Anthracological data as evidence of cultural distinctions in wood usage by communities from the Western Baltic cultural circle in Poland

Abstract

More than 15,000 records were collected and analysed for all taxonomic determinations of tree and shrub remnants published to date, associated with the activities of the Western Balts, who inhabited the Masurian Lake District and the Lithuanian Lake District (NE Poland) during the Roman Iron Age (1st to late 4th century CE), the Migration Period (late 4th to mid/late 6th century CE) and the Early Middle Ages (10th to late 12th/early 13th century CE). The analysis included anthracological and xylological data from 20 archaeological sites, representing the settlements of the Bogaczewo culture, the Sudovian culture, the Olsztyn group and the early medieval Yotvingia.The aim of the study was to capture and characterise the differences in the use of wood by neighbouring cultures within the Western Baltic cultural circle, who had a similar raw material base, both regionally and chronologically.The analysis revealed significant differences in the use of available wood types between the Bogaczewo culture and the Sudovian culture. The former relied on deciduous trees, primarily birch, oak and alder, both in everyday life and during funerary rituals. In contrast, the Sudovian culture predominantly utilised softwoods such as pine, spruce and yew. For funeral pyres, these communities exhibited a marked preference for a specific type of wood: birch for the Bogaczewo culture and pine for the Sudovian culture. This preference was likely related to the symbolic significance of these trees in the mythology and folklore of the Baltic peoples, as well as their distinctive appearances and growth habits. The absence of oak wood for cremation, despite its central importance in the religious practices of the ancient Prussians, may have been due to prohibitions rooted in spiritual sphere.