Fortified settlements of the Funnel Beaker-Baden phase in the western Little Poland

Marcin Przybyła

doi:10.23858/sa/72.2020.1.008

Abstract

At the end of the fourth millennium BC, in the areas of the western Małopolska, existing Funnel Beaker culture structures south of the Szreniawa river has been disintegrated and replaced by the settlement of allochthonous Baden culture. North of the river, the development of the FBC still continued strongly influenced by the Baden culture leading to the specific form of the syncretic FB-BC. In this period only a few, but very extensive, central settlements surrounded by smaller sites remained active. The most important of them is located settlement Bronocice, dist. Pińczów, fortified in the youngest phase of use. Apart from the Bronocice, only e few other sites, surrounded by ditches, belong to this horizon. Three of them are recognized almost exclusively by non-invasive methods: in Gniazdowice dist. Proszowice, Muniaczkowice, dist. Proszowice,  and in Marchocice dist. Miechów. Another site is Miechów, dist. Loco was excavated.

Highlights

At the end of the 4th millennium BC, the western part of Lesser Poland witnessed major transformations in the settlement network
In the territories situated to the north of the Szreniawa, the Funnel Beaker culture (FBC) continued its development, strongly influenced by the Baden environment, which lead to an emergence of a very specific, syncretic cultural unit, namely the Funnel Beaker-Baden group (Zastawny 2008; Kruk and Milisauskas 1999, 174)
In the time of settlement network reduction and concentration, the few remaining active dwelling sites were vast central settlements surrounded by smaller sites (Kruk and Milisauskas 1999, 135, 174)

Summary

Introduction

At the end of the 4th millennium BC, the western part of Lesser Poland witnessed major transformations in the settlement network. The investigations performed at the site provided strong grounds for linking the fortifications – and the great majority of features encountered there – with the Funnel Beaker-Baden settlement. The examinations performed at the site revealed the existence of a vast settlement of a stronghold type, fortified with at least six parallel ditches, located in the western part of the promontory (Fig. 11).

Results

Conclusion