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Analysed graves of the Strzyżów culture, materials obtained and investigated in the last decade, and results of anthropological analysis provided new information on the custom of disturbing burial pits in the Early Bronze Age. It is now possible to suggest and present entirely new conclusions concerning funeral rituals observed by the Strzyżów culture and distinguish five types of disturbed burials from the Early Bronze Age. This paper develops the research of various types of cutmarks disclosed on the bones of the skeleton found in grave no. 13 in Hrubieszów-Podgórze. The authors focused on the application of the morphological characteristics of the bone defects in complex skeletal remains studies, to discuss the possibility of dating occurrence and specifying the tool type. Digital microscopic analysis of different groups of defects (in form of indents, superficial linear grooves, wedge-shaped notches, and gap) was performed. Observed features of the defects of the right fibula and both iliac wings indicate postmortem occurrence, possibly at the same time, using a sharp-edged tool when the bones were ductile, not brittle. Additionally, the localization and characteristics of the tool features imprinted on the fibula and hip bones also indicate the state of skeletonization of the remains at the time the damages occurred. The time interval between death and the occurrence of the revealed bone damage (right fibula and both hip bones) could have been short enough for those still alive to remember the deceased well.

This paper summarises the results of multidisciplinary research, including pollen, plant macroremains, diatoms, Cladocera, molluscs and geochemistry from a 14C dated core and geomorphological records, which reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental conditions faced by Late Palaeolithic hunter-gathers in western Poland. Particular attention was paid to evidence for both human activity and the degree to which Late Palaeolithic groups may have affected the local environment, as recorded by the biogenic sediments in lakes located close to their campsites. Vegetation first appears locally in the Oldest Dryas, and consisted of subarctic tundra vegetation. During the Bølling period the landscape was generally open, with dwarf shrubs and scattered patches of Juniperus and Hippophaë shrubs. Betula (tree birch) expanded locally in the area only in the later Allerød; during the second part of the Allerød period, Pinus and Populus joined birch as a sparse woodland developed. During the Younger Dryas, the landscape changed significantly in comparison to the preceding warm period, as result of cooling and drying of the climate. The presence of microscopic charcoal and charred herbaceous plant particles made it possible to detect human activity. These analyses allowed us to reconstruct fire events near the site during its occupation by Hamburg and Federmesser cultural groups. An increase in the proportion of biogenic elements such as Na, K and Mg in the sediments indicate soil erosion, reflecting the activity of Hamburg groups. A relative increase in the frequency of Cladocera which favour eutrophic and turbid water was recorded in the period linked to Federmesser group activities. The intense use of this area was also indicated during the Younger Dryas.

Shell middens are common finds recorded at Polish archaeological sites dating from the Neolithic to Iron Age; however, very little is known about the acquisition and exploitation of mussels by preh...

This article presents the newly established ArchaeoMicroLab – the Laboratory of Microscopic Analysis in Archaeology – in the Faculty of Archaeology at Adam Mickiewicz University, its equipment, and the scope of research carried out in this facility. Microscopic analyses are essential research tools used in archaeology for examining artefacts and traces of their use, organic remains, pigments, and many other objects. The use of high magnification enables researchers to capture interesting details that are not visible at the macroscopic level. The article discusses different categories of artefacts, samples and the possibilities of their examination in the laboratory. 474 485 Treasures of Time: Research of the Faculty of Archaeology of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań

Archeomalakologia

This article presents the results of research concerning shell ornaments discovered in Poland and described in the literature as made of Spondylus shells. Our study focuses on the identification and revision of these artefacts in terms of species, ornament types, and locations of discovery. Additionally, we address the issue of the role of Spondylus shell ornaments and their meaning to the Neolithic communities inhabiting the area of present-day Poland. Our research involved specialist analyses, which allowed us to identify seven Spondylus shell artefacts discovered at five archaeological sites. The strontium isotope analysis 87Sr / 86Sr indicated the Quaternary age of the shells, confirming that they were contemporaneous with prehistoric communities and originated from areas located around the Mediterranean Sea. Presenting the results of our study, we would like to join a wider discussion on the importance of Spondylus shell ornaments in Central Europe in the Neolithic period.

This paper presents the results of a multidisciplinary study that combines archaeological and palaeoenvironmental research to examine the relationship between environment and human activities in Western Poland during the Late Glacial and Early Holocene. The study area lying within the young moraine landscape produced several Late Palaeolithic and Early Mesolithic sites, varied in terms of size and function. Analyses of pollen, plant macro-remains and molluscs accompanied by geomorphological investigations and supported by series of radiocarbon dates have enabled a detailed reconstruction of environment. It has shown that despite climatic fluctuations during the Allerod and Younger Dryas, the studied area provided favourable conditions for hunter-gatherer occupation. The presence of micro- and macroscopic charcoal, charred particles of herbaceous plants and charred mosses in peat deposits of former water bodies evidence various activities carried out by Federmesser and Swiderian groups, for example...

The Early Medieval stronghold that existed in Pszczew (western Poland) from the 8th to 12th century was located on the shore of Lake Pszczewskie. During archaeological excavations conducted in 2010, systematic sediment samples were taken for malacological analysis to enhance our understanding of the environment in the vicinity of the site during its occupation. Forty taxa found in the samples included remains of land snails and freshwater molluscs. The most abundant among land snails were species characteristic of open and humid habitats, frequently found on the banks of various water bodies. Among freshwater molluscs, species characteristic of shallow and overgrown reservoirs and typical of permanent and stagnant water bodies predominate. Malacological analysis revealed minor changes in local hydrological conditions during the Early Medieval period. From the end of the 8th century until the first half of the 10th century, the area was definitely wet and marshy. Gradual disappearance of freshwater species in favor of land snails characteristic of humid habitats, beginning in the second half of the 10th century, indicate that the area was gradually drying out. Since the 11th century, the environment in the vicinity of the site was not influenced by larger changes. The taxa identified in the sediment profile indicated limited differences between the present-day and Medieval environments.

International audience; A long season of excavation took place at Raqefet cave during the summer of 2006. In the first chamber we exposed an area rich with Natufian human burials (Locus 1), a large bedrock basin with a burial and two boulder mortars (Locus 2), an in situ Natufian layer (Locus 3), and two areas with rich cemented sediments (tufa) covering the cave floor (Loci 4, 5). The latter indicate that at the time of occupation the Natufian layers covered the entire floor of the first chamber. During the ensuing millennia, these were washed away and/or removed by later visitors to the cave. We found in the cave and the terrace almost 80 human-made bedrock holes (most of which are commonly but somewhat erroneously termed mortars and cupmarks). Several contained in situ Natufian remains, and at the top of one a human skeleton was unearthed. The variety of the HBHs, in terms of shape and dimensions indicates that they were used in many ways, some of which could not have been for food or mineral processing. The paper provides results of on-going studies regarding the burials, the HBHs,the flint assemblage, the faunal remains, the ground stone industry, the bone tools and the beads. It also presents aspects of geoarchaeology and ground penetrating radar analyses. Some of the detailed plans and sections were prepared by the use of photogrammetry.