Praehistorische Zeitschrift

During the Early Iron Age (750–450 BC), settlement centres emerged in western Poland, playing a significant socio-economic role in local development. The fortified settlement of Wicina (Żary County, Lubusz Voivodeship) in western Poland, is an exemplar of such a regional center, strategically positioned on a natural dune above a marshland. In this study, we use archaeometallurgical analyses to shed light on the role of this settlement in the supra-regional metal exchange network. We compare the results with artifacts likely from the Wicina settlement found in the nearby Bieszków hoard. The results of isotopic analyses indicate that the copper in the artifacts selected for study (n=15) originated from multiple sources. The majority of the metal came from the Mediterranean region – Sardinia, the southwestern Iberian Peninsula, and Cyprus. A single sample comes from Alpine or Slovak copper ore deposits. A large fragment of pure copper appears to have come from local deposits in the Holy Cross Mountains in southern Poland. This is the first result indicating that copper may have been mined locally in Poland during the Early Iron Age. Our hypothesis is that copper reached western Poland along established trade routes (including the so-called Amber Route) and was then distributed further. A small portion of the total copper used in the workshops in Wicina was supplemented by local copper mining in the Holy Cross Mountains. Control of a portion of the trade route, involvement in long-distance trade, access to goods, and its possible redistribution influenced the settlement’s development.

Early medieval Wolin was a multi-part urban agglomeration. One of its most important elements was the settlement within Silver Hill. In order to clarify the chronology of the settlement in its area, 26 new 14 C dates were obtained from layers associated with the northern rampart, the antler workshops, and houses. The results were compared with available dendrochronological and numismatic dates. As a result, the dating of the early medieval settlement on Silver Hill, which may have begun in the first half of the 9 th century and was already fortified at that time, was moved back. Comparison of these results with the dates from the Ogrody district and the centre in the Old Town allowed the formulation of two hypotheses about the formation of Wolin as a result of the merger of two settlements of perhaps different ethnic characters, and the sudden urbanisation breakthrough in the middle of the 9 th century involving both the Old Town and Silver Hill.

Gateways on waterways play a special role, providing links to neighbouring river drainage basins and their communities. In addition to inter-regional as well as local communication, water links were also of strategic and economic importance. The main objective of this study is to characterise the most important gateways connecting the Odra (Oder) drainage basin area with neighbouring areas in terms of their potential for communication and transport in the early medieval period (8 th to 11 th century), as well as to determine to what extent/degree the gateways delineated in a physiographic context relate to the gateway city model, formulated and developed intensively in the 1970s and 1980s with particular emphasis on Santok as a place on the main waterways of the area. In this paper 17 gateways located on the watershed of the Odra (Oder) drainage basin. Taking into account physiographic features, four categories of gateways were distinguished: easy gateways, gateways of medium difficulty, difficult gateways and very difficult gateways. A number of techniques were considered necessary in crossing most gateways, such as dragging, threading boats with or without goods, carrying by people, transporting on sleds, skids or wagons. The study results indicate that the communities living in the Odra (Oder) drainage basin area and the lofty Pomeranian Lakeland hump clearly directed their interests towards the regions immediately around the Baltic Sea, which, thanks to its long-distance water communication, formed a particularly privileged commercial and cultural area.

This study investigates the mobility and integration of a rural Ostrogothic community in Frascaro in Northern Italy (~490–550 CE) through the combination of strontium isotope analysis (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) and archaeological context. While there are written sources about the Ostrogothic presence in Italy, direct evidence of Ostrogothic communities in Northern Italy remains limited, particularly outside strategic or military contexts. This study represents an attempt to fill this gap in knowledge. Our isotopic results indicate a community that remained culturally distinct and economically isolated in rural Italy during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. The absence of long-distance trade, reliance on local resources, and continuity of Ostrogothic cultural traditions suggest a population that was both self-sustaining and socially stable over multiple generations. Rather than being a transient or highly mobile group, this community appears to have remained distinct while adapting to local conditions. These findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of Ostrogothic settlement strategies and cultural persistence in post-Roman Italy.

Der vorliegende programmatische Artikel wirft einen kritischen Blick auf 185 Jahre deutsche Forschung in Südkaukasien. Dabei werden Lücken und zu bezweifelnde Interpretationen aufgezeigt, die sich teilweise bis heute negativ auf die wissenschaftliche Beurteilung der späten Bronze- und frühen Eisenzeit im Südkaukasus auswirken. In diesem Zusammenhang wurden insbesondere die große Kaukasussammlung und ihr Schicksal untersucht, die sich bis zum Zweiten Weltkrieg im Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte in Berlin (MVF) befand. Auch aktuelle Probleme der archäologischen Erforschung Südkau ka siens werden klar dargestellt. Der Artikel vergleicht erstmals Originaldokumente und -funde mit den Publikationen deutscher, russischer und kaukasischer Archäologen aus diesen 185 Jahren. Eine der Hauptaufgaben bestand darin, die gegenwärtigen Aufbewahrungsorte der im 19. Jahrhundert in Südkaukasien ausgegrabenen Fundstücke ausfindig zu machen und die entsprechenden Grabungsdokumentationen und Ausgrabungsberichte aufzufinden, um sie mit den bis heute erschienenen Publikationen in verschiedenen Sprachen zu vergleichen. Die Arbeit zeigt, dass ein Großteil der in den deutschen Museen in den dortigen Kaukasus-Sammlungen vorhandenen Funde aus der späten Bronze- und frühen Eisenzeit nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg in die UdSSR gebracht wurden und viele dort heute über russische Museen in Moskau und St. Petersburg, aber auch über Museen in den Kaukasus-Staaten verteilt sind. Sie sind bis jetzt der internationalen Forschung nicht frei zugänglich und müssen in internationaler Kooperation untersucht und neu bewertet werden. Auch die bis jetzt publizierten deutschen Abhandlungen zur Archäologie Südkaukasiens enthalten nach dem heutigen Stand der Forschung unrichtige Angaben. Damalige Gelehrte und Ausgräber wie Rudolf Virchow, Waldemar Belck, Friedrich Bayern und Emil Rösler haben zweifelhafte historische, geografische, ethnologische und anthropologische Schlüsse gezogen, die bis heute in verschiedener Weise tradiert werden. Nach dem Zerfall der Sowjetunion begann eine national geprägte Neuinterpretation der Geschichte der Nachfolgestaaten, die sich auch auf die Übersetzung deutschsprachiger Publikationen im neuen nationalen Sinn auswirkte. Der von W. Nagel und E. Strommenger geschriebene Katalog über „Kalakent“ dient als Beispiel und zeigt dabei exemplarisch immer noch bestehende Diskrepanzen in der Kaukasusforschung. Résumé Cet article contient un aperçu critique de 185 années de recherches allemandes dans le Caucase du sud. Il révèle des lacunes et des interprétations douteuses qui contribuent en partie à avoir des répercussions négatives sur l’évaluation scientifique de la fin de l’âge du bronze et du début de l’âge du fer dans cette région. Dans ce contexte, la grande collection caucasienne conservée jusqu’à la Seconde Guerre Mondiale au Musée de Préhistoire et de Protohistoire de Berlin et son destin ultérieur forment le point focal de l’étude présentée ici. De plus, l’auteur met en évidence les problèmes actuels de l’exploration archéologique du Caucase du sud. L’article compare, pour la première fois, les trouvailles et documents originaux aux publications des archéologues allemands, russes et caucasiens parues pendant ces 185 années. La tâche principale était de repérer les lieux de conservation actuels des trouvailles faites au 19ème siècle dans le Caucase du sud, puis de retrouver la documentation et les rapports concernant ces fouilles afin de les comparer aux publications parues en plusieurs langues jusqu’à nos jours. Ce travail démontre qu’une grande partie des trouvailles de la fin de l’âge du bronze et du début de l’âge du fer qui étaient conservées dans les collections caucasiennes des musées allemands a été transportée en URSS après la Seconde Guerre Mondiale; et qu’aujourd’hui ces collections sont dispersées dans les musées russes de Moscou et de Saint Pétersbourg, mais aussi dans les musées des pays caucasiens. Jusqu’à nos jours ces trouvailles ne sont pas accessibles à la recherche internationale; il faut les réexaminer et les réévaluer dans le cadre d’une coopération internationale. Les travaux allemands publiés à ce jour sur l’archéologie du Caucase du sud contiennent également des données incorrectes au vu des recherches récentes. Des archéologues et érudits tels que Rudolf Virchow, Waldemar Belck, Friedrich Bayern et Emil Roesler en ont tiré des conclusions contestables pour l’histoire, la géographie, l’ethnologie et l’anthropologie, qui font encore maintenant partie de l’acquis scientifique. Après la chute de l’URSS l’interprétation de l’histoire devint nationaliste dans l’espace post-soviétique et cette tendance nationaliste influença certains travaux allemands incorrectement traduits. Le catalogue de l’exposition sur Kalakent rédigé par M. Nagel et M. Strommenger est un exemple de ces pratiques, illustrant les contradictions existant encore aujourd’hui dans la recherche sur le Caucase. Abstract This article consists of a critical review of 185 years of German research in the southern Caucasus and shows gaps and questionable interpretations, some with a negative effect on the scientific evaluation of the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age that endures even today. In this context the examination of the large collection of artefacts from the Caucasus housed at the Museum of Prehistory and Protohistory in Berlin until World War II and its subsequent fate forms the core of this article. Furthermore it highlights some current problems affecting archaeological research into the southern Caucasus. In this article the publications of German, Russian and Caucasian archaeologists published over the last 185 years are compared for the first time with the original documentation and finds. One of the main tasks was to establish where the artefacts which had been excavated in the 19th century in the southern Caucasus are located today and where the relevant excavation reports and documentation are kept, in order to compare them with the accounts that have since been published in several languages. The research shows that a large part of the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age artefacts which had been kept in the Caucasus collections of German museums had been transferred to the USSR after World War II. Today many are dispersed in Russian museums in Moscow and Saint Petersburg as well as in museums in the Caucasian states. Even today they are not accessible to international scientific researchers, and they need to be re-examined and re-evaluated in an international collaborative project. The German publications on the archaeology of the southern Caucasus that have appeared to date also contain some information that research has shown to be inaccurate. Past archaeologists and scholars like Rudolf Virchow, Waldemar Belck, Friedrich Bayern and Emil Roesler have drawn some questionable conclusions concerning historic, geographic, ethnologic and anthropologic aspects which continue to prevail even today. After the fall of the Soviet Union the history of the post-Soviet states was reinterpreted in a nationalistic way, which had an impact on inaccurately translated German publications. An example is the catalogue of the Kalakent exhibition by Nagel and Strommenger which shows the ongoing discrepancies in research on the Caucasus.

Brzoza site 50, Toruń County is a unique archaeological site in the Toruń Basin and one of the largest Late Palaeolithic settlement complexes dating in the Polish Lowlands (northern part of central Poland). As a result of rescue excavations conducted by the District Museum in Toruń from 2015 to 2023, amber objects were discovered for the first time in the history of this site. These were discovered alongside Late Palaeolithic flint artefacts indicating a similar origin of the amber finds. Non-invasive research was carried out on Palaeolithic amber using Raman spectroscopy to determine their geological and geographical origin. As a result of comparative analysis with amber from the Baltic Sea basin: succinite from Yantarny (Russia), gedano-succinite and gedanite (Poland), as well as walchovite from Czech Republic (Moravia) and based on the analysis of the ratio of the relative intensities I 1650 /I 1450 of the bands, the variety of amber has been identified. Although the examined amber objects are partially degraded, which affects the quality of the Raman and ATR spectra the results of Raman spectroscopy indicate that the discovered amber objects were Eocene succinite.

The author studies the axe heads which may be attributed to the Wielbark Culture. They are grouped according to their finding contexts (possible grave finds, watery finds, possible Wielbark-culture objects from beyond its territory, stray finds). Majority of the Wielbark-culture axe heads dates to the Younger and Late Roman Period as well as the Early Migration Period. Early Roman Period items are almost lacking, which makes the hypothetical influence of the Late Pre-Roman military model (the Oksywie Culture) improbable. Axes were a popular weapon among the Balts, thus it seems probable that Wielbark-culture axes had been borrowed from the West Balt Circle. Popularity of the symmetrical forms of Group II after B. Kontny seems to confirm this supposition, although also other patterns i.a. Types Żarnowiec, Oder-Elbe and Leśnica are documented in the Wielbark Culture. Among them, the Żarnowiec Type has so far been associated generally with the territory of Poland, Type Leśnica – with the south of the Przeworsk Culture territory and the Oder-Elbe – with Luboszyce Culture, Elbe Germanic Circle and southern Scandinavia. Such an image requires verification: Types Leśnica and Żarnowiec are known from the Wielbark, Černâhov and the Sântana de Mureş Cultures and Oder-Elbe in Pomerania. The introduction of the axe took place simultaneously in some other cultural units: the Luboszyce Culture and Elbe Germanic Circle, probably in western Pomerania (the Dębczyno Group), and soon after in the Černâhov and the Sântana de Mureş Cultures. It seems that we deal with the real transformation of the Barbarian model of armament just before and during the crisis of the third century.

This article discusses a stonemason’s toolkit that was discovered by chance at Măgura Călanului, Romania. This finding helps to address a longstanding gap in our understanding of the tools used in quarrying and monumental architecture during the Dacian Kingdom. The toolkit includes fifteen iron implements, such as double-headed picks, a whetting set, splitting wedges, and rare toothed tools, weighing a total of 10.93 kg. These tools provide valuable insight into the technical skills of Dacian craftsmen. While some of them have analogues from Greek and Roman areas, others exhibit local innovations, highlighting both technological exchanges with the Mediterranean world and the ingenuity and adaptability of the Dacian craftsmen. The apparent concealment of the toolkit may suggest a crisis period, possibly related to the Roman conquest in 102 AD. As one of the most varied and complete stonemason kits discovered in European antiquity, this finding is exceptionally significant and is expected to impact the study of ancient craftsmanship and architectural techniques.

Estimating population from archaeological data involves understanding the representativeness of the supporting material, its chronology and its duration. The Bury grave, located NW of Paris and dated from the late fourth and third millennia BCE, provides all the data for a precise characterisation of more than three hundred dead. The living population was estimated, both qualitatively and quantitatively, on the basis of chronological modeling and references from historical demography for pre-industrial populations. The results show a major societal shift between the short first phase of the grave use (late fourth millennium BCE), which corresponds to a real community, and the more extensive second phase during the third millennium BCE, which contains a more drastic selection of dead. We propose to consider the results from Bury as a reference for other graves, which did not provide all the information required for demographic analysis. Bury was thus used to examine the Late Neolithic population of the area located NW of Paris, which corresponds to the main concentration of large collective and megalithic graves, named allées sépulcrales . No less than ten thousand people lived in this area of 2500 km 2 during the last centuries of the fourth millennium BCE. It can be assumed that the very high concentration of megalithic burials between northern Germany and southern Sweden refers to a situation identical to that of the Paris area.

Mycenaean pottery was not only temporarily widespread in the Mediterranean region of the 2 nd millennium BC, but from the late 19 th century AD onwards it also entered numerous museums and other public collections “worldwide”, mainly due to trade in antiquities. Based on the thirteen Mycenaean pottery vessels from the Collection of Classical Antiquities of the Department of Classical Archaeology at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, this article focuses on the “collecting” of Mycenaean pottery vessels by public institutions in the German Empire up to and including 1914, the year in which World War I began. Regarding this topic, the legal regulations of the countries of origin of the objects kept abroad were given special consideration, not only the current German “Act on the Protection of Cultural Property (Cultural Property Protection Act – KGSG)” from 2016. Where provenance information could be found for the Mycenaean pottery vessels kept in Jena, which is true for eight vessels, they were purchased in the antiquities trade or acquired at an auction in 1908 and 1910. One of the vessels in Jena formerly belonged to the Julius Naue Collection. The information available, albeit very little, on the collecting processes of the Mycenaean pottery vessels kept in Jena is in line with the results of Birgit Sporleder’s study of the “Originalsammlung” of the Winckelmann Institute of Berlin Humboldt University. In addition, it does not contradict the results of Matthias Recke, who studied the collecting of ancient Cypriotica in Germany, which has unique aspects. According to the inventory book, six of the vessels in Jena are at least presumably from Rhodes, and one is presumably from Attica. In terms of shape, the Jena collection is dominated by the stirrup jar. The same is true for the Mycenaean pottery vessels published so far in the Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum (CVA) for Germany, on the one hand in general, on the other limited to acquisition for and/or entry into the corresponding institution up to the end of 1914. The prominence of the stirrup jars suggests that the Mycenaean pottery vessels that came to the German Empire/Germany once belonged primarily to looted tombs, and that mainly burials of LH III were/are affected. Based on the CVA, the stirrup jar is also the probably most numerous Mycenaean vessel shape represented in European museums and collections today, based on those countries where no Mycenaean pottery was produced in the 2 nd millennium BC.

Some of the most remarkable Neolithic finds encountered in central Europe are wells with a wooden construction. These features provide unusual insights into Neolithic societies, their subsistence strategies and the landscape they inhabited. In the last fifteen years, four Early Neolithic wells out of a total of seven such wells known since the 1970s have been discovered in Czechia. One of them is the well at Ostrov, the wooden construction and sedimentary infill of which have made it possible to study diverse topics by taking a multi-proxy approach using a range of complementary methods. The study presented here compares different periods of the well’s existence, examines the carpentry skills of the first farmers, investigates sedimentary processes, reveals details about the use and decline of the well, addresses its location relative to that of the settlement, and reconstructs the environment of the well itself and the surrounding landscape. The water well at Ostrov is a highly unusual find because it probably existed outside of a settlement. The grooved wooden lining used is identical to that of previously investigated wells inside settlements, as are the processes of its use and decline. However, environment-related indicates that the Ostrov well was located in an open landscape with sparse vegetation and was perhaps only used by-passing herdsmen.

In the study of Roman imports, the issues of their production and distribution within the territories of the Empire and Barbaricum occupy an important place. One example of prolonged use beyond the limes is the Eggers 24 type buckets. These are primarily found in graves from the late phase B1 (B1b–B1c), while the latest specimens have been discovered in three contexts dated to phases B2/C1 and C1a. The article summarizes previous research on Eggers 24–29 buckets, with a particular focus on type E 24. The topics addressed include the circulation period of these buckets in Barbaricum, with an emphasis on the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the three most recent graves, which mark the final boundary of their use beyond the limes

During the emergence and expansion of the Kura-Araxes tradition in the South Caucasus, there was a notable advancement in architectural solutions and economic practices. This period also witnessed significant progress in pottery craftsmanship, leading to the creation of diverse clay objects, as well as the appearance of zoomorphic and anthropomorphic figurines in various cultural sites of this era. The Early Bronze Age settlement of Harich in northeastern Armenia is the so far known largest center of accumulation of these statuettes, where 347 zoomorphic and anthropomorphic figurines were found. These figurines provide valuable insights into the lifestyle and beliefs of the people of that era and serve as a significant resource for unraveling the Kura-Araxes tradition.

This paper presents an analysis of a representative collection of ancient mirrors from the western border of the Great Steppe (modern-day eastern Romania). Using X-ray Fluorescence Spectrophotometry, nine mirrors with diverse shapes and decorations were examined. The results revealed significant variations in alloy composition, indicating different networks of production and material sourcing. The variation in the proportions of copper, tin, and lead, in addition to the presence of trace elements/impurities such as arsenic, nickel, iron, and bismuth, indicates the existence of distinct metallurgical practices and the operation of multiple production centres. To gain further insight into the manufacturing process, an experimental replica of a pendant mirror was created using techniques that were in use in antiquity. Particular emphasis is placed on the topic of intentional damage to mirrors and the funerary rituals that are associated with this practice. Our findings illustrate the technological sophistication and cultural-economic interactions in the region east of the Carpathians during antiquity, emphasising a rich tradition of metalworking and diverse ritual practices.

This study reviews a sample of at least 34 manipulated skulls from 18 sites in Sweden and Denmark, all dating from the period AD 750–1050. For reasons of soil chemistry, Norway has not produced any unambiguous finds. Many extra skulls are found in or near graves and seem linked to a custom of slave decapitation at the grave side. Several are from proto-urban environments, some apparently once having been displayed on the surrounding palisades. Several have been deposited in wet contexts. People also collected skulls from inhumation graves, recent and ancient, for purposes mostly unknown but including the inauguration of an assembly platform. Old Norse literature demonstrates that though decapitation was shameful, the head itself was potentially magical.

The Upper Paleolithic burial of Neuessing (Bavaria) is one of the few anatomically largely complete skeletal remains in Central Europe. The lack of a bioarchaeological investigation according to modern standards, an unclear dating and stratigraphic uncertainties made the find a research desideratum. The present study introduces the initial situation for the investigation and the varied research history. It describes the skeletal remains of the 45–55 year old male with regard to state of preservation and addresses problems encountered with dating. The new conventional 14 C ages of 29,600 ± 150 to 30,057 ± 140 yr BP document a much older age than offered by previous investigations and an assignment to the early Gravettian. The light stable isotope compositions of carbon and nitrogen of bone collagen indicate a predominantly meat-based diet. Consulting the data of faunal inventories of cave sites in the Swabian Alb, mammoth meat dominated the diet, followed by horse, woolly rhinoceros, red deer, and reindeer meat. The strontium isotope composition of the enamel of the first two permanent molars indicated that the diet, which the individual consumed during his first seven years of life, came from a geologically similar catchment. The data are in agreement with those typical for a limestone-dominated area, such as the Altmühl Valley, where the site is located, and surrounding Franconian Alb. The oxygen isotope data of the same teeth imply that the individual spent his childhood within the same climatic region but does not rule out active mobility. The data point to lower δ 18 O values of his drinking water than are typical for modern precipitation of southern Germany. They indicate an average annual temperature of about -4.0 to 1.2 °C, which is substantially lower than the current long-term temperature mean of Regensburg of 9.0 ± 0.9 °C. Even though these numbers are rough estimates, they confirm that the man lived during a cold period.

The anthropomorphic vessel, which entered the inventory of İstanbul Archaeology Museums as a donation in 2022, has an insightful point with plastic decoration. The vessel, which we believe to be of Yortan origin, is in the shape of a beak spouted jug. Based on its form and production features such as paste, firing, and surface slip, it should be dated to Early Bronze Age (EBA) II. Its plastic decoration shows a composition that has never been seen before in two- and three-dimensional artifacts. This composition allows us to define and model the appearance of the people who lived in this period. The plastic decorations consist of two almond-shaped ears not fully pierced under the mouth rim, one of them with earring, a pendant with beads made by horizontal relief band technique on a place between the neck and the body, and hands-arms stretching from below the handle to the swollen belly. Considering that the majority of anthropomorphic vessels from Western Anatolia and Central-Eastern Europe, dating from Neolithic to EBA, are female, the way the arms are stretched through the squat body and the position of the hands over the body, and also that these ways stretching and bearing are similar to those on female figurines from Central and Western Anatolia dating from the 3 rd millennium BC, it indicates that the represented (person) on the vessel is female. In addition, it is possible to make new contributions to the definition, origin, and dating discussion of the ring-shaped idol or pendant and amulet groups in Anatolian archaeology. It has become clear that at least one of the previously unclear uses of the ring-shaped idols or pendants was as a pendant, so that they were worn around the neck. Moreover, the unique composition of plastic decorations, together with the relevant knowledge from written records, indicates that the vessel was probably used for symbolic meanings in rituals. It would not be wrong to suggest that among these symbolic meanings is the one related to the belief in the Mother Goddess, based on the form and/or appearance of the vessel.

The Migration Period (4 th –5 th centuries AD) in Central Europe was marked by profound demographic and cultural transformations. Nevertheless, bioarchaeological data from this period remain scarce across the region. Tyniec upon Ślęża constitutes the only newly excavated Migration Period cemetery in southern Poland, providing a rare opportunity to explore lifeways during this transformative epoch. Stable carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotope analyses were conducted on samples from ten individuals to reconstruct dietary patterns, while mobility was investigated through high-resolution strontium isotope (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) measurements of dental enamel from selected individuals, yielding a total of twenty determinations. A local environmental baseline was established, encompassing the principal prehistoric settlement zones surrounding Wrocław. To complement the isotopic dataset, trace element concentrations from dental enamel were examined to aid dietary reconstructions and assess potential diagenetic alterations. The findings highlight the interpretative challenges posed by the highly dynamic demographic landscape of the Migration Period, in which the absence of stable local populations complicates the identification of non-local individuals. Nevertheless, the results reveal pronounced dietary variability, including substantial consumption of aquatic resources, and complex mobility signatures, reflecting diverse geographic origins and life histories. Our paper provides new insights into the processes of cultural hybridization among Germanic populations inhabiting Silesia during this turbulent era. It further explores their adaptive strategies and cultural responses to interactions-both direct and indirect-with nomadic groups and the broader geopolitical transformations precipitated by the disintegration of the Roman Empire.

The article reports the results of research focused on Barrow 3 in Ivanivtsi-Antonivka, Vinnitsia oblast, Ukraine, which was carried out by a Polish-Ukrainian team in 2019. This small and badly damaged barrow contained just seven features, including only two graves. The results of the multifaceted analyses indicated that despite the small number of sites, the history of the barrow can be divided into three phases – all resulting from the activity of communities associated with the Chornolis culture. Two phases were related to the placement of graves and the enlargement of the mound: Phase 2 (820–770 BC) and Phase 3 (750–685 BC). In contrast, the earliest Phase 1 (960–930 BC) probably covers the demarcation of the ceremonial/ritual space through the placement of a central post, the digging of a ditch, the rising of a mound (?) and the holding of a ceremonial feast. Remarkably, this stage did not end at all with the placement of a grave in the designated space or at least no traces of this have been found. The two excavated graves were intended for women. In both cases, the deceased were accompanied by a similar set of artefacts: a clay cup and a clay spindle whorl probably representing a spindle. It seems that this recurrent set was meant to stress one of the major tasks of women namely the manufacture of textiles. At present, the barrow discussed here does not find any full analogies, as sites concealing modest female burials associated with the Chornolis culture have not been studied in much detail.

This paper presents strontium isotope data of human burials from Voitenki, a cemetery attributed to the Cherniakhiv Culture (1 st Millennium AD), in East Ukraine. Intending to use strontium isotope analysis to distinguish between local and non-local origins, we sampled 30 out of 113 inhumation graves that were excavated until 2018. The sample set included 22 adults, 4 juvenile individuals and 4 children, among them 11 anthropologically identified as male and 11 as female. The selection represents different variants of the burial rites concerning grave construction and composition of the grave furnishings. In contrast to the common wheel-made pottery, two graves contained hand-made ceramic vessels of non-local, probably Sarmatian, origin that indicates a potential non-local origin of the deceased. The 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values in the tooth enamel of 20 out of the 30 analysed skeletons agree with the estimated “local” Sr range, among them all of the children and most of the women. Ten out of the 30 sampled gave 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios that were outside the range of local bioavailable Sr suggest human mobility and immigration – but mainly restricted to the wider region. This suggests an influx of new people to the community and changes in the population composition across all chronological use-phases of the cemetery. Outlying Sr values and a hand-made vessel in Sarmatian pottery tradition coincide as “non-local” evidence for grave 43, but the disagreement between isotopic and archaeological outliers, for example in grave 51, shows that “non-natives” or “foreigners” cannot be detected by the archaeological analyses of grave inventories alone and that cultural identity is much more complex.

Zusammenfassung Erwin Schirmer war der erste Schüler und Doktorand Gotthard Neumanns und von diesem bei allen größeren Projekten des aufstrebenden Germanischen Museums der Universität Jena, in Kapellendorf (heute Lkr. Weimarer Land) und an der Reichsburg Kyffhausen (heute Kyffhäuserkreis) eingesetzt. Ab 1936 leitete er das Städtische Museum für Urgeschichte in Weimar, zunächst als Assistent, später als Museumsleiter. Der Beitrag liefert neben biographischen Daten einen Überblick über die Tätigkeit Schirmers in der Prähistorischen Archäologie in Thüringen und Mitteldeutschland zwischen 1932 und 1945. Ferner werden die Planungen Schirmers für einen Museumsneubau, seine Vernetzung innerhalb der Vorgeschichtsforschung sowie seine Tätigkeit in der SS und sein Mitwirken in der Schulungsarbeit des nationalsozialistischen Staates beleuchtet. Den Abschluss bilden Darstellungen zur unmittelbaren Nachkriegszeit und seinem Lebensabend. Die historische Überlieferung, seine Publikationen in der Tagespresse und seine konzeptionellen Studien zeigen Schirmer als überzeugten Nationalsozialisten, der die Potenziale seiner Weltanschauung für die Vorgeschichtsforschung erkannt und sich selbst und seine Arbeit dem Staat in Dienst gestellt hat, seine innerparteiliche Vernetzung aber nicht zur Karriereförderung nutzte. Auch wenn Erwin Schirmer als Nachwuchswissenschaftler nicht zur „ersten Garde“ der thüringischen Archäologie jener Zeit zählt, ist eine kritische Auseinandersetzung mit seinem Wirken notwendig und lohnenswert. Auf die Widergabe der vollständigen Bibliographie Schirmers wurde verzichtet, wenngleich sich nahezu alle greifbaren Veröffentlichungen in den Literaturnachweisen finden.

Zusammenfassung Kaum Beachtung fanden bisher zahlreiche Objekte der Römische Kaiserzeit und Völkerwanderungszeit in der westlichen Germania magna , die als Amulette gedeutet werden können und denen eine Bedeutung im Volksglauben oder der Volksmedizin zukam. Aus einer Vielzahl an infrage kommenden Exemplaren werden Fossilien (Echiniten, Belemniten und weitere), prismatische Knochenanhänger („Donaramulette“), durchbohrte Hartteile von Tieren (Zähne, Krallen und Knochen), Geweihrosenringe, verzierte Ringe und Scheiben aus Bein, Ringbrünnen (Kettengeflechte) sowie gebundene Anhänger untersucht. Im Vordergrund stehen die Fragen nach Gruppenzuordnungen, räumlichen und zeitlichem Vorkommen. Dabei stellt sich heraus, dass all diese Objekte überwiegend in Gräbern von Frauen und subadulten Individuen vorkommen, einzelne Objekttypen bedeutend seltener, aber gesichert auch in Männergräbern. Während eine Reihe von Amuletten, wie Fossilien, durchbohrte Hartteile von Tieren und wohl auch Geweihrosenringe, bereits zu Beginn der älteren Römischen Kaiserzeit vorkommen und in einer längeren Tradition stehen, erscheinen gebundene Anhänger, Cypraea-Schnecken, Kettengeflechte und prismatische Knochenanhänger sukzessive als neue Amulette im Untersuchungszeitraum. Sie alle fanden wenigstens bis ins frühe Mittelalter weiter Verwendung. Für eine Reihe von Objekten ist anzunehmen, dass ihnen einen Amulettcharakter zugesprochen wurden. Die bislang geringe Fundanzahl von Geweihstangen, Quarzobjekten, durchbohrten Terra sigillata-Scherben, Glas- und Bernsteinanhänger, Archaika sowie unterschiedlichen, als besonders anzusehenden Steinen, wie „Krähensteine“, „Adlersteine“ oder „Hühnergötter“, lässt es allerdings fraglich erscheinen, ob sie regelhaft Verwendung fanden, sie nur lokal oder individuell genutzt wurden oder es sich bei ihnen lediglich um Schmuckstücke handelte.

Since 2018, excavation work at the well-known site of Movila lui Deciov has been resumed by an international excavation team from the University of Tübingen together with the National Museum of Banat in Timişoara. The site was discovered at the beginning of the 20 th century by Kisléghi Nagy Gyula, who also carried out the first excavations. Further excavations were undertaken between 2001 and 2004 by Banat Museum in Timișoara and a team from the University of Calgary, Canada. The Early Neolithic settlement is delimited by a circular ditch, which was made visible by geophysical measurements and confirmed by sounding excavations. So far, three successive Early Neolithic settlement horizons from the beginning of the 6 th millennium BCE could be proven. The archaeological finds from the Movila lui Deciov provide a good insight into the specific character of the oldest Neolithic in the eastern part of the Carpathian Basin. A large series of radiocarbon dates makes it possible to reconstruct the settlement sequence chronology at this site particularly well. The micromorphological analyses and evaluation of the bioarchaeological remains allow us to understand in detail the adaptation of the Neolithic immigrants to the natural conditions. In addition to the usual domestic animals like sheep, goat and cattle as well as cultivated plants such as emmer, einkorn and legumes, hunting, fishing and the gathering of wild plants still played significant role in the diet of the Early Neolithic settlers.

The authors present examples of detailed studies from the Nida River valley, against the background of climatic fluctuations in Europe. They document a very clear, although not determining, multidirectional impact of climate changes in the Roman period on the settlements and the activity of the Przeworsk culture community. Local factors were also playing an important role in this field. The ecumene of the Przeworsk culture people in southern Poland was not homogeneous, which resulted in regional differences in human impact recorded in forms and sediments. It consisted of ‘centres’ of non-agricultural production area. One was the metallurgical region in the Holy Cross Mts., the second was pottery centre in the Vistula River valley, east of Kraków – both relatively densely populated and with significant human impact on the environment. Between these centres (occupying relatively small areas) there were vast areas used for agriculture – a mosaic of arable land, pastures, and forests, which resulted in low-intensity erosion and accumulation processes. The heterogeneity of the ecumene with varying attractiveness could result in migration movements related not only to great migrations of the Przeworsk culture population southward but also to regional and local migrations towards both production centres from areas less favourable to agriculture (analogical modern ‘village→town’ migrations). This migration could have led to the decline in the population density of some agricultural areas, e. g. the Nida River valley and its left-bank, karst part of the catchment, after the Roman Climate Optimum (after 150 AD).

The presence of the earliest assemblages and the dating of the origins of the LBK in the areas north of the Carpathians are a subject of ongoing discussion. This is because, with the increasing number of radiocarbon dates, the early relative dating of stylistically “old” vessels raises justified doubts. Studies on pottery combined with the results of radiocarbon dating indicate that the materials of Phase I of the LBK from Poland are mixed in terms of style: in the same compact assemblages are found ceramics with both Bíňa-Bicske-Gniechowice and Milanovce-Flomborn-Ačkovy-Zofipole characteristics. The oldest radiocarbon dating ranges from 5330–5320 BC, indicating the beginnings of the LBK in the areas north of the Carpathians. The oldest LBK settlement in Poland must therefore be “rejuvenated” by recognizing that its population arrived not until the beginning of the period corresponding to the Ačkovy = Flomborn = Milanovce horizon, i.e., during the so-called “Flombornization” indicated by J. Lüning. The crossing of the Carpathians by the LBK communities took place quite late, but further expansion occurred very quickly. Only slightly younger dates are known from the European Lowlands than from the southern loess uplands.

Stone circles of the Wielbark culture, such as those found in Grzybnica, have long fascinated researchers, who debate their function and significance. The aim of the presented study is to determine the origins and subsistence strategies of the population buried near the stone circles in Grzybnica, which may help highlight the role of these sites within Wielbark communities. For analysis, human remains from the cemetery in Grzybnica, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland, were utilized. Radiocarbon dating of five samples, stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen in two samples, and strontium isotope analysis in 20 cremated human remains and 12 plant samples were conducted. Radiocarbon dating confirmed the earlier dating of the site to the period between approximately 80 and 260 CE. Dietary studies indicated that the individuals buried here regularly consumed millet (mean δ 13 C = –17.8) and animal protein (mean δ 15 N = 9.5). This diet corresponds with the variability described for the Wielbark culture site in Rogowo. The strontium isotope analysis revealed significant variation between the river valley (0.7157–0.7264) and the adjacent upland (0.7109–0.7138). The isotopic values in humans were homogeneous, ranging from 0.7113 to 0.7130, indicating no outliers that might suggest the presence of migrants. The variability observed in humans corresponds with the values observed on the upland. The results suggest that the group of individuals buried in Grzybnica was a small community that sourced their food from the upland. It is possible that this community was involved in the care of the stone circles, and the circles themselves may have been places of gatherings for local communities. However, it should be noted that only about 20 % of the graves found at the site were analyzed. The lack of migrants may be due to the low mobility of this group or methodological limitations related to the post-glacial nature of the geological substrate. Alternatively, it could also be due to the limitations associated with studying cremated remains, which allow for the reconstruction of events from only about 10 years prior.

The article presents fibulae of provincial Roman origin from museum collections of the Republic of Belarus. They are relatively few in number and originate primarily from the southwestern regions of the country. The typological series of these fibulae is generally characteristic of similar imports that circulated in Central Europe, various regions of Sarmatian settlement, as well as in the circle of broadly understood Balt cultures. Their general dating covers the entire Early Roman and the beginning of the Late Roman period. Observations on the typology and distribution pattern of imported Roman fibulae contribute to the analysis of the connections of the population of present day Belarus within Barbaricum. Analysis of these finds creates new opportunities for synchronizing the Belarus antiquities from Roman times with the chronology of neighbouring cultures of Central Europe and the Baltic region. It also allows us to change our understanding of the role of the population of Belarus in the formation and distribution of artefacts from the “barbarian enamels” horizon.

The early medieval settlement complex in Obłęże, situated along the Wieprza River, represents a unique archaeological site in Central Pomerania, distinguished by its well-preserved wooden structures and short period of occupation. This article presents the findings of a 2021 excavation, preceded by non-invasive geophysical surveys that accurately identified key excavation areas. The research uncovered remains of a wooden rampart, a wharf, and a section of road leading to the river, with dendrochronological dating placing the construction of the stronghold around 1110. The settlement’s destruction is linked to Bolesław III Wrymouth’s campaign to subjugate Pomerania (1116–1122). The site yielded a remarkably rich assemblage of artifacts, including an extensive collection of pottery, silver coins, and jewellery fragments, indicating the high status of the inhabitants and the settlement’s role as a trade hub. Botanical remains and animal bones provided insights into the community’s mixed economy, which combined agriculture, animal husbandry, and craft production (pottery, spinning, weaving). Evidence of long-distance trade suggests integration into broader commercial networks. The short-lived occupation offers a rare snapshot of early medieval life.

In the 3 rd millennium BC, amber ornaments became widespread across Central Europe. In the basin of the Vistula and Oder rivers, such artefacts are known from five Late Neolithic archaeological cultural units (the Globular Amphora Culture, the Złota Culture, the Rzucewo Culture, the Corded Ware Culture and Bell Beaker Culture). Amber objects have been recovered, on the one hand, from both the graves of the aforementioned archaeological cultural units and, to a much lesser extent, as contextless chance finds. In both cases, they are found as finished ornaments. On the other hand, they also have been recovered from amber workshops on the south-eastern Baltic coast, mainly from Żuławy Wiślane, as items abandoned at various stages of processing as well as waste from their manufacture. The amber ornaments found in graves and as chance finds are heavily weathered, and thus not suitable for determining the characteristics of the raw material from which they were made. Only artefacts from amber-processing workshops in Żuławy Wiślane are in an excellent enough condition, due to the environment in which they were found, to allow full raw material identification, and thus enable an examination of the raw material preferences of their Late Neolithic makers. This paper reports the results of the raw material analysis conducted on samples from amber workshops discovered near the village of Niedźwiedziówka located in the region of Żuławy Wiślane. The research has revealed that an amber raw material with a uniform structure, in shades of yellow, opaque and mixed with a small proportion of transparent variety was preferred.

Given its limited natural occurrence, amber has the quality of a good indicator of interregional and intersocietal contacts. For these reasons, archaeology has devoted to it much attention. Based on the current knowledge, it can be stated that over the centuries amber has played a decorative role, mainly as a material for jewellery production. However, rarely the studies consider potential changes in the socially constituted status and symbolism of amber from a diachronic perspective, spanning several epochs. In this article, a wide overview of data concerning the use of Baltic amber (succinite) in two European regions is conducted: the Baltic Basin in the Neolithic period (ca. 4000–1700 BCE) and the Adriatic Basin in the Bronze Age (ca. 2150–950 BCE). The first of these areas includes the largest succinite deposits, and is crucial for recognizing the early stages of its exploitation, processing and redistribution. The second area received amber later, but there it became a permanent element of prehistoric and ancient material culture. Although chemical analyses confirm that in both cases it was the same species of fossil resin, archaeological research reveals the evolution of amber in social and symbolic dimensions. This change primarily involved gradual narrowing of the social attribution of amber to women and children, semantic emancipation visible through departure from shaping amber in the likeness of weapons and tools, and commodification of amber in the far-reaching exchange contacts.

This paper reports on the results of the archaeometric characterization and provenance study of 27 fragments of medieval amphorae dating to the 11 th  – 13 th century, recovered from the Czermno hillfort (chronicle name: Cherven’ ) – one of the most important sites in the early medieval Polish-Rus’ border zone. Two main groups of amphorae were identified through petrographic and elemental analysis. Comparison of WD-XRF results with the database of the “Archaeology and Archaeometry” laboratory in Lyon has linked one of them to a larger group of Byzantine amphorae manufactured in the Dardanelles strait area (Günsenin I and IV). The results obtained highlight some of the problems that arise when studying trade within Early (Kyivan) Rus’, in particular with regard to its western trading outposts.

New discoveries of worked pieces of red coral Corallium rubrum and shells of sea molluscs from Bohemia and Moravia of the Early Iron Age gave rise to the creation of an article that follows these finds in the territory of the Czech Republic, Bavaria and Austria and summarizes the current state of research on these remarkable imports from the 8 th to the beginning 4 th century BC. Red sea coral and see mollusk shells were imported, processed and used in the area north of the Alps. The authors organize the findings clearly according to the rules of natural science, trace their marine sources and discuss the long-distance trade routes along which they were traded from the Mediterranean and Red Seas to Central Europe. See corals and shells of the family Cypraeidae are the most distant import in this area, and have not received sufficient attention in the past. The study records the finding contexts of the mentioned imports, points out the symbolic meaning of their use, the social background and the method of storage, which in many cases betrays the elites. Following the discoveries of see corals and mollusk shells, the article traces long-distance contacts in the Early Iron Age and suggests likely transport routes for these exotic goods to Central Europe.