Urnfields in their own way: The Late Bronze Age on the southern Baltic coast (middle and eastern Pomerania) (original) (raw)
Related papers
: BEYOND URNFIELDS. New Perspectives on Late Bronze Age -Early Iron Age Funerary Practices in Northwest Europe , 2023
This chapter evaluates the Lower Oder Lowlands’ material finds and settlement pattern characteristics relating to the palaeoenvironmental factors in the Late Bronze and the Early Iron Ages (from the late 2nd millennium until the first half of the 1st millennium BC). The timeframe covers the development of classical traits of the so-called “West-Pomeranian”, “Usedom-Uecker” and subsequent Göritzer groups of the Maritime Urnfield culture. According to traditional periodisation, this period comprises the Bronze Age from the late period IV/early period V until the final period VI, which means the end of the 2nd and first half of the 1st millennium BC in calendar chronology. The Szczecin Lowland environment of the first half of the 1st millennium BC shows signs of human impact, manifested mainly by forest clearances. Existing societies seemed to continue the earlier “Late Bronze Age” strategies regarding subsistence economy and settlement patterns. Transformations of the burial practices are not as evident and rapid in the Szczecin Lowland as in East Pomerania or the southern part of the European Plain. Even in Bronze Age period VI, signs of the environmental crisis caused by the abrupt climate change in the first half of the 1st millennium BC do not seem to be visible in the Szczecin Lowland, according to available data.
Urnfields in the middle Oder basin – a perspective of a Lubusz-Greater Polish territorial community
Praehistorische Zeitschrift, 2019
Lusatian Urnfield communities inhabiting Lubusz Land and western Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages occupy a unique position on the settlement map of the middle Oder basin. For nearly a thousand years, they acted as a kind of buffer between the buoyant Silesian centre, which had achieved its culture-making role thanks to direct exchange contacts with the Transcarpathian and Danubian-Alpine centres of the south, and West Pomeranian groups inspired from the west and northwest by the Nordic circle. The impor- tance of Lubusz-Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) popula- tions to the overall cultural picture of the territories on the banks of the Oder River can hardly be overestimated, so it is worth analysing this phenomenon in more detail. One of the significant cultural elements is the ceramic style. It can be a means of manifesting outside the identity of a group, the identity consolidated by a tradition func- tioning within this group. It is hard to imagine a relative standardisation of patterns in pottery produced over a certain area to be only the result of more or less random movement of female potters or small groups of people. The standardisation of material culture, resulting from the existence of a style, no doubt enhances homogeneity and stability in everyday life, and therefore can be regarded as a factor integrating neighbouring communities in terri- torial communities within a supra-local scale. In the Late Bronze Age, in Lubusz Land and western Greater Poland (Wielkopolska), one can notice the same stylistic tenden- cies in pottery manufacture (bossed style, Urad style, Late Bronze Age style) and in figural art in clay, and a similar repertoire of bronze objects, produced in local metallurgi- cal workshops on the Oder. The formation of Urnfield communities in Lubusz Land and western Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) was no doubt part of a broader process of cultural integration, of supra-local character, which was taking place throughout the upper and middle Oder basin at the transition of the Middle and Late Bronze Ages. This was a process of accul- turation, based on the reception of the influx of new cul- tural contents along the River Oder from Lower Silesia and perhaps, although to a much smaller extent, from Lusatia and Saxony. The result was the cultural unification, for the first time to such an extent, of the western part of what is now Poland. The archaeological indicator of the discussed process was the appearance of large cremation cemeter- ies, with burials furnished with bossed pottery of the Sile- sia-Greater Polish type, representing a style typical of most of the middle Oder basin. Similar tendencies can be seen in bronze metallurgy, where a nearly complete unification of the repertoire of produced objects can be observed from the beginning of the Late Bronze Age. Here, however, the distributions of particular forms are much broader and encompass almost the entire western part of the Lusatian Urnfields. In Lubusz Land and western Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) the Late Bronze Age saw a very dynamic development of local bronze production, performed pri- marily within the Oder metallurgical centre. The result was a relatively high percentage of bronze artefacts in the cultural inventory of Urnfield populations inhabiting the region, most of them ultimately deposited in the many hoards buried during that period. A broad spectrum of manufactured designs, their notable standardisation, and the finds of durable casting moulds all seem to confirm that bronze metallurgy, along with pot-making, belonged to the most important areas of production performed by the population inhabiting the middle Oder basin at the conclusion of the 2nd and beginning of the 1st millennium BC, despite it having been carried out by a limited group of initiated specialists. The process of formation of Lusa- tian Urnfields in the middle Oder basin was most likely not complete before HaA2, and from the subsequent phase onwards one can notice a steady expansion of settled areas, resulting from intensive internal colonisation and the processes of acculturation. The dynamics of this phe- nomenon are best illustrated by newly established, vast cremation cemeteries, most of which were then continu- ously used at least until the close of the Bronze Age, with some persisting into the Early Iron Age. With the onset of the Early Iron Age, the Lubusz-Greater Polish territorial community of Lusatian Urnfields started to slowly disin- tegrate, a phenomenon explained by the adoption of a different model of Hallstatisation by these communities. In Lubusz Land, pottery of the Górzyce style (Göritzer Stil) appears, inspired more by Białowice (Billendorf) than Sile- sian patterns, while in western Greater Poland (Wielkopol- ska) ceramic workshops still maintained a close connec- tion with the tendencies set by their Silesian neighbours, who at that time closely followed the East Hallstatt trends. The Lubusz-Greater Polish territorial community, which crystallised and developed throughout the entirety of the Late Bronze Age largely thanks to the unique role of the Oder River as a route of long-distance exchange and at the same time a culturally unifying element of the landscape, ceased to exist with the onset of the Early Iron Age, never to be reborn.
Late Bronze and Early Iron Age communities in the northern part of the Polish Lowland (1000-500 BC)
The Past Societies. Polish lands from the first evidence of human presence to the early Middle Ages (ed. by Przemysław Urbańczyk). Volume 3: 2000–500 BC (ed. by Urszula Bugaj). Warszawa, 2017
Chapter 8 from the latest synthesis of the prehistory of Polish lands deals with the traces of Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age populations of the Polish Baltic Sea coast (in its younger section known as “Pomeranian culture”). These are recognised for its cemeteries with stone-cist graves containing extraordinary face urns. The form of graves allows us to grasp the structure of nuclear families, what differs much from Urnfield culture cemeteries. Presented analysis revealed some crucial aspects of social characteristics of the societies in question. The main recognized factors of change in social organisation were economic and demographic conditions. At start, at the dawn of the Late Bronze Age, it was the pioneer economic exploitation of the area and after that, in the late phase of LBA - agricultural stability and “discovery” of amber in the coastal zone. Those circumstances allowed for unprecedented demographic growth and enhanced social competitiveness, what resulted in differentiation in economic strategies, intensification of exchange and long-distance contacts, increase in mobility and polygyny, and - to some degree - growth of both spatial and social hierarchization. Nevertheless, the organisation of population had not reached more complex form, persisting to represent small-scale society. Limited range of hierarchization was probably due to the very nature of goods that were the subject to exchange – food and staple products as well as amber. The chapter also contains concise, well illustrated appendix on Early Iron Age face urns in Pomerania.
T. Galewski, K. Ślusarska, Regional differences in V Bronze Age hoards from East Pomerania.
The 11th Nordic Bronze Age Symposium. The Changing Bronze Age in Fennoscandia and around the Baltic Sea, Helsinki, Finland 29.-31.10.2009
The hoard deposition phenomenon can’t be explained only by typological analysis. It should be studied on microregional level, or even singular case (see Mogielnicka – Urban 1997). Presented paper shows only a tip of the iceberg. Hoards should be treated as a integral part of Bronze and Iron Age culture. There are no simple and universal rule that explains the problem of metal objects accumulation (Krajewski 2007: 39). Furthermore arguments for interpreting hoard deposition as a manifestation of interregional cult (Blažek, Hansen 1997), the way of building up prestige of local elites (Ostoja-Zagórski 1992), socio-religious rites or offerings for deities (Blajer 1992, 2001: 288) seems to be insufficient. The explanation can be also more mundane – like a fixed toll/duty for travelling through foreign lands (see Kmieciński, Gurba 2006: 20). There are no unambiguous answers for the question of deposition purposes. New questions that arise in course of studying the problem make us return to discussion over hoards and its role in past societies. Maybe the key to find an answer lies in treating hoards deposition like a social phenomenon (Blajer 1999) and so we should search fixed and variables features in it?
The Early Iron Age in Central Europe. Proceedings of the conference held on the 2nd–4th of July 2015 in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic / Die frühe Eisenzeit in Mitteleuropa. Sammelband von der Tagung abgehalten am 2.–4. Juli 2015 in Hradec Králové, Tschechische Republik (edited by M. Trefný), 2018
The traces of Early Iron Age populations of the Polish Baltic Sea coast, known as “Pomeranian culture”, are commonly recognised for its cemeteries with stone-cist graves containing extraordinary face urns. Those necropolies are abundant and many of them, if excavated recently, yielded anthropological data. The form of graves allows us to grasp the structure of nuclear families, what differs much from Urnfield culture cemeteries. Despite this fact little attention was paid to social organisation of the Pomeranian populations until recently. Current analysis revealed some crucial aspects of social characteristics of the societies in question. As it should be expected, the main factors of change in social organisation (e.g. hierarchies, mating systems) were economic and demographic conditions. At start, at the dawn of the Late Bronze Age, it was the pioneer economic exploitation of the area and after that, in the late phase of LBA - agricultural stability and “discovery” of amber in the coastal zone. Those circumstances (especially pioneer settlement) allowed for unprecedented demographic growth and enhanced social competitiveness, what resulted in differentiation in economic strategies, intensification of exchange and long-distance contacts, increase in mobility and polygyny, and – to some degree – growth of both spatial and social hierarchisation. Nevertheless, the organisation of population had not reached more complex form, persisting to represent small-scale society. Limited range of hierarchisation was probably due to the very nature of goods that were the subject to exchange – food and staple products as well as amber. Obtaining of those products was not connected with any special abilities and therefore did not force the society to reorganisation towards more ranked structure (e.g. chiefdom).
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2023
Metal artefacts from Bronze Age hoards have routinely been used to study interregional contacts. Their stylistic and typological features helped distinguish local products and imports by appearance. In the last 40 years, combined lead isotope and chemical analyses of metals have been widely applied to verify hypotheses based on style and typology. This paper is a comprehensive typological and analytical study of a metal item hoard discovered in Paszowice, SW Poland. In the Bronze Age, the area was inhabited by the Lusatian Urnfield culture (ca. 1350/1300-800/750 BC) communities. We expected that at least some of the artefacts would be local products fashioned according to foreign stylistic patterns. The research aimed to determine whether a 'classical' stylistic analysis combined with provenance studies of metals would allow more decisive conclusions. This combination of methods could also show how the metal reached the Lusatian Urnfield culture settlement zone. We conducted a detailed typological and chronological analysis to map the distribution of similar artefact types. It demonstrated that stylistic matches for the artefacts from Paszowice occur mainly in NE Hungary, S Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Romania. Selected metal artefacts (both tin bronze items and raw copper objects) from Paszowice were also analysed for their chemical (EPMA) and lead isotope (MC ICP MS) compositions. The study revealed many copper sources used for their production, ranging from the nearest copper mines in the Slovak Ore Mountains, through Eastern Alps and mines in Sardinia, to possibly the Iberian Peninsula. In this way, we identified the potential trade routes by which metal could get to SW Poland: the southwestern and southeastern routes and the Mediterranean-Danube route. The Iberian metal might have also reached the study area from the norththrough its redistribution by Scandinavian traders. Our results show that metal from many sources circulated in central Europe during the Late Bronze Age. The Lusatian Urnfield communities were part of a pan-European exchange network and maintained extensive long-distance contacts, allowing metal acquisition from various sources.
Die frühe Eisenzeit in Mitteleuropa / Early Iron Age in Central Europe. Internationale Tagung vom 20.-22. Juli 2017 in Nürnberg, 2019
The custom of metal objects depositing in the form of hoards is characteristic of the Bronze Age. Along with its end it disappears, amongst others, in the zone associated with the Hallstatt circle. However, in some regions of Europe, hoards were still deposited in the ground and water. An example would be Pomerania and Greater Poland, where hoards of metal objects were deposited until the end of the Hallstatt D period. The disappearance of this custom had no connection with rapid changes in other spheres of culture. The processes taking place during this period were rather evolutionary in nature, despite the fact that this turning point is very clear. Hoards are interpreted in many ways. The disappearance of custom of their deposition as well. To date in archaeology attention was paid to the dissemination of new, commonly occurring raw material, which was iron. It was also emphasized changes in the social sphere related to manifesting position by rich grave gods. Recent research on the relationship between the hoards deposition places and local settlement networks and cultural landscape, allowed to propose an entirely new manner of interpreting the practice of metal objects deposition in the ground or water. Thus, it was possible to propose a new model of the process of this custom’s disappearance. It is based on transformations taking place in the ways of use of inhabited areas and the relationship between the communities living in this zone in the early Iron Age.
The Significance of Amber in the Bronze Age in the Eastern Baltic Region: Some Remarks
The Amber Roads, 2016
In this paper the Author presents the results of his studies on Stone Age use and popularisation of amber in the distinct South Baltic macro-region (Vistula macro-region). The paper provides analysis of the cultural, chronological and regional characteristic of the finds, different potential uses of amber and its processing, as well as the development of local and long-distance amber exchange. The author also discusses some aspects of how the exchange was organized, the methods of transportation and goods offered as exchange for amber. The last part presents a general overview of amber use and working (processing) by the Late Neolithic people (RZC) in the Niedźwiedziówka micro-region. Niedźwiedziówka remains the largest concentration in the world of seasonal camps with remnants of hundreds of amber-processing workshops, thousands of halffinished ornamental products, industrial waste and tools.