Hill-Forts from the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age in Pomerania: An Overlooked Problem (original) (raw)
Related papers
Geoarchaeology of “Valley Forts”: Case Study at Jatwieź Duża (Podlasie, E-Poland) - First Results
Proceedings 2019
The territory of north-eastern Poland is experiencing a veritable archaeological renaissance through many research initiatives. In 2017, using the LiDAR method, 26 settlement sites located in the Podlasie Lowland were discovered. These sites have a similar form of construction and together they represent a compact settlement system. The main aim of this studies is to present the preliminary results of geoarchaeological studies of the Jatwieź Duża site as an example of this kind of settlement. This form is built by two distinct moats (circle shape) separated by earth embankment and a central flat area with a diameter of about 60 m. It is located on the Pleistocene clays, fluvioglacial sands and gravels. In the course of archaeological excavations, ten archeological resource objects with 79 parts of pottery and 83 flint artifacts were discovered. Technological and stylistic analysis of the pottery has shown that these artifacts belong to Urnfield culture communities from the Surash Group which is one of many regional groups of Urnfield culture in Poland. The communities of this group developed in the Podlasie Lowland in the Bronze and Iron Age based on a strong local tradition. Preliminary results of archaeological studies indicate that this structure was used as a storage facility by the communities of this culture in the Bronze Age (OSL dating).
Revisiting the Middle Bronze Age Barrows in South-Western Poland
Studien zur Archäologie in Ostmitteleuropa/Studia nad Pradziejami Europy Środkowej, 2023
The Middle Bronze Age, associated primarily with the so-called Tumulus culture, represents one of the least understood periods of Poland’s prehistory. Knowledge of the communities of the second half of the second millennium BC is based primarily on the results of archival studies of funerary objects - barrows. The progressive development of remote sensing, including LiDAR technology within archaeology became an impetus a few years ago to start research dedicated to the recording of Bronze Age barrows in the area of the Krotoszyn Forest (southwestern Wielkopolska). Over time, the scope of this research was expanded and the results are presented to the reader in the next volume in the SAO/SPEŚ series. This book is the culmination of several years of work by Polish and German archaeologists focused on Middle Bronze Age research. The area of their research became the region of southwestern Wielkopolska. In this part of Poland, due to the large amount of forests that survived the dynamic development of agrotechnology from the end of the 19th century, there are still a relatively large number of archaeological sites with their own landscape form preserved. The vast majority of them are barrows that are relics of the Middle Bronze Age cultural landscape. The book presented to the reader includes the results of rescue and non-invasive research, as well as the compilation of archival materials at the disposal of individual museums. The compiled information made it possible to determine the state of current knowledge about the Middle Bronze Age in the region of southwestern Wielkopolska, and was confronted with information from neighboring regions of Central Europe. The excavations and research that led to this publication were carried out by the National Science Center of Poland - (NSC - project no. 2012/05/B/HS3/03714 and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation – project number 2901391021–SFB 1266 and under Germany´s Excellence Strategy – EXC 2150 ROOTS - 390870439).
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 aus der Tagung abgehalten am 2.–4. Juli 2015 in Hradec Králové, Tschechische Republik, 2018
In September 2014 an excavation with Polish and German researchers and students took place at the stronghold of Kemberg near Wittenberg in Saxony-Anhalt. In a three week campaign, a trench was excavated on the boggy margins of this Late Bronze/Early Iron Age swamp fort, which is the most north-western example of its type. We discovered an excellently preserved multi-layered platform structure made of wooden boards and beams located at the base of the rampart. This may have either served as the foundation of the rampart or reinforced the berm just in front of it. Posts rammed into the sandy subsoil in front of this structure may indicate the presence of a fence or palisade. Preliminary results of dendrochronological and radiocarbon analyses date platform to the mid-9th century BC, the putative palisade may date to the later 10th century BC. Late Bronze Age channelled “Lusatian” pottery conventionally dated from 1000–800 BC rested directly on this wooden structure. The layer above it was filled with sherds belonging to the most western variant of the Early Iron Age Bialowice pottery which was in use in the 7th century BC and early 6th century BC in an area stretching from Glogów in the south-east to Wittenberg in the northwest. Large quantities of high-quality pottery, a bird-shaped rattle, and animal bones were also found in the moist sediments at the foot of the rampart. Massive layers of charcoal and a large charred beam in the layers documented above point to a violent end to this swamp fort, perhaps some time during the early 6th century BC. Thus, the Kemberg rampart will play a crucial role in understanding the relative sequence and absolute chronology of late prehistoric defended settlements between the Elbe and Vistula valleys.
2018
Archaeology of northeastern Poland has been poorly recognized owing to vast forest areas and numerous lakes. This particularly refers to the Warmian–Masurian Voivodship, where forest covers over 30% of its area. Prospection of for-ested areas has become possible in Poland just over 10 years ago with the Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR). These techniques allow obtaining 3-D documentation of recognized and also unknown archaeological sites in the forested areas. Thanks to ALS/LiDAR prospection a significant number of archaeological structures have been identified also in the Warmia and Masuria regions. Among them oval-shaped hillforts, surrounded by perfectly spaced concentric moats and ramparts, located mainly on islands and in wetland areas, have raised particular attention. Based on field prospection and results of preliminary excavations, these objects have been considered as Iron Age hillforts. One of the best preserved objects of this type is on the Radomno Lake island, located several kilometres to the south of Iława town. Integrated geoarchaeological prospection of this hillfort emphasized benefits of using LiDAR in combination with results of geophysical prospection and shallow drillings. Applied methodology enabled to document the hillfort shape, and to study its geological structure and stratigraphy. The results clearly indicate that integration of LiDAR data with geophysical prospecting is indispensable in future archaeological surveys. It is a perfect tool for remote sensing of archaeological objects in forest areas, so far not available for traditional archaeology.
Fortified Settlements of the Early Bronze Age in Poland
in: S. Hansen / R. Krause (eds), Bronze Age Hillforts between Taunus and Carpathian Mountains/UPA series vol. 319 (Bonn), 2018
The dynamics of development of Bronze Age fortified settlements in the territory of present-day Poland reflects a general trend visible in other regions of Europe. The first period when relatively few defensive settlements were built was the first half of the 2nd millennium BC. However, intensification of the discussed phenomenon can only be noticed with the development of the Lusatian culture. The older development stage of fortified settlements in Poland is characterised by a significantly lower number of sources. The sites identified until now form a small group of settlements, clearly connected with two cultural circles. The four settlements which have been discovered in Greater Poland and Silesia so far should be linked with local groups of Únětice culture. In south-eastern Poland, in the Polish part of the Western Carpathians, there are three known sites, which are the result of a northern expansion of Otomani-Füzesabony culture settlements, as well as the development of local communities of Mierzanowice culture. The text aims at detailed description of archaeological sources concerning particular features and aspects of the functioning of fortified settlements. Moreover, the collected information will serve to attempt to locate the discussed settlements in wider contexts regarding the roles which are most frequently assigned to the archaeological sites of this kind.
Archaeology of northeastern Poland has been poorly recognized owing to vast forest areas and numerous lakes. This particularly refers to the Warmian–Masurian Voivodship, where forest covers over 30% of its area. Prospection of for-ested areas has become possible in Poland just over 10 years ago with the Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR). These techniques allow obtaining 3-D documentation of recognized and also unknown archaeological sites in the forested areas. Thanks to ALS/LiDAR prospection a significant number of archaeological structures have been identified also in the Warmia and Masuria regions. Among them oval-shaped hillforts, surrounded by perfectly spaced concentric moats and ramparts, located mainly on islands and in wetland areas, have raised particular attention. Based on field prospection and results of preliminary excavations, these objects have been considered as Iron Age hillforts. One of the best preserved objects of this type is on the Radomno Lake island, located several kilometres to the south of Iława town. Integrated geoarchaeological prospection of this hillfort emphasized benefits of using LiDAR in combination with results of geophysical prospection and shallow drillings. Applied methodology enabled to document the hillfort shape, and to study its geological structure and stratigraphy. The results clearly indicate that integration of LiDAR data with geophysical prospecting is indispensable in future archaeological surveys. It is a perfect tool for remote sensing of archaeological objects in forest areas, so far not available for traditional archaeology.
The unique nature of the Early Iron Age fortified settlements of Wielkopolska, in terms of their internal development, alleged function, genesis and chronology, places them in a group of monuments that have a fundamental meaning. Studying these sites goes beyond understanding this particular aspect of Polish prehistory. The recognition of these settlements, studied over the years and considered under various spatial and subject-specific angles, is very uneven and, in general, unsatisfactory, as has long been pointed out in the literature. Apart from the sites explored in long-term excavation campaigns, there are sites where reconnaissance work was carried out over only one or two seasons (excepting Biskupin and Sobiejuchy) or where only sondages were made. Furthermore, the analysis of the results of these investigations is, in general, also fairly unsatisfactory. Despite the opportunities offered by the current methods of absolute dating, we still know very little about the chronology of the fortified Hallstatt settlements of Wielkopolska. Hence the authors have started a new project aimed at gathering key information that has not so far been obtained or that has been insufficiently investigated. The most important element is absolute dating by dendrochronological and radiocarbon methods (timber structural elements, organic material from culture layers, osteological material) and luminescence (ceramics). Another important aspect consists of attempts at correlating the absolute dates obtained with the mass of archaeological material to verify and modify the traditional dating methods (changes in pottery styles). Last but not least we aim to obtain broader information regarding the development of all Hallstatt fortified sites from the study area through remote sensing, which includes aerial reconnaissance, geophysical surveys, digital terrain models (magnetometry maps, 3D models, orthophotographs). This article is a preliminary report on the new investigations of the Wielkopolska fortified settlements currently being conducted by the authors.
An increasingly important role in the study of prehistoric ultural landscapes is played nowadays by various methods of non-invasive archaeological prospection, such as aerial photography, remote sensing, airborne laser scanning and terrestrial geophysical surveying. In Polish archaeology, which has pioneered in many aspects the use of aerial photography and geophysical methods, investigations of this kind have a long history and can boast many successful applications, but the intensity of their use continues to be uneven. In the case of the region of Silesia (southwestern Poland), non-invasive prospection has been sporadic and hardly regular. However, recent projects have yielded data that will most likely increase the number of known Neolithic and Early Bronze Age sites in Silesia, especially ditch enclosures and other monuments. The implementation of modern archaeological prospection methods has often contributed to a better understanding of already recorded sites and has been beneficial not only in furthering knowledge about the past, but also in protecting the archaeological heritage.