Papers by Łukasz Kowalski
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2024
Archaeological textiles and cordage from the 1st millennium BCE in Poland are relatively scarce. ... more Archaeological textiles and cordage from the 1st millennium BCE in Poland are relatively scarce. The majority of the available evidence has been preserved in a mineralised state or as imprints in association with metal and clay objects. Recently, the numerous remains of a bast cordage were identified among the metal artefacts from a Late Bronze Age metal hoard from Susz in north-eastern Poland, which has provided robust evidence for bast cordage production and use during that period. This paper presents and discusses the results of the technological and fibre identifications of the Susz cordage aided by archaeometallurgical and radiocarbon evidence to add more details to the biography of the hoard and place it more firmly within the context of the North European Bronze Age.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2024
Archaeological data confirm the widespread use of horse tack throughout the North European Bronze... more Archaeological data confirm the widespread use of horse tack throughout the North European Bronze Age and the succeeding Hallstatt period in an inventory that included metal cheekpieces, phalerae, rein-knobs and other horse-related accessories. Similar usage has been assumed in the region of northern Poland, which has also furnished evidence for the use of horse gear accessories made of antler. This paper reports the results of traceological, isotopic and experimental research on three antler cheekpieces found at the Early Iron Age stronghold of Gzin in northern Poland and relates them further with archaeological and ethnographic patterns of horse exploitation. The results indicate that the artefacts from Gzin have rare comparanda and are isotopically consistent with the δ 18 O w range of the site location, which can both be taken as evidence of their local origin. Moreover, traceological and experimental evidence from this study places the function and use of the analysed objects into a new light, undermining their use for horseback riding and suggesting that they were employed as cheekpiece coverings. Combined with the ethnographic record, ceramic iconography and archaeolinguistics, our findings fuel a discussion of deer valorisation during the Lusatian period in Poland, showing that the cheekpieces from Gzin may have served as elements of deer headgear.
Data in Brief, 2024
This dataset compiles radiocarbon dates received for botanical macroremains and animal bones from... more This dataset compiles radiocarbon dates received for botanical macroremains and animal bones from domestic and ritual pits and human graves unearthed during excavations at the archaeological site of Kałdus (Poland) that can be related to the Funnel Beaker culture (TRB). Prior to radiocarbon dating by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), plant macroremains were checked against diagnostic attributes of species identification by standard paleobotanical analysis. The dataset contains already published (n = 4) and new (n = 10) radiocarbon dates that were used to establish the absolute chronology of the TRB habitus at Kałdus and its diachronic spatial organization. This dataset serves as an archive for future studies focusing on the TRB settlement pattern and organization in the region of modern Poland. It also has a utility to be reused in archaeological and chronological research on the movement of copper metalwork and the gradual spread of human cremation rite in the region.
Analecta Archaeologica Ressoviensia, 2023
In the mid-1990s, a copper dagger of the Cucuteni-Vădastra type was found in the Lublin-Volhynian... more In the mid-1990s, a copper dagger of the Cucuteni-Vădastra type was found in the Lublin-Volhynian culture cemetery at
Strzyżów, south-eastern Poland. The dagger was customized as a pendant and deposited in an inhumation burial that contained
the remains of an adult male and over ten other grave offerings dating to the 2nd quarter of the 4th millennium BC.
This paper presents the results of archaeological and metallographic examinations of the dagger from Strzyżów and relates
them to a wider cultural context of the region. The results of our study show that the dagger has no signs of use-wear, and
furthermore indicate that the metal used for its production is fahlore copper which could have been sourced from the Slovak
Ore Mountains. The two other Cucuteni-Vădastra type daggers that were discovered in the vicinity of Strzyżów mark
the Western Volhynian Upland as a distinct cluster of the Cucuteni-Vădastra dagger industry in Europe. Furthermore, the
daggers from Poland evidence a close relationship between the Lublin-Volhynian culture and the Cucuteni-Tripillia complex
and attest to the intercultural landscape of the Eastern Carpathians region during the Eneolithic.
Praehistorische Zeitschrift, 2023
In autumn 2020, a group of metal detectorists
located 150 bronze artefacts on a forested dune nea... more In autumn 2020, a group of metal detectorists
located 150 bronze artefacts on a forested dune near
the village of Cierpice in north-central Poland. The hoard
includes cheekpieces, phalerae, rattle and terret rings, and
rein cuffs with wire links that had once formed parts of a
horse bridle dating back to the Final Bronze Age. The bridle
equipment was wrapped together with a socketed axe in a plant fibres packing and then carefully placed in an organic
bag that had decayed. This article presents and discusses
the results of archaeological, metallographic and paleobotanical
examinations of the hoard, aided by other data
documented archaeologically, and relates them to patterns
of metalwork movement and consumption in the region
of modern Poland during the Lusatian era and the wider
context of the North European Bronze Age.
Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, 2024
The archaeological site of Ryńsk in north-central Poland produced sound evidence of long-distance... more The archaeological site of Ryńsk in north-central Poland produced sound evidence of long-distance journeys of people and pottery from the 6th millennium BC in Central Europe by yielding a sophisticated ceramic footed bowl that can be traced to the Carpathian Basin region. Archaeology indicates that the earliest ceramic vessels had a different functional, social and ritual role, but it is difficult to convey information on the significant role of pottery in ancient societies in a way that would pique the interest of the general public. This paper presents the digital restoration and 3D visualisation of the footed bowl from Ryńsk and other accompanying ceramics that may assist in feeding the historical imagination and education about the ancient pottery making of the LBK people and can be used to provide a wider audience with new forms of engagement and interaction with the archaeological heritage of the region.
Antiquity, 2024
In 2023, prospection of a dried-out lake near Papowo Biskupie in north-central Poland identified ... more In 2023, prospection of a dried-out lake near Papowo Biskupie in north-central Poland identified substantial deposits of bronze artefacts. Excavation revealed further deposits and dozens of human skeletons that date from 1000-400 BC, suggesting that the site held particular significance as a place for sacrificial offerings in the Lusatian culture.
Archaeometry, 2024
Chemical and lead isotope analyses aided by metallographic examination of copper axes found at th... 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.
Antiquity, 2023
In 2018, excavations at Markowice in central Poland produced sound evidence for the uptake of the... more In 2018, excavations at Markowice in central Poland produced sound evidence for the uptake of the Baden Culture in the region: the remains of a young male interred with two cattle drawing a funerary sledge were unearthed, along with several other Funnel Beaker (TRB) inhumations that date to 3500–3100 BC.
Royal Society Open Science, 2023
The detection of dairy processing is pivotal to our understanding of ancient subsistence strategi... more The detection of dairy processing is pivotal to our understanding of ancient subsistence strategies. This culinary process is linked to key arguments surrounding the evolution of lactase persistence in prehistory. Despite extensive evidence indicating the presence of dairy products in ceramics in the European Neolithic, questions remain about the nature and extent of milk (and lactose) processing and consumption. In order to investigate past patterns of dairy processing, here we analyse ancient proteins identified from Late Neolithic Funnel Beaker ceramics, scrutinizing the principle that curd and whey proteins partition during the production of dairy foods from milk. Our results indicate the presence of casein-rich dairy products in these vessels suggesting the creation of curd-enriched products from raw milk. Moreover, this analysis reveals the use of multiple species for their dairy products in the Late Neolithic, adding to a growing body of evidence for the period. Alongside palaeoproteomic analysis, we applied well-established lipid residue analysis. Differential interpretations between these two approaches show that palaeoproteomics is especially useful where the effects from isotope mixing may underestimate the frequency of dairy products in archaeological ceramics, highlighting the potential utility of a multi-stranded approach to understand life histories of vessel use.
Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt, 2021
This paper reports on archived archaeological material and some recent discoveries of stray finds... 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.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2021
Throughout the long history of the Funnel Beaker (TRB) culture in the region of modern Poland (41... 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.
M. S. Przybyła, K. Dzięgielewski (eds.), Chasing Bronze Age rainbows. Studies on hoards and related phenomena in prehistoric Europe in honour of Wojciech Blajer, 2019
The Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age metal hoards from the Chełmno land: A new insight into the... more The Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age metal hoards from the Chełmno land: A new insight into the metalworking capacity of the local bronzesmiths. In this paper we explore the metalworking capacity of the Chełmno group bronzesmiths by having a close look at metal hoards deposited in the area of the Vistula–Drwęca–Osa interfluve in the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (1100–450 BC). Here, it appears plausible that the Chełmno group craftsmen did establish the local metalworking. However, they did not develop their own local style but were rather focused on imitating a foreign metalwork. Notwithstanding that, the Chełmno group bronzesmiths made themselves capable of multiplying metal weapon and tools in shell-moulds and were thoroughly familiar with the lost-wax technique. This opens the possibility that at least part of the metalwork hoarded in the Chełmno land was made on the spot.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2021
In 2009, an exceptional discovery was made in west-central Poland. At the Late Bronze Age necropo... more In 2009, an exceptional discovery was made in west-central Poland. At the Late Bronze Age necropolis in Wartosław, tools used in metalworking were unearthed from a mass grave belonging to the Lusatian people that can be dated to 1100-900 BCE. Twelve out of over 70 ceramic vessels from the burial pit were identified as urns that contained the ashes of at least eight deceased individuals, including two adult men, one young woman, one unspecified adult, and at least four children. Metallographic, chemical, and petrographic investigations of mortuary goods were used to determine their provenance and use in metalworking. The results of these investigations were used as a proxy to analyze the mass grave according to the ritual and social strategies of the era, including the status and organization of Lusatian metalworkers, and to consider the possibility of identifying their burials in the archeological record.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2020
At the beginning of 750 BC, the Urnfield world-system was about to collapse, bringing about many ... more At the beginning of 750 BC, the Urnfield world-system was about to collapse, bringing about many serious cultural changes in the region of Central Europe along with the atomization of local Lusatian communities from the territory that is today northern Poland. It was a time of growing social and political competition between the Lusatian power elites, which took different forms, including more or less open struggle for influence in the metal trading network. In this paper, we provide new chemical (using ED XRF and SEM-EDS) and technological (using mCT, X-ray, OM and SEM-EDS) data for the bronze anklet and three phalerae which were hoarded in present-day Lipienek, northern Poland, between 600 and 450 BC, to combine it further with patterns of metalwork production and consumption in the region. Particular emphasis is placed on the need to present how the metal trading influenced cultural interactions between the Lusatian peoples from the Chełmno land and the nearby Kuyavia region, and how the Chełmno group responded to the dynamic and interconnected landscape of Early Iron Age Poland. Through exploring the metal artefacts from Lipienek, we also contribute to a better understanding of the bricoleur style in the Lusatian metalworking. Here, it appears that this technological trajectory might have resulted from the pragmatism of metalworkers who searched for a way to keep pace with the social and technological competition during the Lusatian era. Furthermore, the results have allowed us to hypothesise that the bricoleur style behind the hoard can also reflect the alienation of Chełmno group metalworkers and their patrons from the mainstream metal trading network, which was controlled by the Stanomin centre in the nearby Kuyavia region.
Ceramics International, 2020
This work reports the results of an interdisciplinary study seeking to address the issue of bone ... 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.
Archeologické rozhledy, 2019
This study reports the results of archaeometallurgical investigations performed on a complete two... 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.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2019
For a long time, the Eneolithic attribution of the Rudki-type double spiral ornaments was contest... 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.
Śląskie Sprawozdania Archeologiczne, 2018
This work is a contribution to the debate about the presence of the steppe-styled metalwork in th... more This work is a contribution to the debate about the presence of the steppe-styled metalwork in the inventories of the Lusatian communities from Cuyavia and the Chełmno land. Here, we try to provide some new archaeometallurgical arguments to stimulate this discussion again. For a long time the steppe-styled metal artefacts (e.g. trilobite arrowheads, nail earrings) were commonly believed to be a fingerprint of the military expansion committed on the local communities by the steppe hordes during the Early Iron Age. Concerning the northern province of the Lusatian culture complex, such an expansion was connected with the destruction relics recognized among the defensive settlements in Biskupin, Kamieniec, or Kruszwica. However, the research results reported from the Tarnobrzeg culture metalworkshop in Zawada in the 1980s significantly influenced on the perception of the mechanisms by which the steppe-styled metalwork emerged in the Lusatian communities. There are, therefore, two compatible models which may refer to Cuyavia and the Chełmno land: (1) the acculturation model, concerning an exchange and local imitating of the foreign metalwork, and (2) the model of the military expansion of the steppe hordes. The first one may be evidenced by the nail earrings recovered from the cemetery in Mała Kępa, whereas the other one happens to be justified by the bimetallic daggers (akinakes) from Bodzanowo and Płonczynek. What is significant, the acculturation model is based on the findings of the clay moulds for the nail earrings, and thus, it refers to the mechanism of local imitating the steppe-styled jewellery. Having analysed the results of the research performed we can state that the acculturation model should also include the mechanism of local imitating the military accessories, such as the trilobite arrowheads. This may be proved by the bronze arrowhead discovered in the defensive settlement at Kamieniec.
Acta Archaeologica Lodziensia , 2017
W artykule przedstawiono wyniki studiów archeometalurgicznych dotyczących płaskiej siekiery, odkr... 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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Papers by Łukasz Kowalski
Strzyżów, south-eastern Poland. The dagger was customized as a pendant and deposited in an inhumation burial that contained
the remains of an adult male and over ten other grave offerings dating to the 2nd quarter of the 4th millennium BC.
This paper presents the results of archaeological and metallographic examinations of the dagger from Strzyżów and relates
them to a wider cultural context of the region. The results of our study show that the dagger has no signs of use-wear, and
furthermore indicate that the metal used for its production is fahlore copper which could have been sourced from the Slovak
Ore Mountains. The two other Cucuteni-Vădastra type daggers that were discovered in the vicinity of Strzyżów mark
the Western Volhynian Upland as a distinct cluster of the Cucuteni-Vădastra dagger industry in Europe. Furthermore, the
daggers from Poland evidence a close relationship between the Lublin-Volhynian culture and the Cucuteni-Tripillia complex
and attest to the intercultural landscape of the Eastern Carpathians region during the Eneolithic.
located 150 bronze artefacts on a forested dune near
the village of Cierpice in north-central Poland. The hoard
includes cheekpieces, phalerae, rattle and terret rings, and
rein cuffs with wire links that had once formed parts of a
horse bridle dating back to the Final Bronze Age. The bridle
equipment was wrapped together with a socketed axe in a plant fibres packing and then carefully placed in an organic
bag that had decayed. This article presents and discusses
the results of archaeological, metallographic and paleobotanical
examinations of the hoard, aided by other data
documented archaeologically, and relates them to patterns
of metalwork movement and consumption in the region
of modern Poland during the Lusatian era and the wider
context of the North European Bronze Age.
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
Strzyżów, south-eastern Poland. The dagger was customized as a pendant and deposited in an inhumation burial that contained
the remains of an adult male and over ten other grave offerings dating to the 2nd quarter of the 4th millennium BC.
This paper presents the results of archaeological and metallographic examinations of the dagger from Strzyżów and relates
them to a wider cultural context of the region. The results of our study show that the dagger has no signs of use-wear, and
furthermore indicate that the metal used for its production is fahlore copper which could have been sourced from the Slovak
Ore Mountains. The two other Cucuteni-Vădastra type daggers that were discovered in the vicinity of Strzyżów mark
the Western Volhynian Upland as a distinct cluster of the Cucuteni-Vădastra dagger industry in Europe. Furthermore, the
daggers from Poland evidence a close relationship between the Lublin-Volhynian culture and the Cucuteni-Tripillia complex
and attest to the intercultural landscape of the Eastern Carpathians region during the Eneolithic.
located 150 bronze artefacts on a forested dune near
the village of Cierpice in north-central Poland. The hoard
includes cheekpieces, phalerae, rattle and terret rings, and
rein cuffs with wire links that had once formed parts of a
horse bridle dating back to the Final Bronze Age. The bridle
equipment was wrapped together with a socketed axe in a plant fibres packing and then carefully placed in an organic
bag that had decayed. This article presents and discusses
the results of archaeological, metallographic and paleobotanical
examinations of the hoard, aided by other data
documented archaeologically, and relates them to patterns
of metalwork movement and consumption in the region
of modern Poland during the Lusatian era and the wider
context of the North European Bronze Age.
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.