Abstract 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.

Abstract 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.

Abstract 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.

Abstract 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).

Abstract 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.

Abstract 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.

Abstract 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

Abstract 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 8th to the beginning 4th 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.

Abstract 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.