New Directions in Polish Early Medieval Archaeology

The study of the archaeology of the Early Medieval period reached a high standard in Poland in the years immediately following the Second World War. These early investigations concentrated on problems of the formation of the Polish state and the beginnings of urbanisation. This paper gives a summary of some of the more recent trends in the study of this topic, and sets them in the context of recent social changes in the area. New ideas on the origin of the Polish state and recent investigations intended to test them are summarised.