Polish Archaeological Research Articles

Attempts at spatial analyses of data from the Polish Archaeological Record

Since the mid-1970s, the Polish Archaeological Record has been a national program in Poland with the primary objective of cataloguing archaeological sites, providing detailed descriptions and exact geographical locations. It is in operation to this day. So far, approximately 90% of the area of Poland has been prospected and almost 470,000 archaeological sites catalogued. Currently, work is underway to digitise the entire database. This paper presents our attempts to use the digitised data from this database to study the intensity of settlement processes in the past as well as how to visualise these data on a map. For the purpose of this research, archaeological data from an area in the northeast of Poland were digitised in a GIS environment. Examples of similar spatial analyses were taken from Scottish and Czech research and adapted to this case. The results, a series of maps showing the intensity of traces of human habitation in different time periods, demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of such visualisations.

Development of settlement in the Kalisz region in the eleventh and twelfth centuries based on research on the Słuszków I and Słuszków II hoards

The article presents considerations on the role of single and mass monetary finds in exploring the changes in early medieval settlement structures related to Kalisz and theregion. Archaeological excavations has so far been conducted mainly in Kalisz. Other sources of knowledge about the settlement network: fieldwalking surveys carried out as part of the Polish Archaeological Record (AZP) and the few historical sources from the early Middle Ages made it possible to create only a preliminary reconstructionshowing the historical, cultural and settlement processes taking place in the region. The 2020 discovery of the second silver hoard in Słuszków and the subsequent excavations provided interesting material for the assessment of the settlement structures of the Kalisz region and their evolution in each distinct phase of early medieval habitation.

Settlement patterns of the Prehistoric and Early Historic communities in the Kańczuga Upland

The aim of this paper is to reconstruct settlement preferences and the dynamics of cultural changes that occurred in the sheet of Polish Archaeological Record (Archeologiczne Zdjęcie Polski = AZP) no. 105–80, located on the Kańczuga Upland. The materials for analysis were collected over several seasons of surface surveys in which 210 archaeological sites were identified. The obtained results show that this region was very attractive for both hunter-gatherers and settled communities.

Terracotta Pipelines at Maloutena: Remarks on the Water System in the Residential District of Ancient Nea Paphos, Cyprus

This paper presents the results of studies on the ancient terracotta pipelines discovered during excavations conducted since 1965 by the Polish Archaeological Mission of the University of Warsaw in the so-called Maloutena area, the residential district of the Hellenistic-Roman capital of Cyprus, Nea Paphos. The pipelines were examined in terms of the pipe types they were composed of, their construction and maintenance aspects, chronology, function and structural interrelations to recognise the role they played in the water management system of Maloutena and Nea Paphos over time.

Archaeological settlement research for the late Middle Ages in Poland

Archaeological settlement research in Poland has to date not been conducted on a large scale. The remains of medieval villages have usually been excavated when rescue works were required by construction projects – usually along the routes of planned highways. Traces of farming have been discovered only by chance, and research on the distribution of land uses has mainly been carried out by geographers. In a few cases, survey excavations of rural settlements have been carried out in the vicinity of defensive structures being investigated. In cities, even long-term studies have basically been limited to researching only the densely built-up zone, the market square, and defensive walls. Neither agricultural land owned by townsfolk nor the zones outside the city proper that they used economically have been examined. The surface research resulting from the campaign Archeologiczne Zdjęcie Polski – AZP (Polish Archaeological Record) is of little use for the late Middle Ages, firstly because artefacts from that period were not collected at the beginning of the research, and also because of a specific aspect of cultivation (fertilisation), which saw a considerable carrying of movable cultural artefacts out from built-up areas. These weaknesses resulted from various factors. First of all, there was a lack of interest in such research among not only historical preservation services but also archaeologists themselves. However, the main factor was the significant financial outlays that such research requires. Currently, archaeology has many techniques at its disposal that allow large areas to be studied and that thus allow archaeological sites to be identified and preliminarily investigated. Aerial laser scanning and ground-based geophysical methods provide much valuable data and, above all, allow places requiring excavation to be accurately identified. Unfortunately, deeming such methods to sufficiently record sites can sometimes mean that they constitute the first and only archaeological survey of a site. Then there are problems of dating such sites and, of course, we do not acquire many of the movable cultural objects that research on medieval society demands.

Revealing the first location of abandoned medieval town Toruń, Poland, with the use of integrated noninvasive research

AbstractThe article presents the latest results of the search for the first location of abandoned medieval town Toruń (Ger. Thorn), conducted in 2017–2018 by an interdisciplinary research team. Noninvasive research, including aerial, surface and geophysical prospection and geological soil coring, was preceded by archival and library queries and analysis of historical written and cartographic sources as well as contemporary remote‐sensing digital images. These all pointed clearly to an area to the west of Toruń, north of the entrance to the Wood Port on the Vistula. A systematic aerial survey led to the discovery of an extensive anthropogenic structure in this area. Magnetic gradiometry survey revealed anomalies typical of human activity that were interpreted as, among other things, the remains of moats and buildings indicating the area of the town's first location. Their physical character was confirmed through geological tests. Moreover, the existence of an embankment surrounding the town is suggested by the traces of an alluvial fan formed within the fortifications by flooding. The authors point out the limitation of the possibility to identify such sites by field walking‐method within the methodology of the Polish Archaeological Record. The acquired results provide strong grounds for a continuation in the form of further interdisciplinary archaeological research.

New Prayers and Invocations to Hathor among Unpublished Dipinti from the Thutmose III Temple at Deir el-Bahari

This paper presents a group of nine fragmentarily preserved dipinti from the Temple of Thuthmose III in Deir el-Bahari. The pieces belong to the corpus of dipinti discovered by the Polish Archaeological Mission at the beginning of the 1960s, the bulk of which was already published by the late Marek Marciniak.

Dwelling after Makuria: the organisation and function of space in houses of the Funj period in Old Dongola, Nubia

ABSTRACT Old Dongola, the capital of the Makurian kingdom of medieval Nubia, remained a significant town after the collapse of Makuria throughout most of the Funj period between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries AD. After its incorporation into the sphere of influence of the Funj sultan residing in Sennar, Old Dongola’s prominence within the region persisted as an important political and socio-economic centre. Remains of houses from the Funj period have been excavated as part of work undertaken by the Polish Archaeological Mission to Old Dongola since 1964. Preliminary reports from excavations of the houses enable an archaeological analysis focused on the function of particular spaces within their walls. The identification of the houses’ installations and the distribution of artefacts, as well as the localisation of traces of several household tasks, lead to conclusions regarding the multifunctionality of space within them. The abundance of ethnographic records concerning modern Nubian settlements provides valuable sources for the interpretation of the organisation of space in functional, symbolic, gender and privacy-related terms. This paper therefore presents an interpretation of the organisation of space within houses of the Funj period in Old Dongola on the basis of the analysis of accessibility and ethnographic analogy.

КРАЄЗНАВЧІ ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ ЮРІЯ ШУМОВСЬКОГО НА ВОЛИНІ ЯК ВИЯВ НАУКОВОГО ПОШУКУ ЕТНОГРАФІЧНОЇ СПАДЩИНИ УКРАЇНСЬКОГО НАРОДУ

The research into the history of the development of the historical local lore in Ukraine at the beginning of the XX century is important because it was then that due to the efforts of many representatives of the Volhynian intelligentsia on the territory of the Western Volhynia occupied by Poland in 1919–1939 that the local lore movement began. Yurii Shumovskyi (1908–2003) was one of the mentioned representatives of the Volhynian intelligentsia. He was a scientist, a priest, an archaeologist, and an ethnographer. During his studies at the University of Warsaw, he was delegated by the Polish Archaeological Museum to the territory of Dubno County to study archaeological sites. The relevance of the research topic is that the currently existing knowledge does not provide complete information about the role and contribution of Yurii Shumovskyi into the development of the historical local lore of the above stated period. The purpose of the article is to characterize the scientist’s contribution into the development of the historical local lore in Volhynia, outlining the results of Shumovskyi’s search for the ethnographic heritage of the Ukrainian people. The article explores and discusses the contribution of Yu. Shumovskyi into the development of the historical local lore that lay in deepening knowledge of Ukrainians as regards the ancient past of historical Volhynia. Moreover, it assesses the scientist’s actions aimed at promoting the preservation of historical cultural monuments through publishing the materials covering local history research. In addition, the methodical recommendations provided by the scientist concerning the discovery and preservation of historical and archaeological monuments on the territory of Volhynia (guidelines as regards methods of work near them, their classification and description) are considered in detail. The study of roadside crosses is presented separately (history of their distribution, features of veneration, meaning and belief). The article also discusses the scientist’s reconstruction of the description of the history of the Volhynian region which includes: characteristics of the gradual cultural development of this area together with the information on the economy, crafts (pottery), methods of trade; coverage of rituals (ancestral worship), features of traditional clothing and jewelry, diet and the spread of diseases among ancient Ukrainians. Based on the results of the study, it has been established that Yurii Shumovskyi’s local history activities stimulated the study of the history of his native land among the local population, which contributed to the awareness of Ukrainians of the need for unity in the struggle for national liberation.

Middle Kingdom tombs from the North Asasif cemetery: field seasons 2018/2019 and 2020

The early Middle Kingdom mortuary complexes of Khety and Meru continued to be the main research target of the Polish Archaeological Mission to North Asasif in the two winter seasons of 2018/2019 and 2020. The rubble dump on the eastern side of Khety’s forecourt, left over from the 1922/1923 season, was now explored, leading to the discovery of hundreds of objects—fragments of wooden statues and models, cartonnages and coffins, shabti figurines and pottery—shedding light on the Middle Kingdom burial assemblages as well as the later usurpation of the tomb, mainly in the Third Intermediate Period. Conservation objectives included treatment of the decorated burial crypt and sarcophagus in the tomb of Meru and stabilization and cleaning of the plaster decoration in the mortuary cult chapel of Khety. The season in 2018/2019 was also devoted to a reconnaissance of the underground structures and protection of tomb MMA 507. Specialists studies of finds from the excavations, both recent and earlier, were continued.

Depopulation and devastation: using GIS for tracing changes in the archaeological landscape of Kharaib al‐Dasht, a Late Islamic fishing village (Kuwait)

AbstractThis article presents a case study of the remains of Kharaib al‐Dasht (Kuwait), a Late Islamic fishing village. Collaboration between archaeologists from Kuwait and Poland of the Kuwaiti–Polish Archaeological Mission led to a long‐term research project of this archaeological site. In this contribution we are presenting the results of a geographic information system (GIS)‐structured survey. Different archaeological and geographical methods used in this work, including orthorectification and georeferencing of historical aerial photographs, enabled us to conduct a more in‐depth analysis. The multi‐layer GIS study resulted in a comprehensive recognition of the archaeological landscape of the site, and also helped us to determine the sources of changes and possible threats to the heritage of Failaka Island.

Were These Jugs and Colanders Made of Cooking Ware Fabric Intended for Cooking? Finds from the Polish Excavations of Warsaw University at Nea Paphos

The aim of the paper is to extend the standard set of ceramic vessels used for thermal processing of food with two forms: jugs and colanders. The paper presents the functional analysis of ceramic jugs and colanders made of cooking ware found in early Roman layers of the residential quarter of ancient Nea Paphos, excavated by the Polish Archaeological Mission of Warsaw University at Kato Paphos. The examination is based on the shape of the vessels, the fabric, as well as on specific traces of use visible on the pots, such as mineral deposit on the inside or soot on the outside surface.

Chalcolithic settlement of Bahra 1 and its possible functions

Excavations of the Kuwaiti–Polish Archaeological Mission at the site of Bahra 1 in Kuwait uncovered the remains of a large settlement from the sixth millennium BC, associated with the Mesopotamian Ubaid culture. This connection is made clear by the presence of Ubaid Ware from the Ubaid 2/3 phase that appears alongside Red Coarse Ware typical for the Arabian Neolithic. Architecture of the settlement resembled the Ubaid one with orthogonal, multi‐chambered houses. In one part of the site they form a dense block with traits that indicate some degree of spatial planning. This type of spatial arrangement is absent in Arabian Neolithic settlements and is also unknown from Ubaid settlements in Mesopotamia. One of the buildings discovered at Bahra 1 has a ground plan reminiscent of a sanctuary from Eridu XVI and was probably associated with cultic activities, as was a circular stone enclosure (Unit 6), representing local building traditions. The character of Bahra 1 architecture and the presence of cultic buildings at the site suggest that the settlements served as a local ceremonial and/or cultic centre.

Ancient Egypt and the Polish Archaeological Research in Egypt in Popular Science Magazines in 1946–1990

The article outlines the press coverage of the Polish archaeological excavations in Egypt in the popular science magazines in Poland during the communist period, touching upon the specifics of the socio -political conditions of the time

Dyskusja nad powołaniem Centralnego Polskiego Instytutu Archeologicznego w latach 1919-1923

The article presents the first attempt at founding the Central Polish Archaeological Institute that took place between the years 1919 – 1923. The author presents the main projects discussed by Polish archeologists and tries to explain the reasons for abandoning the idea against the background of the division among the Polish archeological society members.

The Yaz I–III Settlement Pattern in the Serakhs Oasis, Southern Turkmenistan

ABSTRACTThe paper deals with the archaeological materials of the Yaz period from surveys carried out in the Serakhs oasis (Turkmenistan) by the Polish Archaeological Mission in 2007–2008 and the following seasons of archaeological work in the oasis, which brought to light 16 new sites of this period. The settlement analysis in the Serakhs oasis indicates that the changes that took place here are comparable to settlement dynamics in other regions of Central Asia during the Iron Age.

Polish Archaeological Investigations on Linear Construction Projects – Contemporaneity and Tradition

Research excavations accompanying large construction projects have become the most important collective experience for Polish archaeologists over the last twenty years. The lack of substantive control from the state over the selection of the contractors conducting these excavations has resulted in the erosion of the rules of methodologically proper conduct, and even (sometimes) in the excavations losing their status as research activity. Despite having great traditions in the realisation of large-scale programs of archaeological research, the Polish archaeological community proved vulnerable to phenomena such as the loss of corporate solidarity, professional ethos, and sense of mission.

The prospect of digitization of Polish Archaeological Record on an example of materials from the turn of Bronze and Iron Age from the area of Pomeranian Voivodeship (Northern Poland)

Polish Archaeological Record (AZP) is a unique research program initiated by Polish archaeologists in the second half of 1970s. The aim of this project is to mark on unitary maps (AZP sheets) all archaeological sites that were recorded during surface surveys along with sites known from the archives. The main purpose of this paper is to focus on perspective of future digitalization of AZP and technical issues linked with the problem. Therefore, a process of creation of digital sample dataset containing materials from the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age from selected AZP sheets from Pomeranian Voivodeship will be presented, together with brief depiction of past and present attempts in introducing GIS into AZP archives. This case will be also described on the background of national records of other European countries and their level of digitization

Tell el-Murra – Results of Survey and Prospects for Research

Tell el-Murra, located in the northeastern part of the Nile Delta, was one of several sites investigated by the Polish Archaeological Expedition during the surveys of 2008 and 2010-2011 at which excavations are still ongoing. It was selected for further research mainly due to good state of preservation of the Tell and the results of preliminary analyses of the archaeological material found there. The main objective of the initial work was to establish the stratigraphy and chronology of the site. In order to accomplish this goal, the first test pits were opened and analysis of the data obtained here then confirmed the existence of a settlement dating from the Predynastic – Lower Egyptian culture until the end of the Old Kingdom. It still remains unclear, however, as to whether representatives of Naqada culture appeared there as early as the second half of Naqada II period or only during Naqada III. The research also demonstrated that both a settlement and a cemetery were present here. The latter was located in the southwestern part of the site. Among the graves, several contained pottery coffins with or without lids and in one case with hollows made in its bottom.

The Fortifications of the Entrance Gate in the Western Defense Wall of Western Tanais

Since 1999 the Polish Archaeological Expedition has been working in Western Tanais. One of the important structures recovered in Trench XXV is the entrance gate.