Damian Stefański | Muzeum Archeologiczne w Krakowie (original) (raw)

Papers by Damian Stefański

Archaeologia Polona 61, Dec 31, 2023

This article provides an overview of landforms that are remnants of military camps created during... more This article provides an overview of landforms that are remnants of military camps created during the formation of the Second Polish Army in the area of Łuków, Międzyrzec Podlaski and Radzyń Podlaski (East Poland) in 1944-1945. These landforms were discovered while conducting surveys for the construction of the S19 expressway and were further investigated for a comprehensive understanding. The focus of this article is on mapping and visualizing these structures and identifying individual military units at the division and regiment levels. The research was conducted using non-destructive prospection methods, utilizing publicly available LiDAR data obtained through the ISOK project, which scanned the Polish area. The identification of military units was based on existing literature, providing a framework for establishing specific connections. However, due to the level of detail in the descriptions, there are cases where clarity is lacking, leaving room for further historical study of the military activities during the discussed period. The article acknowledges that the limited scope necessitates omitting details regarding the internal organization of military structures, their connection to military instructions, and historical records of their construction and use.

Archaeologia Polona, 2022

In the second half of the fifth millennium BC, a new model of supply and processing of siliceous ... more In the second half of the fifth millennium BC, a new model of supply and processing of siliceous rocks appeared in western Lesser Poland (Małopolska). The existing methods of production of blades and flakes from small cores obtained at a short distance from the settlement were
supplemented by those enabling the production of much longer blades from cores made from raw material obtained by mining. The significant increase in the size of lithics meant that this moment was referred to as “the metric change” (Polish: przełom metryczny). It was assumed that
this was due to internal technological development within the early Neolithic communities of the Lengyel-Polgár cycle. This paper introduces a different explanation for this phenomenon. It is argued that the new model of supply appeared as an already developed model that was
implemented by experienced outsiders. A thesis that the indicated technological caesura is not categorical and new patterns in a relatively small area could co-exist with previous ones

Sprawozdania Archeologiczne, 2019

This paper presents the results of the non-invasive search for defensive settlements from the Neo... more This paper presents the results of the non-invasive search for defensive settlements from the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods in the Szreniawa valley and in its closest upland area (Proszowice Plateau and the Miechów Upland). This investigation was carried out in 2018 by archaeologists gathered in the "Stater" Association of Field Archaeologists and was funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. During this study geomagnetic tests and surveying were carried out on 18 sites, which were selected on the basis of satellite image analysis. The total investigated area covered 40 hectares. Spatial analysis of the artefacts compared with the course of magnetic anomalies allowed the determination of the chronology of the investigated settlements. The outcome of this project points to the presence of at least 15 well-documented prehistoric defensive settlements of various types found on 10 archaeological sites. The discovered settlements can be attributed to the Lublin-Volhynian, Funnel Beaker-Baden, Trzciniec and Lusatian cultures.

The goal of this work is to review the present discussion and the perspectives of the Late Palaeo... more The goal of this work is to review the present discussion and the perspectives of the Late Palaeolithic in the northern part of the Western Carpathians and in the Northern Subcarpathia region during the Allerød and the Younger Dryas oscillations. The area of Subcarpathia, especially dunes of the upper Vistula valley, has been explored many times since the second half of XX century (e.g. Kraków-Borek Fałęcki, Kraków-Kobierzyn). It brought numerous collections proving dense Late Palaeolithic settlement around Kraków. Although the Tanged Point Technocomplex (TPT) prevailed, traces of Arched Point Technocomplex were also reported. Since the 80`s, methodological researches in the northern part of The Western Carpathians have unexpectedly revealed rich remains of the Late Palaeolithic settlements. It mainly represents the APT settlement (Sromowce Niżne, Nowa Biała). The recent progress has been achieved as a result of extensive rescue excavations which brought a number of methodically acquired lithic assemblages (e.g Kraków-Kurdwanów, Kraków- -Bieżanów, Mucharz). This issue has boosted a discussion on the Late Palaeolithic settlement in the region. The discussion is focused on the techno-typological aspect of a material culture, detailed analysis of raw material procurement, usage of land and spatial arrangements of assemblages. The numerous accumulations show a variety of cultural entities including the Tarnowian, Witowian, Swiderian and Brommean cultures. The investigated area represents two main raw material provinces: the north Subcarpathia with Jurassic flint and the northern part of the Western Carpathians – where radiolarites were mainly found however other rocks were present, as well. Both cases are characterized by local production only merely enhanced with imported materials. The settlement is almost completely represented by open air sites although caves are also present (Zalas rockshelter). The extent of the assemblages varies from rich settlement units yielding several thousands of artefacts to tiny spots of about dozens of lithics. Only in case of a few archaeological sites an environmental record was acquired. It hinders a construction of a reliable chronology and therefore some comparative studies over the adjacent area are necessary. The basic reports indicate the northern part of the Western Carpathians and the Northern Subcarpathia region as “contact zone”, proving a local character of them as well as a strong affection from the part of the North European Plain.

CLIOARCH is an ERC Consolidator Grant project and has received funding from the European Research... more CLIOARCH is an ERC Consolidator Grant project and has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No. 817564).

Antiquity

The discovery of previously unknown chocolate flint outcrops in the Kraków-Czestochowa Upland (on... more The discovery of previously unknown chocolate flint outcrops in the Kraków-Czestochowa Upland (only the second known area after that in the Holy Cross Mountains) has undermined our seemingly solid knowledge of the prehistoric economy, which is based on the distribution pattern of this important raw material. The authors present new interdisciplinary research focused on the prehistoric mining of chocolate flint in the Kraków-Czestochowa Upland, the distribution of chocolate flint artefacts within the Upland and beyond, and methods to distinguish this material from the Holy Cross Mountains chocolate flint.

Proceedings of XXVIII e congrès préhistorique de France – Amiens, 30 mai-4 juin 2016, 2019

This paper seeks to provide an overview of lithic inventories in the Swiderian culture, sometimes... more This paper seeks to provide an overview of lithic inventories in the Swiderian culture, sometimes also
called the Mazovian, developing in areas of Poland in the Late Palaeolithic. It discusses selected aspects of
typology, technology and utilization of lithic artefacts on the basis of several inventories recovered from different
areas, characterized by the occurrence of both high and poor quality raw materials (i.e. Cichmiana 2, Lubrza
10, Kraków-Bieżanów 15, Suchodółka 3 and Żuławka 13).
The applied research methodology combined a morphological analysis, debitage refitting, the experimental
method, use-wear analysis and quantitative approach. Typological, technological, raw material and functional
characteristics of the analyzed lithic artefacts have enabled us to indicate some interesting correlations between
manufacturing techniques, the morphology of lithic tools and their usage.
In general, Swiderian inventories are typified by the presence of willow leaf and tanged points, burins or
end-scrapers made on thin blades. Tanged points are characterized by flat retouching on the ventral side, which
was made using some stone tools.
Our studies have revealed that the distribution and usage of Swiderian lithic artefacts was well planned and
focused on the production of good quality blanks, from which retouched forms (such as tanged points,
end-scrapers or burins) were fashioned. Ad hoc production is fairly nonexistent in the Swiderian material
culture. The technological analysis, based on the morphological features of the core reduction products, has
shown that the Swiderian debitage was generally concentrated on the detachment of intended blades. The
technology was associated mostly with opposed platform cores, very intensive and precise preparation of cores,
reduction, renovation of cores and blade production, and the application of the soft hammer stone technique.
Such types of cores are generally considered typical of assemblages attributable to the Swiderian occupation,
yet sites with restricted access to good quality raw material also yielded cores almost unprepared for working.
Use-wear studies performed on formal tools and a sample of unretouched products of core reduction (flakes and
blades) have suggested that the implements were usually used for hunting and butchering activities, and in individual
cases also for plant and wood processing. We were particularly interested in Swiderian points, which were
employed as components of projectile weapons. A quantitative approach was applied in order to precisely determine
the function of willow leaf points – whether they were used as arrowheads, dart-tips or spear-points.

Archeologia Żywa, 2019

This paper presents an outcome of the non-invasive search for defensive settlements from the Neol... more This paper presents an outcome of the non-invasive search for defensive settlements from the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods in the Szreniawa valley and in its closest upland grounds (in the Proszowicki Plateau and the Miechów Upland, Poland)

by Adrian Nemergut, Jaroslava Ruttkayová, Katarzyna Pyżewicz, Sebastian Teska, Aliaksandr Vashanau, Aleksandra Cetwińska, Yuri Demidenko, Damian Stefański, Tereza Rychtaříková, Petr Skrdla, and Witold Grużdź

Adrián Nemergut, Ivan Cheben, Jaroslava Ruttkayová, Katarzyna Pyżewicz (eds.): 16th SKAM Lithic Workshop. “Fossil directeur” - A phenomenon over time and space. 21–23 of October 2019, Nitra, Slovak Republic. Abstract book. Nitra, 2019

Nitra 2019

Quartär, 2017

This paper aims to give an overview of the Tanged Point Technocomplex (TPT) settlement in the wes... more This paper aims to give an overview of the Tanged Point Technocomplex (TPT) settlement in the western part of the Northern Subcarpathian region and to put it in a broader perspective of the cultural processes in northern Europe during the very end of the Pleistocene and the beginning of the Holocene. It intends to synthesize the available data focusing mostly on cultural differentiation and on the chronology of the TPT. The numerous remains of the TPT settlements were mostly discovered by antiquaries, although several assemblages were acquired during modern excavations, providing valuable data. The new data allows definition of several technologically and typologically distinct facies of TPT. Most of them represent an extremely consistent industry, which is paralleled with the Swiderian (Mazovian) and dated to the Younger Dryas/Holocene transition. However, according to these data, tanged points seem to have lasted from the end of Allerød until the Boreal period, which challenges the paradigmatic framing of them solely as a palaeolithic unit in the Kraków region. These chronologically late assemblages reflect the cultural processes of the early Holocene in eastern and northern Europe where post-Swiderian and post-Ahrensburgian settlements developed. Nevertheless, an independent local development of tanged point, linked with an Ahrensburgian tradition, could also be indicated. The attempt to construct a perspective for this local issue resulted in several maps and radiocarbon charts of TPT. On this basis a nomenclature for particular stages of TPT, as well as cultural events, was proposed.

Acta Archaeologica Lodziensia, 2017

ABSTRACT This article is a study devoted to the spatial organization of a settlement of the Swide... more ABSTRACT This article is a study devoted to the spatial organization of a settlement of the Swiderian culture at Kraków-Bieżanów site 15. In the course of wide-scale rescue excavations (1999-2008), numerous lithic materials associated with this culture were discovered. They come from archaeological features such as the small kshemenitsa (KB-15/1 – feature 1) or spots of material clustering (features 2 and 3), they were collected as single finds. The spatialanalysis of the basic tool groups, i.e. Swiderian points, endscrapers and burins, showed that their distribution around archaeological objects wasnot accidental and points to diversity in functional space organization at the site. The aim of this investigation was to find the reason for the nature of this differentiation. For this purpose, a part of the available material has been studied by means of use-wear analysis. Although the state of preservation of lithics greatly reduced the possibility of carrying out functional analysis, a number of valuable observations were made. Particularly interesting were results concerning Swiderian points and endscrapers. In addition, Swiderian points, as the most intriguing category of typological tool related to the Swiderian culture, were analyzed by morphometric methods (tip cross-sectional area analysis, tip angle analysis, geometrics morphometrics) which were subjected to corroborated use-wear studies. The results obtained indicated the distictive areas (points, endscrapers and burins zones) and shed light on their functional interpretation.
ABSTRAKT Niniejszy artykuł jest studium poświęconym organizacji przestrzennej osadnictwa kultury świ-derskiej na stanowisku w Krakowie-Bieżanowie 15. W trakcie szerokopłaszczyznowych badań ratowniczych (2004-2008), pozyskano tam liczne materiały krzemienne wiązane z tą kulturą. Pochodzą one zarówno z obiektów, jak np. niewielkiej krzemienicy (KB-15/1 – obiekt 1), czy skupiska materiału (obiekt 2 i 3), jak również ze znacz-nej części przebadanej partii stanowiska, gdzie zostały podjęte jako znaleziska pojedyncze. Analiza planigraficzna podstawowych grup narzędziowych, tj. liściaków (ostrzy) świderskich, drapaczy i rylców, pokazała, że ich rozrzut wokół obiektów archeologicznych nie jest przypadkowy i wskazuje on na zróżnicowanie w zakresie funkcjonalnej organizacji przestrzeni przez ludność kultury świderskiej na stanowisku. Niniejsze badanie miało odpowiedzieć na pytanie dotyczące właściwości tego zróżnicowania. W tym celu przebadano mikroskopowo część dostępnego ma-teriału. Chociaż stan zachowania zabytków mocno ograniczył możliwość przeprowadzenie analizy traseologicznej, to poczyniono szereg cennych obserwacji. Szczególnie interesujące wnioski dotyczyły liściaków i drapaczy. Dodatkowo, liściaki świderskie, jako miarodajna kategoria zabytków związanych z kulturą świderską, zostały przeanalizowane przez zastosowanie metod morfometrycznych (analiza przekroju poprzecznego ostrza, analiza kąta ostrza, morfometria geometryczna kształtu liściaków), a płynące z nich wnioski uzupełniły badania traseolo-giczne. Uzyskane wyniki pozwoliły na wskazanie wyróżniających się obszarów (strefy liściaków, drapaczy i ryl-ców) oraz ich interpretację funkcjonalną. Słowa kluczowe: Paleolit schyłkowy, kultura świderska, analiza geometryczno-morfometryczna kształtu, analiza tra-seologiczna, analiza przekroju poprzecznego

P. Valde-Nowak, K. Sobczyk, M. Nowak, & J. Źrałka (Eds.), Amici magistro et collegae suo Ioanni Christopho Kozłowski dedicant (pp. 63-70). Kraków: Alter., 2018

This paper summarizes the data on the early upper palaeolithic arch-back point assemblage from Kr... more This paper summarizes the data on the early upper palaeolithic arch-back point assemblage from Kraków-
Zwierzyniec site 1 which is considered as an equivalent of the Chatelperronian and Uluzzian industries in Central Europe.
The article covers the problem regarding the typological classification of these points, their chronological framework and
formal similarities with other assemblages familiar from Central and Eastern Europe.

Between History and Archaeology. Papers in honour of Jacek Lech. edited by Dagmara H. Werra and Marzena Woźny, 2018

This paper describes a newly discovered child burial found in course of a new research project in... more This paper describes a newly discovered child burial found in course of a new research project in the main chamber of the Ciemna Cave. Anthropological investigation showed that the skeleton belongs to a fetus that died in the perinatal period. The body was buried in a shallow pit with no grave goods included. The radiocarbon date of the skeleton links it to the Neolithic settlement, most probably to the Baden Culture

Abstract - Ciemna Cave is one of the most important archaeological sites documenting Middle Palae... more Abstract - Ciemna Cave is one of the most important archaeological sites documenting Middle Palaeolithic settlement in Central Europe. It has been excavated since the beginning of the 20th century, providing rich materials commonly known for their bifacial component linked with the Micoquian. Since 2007 a new project has been underway focusing on the Main Chamber, which had so far been unexplored. The outcome is a much more complex picture environmental context and cultural affinities of the site. This article aims to present key questions concerning the record in the Main Chamber, but also to propose a new interpretation of Ciemna Cave as an extensive, diversified cave system. Using 3D modelling of the bedrock of cave system’s surrounding area, we propose that dynamic filling of the cave impacted settlement there. It was proved also that the sediments in the Main Chamber are homogenous, which enables radiocarbon dating of the undisturbed sequence layers. Although new radiocarbon determinations were made using state-of-the-art pretreatment methods, we still could not fully resolve the problem of dating the upper part of the section, due to age-limit of this method.

Valde-Nowak P., Alex B., Ginter B., Krajcarz M. T., Madeyska T., Miękina B., Sobczyk K., Stefańsk... more Valde-Nowak P., Alex B., Ginter B., Krajcarz M. T., Madeyska T., Miękina B., Sobczyk K., Stefański D., Wojtal P., Zając M., Zarzecka-Szubińska K.
2016 Late Middle Palaeolithic occupations in Ciemna Cave, southern Poland. Journal of Field Archaeology 41(2), 193-210.

Krzemieniarstwo wczesnej epoki brązu ze stanowisk 6 i 8 w Zakrzowcu. [w] , . . ., 2015

Archaeologia Polona 61, Dec 31, 2023

Archaeologia Polona, 2022

Sprawozdania Archeologiczne, 2019

Antiquity

Proceedings of XXVIII e congrès préhistorique de France – Amiens, 30 mai-4 juin 2016, 2019

Archeologia Żywa, 2019

Nitra 2019

Quartär, 2017

Acta Archaeologica Lodziensia, 2017

P. Valde-Nowak, K. Sobczyk, M. Nowak, & J. Źrałka (Eds.), Amici magistro et collegae suo Ioanni Christopho Kozłowski dedicant (pp. 63-70). Kraków: Alter., 2018

Between History and Archaeology. Papers in honour of Jacek Lech. edited by Dagmara H. Werra and Marzena Woźny, 2018

Krzemieniarstwo wczesnej epoki brązu ze stanowisk 6 i 8 w Zakrzowcu. [w] , . . ., 2015

The goal of this work is to review the present discussion and the perspectives of the Late Palaeo... more The goal of this work is to review the present discussion and the perspectives of the Late Palaeolithic in the northern part of the Western Carpathians and in the Northern Subcarpathia region during the Allerød and the Younger Dryas oscillations. The area of Subcarpathia, especially dunes of the upper Vistula valley, has been explored many times since the second half of XX century (e.g. Kraków-Borek Fałęcki, Kraków-Kobierzyn). It brought numerous collections proving dense Late Palaeolithic settlement around Kraków. Although the Tanged Point Technocomplex (TPT) prevailed, traces of Arched Point Technocomplex were also reported. Since the 80`s, methodological researches in the northern part of The Western Carpathians have unexpectedly revealed rich remains of the Late Palaeolithic settlements. It mainly represents the APT settlement (Sromowce Niżne, Nowa Biała). The recent progress has been achieved as a result of extensive rescue excavations which brought a number of methodically acquired lithic assemblages (e.g Kraków-Kurdwanów, Kraków-Bieżanów, Mucharz). This issue has boosted a discussion on the Late Palaeolithic settlement in the region. The discussion is focused on the techno-typological aspect of a material culture, detailed analysis of raw material procurement, usage of land and spatial arrangements of assemblages. The numerous accumulations show a variety of cultural entities including the Tarnowian, Witowian, Swiderian and Brommean cultures. The investigated area represents two main raw material provinces: the north Subcarpathia with Jurassic flint and the northern part of the Western Carpathians – where radiolarites were mainly found however other rocks were present, as well. Both cases are characterized by local production only merely enhanced with imported materials. The settlement is almost completely represented by open air sites although caves are also present (Zalas rockshelter). The extent of the assemblages varies from rich settlement units yielding several thousands of artefacts to tiny spots of about dozens of lithics. Only in case of a few archaeological sites an environmental record was acquired. It hinders a construction of a reliable chronology and therefore some comparative studies over the adjacent area are necessary. The basic reports indicate the northern part of the Western Carpathians and the Northern Subcarpathia region as “contact zone”, proving a local character of them as well as a strong affection from the part of the North European Plain.