in the south-east Baltic region. The presented pottery come from the Late Atlantic layers, dated 5600–5100 conv BP. The pottery is discussed regarding the technology, morphological details, vessel forms and ornamentation. Each of the elements shows multidirectional influences or similarities with the Western and the Eastern Para-Neolithic, as well as the Danubian cultures and the TRB. However, a specific characteristic of the early Zedmar pottery relies on mixing features of various origins or traditions, creating a new and peculiar technology and style.
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Infant feeding practices are culturally determined behaviours that have significant repercussions for infant morbidity and mortality rates. Knowledge of the infant feed-ing practices of prehistoric ...
Research Interests: Geography and Archaeology
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The paper deals with remains of the elks Cervalces latifrons , Cervalces sp. and Alces alces from Middle and Late Pleistocene sites in Poland. A form of the genus Cervalces occurred in Poland from the early (Kozi Grzbiet, MIS 19–17) to... more
The paper deals with remains of the elks Cervalces latifrons , Cervalces sp. and Alces alces from Middle and Late Pleistocene sites in Poland. A form of the genus Cervalces occurred in Poland from the early (Kozi Grzbiet, MIS 19–17) to the late Middle Pleistocene (Biśnik Cave, MIS 6 or MIS 5e). The genus Alces appeared in Poland in the Eemian Interglacial (Dziadowa Skala Cave). Compared to the other cervids, elk remains from Poland are very few, but they mark important faunal changes. Kozi Grzbiet and Sitkowka are virtually the only Polish localities from the lower part of the Middle Pleistocene with the remains of large mammals, and the only records of Cervalces latifrons . The specimens from Biśnik Cave are among the last records of the occurrence of Cervalces in Europe. During the Last Glacial Maximum, elks were absent. Though the elks were the least abundant cervids, they were present at sites from milder climatic regimes (interglacials and interstadials) till the Holocene. Elk ...
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Abstrakt: Groby na cmentarzysku mezolitycznym w Dudce (północno-wschodnia Polska) zawie-rają bardzo nieliczne narzędzia i ozdoby, ale dużo jest w nich znalezisk o charakterze symbolicz-nym. Grupę mineralną stanowią grudki różnobarwnej... more
Abstrakt: Groby na cmentarzysku mezolitycznym w Dudce (północno-wschodnia Polska) zawie-rają bardzo nieliczne narzędzia i ozdoby, ale dużo jest w nich znalezisk o charakterze symbolicz-nym. Grupę mineralną stanowią grudki różnobarwnej ochry, belemnity i inne skamieliny oraz kamienie o nietypowych kształtach lub kolorach. Druga grupa to szczątki zwierzęce pochodzące jednak zwykle od niejadalnych części szkieletu, takie jak: zęby i poroża przeżuwaczy, kopyto konia, zęby i żuchwy dzika, drapieżników, jeża i gryzoni, kości końca skrzydeł lub nóg ptaków, skorupy żółwia i niektóre inne kości. W artykule dyskutowane jest przypuszczalne znaczenie każdego z tych rodzajów wyposażenia. Ich dystrybucja pozwala na wyodrębnienie pewnych stref na cmentarzysku, które być może odpowiadały podziałom rodowo-klanowym i terytorialnym. Abstract: Graves at the Mesolithic cemetery at Dudka (northeastern Poland) scarcely yielded tools and ornaments, but a considerable set of finds of symbolic significance. The mineral group includes ochre lumps of different colors, belemnites and other fossils, as well as stones of curious color or shape. A second category are animal remains, mostly from the inedible parts of the body, such as: antler, hoof, teeth and jaws of different mammal species, wing or feet bones of birds, turtle carapaces. The presumed meaning of each of these grave goods is discussed in the article. Their distribution permits certain zones to be distinguished at the cemetery, possibly reflecting family–clan or territorial divisions.
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bird bones representing at least 36 taxa were found among the 129 300 re- mains accumulated in the fishing camp Dudka between the years BP 11,200 and 3,800. Most of the birds belonged to water-and-marsh species. Mergus albellus, Tadorna... more
bird bones representing at least 36 taxa were found among the 129 300 re- mains accumulated in the fishing camp Dudka between the years BP 11,200 and 3,800. Most of the birds belonged to water-and-marsh species. Mergus albellus, Tadorna ta- dorna and cf. Nycticorax nycticorax are species new to the subfossil fauna of Poland. Most of the bird bones are dated to the Paraneolithic Zedmar culture and the Neolithic of the late Atlantic and the early Subboreal period (5,600 - 3,800 BP). Bones of the pectoral girdle made up 76% of the identified remains. The archaeological context indicates that the birds were hunted by people inhabiting the island; most of the species belong to game. The absence of Lagopus remains is noteworthy. Ten bones were recovered from graves and two were found as polished beads, this indicating that birds were used not only for food.
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... JACEK MADEJA,1* AGNIESZKA WACNIK,2 AGATA ZYGA,3 ELZBIETA STANKIEWICZ,4 EWA WYPASEK,5 WITOLD GUMINSKI6 and KRYSTYNA ... The profile contained at its bottom sand with gravel, gyttja and plant debris, changing upwards into plant... more
... JACEK MADEJA,1* AGNIESZKA WACNIK,2 AGATA ZYGA,3 ELZBIETA STANKIEWICZ,4 EWA WYPASEK,5 WITOLD GUMINSKI6 and KRYSTYNA ... The profile contained at its bottom sand with gravel, gyttja and plant debris, changing upwards into plant detritus, herbaceous peat ...
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Światowit annual of the institute of archaeology of the university of warsaw vol. Xiii-Xiv (liv-lv) (2015-2016) fascicle a/B Prehistorical and Medieval archaeology. archaeology of Poland Mediterranean and non-euroPean archaeology warsaw... more
Światowit annual of the institute of archaeology of the university of warsaw vol. Xiii-Xiv (liv-lv) (2015-2016) fascicle a/B Prehistorical and Medieval archaeology. archaeology of Poland Mediterranean and non-euroPean archaeology warsaw 2018
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Abstrakt: Groby na cmentarzysku mezolitycznym w Dudce (północno-wschodnia Polska) zawie-rają bardzo nieliczne narzędzia i ozdoby, ale dużo jest w nich znalezisk o charakterze symbolicz-nym. Grupę mineralną stanowią grudki różnobarwnej... more
Abstrakt: Groby na cmentarzysku mezolitycznym w Dudce (północno-wschodnia Polska) zawie-rają bardzo nieliczne narzędzia i ozdoby, ale dużo jest w nich znalezisk o charakterze symbolicz-nym. Grupę mineralną stanowią grudki różnobarwnej ochry, belemnity i inne skamieliny oraz kamienie o nietypowych kształtach lub kolorach. Druga grupa to szczątki zwierzęce pochodzące jednak zwykle od niejadalnych części szkieletu, takie jak: zęby i poroża przeżuwaczy, kopyto konia, zęby i żuchwy dzika, drapieżników, jeża i gryzoni, kości końca skrzydeł lub nóg ptaków, skorupy żółwia i niektóre inne kości. W artykule dyskutowane jest przypuszczalne znaczenie każdego z tych rodzajów wyposażenia. Ich dystrybucja pozwala na wyodrębnienie pewnych stref na cmentarzysku, które być może odpowiadały podziałom rodowo-klanowym i terytorialnym. Abstract: Graves at the Mesolithic cemetery at Dudka (northeastern Poland) scarcely yielded tools and ornaments, but a considerable set of finds of symbolic significance. The mineral group includes ochre lumps of different colors, belemnites and other fossils, as well as stones of curious color or shape. A second category are animal remains, mostly from the inedible parts of the body, such as: antler, hoof, teeth and jaws of different mammal species, wing or feet bones of birds, turtle carapaces. The presumed meaning of each of these grave goods is discussed in the article. Their distribution permits certain zones to be distinguished at the cemetery, possibly reflecting family–clan or territorial divisions.