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Over 50 years ago Edward Dąbrowski ended few seasons excavations of the stronghold in Połupin. From that time it is one of these early medieval sites located in nowadays Lubuskie voivodship, around which quite large literature has grown (see below), and at the same time much controversy connected especially with stronghold chronology and origin of the famous, bronze, small plate. Verification of Edward Dąbrowski’s conclusions was seriously impeded by the lack of full study and publishing of the sources discovered there. The filling of this gap was therefore the main aim of of this publication. Besides of the old findings analysis, enriched with specialized studies results, in the book we present also the results of studies of the reconstruction of original natural environment of the closest surroundings of the stronghold, as well as the site in Połupin against the broader settlement context. The essential part of this publication were also devoted to the issues connected with the chronology, based on the comparative analysis of the sherds and other artefacts (spurs and beam), and verified by the 14C dating. The site 2 was discovered in the summer of 1961, during the detailed surface survey conducted by the expedition members, who were excavated the nearby stronghold in Krosno Odrzańskie. This summer from the half of July till the mid of September, Edward Dąbrowski conducted the excavations on the newly discovered site. The research was aimed to answer few questions about function of this feature, its size and chronology. Due to the complete lowering of the rampart constructions, basically it was not assumed that the studied feature might have been the relics of the stronghold. In total, during three seasons, the area of 2,5 ares in 7 trenches was excavated, recognizing the stratigraphy of cultural layers, mainly in the north-south axis (with circa 10° to the east), what was documented on numerous colour outlines. Available documentation from the excavation is complemented by monochrome photographs, especially of the feature outlines. Publishing of this book was possible thanks to the financial support provided by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, within the program of the archaeological artefacts protection, priority 5. Part of presented here results, primarily those concerning 14C dating, was financed within the grant of the National Center of Science. The stronghold in Połupin, site 2, was built in the Middle Odra River Valley, in th zone of upper edge of the left slope of the valley. Połupin surroundings are very characteristic place in the latitudinal Odra River Valley, which functioned in the late of last Glacial as a part of the Berlin-Warsaw ice marginal valley. Located here narrowing of the valley, clearly visible in the morphology, in which its broadness is dropping to circa 2 km. The position of defensive settlement allowed to control the situation in the bottom of the valley, which most likely was used as a main communication artery, joining with the northern Lusatia and Brandenburg on the west and Greater Poland and further Masovia on the east. The place for the stronghold location was chosen very carefully. It was built over 40 m over the valley bottom, what assured undisturbed look into the valley and gave opportunity for its continuous monitoring. The stronghold was located between two, well-formed denudative valleys, on the narrow denudative spur, driving between them, taking form of characteristic “tip”. The topography of the stronghold area and the closest surroundings played with certainty substantial role. There were some natural, defensive obstacles in form of steep, in some places even rugged, slopes of denudative spur and slope of the Odra River valley. The specific location of the stronghold in Połupin was affected on the one hand by encountered natural terrain relief characteristic, which in natural way guaranteed the defensive position and on the other hand the surface of the denudative spur was flat, what made easier carrying out all construction works. The geographical environment in the stronghold surroundings was pretty much diverse. What can be assumed, it offered to the early medieval society sufficient climate for farming and in many places also appropriate water conditions, however the living relief of left slope of the Odra River valley most likely excluded carrying out any economic activity on this area. This was only possible on the nearby bottom of the Odra River valley. There were some good natural conditions for creating meadow lands and grazing, for carrying out breeding, pastoralism and inland fishery. Good communication between the lands of economic activity in the bottom of valley and the place of people’s living on the denudative spur was provided by not strongly inclined numerous denudative valleys. Due to the modest slopes of the bottoms of denudative valleys it was easy to reach between the Odra River valley and adjacent hill (wysoczyzna). Thanks to small slopes of the bottoms of denudative valleys it was possible to access between Odra River valley and adjacent hills. Considering poor sandy-gravel ground and developed from them soils of low class of fertility and in order of lack of permanent, surface water, hill (wysoczyzna) fluvioglacial hill near the Odra River valley was most likely not very attractive area for the early medieval society. In order to reconstruct natural, basic environment a palynological analysis were carried out. A core of mineral and organic sediments was drilled from an oxbow in Odra valley. Samples for pollen analysis were taken every 4 or 2 cm in the upper part of the core. Pollen diagram reveals changes in regional and local plant communities during the last 3000 years BP. Mixed pine-oak forest and deciduous forests with Querus, Carpinus betulus, Ulmus and Corylus avellana were the main types of regional ecosystems. On local habitats expansive areas of Alnus communities were found. There were only some open plants communities. Three phases of human activity were found. The first took place in the Bronze Age, the second one during the Roman Period. The last phase is related to the early middle ages when an embankment existed nearby to the research site. The landscape changed significantly. Clear deforestation is observed and first of all Alnus forest diminished. The area was occupied by anthropogenic ecosystems instead. A lot of open plant communities appeared. Presence of many herbs like Rumex or Plantago lanceolata indicates significance of meadows and pastures. Cultivation of cereals and other crops was not so important. Proportions and quantity of appearance of particular groups of indicators in relation to presence and human activity suggest that economic of society from Połupin was mostly based on breeding and cultivations was rather a supplement ensuring dietary enrichment. Zooarchaeological analysis shown that animal breeding had crucial impact on overall economic of inhabitants of the stronghold in Połupin. The excavations carried out in Połupin had provided crucial information about the development of the area surrounded by the rampart. Due to the incomplete preserved documentation, it was not possible to precisely situate the location of some features, however it did not prevent to distinguish few characteristic elements of development, both residential, economic and defensive. Residential part of the stronghold was most likely located along the inner part of the walls, i.e. in the safest place in the stronghold, in so called blind spot of fire. The courtyard, besides few, most likely, residential features (pits 1 and 2), was occupied by the features of processing function (probably birch-tar pit and smoke pit) and by the close undefined constructions, from which only post holes remained. Basing on the NMT analysis one can propose a hypothesis that the stronghold was surrounded from the west, south and east by horseshoe-like rampart, and from the north, i.e. Odra River valley, another kind of defensive system functioned, in form of stone enforced terraces incised in the strongly steep slope. However to verify this hypothesis further excavations are required. Post deposit processes caused almost complete destruction of the relics of walls. Their remains were traceable only in the south-western and south-eastern part of the stronghold, although we cannot say much about its construction. This remark concerns also construction techniques used in building of the elements of the courtyard development. The choice of location place of the stronghold was based on the defensive characters offered by the nature. The place where it was build was limited from the west and east by deep denudative valleys, which besides defensive feature, could have been also used as a communication routes between stronghold and used for economic activities, the Odra River valley. The northern foreground, besides hypothetical, artificial terraces system, was limited by wet river valley. Significant reason for which one decided to elaborate archive finds from the stronghold in Połupin was the need for verification the chronology of the fortress and discovered there artefacts. The most numerous category of sources are fragment of vessels. Basing on the macroscopic analysis (study of style, form and technology of manufacture) and using specialist investigations we believe that that ceramic discovered in Połupin represents two pottery styles. First, traditional one, corresponds to the older phases of the Middle Ages. These include: small range of coating, lack of decoration, poor profile and appearance of mainly undeveloped rims. Second, progressive stream, are the vessels perfectly, technologically produced, manufactured from especially prepared mass of clay, based on selected, fine-grained temper. This course is represented by vessels of mainly stocky, vase-like forms. Their characteristic feature is decoration in form of plastic rollers (from one to few), placed under the rim. Their origin can be traced primarily in Merovingian pottery workshops, which had produced, mainly in the 7th century, the so called Knickwandtőpfe. Using the data concerned of vessels style and technique of manufacture, which were gathered during the study of numerous collections of pottery from the Middle Odra River Area, we can try to establish chronological position of discovered assemblage of vessels. The analysis indicates quite high percentage of coated vessels (circa 65%), with simultaneous low share of decorated forms (circa 10%), allow to say that vessels from Połupin were manufactured not earlier than the end of the 8th century, but most likely in the 1st half of the 9th century. This chronology is not being denied by the 14C dating and by the analysis of other categories of finds (hooked spurs and beam). The results of reanalysis have contributed in significant changing the chronology of the stronghold in Połupin. Previous data, which functioned in the literature from the mid 1960s, indicated that the fortress were of 200 years older. Currently we know also slightly more about the most interesting find from Połupin, i.e. bronze shield with amethyst. Conducted specialist investigations (metallographic, gemological, or analysis of the fabric) with the comparative analysis of parallel finds, mainly from the area of Hungary, allowed to state that there are not any clear, strong basis to connects this artefact with Avar milieu. And this is the only firm opinion that we can express to conclude deliberations on the subject of the shield from Połupin. Although gathered in the course of analysis new data appears to undermine its early medieval chronology as well, by this cannot be excluded. There is in fact no doubt that this artefact was found in the stronghold in the early medieval context, therefore its dating to this period is probable. Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego Bartłomiej Gruszka

We are pleased to present the first volume of a new book series entitled Monographs in Early Medieval Studies. Our intention is that this and subsequent publications, which are aimed to examine a broad range of topics related to the Early Middle Ages, will be made available under Creative Commons licence to enable easier access to the presented issues and facilitate the exchange of knowledge. We invite you to read the book and to download it in PDF format at www.projektyarcheologiczne.pl or www.fundacjalunula.pl. *** Mozów, site 23 is located in the Lubuskie Province, about 3 km west of Sulechów. It is situated on the slope of a small hill, between a railway line (Sulechów-Czerwieńsk) and county road 278. Archaeological excavations were carried out at this site in 2009 in connection with the planned construction of expressway S3. The research was conducted by the Foundation of the University of Łódź under the direction of dr Seweryn Rzepecki. The excavations covered a total area of 186.35 ares divided into five major sectors (hectares) within which 233 features were registered. Cultural attribution was determined for 109 features containing mostly potsherds. Archaeological sources recorded during the research included the material dating to the Stone Age (unspecified chronology), the Neolithic (including the Linear Pottery and the Funnel Beaker cultures), the Jastorf culture and the Roman Influence period (mixed elements of the Wielbark and Pomeranian cultures), as well as the older phases of the Early Middle Ages and the Post Medieval period. The publication presents the results of research on the archaeological material dating to the Early Medieval period. They are discussed against a wider background of Mozów-Sulechów microregion including several large settlements and less recognised settlement points. Apart from description and analysis of archaeological sources (mainly pottery and remains of building structures at Mozów, site 23), the monograph focuses on issues related to the reconstruction of the natural environment. The studies on the most abundant archaeological material – pottery, as well as thermoluminescence and radiocarbon dating analyses were carried out within the framework of the project Interdisciplinary research on the early medieval pottery workshop (7-10 c.) in the borderland of Lower Silesia - Great Poland - Lusatia financed by the National Science Centre (agreement no. UMO-2012/05/N/HS3/01425). In the publication the emphasis is placed on the reconstruction of the natural environment. The detailed geomorphological and palynological analyses, as well as the examination of quality and suitability of soils for plant cultivation have revealed that geological structure and varied lithology of the Quaternary formations characteristic of the area adjacent to Mozów, site 23 can be regarded as advantages in terms of agriculture. Large sandy surfaces covered by light soils are easy to work even with simple farming tools, enabling manual (hoe-based) cultivation of land, as well as agriculture using draft animals (with ards and more durable ploughs). It can be assumed that drought or excessively wet periods did not pose larger threat for the crops. The immediate surroundings of the site offered access to various environments, including moist soils located in alluvial-filled depressions or at the edges of wetlands, as well as dry ones, occurring at elevations of the fluvioglacial plain and on dunes. On the other hand, glacial till present on the surface of the area north of the site posed a substantial obstacle for cultivation. The area surrounding the site was characterised by a variety of soils. In the organically enriched alluvial deposits, or along the edges of wetlands developed alluvial and semi-hydrogenic or hydrogenic soils (i.a. peat and muck soils). Given the continued high levels of moisture some of these soils were probably unsuitable for ploughing; instead they may have been used in horticulture, or after appropriate adjustments, as meadows and pastures. On the moraine plateau predominated autogenic soils (brown earths and podzols). However, due to their heavy structure and skeletal character the cultivation required using strong draft animals and iron farming tools of reinforced construction. Potential sources of water supply included small lakes located on the plateau north of the site, a watercourse at the foot of the slope, and probably also springs occurring in cuts of sandy soil series in the lower part of the slope or in small denudation valleys. It is noteworthy that springs, unlike running or standing water, do not freeze during cold winters because the temperature of groundwater is generally similar to the average annual air temperature in the area. Thus, springs could be a stable water supply available throughout the year, e.g. for watering livestock. In the distance of several kilometres from the site no larger lakes occurred, which, however, did not create a barrier to colonization of the area. A significant factor influencing prehistoric occupation at Mozów site may have been the proximity of the Odra valley, which - as a communication route - enabled contact with other communities or migration. The investigated area was characterized by a great diversity of vegetation. Wetlands were occupied by riparian forests, and in some places by alder forests or small grass communities. The slopes and the moraine plateau were covered by beech forests with admixture of other tree species, while dry sandy hills were grown by coniferous forests. Woodlands provided building and fuel material, and after some adaptation (burning the forest floor and undergrowth) they were used as areas of less intensive grazing, hunting and gathering. Nutritional needs of the community were met in a variety of ways, combining the use of products derived from crops and livestock, wild plants and possibly wild animals. Excavations carried out at Mozów, site 23 and at other settlements dating to the seventh and eighth centuries have not yielded many faunal remains. Few finds of animal bones, mostly cattle and small ruminants, only confirm the results of pollen analysis indicating the presence of open plant communities which were used as pastures. In the sediments of the discussed layer dating to the beginnings of the Middle Ages disappear heather Calluna vulgaris and common bracken Pteridiumaqilinum, which are the species characteristic mostly of forest communities and peat lands. In addition, after a long absence returns the occurrence of sorrel pollen grains Rumex, typeacetosa/acetosella, the plant associated with grazing. Slightly later appears plantain Plantagolanceolata, which is the indicator of a similar value. Furthermore, the sediments dating to the beginning of the early medieval phase contained rye pollen grains Secale and a single pollen of other grains cerealia, as well as nitrophilous ruderal plants of the goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae. The period after the probable time of functioning of Mozów settlement is characterised by the occurrence of stronger indicators of anthropogenic impact, including mugwort Artemisia, nettle Urtica, or weeds of cereal crops - cornflower Centaureacyanus. Their presence is probably related to younger settlement dated from the ninth to the tenth century, represented by numerous remains recovered in the area of Sulechów and the village of Kije (where two strongholds dated to the same period existed at that time), or at Zawady, site 1. The occurrence of pollen grains and weeds is the direct evidence of human activity. Although few in number, they point towards people’s presence and penetration of surrounding areas. The transformations described above, as well as the changes in the proportion of particular ecosystems indicate the initial phase of anthropogenic impact on the environment, the process which continues uninterrupted until today. The settlement discovered at Mozów, site 23 is one of the most comprehensively excavated remains of occupation from the older phases of the Early Middle Ages in the Middle Odra region. In the studied period also two other settlements functioned in Mozów-Sulechów microregion: Sulechów, site 14, which was similar in size to Mozów, site 23, and a slightly smaller one, known as Sulechów, site 10. A relatively high density of occupation indicates that the second half of the seventh century at the latest was already the period of stable settlement structures of a permanent character in the region. Further development of this and other similar settlement clusters in the area enabled probably the emergence in the second half of the ninth century of many heavily fortified strongholds which served the role of central points for small tribal communities. The study of the early medieval site at Mozów has provided new data on possible ways of the organization of space within the settlement in the older phases of the Early Middle Ages. Spatial structure of the site, reconstructed on the basis of recovered relics, was strongly influenced by local topography, which has analogies in other nearby well recognized settlements, e.g. Sulechów, site 10 or Jordanowo, site 7. The discovered remnants of buildings are typical of the northern zone of development of Slavic (so called Sukow) culture. They included predominantly bath-shaped features, which were probably the remains of sunken parts of larger ground-level buildings. The excavations did not reveal the relics that would provide more detailed information on the methods of building construction. We can only assume that some of dwellings were erected with the use of lightweight wattle or post-based structures. The most numerous artefacts recovered during excavations were potsherds. In terms of style they refer mostly to Suków-Dziedzice group, and in single cases to undecorated pottery of Feldberg type (Kędrzyno variety). The major trait that allows to associate a small number of finds from Mozów with undecorated Kędrzyno vessels is a characteristic way of rim treatment which involves its thickening and distinguishing from the wall by means of an encircling undercut. Potsherds with rims of this shape were recovered from features: B4, B34, B92 and B129. They co-occurred with both decorated and undecorated vessels of Suków-Dziecice type. According to Edward Dąbrowski, who first drew attention to this characteristic trait of vessels occurring within a limited area of northern part of present day Lubuskie Province, the origins of such rim forms should be sought among some vessels of Dobrodzień group (grupa dobrodzieńska) dating to the Late Roman Influence period. The settlement microregion of Sulechów-Mozów is defined as the southern boundary of the area characterised by more frequent occurrence of vessels with the aforementioned rims. Apart from Mozów, analogous forms were discovered at Kalsk, site 1 and Sulechów, site 25. In all the above cases they were represented by undecorated vessels made without the use of a potter’s wheel. The present study has revealed that the vessels with undercut rims do not form a homogenous technological-stylistic-chronological group. The older items, dating from the sixth to the seventh century were made without the use of a potter’s wheel; they were characterised by undercuts executed in a careless manner and simple forms of rims with mostly semi-oval or flattened tops. Younger vessels of this group, which are dated predominantly to the eighth century are already the forms finished on a potter’s wheel, usually thin-walled, with a clearly marked groove (undercut) placed immediately below the rim. The rims are often strongly profiled, well elaborated and some of them give impression of having been made with a template. In the area of Sulechów the forms with undercut rims disappear during the eighth century. Instead, already in the beginning of that century emerge undecorated vessels ended with edges modelled from the inside, which resemble distinctly the younger examples of rims with indentation for a lid. A few forms of this kind were recovered also at Mozów, site 23, e.g. in features: B26, B92, B200, however, they occurred more often in the assemblages dating only from the second half of the eighth century (e.g. at Gościkowo, site 5), and especially from the ninth century (e.g. at the settlement of Sulechów, site 28, where they are linked with the influences from the area of Lower Silesia). According to Paweł Pawlak vessels of this type, which are known also from Myszęcin, site 19 (dating from the half of the eighth to the ninth century), represent transitional forms between Sukow and Feldberg style, or are the signs of foreign cultural influences in the local pottery production. In the eighth and ninth centuries, when the use of a potter’s wheel in the production of vessels becomes widespread, the characteristic forms of rims include those modelled from the inside with deep encircling grooves (in some cases even triple ones). It seems that such a rim shape was not an unintended consequence of fast rotation of a potter’s wheel, but rather the result of a purposeful fashioning made perhaps with a comb or other toothed tool. This trait is characteristic of numerous vessels from the sites located particularly in the area defining the southern boundary of the prior occurrence of vessels with undercut rims. Such forms were recorded, i.a. at the stronghold of Gostchorze, site 1, at Tarnawa Rzepińska, site 1, in the layer dating to the end of the eighth and the beginning of the ninth century at Krosno Odrzańskie, site 1, among pottery assemblages of the stronghold at Kije, site 1, at Smolno Wielkie, site 1, at the settlement dating to the eighth century at Kalsk, site 4, among pottery finds from the probable stronghold at Górzykowo, site 1, and in the layers from the second phase of the stronghold at Połupin, site 2 dating (according to the recent study) to the first half of the eighth century at the earliest. Rims with similar profiles were found also at the settlement of Letnica, site 13, where occurred also forms decorated with elaborate comb patterns. It should be noted that rims shaped in this way were not recorded in pottery assemblages from the site at Mozów. Establishing the chronology of vessels recovered from the site at Mozów, and, accordingly, the dating of the settlement, is not an easy task. The difficulties arise from the fact that pottery from the older phases of the Early Middle Ages lacks sufficiently sensitive chronological characteristics. Until the end of the eighth century the vessel assemblages found in the Middle Odra region consisted predominantly of undecorated forms, which until approximately half of the eighth century were produced mostly without the use of a potter’s wheel. For this reason it is difficult to determine a precise chronological framework of the vessels older than the ninth century only on the basis of formal-stylistic analysis. In the case of ceramic material from Mozów, given the small percentage of decorated forms and those made with a potter’s wheel (about 2%), we can assign terminus ante quem to the end of the eighth century. An important chronological indicator for the pottery recovered at Mozów is the lack of forms with rims modelled from the inside with deep encircling grooves. As already mentioned this trait is characteristic of the vessels dating to the developed eighth century, and in particular, the ninth century. Taking into account the chronological clues described above, the early medieval settlement horizon at Mozów should be associated with the seventh and eighth centuries. These relatively broad chronological framework can be narrowed with the help of comparative analysis involving chronologically well-defined vessel assemblages from other sites, as well as by thermoluminescence dates obtained for over a dozen potsherds from Mozów settlement . Numerous formal and stylistic analogies can be found in pottery assemblages from Sulechów, site 14 and the settlement from the first phase of occupation at Sulechów, site 10. In the case of site 14, the results of AMS radiocarbon dating have clarified the earlier assumptions concerning periodization based on the analysis of archaeological sources. Currently the chronological framework of this settlement is established for the period from the second half of the seventh century to the third quarter of the eighth century. The results of radiocarbon dating and dendrochronological analysis have also confirmed the chronology of the first phase of occupation at Sulechów, site 10 placing it within the period from the end of the seventh century to the end of the eighth or to the beginning of the ninth century. The radiocarbon dates obtained for the material recovered from the discussed sites at Sulechów fully correspond with the results of thermoluminescence (further called TL) dating of 15 potsherds from the settlement at Mozów, which narrows the chronology of pottery production at the latter site to the period from the second half of the seventh century to the first decade of the eighth century. The TL analysis was performed on vessels recovered from six features located in different parts of the settlement. However, the obtained results do not provide sufficient data to define more detailed intervals (settlement phases) of the studied site. We can only assume that the results of TL analysis allow the possibility that the oldest phase of the settlement, dating to the second half of the seventh century, is represented by six potsherds recovered from features B29 and B129. The youngest of these pottery pieces can be dated to the fourth quarter of the seventh century. The latest remains of the settlement, in turn, are possibly represented by the features which contained pottery manufactured in the first decade or, more generally, in the first half of the eighth century (e.g. features B102, B182, B200). It is worth noting that pottery assemblages of both older and younger chronology do not differ in terms of style, technology, or form. The comparison of vessel assemblages including particularly those recovered from Mozów, site 23 and Sulechów, site 14 has shown some common characteristics with regard to their style, form and technology. In the case of both settlements the proportion of decorated potsherds was not higher than 2%, while the frequency of vessels made with the use of a potter’s wheel did not exceed 1% at Mozów, site 23 and approximately 10% at Sulechów, site 14. In slightly younger assemblages recovered from the settlement at Sulechów, site 10 the proportion of undecorated vessels was similar and amounted to less than 1%, however, the quantity of pieces made with the use of a potter’s wheel in the first phase of occupation was already 64%. These data point to the conclusion that during the eighth century in the studied area the technology of pottery production underwent significant transformations associated mainly with the introduction of the potter’s wheel. Other stylistic, formal and technological characteristics, however, remained largely unchanged. It is noteworthy that also in the case of ceramic assemblages from other nearby settlements the percentage of vessels finished on a potter’s wheel increased rapidly in the eighth century (e.g. at Grodziszcze, site 9 the frequency of such vessels was approximately 70%). The proportion reversed entirely in the ninth century, when the forms made without the use of a potter’s wheel accounted for about 1-5% (e.g. Sulechów, site 28). Translated by Agata Drejer-Kowalska Narodowe Centrum Nauki Bartłomiej Gruszka

Succession of profundal ostracod palaeoassemblages in response to environmental changes during the Late Glacial and Holocene was studied in a similar to 15-m-long sediment sequence from pre-Alpine lake Mondsee (Austria). First local ostracod assemblage zone LOAZ-1 (prior to 15,700 a BP), with low abundances of Leucocythere mirabilis and Limnocytherina sanctipatricii followed by Cytherissa lacustris, corresponds to the Pleniglacial phase of clastic-detrital sedimentation at relatively high rates. Most of the key species of LOAZ-2 (15,590 to 13,940 a BP, including the Pleniglacial-Late Glacial transition), i.e. limnocytherids, Fabaeformiscandona cf. harmsworthi, F. tricicatricosa, C. lacustris and Candona candida, reveal the significant association with high Al contents and low sedimentation rates and are classified as preferring low-productivity conditions. In contrast, Candona neglecta, dominant in LOAZ-3 (13,820 to 9960 a BP, palynologically defined as Balling-Early Holocene) and in the last LOAZ-4 (9780 a BP to present) as well as Cypria ophtalmica (second key species in LOAZ-4) show relationship with higher productivity, elevated sedimentation rates and decreasing Al contents. Furthermore, valve biodegradation and shape disparity at different time periods and in relation to sedimentation rate changes were investigated in A-3 juveniles of Candona neglecta. The highest percentage of valves biodegraded by Actinobacteria was recorded during the Allerod, Younger Dryas and Early Holocene, when the lowest sedimentation rates occurred, whereas significantly lower frequencies of biodegraded valves were recorded during the mid-Holocene and Late Holocene, when sediment accumulation was much higher. It is also hypothesised that the degree of the valve shape variation was related to the lake productivity. During the Allerod, Younger Dryas and Early Holocene a valve shape variation significantly lower than that recorded during Late Holocene intervals, characterised by intensified lake productivity, was observed. Additionally, an agenda of potential questions and approaches that should be considered and form the core of further (palaeo-)biological research projects is offered. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The studied settlement is situated about 3 km south of Zawada village, on the right side of an old road leading from Zielona Góra to Sulechów. It is located on the Odra floodplain, on a small elevation on the right bank of the Zimny Potok, the river which in this section of Warsaw-Berlin ice-marginal valley (the middle Odra valley) is a major left-bank tributary of the Odra, flowing parallel to it at a distance of about 3-6 km. The site was discovered in 1960 by Edward Dąbrowski, who then carried out preliminary archaeological research in this area. In 1966, the settlement at Zawada was listed into the register of historical monuments of Zielonogórskie Province as an early medieval stronghold dated broadly to the 8th-12th centuries. In 1992, from the 6th of July to the 7th of August, planned archaeological excavations directed by Marlena Magda and Sławomir Kałagate were conducted at the site. The investigations were funded by the Provincial Office for the Protection of Monuments, and their main goal was to obtain more precise data on the chronology and to verify some previous assumptions concerning the settlement. The need to carry out excavations at Zawada was additionally justified by progressive destruction of the site caused by agricultural work. The research involved the exploration of two excavation units and one sondage, covering in total approximately 3.5 ares. Within this area 15 early medieval features and 3 concentrations of prehistoric pottery were unearthed. Based on geomorphologic and geologic analyses, several conclusions can be drawn regarding the use of natural environment in the surroundings of Zawada site. Firstly, the situation of the settlement in this place allowed easy access to water. Furthermore, swampy valley of the Zimny Potok and its tributaries made the region difficult to reach and gave it natural defensive qualities despite flat and not very diverse floodplain terrain. During spring thaws the whole valley of the river and its tributaries became flooded except for the elevation at which the settlement was located. Mud and silt soils occurring in the area are classified as fertile, but their cultivation requires heavy equipment and appropriate agronomic treatments, and therefore it is unlikely that they were used for agriculture in the Early Middle Ages. Lush vegetation growing on a partly marshy floodplain of the Odra (1-2 meters above the level of the river) facilitated grazing and animal husbandry, as well as hunting (in areas covered with forests). Additionally, the direct vicinity of the Odra enabled economic use of the river (e.g. fishing). The research involved also assessing the ways in which land may have been used by the inhabitants of Zawada, site 1 and two nearby settlements: Klenica, site 4 and Sulechów, site 28. For this purpose, soil-agricultural maps at a scale of 1 : 5000 were digitized and then respective areas were combined into classes according to the usability of soils. The analysed area encompassed a radius measured by a distance of about 30-minute walk from a given site. The above investigation has shown that soil quality largely determined the ways in which the inhabitants of the abovementioned settlements used their immediate environment. In the case of Zawada the results are distinctly clear as compared to two other sites. They have shown that agriculture could not be the main branch of economy of Zawada inhabitants, as 93% (11.506 km2) of the surrounding land is covered by muck and mud soils, which are fertile but difficult to cultivate, and additionally require melioration (for the remaining 7% of land we have no data regarding soils). Hence, most likely they were not used for agriculture in the Early Middle Ages. At that period the area was covered mostly by riverine forests, and in terms of soils it was perfectly suitable for animal husbandry and hunting, as well as horticulture. Similar results were obtained for the surroundings of Klenica site, where prevail soils of class 2 (91% - 10.284 km2), followed by class 0 (6% - 0.666 km2), with a small proportion of class 1 (2% - 0.277 km2). It seems that also in this area land cultivation was not the main occupation or basic means of obtaining food. Completely different situation was recorded in the vicinity of Sulechów site where respective classes of soils occur in more balanced proportions: class 1 – 25% (2.518 km2), class 3 – 28% (2.870 km2), with a relatively large area of soils of class 2 – 46% (4.653 km2). This allows us to assume that the inhabitants of Sulechów settlement may have practised varied economies. Similar conclusions regarding possible ways of land use in the immediate surroundings of the three study sites can be drawn from the results of archaeozoological analyses. Osteological material from Zawada is characterised by a very high percentage of bones of wild animals (43%). This, together with the results of palynological analyses attesting the occurrence of forests in the area of the Odra valley, points clearly towards hunting and animal husbandry as the main branches of economy of the settlement inhabitants. As regards Klenica, bones of wild animals constitute 12% of the osteological material. The fraction of remains of wild animals recorded at Sulechów is still lower, reaching only about 10%, half of which are the bones of hare, the animal not present at other sites (Zawada, site 1, Klenica, site 3, or Nowiniec, site 2). In the assemblage of faunal remains from Sulechów prevailed cattle (about 50% of identified bones), followed by sheep/goat (21%) and pig bones (less than 20%). Proportions of the remains of wild to domesticated animals can serve as a measure of the degree of forestation in the study areas. They suggest that the environment surrounding Sulechów was poorer in forests than the land in the vicinity of Klenica and Zawada sites. The same conclusions can be drawn on the basis of quality and types of soils occurring in the region. However, according to palynological analyses the land surrounding Sulechów settlement was not intensively cultivated. High percentage (over 70%) of the remains of cattle and small ruminants identified in the material from the site indicates that most likely the land was used for pastures. The results of the above investigations have proven that the quality and type of soils largely determined the ways in which the inhabitants of the examined settlements used their immediate environment. In the case of sites located on soils unsuitable for agriculture (e.g. Zawada, site 1), additionally surrounded by forests, the primary sources of obtaining food were hunting and animal husbandry, while in the case of sites situated on soils of better quality (Sulechów, site 28) prevailed animal husbandry and perhaps cultivation of land. Numerous artifacts discovered during the research include items made of clay (fragments of vessels, spindle whorls, fragments of grain-roasters), stone (mainly whetstones), bone (awls, a socket of a knife hilt), and metal (knives, a clasp of a necklace). Most of them were produced within the settlement by its inhabitants. In the assemblage of vessels unearthed at Zawada site prevailed those of Tornow type, with plastic decorative bands in the upper part of the body (over 50% of recorded fragments were ornamented). Numerous were also undecorated vessels (over 30% of all pottery shards). A large group of ceramics was represented by vessels finished on a slow wheel, with encircling decoration of incised grooves accompanied in some respects by punctured ornament. Ceramic ware recorded during excavations at Zawada included, apart from pots, numerous plates (93 fragments) and few elements of grain-roasters. Some of the vessels were made with the technique of coiling of 3.5-4.5 cm wide clay strips, and then finished in part on a slow wheel. Their walls and breaks bear numerous traces indicating the way of coiling. Other clay artefacts recorded at the site included 5 spindle whorls and several pieces of construction daub with imprints of small pegs. The investigations concerning chronology of Zawada settlement were based mainly on formal and stylistic analogies regarding pottery fragments. Many similarities can be observed in the material from well-dated settlements at Klenica, site 3 and 4 and Nowiniec, site 2. Helpful in determining chronology were also radiocarbon dates. In the result, two phases of the settlement have been distinguished: the first one dates from the second half of 9th century to the 10/11th centuries, and the second one from the 11th century to the first half of the 12th century. It has not been fully explained whether the settlement had been abandoned at the end of the 10th century and settled again decades later, or whether its development continued uninterrupted. The publication is the result of cooperation between several specialists of different fields. It comprises thirteen chapters. The first two deal with issues regarding the reconstruction of original environment and examining environmental conditions that may have influenced the selection the settlement location. The following chapters present the results of analyses of archaeological material discovered during the excavations. Further are described issues associated with the dating of Zawada settlement. Final chapters describe the results of analyses of the early medieval pottery. All the above investigations have allowed us to formulate conclusions about the economy of this early medieval settlement, its significance, and its place within a broader settlement system. The study was published with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, under the program of Protection of Archaeological Heritage, priority 5. Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego Bartłomiej Gruszka

Declakes Participants : Soumaya Belmecheri, Marc Desmet, Helmut Erlenkeuser, Bernard Fanget, Jérôme Nomade.; International audience; Investigation of the sedimentary record of pre-Alpine Lake Mondsee (Upper Austria) focused on the environmental reaction to rapid Lateglacial climatic changes. Results of this study reveal complex proxy responses that are variable in time and influenced by the long-term evolution of the lake and its catchment. A new field sampling approach facilitated continuous and precisely controlled parallel sampling at decadal to sub-annual resolution for µ-XRF element scanning, carbon geochemistry, stable isotope measurements on ostracods, pollen analyses and large-scale thin sections for microfacies analysis. The Holocene chronology is established through microscopic varve counting and supported by accelerator mass spectrometry 14C dating of terrestrial plant macrofossils, whereas the Lateglacial age model is based on δ18O wiggle matching with the Greenland NGRIP record, using the GICC05 chronology. Microfacies analysis enables the detection of subtle sedimentological changes, proving that depositional processes even in rather large lake systems are highly sensitive to climate forcing. Comparing periods of major warming at the onset of the Lateglacial and Holocene and of major cooling at the onset of the Younger Dryas reveals differences in proxy responses, reflecting threshold effects and ecosystem inertia. Temperature increase, vegetation recovery, decrease of detrital flux and intensification of biochemical calcite precipitation at the onset of the Holocene took place with only decadal leads and lags over a ca. 100 a period, whereas the spread of woodlands and the reduction of detrital flux lagged the warming at the onset of the Lateglacial Interstadial by ca. 500-750 a. Cooling at the onset of the Younger Dryas is reflected by the simultaneous reaction of δ18O and vegetation, but sedimentological changes (reduction of endogenic calcite content, increase in detrital flux) were delayed by about 150-300 a. Three short-term Lateglacial cold intervals, corresponding to Greenland isotope substages GI-1d, GI-1c2 and GI-1b, also show complex proxy responses that vary in time. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Declakes participants : Soumaya Belmecheri, Marc Desmet, Helmut Erlenkeuser, Jérôme Nomade.; International audience; We investigated the sedimentary record of Lake Hańcza (northeastern Poland) using a multi-proxy approach, focusing on early to mid-Holocene climatic and environmental changes. AMS 14C dating of terrestrial macrofossils and sedimentation rate estimates from occasional varve thickness measurements were used to establish a chronology. The onset of the Holocene at c. 11 600 cal. a BP is marked by the decline of Lateglacial shrub vegetation and a shift from clastic-detrital deposition to an autochthonous sedimentation dominated by biochemical calcite precipitation. Between 10 000 and 9000 cal. a BP, a further environmental and climatic improvement is indicated by the spread of deciduous forests, an increase in lake organic matter and a 1.7‰ rise in the oxygen isotope ratios of both endogenic calcite and ostracod valves. Rising δ18O values were probably caused by a combination of hydrological and climatic factors. The persistence of relatively cold and dry climate conditions in northeastern Poland during the first one and a half millennia of the Holocene could be related to a regional eastern European atmospheric circulation pattern. Prevailing anticyclonic circulation linked to a high-pressure cell above the retreating Scandinavian Ice Sheet might have blocked the influence of warm and moist Westerlies and attenuated the early Holocene climatic amelioration in the Lake Hańcza region until the final decay of the ice sheet.

Celem niniejszego opracowania było określenie czasu powstania terasy zalewowej i przejściowej doliny Warty oraz wieku osadów wypełniających dolinę Cybiny-Bogdanki. Doliny Warty pod Poznaniem zaczęła tworzyć się w wyniku spływu wód roztopowych, w czasie recesji lądolodu północnopolskiego z linii moren czołowych stadiału poznańskiego. Na analizowanym terenie dominują dwie terasy – nr II i I (wg BARTKOWSKIEGO 1957), które zostały nadbudowane o 2–4 m w czasie historycznego rozwoju miasta. Powyżej teras akumulacyjnych występują równiny erozyjne jako obszary głównie zbudowane z gruntów morenowych, które uległy przemodelowaniu w czasie formowania się doliny rzecznej. Równiny erozyjne pokryte są częściowo piaskami, częściowo zaś pozbawione ich i ukazują glinę zwałową na powierzchni. Dolina Cybiny- Bogdanki ma starsze pochodzenie i krzyżuje się z doliną Warty. Geneza oraz wiek powstania tych struktur były przedmiotem wielu badań, ale dotychczas nie przeprowadzono ekspertyz palinologicznych osadów organicznych oraz nie określano ich wieku metoda C-14. Podczas wykonywania prac geotechnicznych na terenie Śródmieścia w Poznaniu w ostatnich kilku latach pobrano próby osadów organicznych i poddano je analizie pyłkowej oraz radiowęglowym oznaczeniom wieku. Stanowiska badań, wynikające z prac prowadzonych w Śródmieściu, były rozmieszczone na terasach akumulacyjno-erozyjnych wzdłuż Warty i Cybiny-Bogdanki. Wyniki badań palinologicznych osadów z doliny Warty wskazują na holoceński czas akumulacji. Najstarsze osady powstały w okresie borealnym, kolejne w atlantyckim, subborealnym i subatlantyckim. Szereg warstw akumulowanych było podczas średniowiecza. Podobne wyniki otrzymano na podstawie radiowęglowych oznaczeń wieku. W dolinie Cybiny-Bogdanki badania palinologiczne sugerują akumulację analizowanych warstw podczas poszczególnych okresów holocenu od wczesnoholoceńskich do wczesnego średniowiecza, natomiast oznaczenie wieku metodą C14 wskazuje odmienny – późnoglacjalny czas akumulacji osadów. Brak zbieżności między badaniami palinologicznymi oraz datowaniem C14 osadów organicznych zdeponowanych w dolinie Cybiny-Bogdanki prawdopodobnie oznacza ich redepozycję i wymieszanie. Wskazuje na to również brak jednoznacznej palinologicznej oceny wieku akumulacji osadów z dwóch stanowisk. Na podstawie przeprowadzonych badań i uzyskanych wyników stwierdzono, że rozwój osadów organicznych w dolinie Cybiny-Bogdanki nastąpił wcześniej niż w dolinie Warty, jednakże w celu pełnego określenia genezy tego szlaku dolinnego i ekstensywnego kopalnego obniżenia nieodzowne są dalsze prace zmierzające do rozpoznania budowy geologicznej oraz określenia przebiegu granicy pomiędzy poszczególnymi osadami o zróżnicowanym wieku. 59 145 159

This high-resolution, multiproxy, palaeoenvironmental study of the Slowinskie Blota raised bog in N Poland, 10km from the Baltic Sea, covering the last 1200 years reveals different aspects of environmental change in a range of spatial scales from local to regional. Testate amoebae allowed quantitative reconstruction of the local water table using a transfer function based on a training set from N and W Poland. Special attention is paid to the testate amoeba Arcella discoides, which responds to rapid water-table fluctuations more than to average surface wetness. Macrofossils supported by local pollen tracked the local vegetation dynamics caused by local human impact and disturbance, including nutrients. Regional pollen showed human-induced landscape change outside the bog. Tree rings of Pinus sylvestris reflected the history of tree establishment and desiccation of the bog. Strong correlations between DCA axes 1 of regional pollen, of macrofossils and of testate amoebae, and a testate-amoebae-based water-table reconstruction that excludes A. discoides, indicate that changes on all spatial scales are linked, which is explained by a strong hydrologic connection between bog and surroundings. The combination of proxies shows that groundwater levels were modified by both human impact and climate change.

The Eurasian (née European) Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) was established in 2013 to provide a public database of high-quality modern pollen surface samples to help support studies of past climate, land cover, and land use using fossil pollen. The EMPD is part of, and complementary to, the European Pollen Database (EPD) which contains data on fossil pollen found in Late Quaternary sedimentary archives throughout the Eurasian region. The EPD is in turn part of the rapidly growing Neotoma database, which is now the primary home for global palaeoecological data. This paper describes version 2 of the EMPD in which the number of samples held in the database has been increased by 60 % from 4826 to 8134. Much of the improvement in data coverage has come from northern Asia, and the database has consequently been renamed the Eurasian Modern Pollen Database to reflect this geographical enlargement. The EMPD can be viewed online using a dedicated map-based viewer at https://empd2.github.io and downloaded in a variety of file formats at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.909130 (Chevalier et al., 2019).