Przeworsk Culture Research Articles

Dog as a part of ritual space in Przeworsk culture settlements: A zooarchaeological case study of Sławsko Wielkie, Poland

So-called “dog burials” represent a common phenomenon discovered on many sites dating to the late Iron Age in Central Europe. The article focuses on zooarchaeological analysis of skeletal dog remains from Sławsko Wielkie, site 12 (Poland), a settlement of Przeworsk culture, dated to the La Tène and Roman periods (3rd century BCE – 5th century CE). Although these deposits were often discussed in the older archaeological literature regarding the ritual sphere of Iron Age societies, they still lack more systematic zooarchaeological research. In this study, we present the results of the research focused on morphotype and life conditions of the Iron Age dog population from the Polish Lowlands. A broad spectrum of methods is proposed, including biometry, age of death and sex estimations, observations of pathological alterations, and contextual and comparative analyses supplemented with radiocarbon dating.

Sedimentological and geochemical traces of metallurgical activity in the Świślina River valley (central Poland) at the Doły Biskupie site

Abstract Prehistoric and historic iron metallurgy in the Holy Cross Mountains in central Poland developed along with human Przeworsk Culture activity (during the Roman period) and within the boundaries of the Old-Polish Industrial District (OPID) during the Middle Ages and during recent centuries. At the Świślina catchment, there are many archaeological sites showing intense prehistoric metallurgical activity. The later medieval and modern iron industry was significantly smaller. At the Doły Biskupie site, slags and microscopic iron spherules (hammerscales) were found in alluvia. The microscopic spherules separation method (MSS) enabled analysis of these small artefacts created during iron ore smelting and forging. Iron spherules were detected in floodplain sediments, which are characterized by increased content of trace elements. The presence of these artefacts in shallow sediment layers in the confluence section of the river may be an indicator of archaeologically confirmed prehistoric metallurgical activity in the catchment area. Study of these residues enabled an attempt to reconstruct the river valley environment during the prehistoric and historical period. The MSS method can be used to detect iron spherules in alluvia in other river catchments, confirming the presence of yet-undiscovered bloomery sites.

Fibule legionowe ze stanowiska w Kwiatkowie, gm. Brudzew. Uwagi na temat technik i technologii produkcji

The artefacts described in the paper come from the Przeworsk culture settlement in Kwiatków, where more than 100 fibulae were discovered. Among the artefacts acquired were three knee-shaped brooches with a semi-circular shield on the head. One of them was discovered in a well; the other two came from the surface of the site. This paper is mostly concerned with issues related to the technological aspects of the production of these items. In addition to the analysis of traces of craftsmanship found on the fibulae, XRF tests were performed to determine the material from which they were made. This approach allows one to supplement the typological findings and reconstruct the process of creating a given object. The brooches were microscopically examined for traces of craftsmanship. The attempt to determine the foundry method which had been applied failed to produce the expected results. Usually, individual instances of knee-shaped fibulae have been recorded at sites in Poland and other countries, such as the Czech Republic. In Kwiatków, however, the discovery contained as many as three such artefacts, though they had not been made in a workshop of one craftsman, although two display a high level of similarity.

Finds of Gold and Silver Ornaments of the People of the Wielbark Culture From the Area of the So-Called Eastern Zone of the Przeworsk Culture

This paper presents finds of gold and silver ornaments characteristic of the Wielbark culture, originating from the eastern zone of the Przeworsk culture. The distinctiveness of the areas on the right bank of the Vistula occupied by the people of the Przeworsk culture has been repeatedly emphasised in the literature. This distinctiveness primarily manifests in a unique style, combining features typical of the Przeworsk culture with elements derived from other cultural areas, such as the Wielbark culture. The exceptional craftsmanship of goldsmiths is most evident in women’s ornaments, specifically in various forms of pendants and bracelets. The article provides descriptions of fifteen gold and electrum ball and pear-shaped pendants, focusing on their internal variations and decorative elements like granulation or filigree. Additionally, the findings of bracelets from the discussed area are briefly outlined. The issue of sourcing non-ferrous metals required for crafting these ornaments is also explored. No outcrops of these materials were identified in the area occupied by the Wielbark and Przeworsk cultures. It is highly likely that these materials were obtained from the territories of the Roman Empire. However, it remains uncertain whether Roman coins could have been a source of these metals, considering the varying purity levels of coins during different emperors’ reigns. The identification of gold and silver objects within the grave goods of these cultures is hindered by the funeral practice of corpse-burning commonly employed during that era. Most findings exist in the form of small molten metal lumps, making identification impossible. Research and experiments involving the cremation of funeral pyres with grave goods have demonstrated that small non-ferrous metal ornaments almost entirely vanish, either fusing with the funeral pyre or melting to the point of becoming imperceptible. This underscores the possibility of such materials being present in the studied grave sites.

«Сарматские» элементы в вооружении черняховской культуры? (Некоторые дискуссионные вопросы в изучении оружия позднеримского времени и начала эпохи переселения народов в Восточной Европе)

The paper deals with issues related to the spread of weapons of “nomadic” origin among population of the Сhernyakhov culture. The features of the funeral rite of this community have been considered. Burials with weapons are absolutely not characteristic of the Wielbark culture foundation. The majority of the cremations can be attributed to the Przeworsk element, especially those with ritual damage to weapons. In the burials of the Chernyakhov culture, according to the burial rite, the following finds are known: swords, “cut-out blades”, spears, darts, arrows, bow parts, axes, umbo, fragments of chain mail and helmets. Usually, the finds are single in the burial. The burial grounds with catacomb burials in Budzhak, burials in pits with a southern orientation of the head, individual burials in catacombs along the border of the forest-steppe and steppe zones on the left bank of the Dnieper, accompanied by Chernyakhiv imports, can be considered Sarmatian. A number of burials with weapons made in pits with a northern orientation of the head are possibly associated with the Late Scythian tradition. The swords in the inhumations known to us belong to the Eastern European tradition, i.e. they do not contain a metal pommel of type 3 according to A.M. Khazanov. Distinguishing between locally produced type 2 swords and Roman Germanic swords requires additional extensive research. In the two burials on the territory of Romania, the remains of plates were found, possibly related to the plate helmets well known among the Sarmatians. Apparently, the so-called “blades with cutouts” can be attributed to ritual weapons. Simultaneously, in the zone of the Przeworsk culture and on the Sarmatian monuments, “sword-shaped” spearheads appear. On the territory of the Chernyakhov culture, they are recorded in the zone bordering the steppe, but so far only in the form of random finds. Both types of weapons are possibly associated with the cult of the sword known among the nomadic Scythian-Sarmatian population. At the same time, the designs and decor of spearheads in some cases are possibly related to Roman ceremonial spearheads. Judging by the available archaeological data, the development of weapons among the forest-steppe tribes of Eastern Europe in the first half of the 1st millennium AD was largely associated with Central European and the Roman Empire influence, and to a lesser extent, with the steppe nomadic population, which begins to play an important role closer to the end of the Chernyakhov culture. But the presence of various nomadic groups and the influence of their traditions on the military environment are undoubted.

Cave funeral practices during the Roman and Migration Periods in the Cracow Upland, southern Poland

Although caves have been used for funerary purposes almost since the dawn of time, there is very little evidence of such use in Central European Barbaricum. This paper presents newly obtained results from the Cracow Upland (southern Poland) concerning multiple skeletal remains that apparently share a similar third–fifth centuries AD chronology, corresponding to the Late Roman and Early Migration Periods. Multiple analyses have been performed to supplement archaeological data, including radiocarbon dating, osteoarchaeological analysis, ancient DNA research and isotopic analysis. The complex picture points towards unusual burial practices, which generally spanned from the third to the fifth centuries AD and involved a broad demographic, with no indication of selection based on an individual's biological profile. Isotopic analysis has also indicated the individuals’ heterogeneity with regard to diet and local versus nonlocal origin. The results point towards the previously unrecognized unique role of caves in the Przeworsk culture, then present in southern Poland.

Old wine into new wineskins? "Legacy data" in research on Roman Period East Germanic iron smelting.

This paper discusses the use of "legacy data" in research on Roman Period iron smelting in the territory of the Przeworsk Culture in Magna Germania. The dataset includes results of 240 analyses of smelting slag and iron ores chemistry. A majority of these analyses were conducted in the 1950s-1980s. The quality of these data is far below present-day standards. Only major elements were reported, analytical methods were often not specified (although optical emission spectroscopy and wet chemical analyses can be assumed in such cases) and information on detection limits, precision and accuracy of the results is missing. In spite of this, a Principal Component Analysis-Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering treatment successfully isolated observations from the three main iron smelting regions of the Przeworsk Culture (the Holy Cross Mountains, Masovia and Silesia). These results to a degree confirm a theory proposed in the 1960s by J. Piaskowski, according to whom it was possible to distinguish iron produced in the Holy Cross Mountains from the iron produced elsewhere in the territory of what is now Poland on the basis of metal characteristics. These findings will pave the way to the ongoing research project on the Przeworsk Culture metallurgy. It is also argued that, apart from a search for new methods in iron provenance studies, more attention should be paid to results of earlier analyses and to a compilation of legacy databases. The other result is an open and flexible Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering R code to examine discrimination between production areas and to propose artefact provenance patterns in a convenient interactive way using the R development environment.

A gold coin from Jastrzębniki, Kalisz district (PL). On the late Celtic coinage in north-central Europe

Abstract Attempts were made in several locations in Central Europe to continue minting in gold, following the Celtic Boii tradition which began to fade after the collapse of the Bohemian-Moravian oppida at the turn of the LTD1/D2 phases (ca. 60/50 BC). The main center for the continuation of this activity was in the lands of the Pannonian Boii, in the Bratislava area, and probably in the Bratislava oppidum itself. This paper focuses on three other minting centers which were established north of the Carpathians and Sudetes among the northern barbarians and which imitated late Boii gold coins: one in the Tyniec group near Kraków, and two in the main Przeworsk culture settlement zones on the middle Prosna River near Kalisz and in Kuyavia. These northern mints, undoubtedly operated by experienced Celtic minters, recycled extremely popular shell staters with solar and lunar motifs that were reintroduced into circulation with a renewed stamp or after having been legalized by adding small additional marks. They also issued various small coins made of electrum alloys, significantly varying in weight (mostly about 1/8 of a Boii stater), with an abstract knob-and-rib ornamentation reminiscent of the motifs featuring on the youngest coins minted at the oppidums in Staré Hradisko (Moravia) and Bratislava. The nominally gold coins issued in the Oder and Vistula basins must have provided the equivalent in supra-regional prestige exchange, which is indicated by their extensive circulation zone. One of the reasons for the disappearance of the local minting traditions among the northern barbarian elites might have been the massive influx of Roman coinage into the Central European Barbaricum in the second century AD.

First results of metallographic analysis and absolute dating of iron finds from Nowe Brzesko, site 26, Proszowice District

AbstractThis paper presents the results of analyses of metal artefacts discovered at a multiphase site in Nowe Brzesko, Małopolskie Voivodeship, Poland. Fieldwalking prospection led to the discovery of steely iron objects, ploughed out on the site among other numerous archeological finds. A prospecting sondage yielded more corroded metal artefacts, identified mainly as agricultural tools (e.g. sickles, scythes). These chronologically nondistinctive artefacts could be assigned to the third to fourth century AD using radiocarbon dating, complemented by metallurgical analysis. The results open up new research perspectives on the economy and society of the Przeworsk culture in the Late Roman period.

Wheel-made pottery of the Przeworsk culture in the light of digital radiography examinations. Preliminary study of vessels from the microregion to the east of the lower Raba River

The article presents the results obtained by examining wheel-made pottery with the use of digital radiography. As exemplified by selected fragments, the possibilities offered by this method of studying the production techniques applied in Przeworsk culture ceramics are presented. Vessel sherds from the younger and late Roman period from workshops located in the microregion east of the lower Raba River (sites in Strzelce Małe and Bessów) were analysed. Analysis of X-radiography images offers some insight into the features of the primary forming techniques used and the structure of the clay fabric.

Przeworsk tribes in the Western Ukrainian lands in the first centuries AD (according to the materials of funeral sites)

During the 1st-3rd centuries AD, waves of migrations repeatedly swept through the area of present-day western Ukraine. As evidenced by archaeological materials, migrations of Dacian and Przeworsk populations at the beginning of the 1st century AD and during the 2nd century led to the formation of the Lipitsa culture in this region, a cultural unit combining ethnic traits of both communities. Turbulent times of the Marcomannic Wars (166–180 AD) and a new wave of Przeworsk culture migration pushed the Lipitsa population out to Dacia. The distribution of archaeological sites from the late 2nd-3rd cent. AD shows that the Danube region was not the only direction of the Przeworsk tribes’ movement, as they also resettled and colonised new territories in the Volhynia, Podolia, and Polesia regions. Thus, the Przeworsk populations migrating to the western Ukraine in the first two centuries AD blended with the Dacian milieu, contributing to the creation of the Lipitsa culture. The Przeworsk populations of the second wave, which moved to the territory of Ukraine towards the end of the 2nd century and in the first half of the 3rd century AD, became the basis and a major component of a new cultural unit: the Chernyakhov culture of the Late Roman Period.

ABSOLUTE DATES OF ARTIFACTS FROM LUSATIAN URNFIELD CEMETERY AT BRZEZIE, GREATER POLAND

ABSTRACTBrzezie in the Pleszew region was first mentioned in archaeological literature, as the location where a treasure of gold artifacts dating back to the 3rd period of the Bronze Age was discovered in 1876. Archaeological research has been conducted there almost continuously since 1985. The result of many years of fieldwork is the discovery of 363 late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age graves, as well as 50 burials of the Przeworsk culture from the era of Roman influence. In the last few years, further research has been conducted by archeologist Grzegorz Szczurek. After comprehensive geophysical prospecting, the extent of the necropolis was established, and more graves were excavated. For the first time, materials for radiocarbon and luminescence dating were also collected to determine the absolute chronology for this archaeological site. Four samples were dated in the Poznań radiocarbon laboratory, and five luminescence tests were conducted in the Gliwice luminescence laboratory. Due to the complete thermo-destruction of collagen in human bones, age determination was based on carbonate fractionation. In one case, a piece of charcoal was selected for dating purposes. Considering uncertainties and the fact that both methods date different events, the results reveal concurrence, giving a 1000–500 BC range.

Rediscovery of a known site

This article presents the results of the latest surface and geophysical surveys at the Przeworsk culture site 13 in Wrzępia, Lesser Poland Province. According to the results of magnetic prospection, more than 130 anomalies typical for kilns are present here. Based on the results of surface survey, their interpretation as pottery kilns is most likely. The pottery center specialised mostly in the production of Krausengefässe type of storage vessels. This is confirmed by the presence of almost exclusively of this pottery type on the site’s surface. The results of prospections shed a new light on pottery production in the region.

Elitní jezdec z oblasti przeworské kultury

A new analysis of one of the graves (No. 177) at the burial ground of the Przeworsk culture in Drochlin, Częstochowa District, dated to the C1a phase of the Younger Roman Period, allows us to participate in a discussion about the position of horseman warriors in the milieu of the Przeworsk culture. The preserved grave goods from Drochlin suggest that the buried horseman can be considered a representative of the local elite. The iron spurs decorated with brass, bow arrowheads, and one glass vessel underline his social rank. The spurs have a stylistic association with spurs known from the sphere of Wielbark culture and also to those found on the territory of the Northern European Barbaricum. Similar associations were identified regarding the belt buckle. This paper also examines whether the bow was part of the equipment of the Przeworsk culture warriors or was a hunting weapon.

New Finds of Roman Coins from the Przeworsk Culture Settlements in the Nidzica and Szreniawa River Basins / Nowe znaleziska monet rzymskich na osadach kultury przeworskiej w dorzeczu Nidzicy i Szreniawy

The article presents new discoveries of Roman coins made during regular surface surveys on Przeworsk culture settlements located in the northern part of the loess highlands of the Western Lesser Poland region. A total of ten Roman coins were found in five sites, most of them issued during the Antonine dynasty. In almost all cases, they were accompanied by artefacts illustrating the variety of settlement contexts related to monetary finds. The majority of such finds constitute accurate date stamps showing the chronology of the settlement development, which may be an additional argument in the discussion on the influx of Roman coins into the Central European Barbaricum.

EXCAVATION OF THE BURIAL GROUND KARIV I OF ROMAN AGE IN THE WESTERN BUG BASIN IN 2019—2020

The paper highlights the results of research conducted in 2019—2020 at the archaeological site cremation burial ground Kariv I of the Roman period in the basin of the Western Bug River. During the excavations 3 cremation burials were found which perhaps included the remains of one male and two females. Noteworthy is the partially destroyed female burial 12. Rich items of funeral inventory were found there, including the household items, metal costume details, jewelry, including jewelry made of yellow metal. The tilth soil layer contained fragments of glass and ceramic imported utensils, brooches, weapons and horse harness, armour ect. In total 12 cremation burials (including one pair burial) with a variety of equipment were found on the area of 1456 m2 during the entire period of research on the burial ground Kariv I. The remains of thirteen people were found in the burial assemblages: seven men, five women and one adolescent child (infantilis II group). We can suppose that the site may have been a burial place for barbarian elite and members of its inner circle. On the basis of numerous finds (brooches, spurs, tips of drinking horns, amphorae, glass and bronze vessels, etc.), most of which come from closed assemblages, the chronology of the burial ground is ascertained by the second half of the 2nd century CE (phase B2/C1). The people who left the site had mixed cultural traits. The mix of funeral traditions of the Przeworsk culture with notable South Germanic (Suebian), Baltic and Venetian elements can be found on the site. The events of the Marcomannic Wars, during or after which some members of the barbarian coalition tried to leave the troubled areas of the Middle Danube, moving away from Roman political influence in the European Barbaricum, perhaps may be the reason of appearance in the region of the population whom the burial ground belong.

New Materials for the Study of the Funeral Rite of the Przeworsk Culture in Western Buh Region

Burial monuments are an important element of the spiritual culture of the Przeworsk population of the Western Buh region. The main type of burials was cremation in an urn or earthen pit. The cremation rite had dominated throughout its existence, but there are cases of inhumation burials. Borrowing from the Celts, the population of the Przeworsk culture buried weapons, ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2022, № 1 143 jewelry, personal items and pottery. Almost all items were intentionally damaged. There are cases of intentional damage to small items: brooches, spurs, scissors, pins, needles, etc. One of these burial complexes was discovered by the so-called «black diggers» and transferred to the Lviv Regional Council «History and Local Lore Museum». The burial complex contained a ritually bent double-edged sword, a shield handle and a spearhead, which were connected to each other, an iron brooches and a ritually damaged shield boss. The four iron spurs were connected in pairs. The funeral rite and the items found in the burial have numerous analogies on the monuments of the Przeworsk culture in Poland and Western Ukraine. Among the total number of burials of the Przeworsk culture, burials with swords stand out. Obviously, the presence of a sword is an evidence of the high social status of its owner. The set of features of the material found in the burial allows us to confidently date it to the phase C1a—C2 of the Late Roman period (middle — end of the 3rd century AD). The advance of the bearers of the Przeworsk culture to the south and east in this chronological period was accompanied by local military conflicts. In any case, the Przeworsk population in the region of the Western Buh was an integral part of ethnic and cultural processes that lasted throughout the 3rd century. The formation of the source base of funerary monuments of the Przeworsk culture in the future will make it possible to identify certain regional features in topography, funeral inventory and ritual actions. Given that the study of monuments of this archaeological culture in Ukraine remains low.

A forgotten shield boss from Brodno, Lower Silesia, Poland. A contribution to the study of Roman influences in ‘barbarian’ armament in the Roman period

In the National Archives in Wrocław, in the Department of the Province of Silesia are kept documents about the protection and conservation of historical monuments, and specifically information on archaeological finds from the areas around the town of Środa Śląska (German: Neumarkt). One of those artefacts was an iron shield boss of the Roman period, found at the cremation cemetery belonging to the Przeworsk Culture in Brodno, Lower Silesia. It is most probably of Scandinavian origin, and is closely related to the finds from Scandinavia and the Black Sea coast, but the form of the shield boss confirms the Roman inspiration behind ‘barbarian’ military equipment. Chronologically the boss from Brodno should be placed within phase C1b, i.e. roughly in the mid-3rd century A.D. The analogies from other sepulchral sites suggest that the boss might have been an element in the inventory of a well-equipped warrior, perhaps a member of a travelling band. The presence of such an artefact in a cemetery of the Przeworsk culture in the Oder river basin is proof of intense contacts between various communities which inhabited vast areas of “barbaric” Europe between the Baltic and the Black Sea at that time.

Pottery from the well and its context. Searching for differences and similarities

In this article the pottery obtained from three wells from the settlement in Kwiatków was analyzed. Compared to other sites associated with the Przeworsk culture, this site deserves a special attention due to the presence of over a hundred of artificial water intakes within excavated area. The method of the vessels production, macro and micromorphology characteristics, the degree of their preservation and the level of deposition inside the features were examined in detail. Most of the pottery fragments should be associated with the Przeworsk culture from the Roman Iron Age, however there was also a small percentage of pottery with Jastorf culture elements. The information obtained allowed to define the context of their discovery and to explain its presence inside the well.

Mortuus Bellator: burial of Late Roman Period from Western Podillya

The article introduces the objects of late Roman burial near the village of Malashivtsi on the Seret, which are in the storage of the History and Local Lore Museum. The set of materials consists of weapons and equipment of the horseman. Due to traces of ritual damage, the burial belongs to the Przeworsk culture. All things have traces of burning. The set of materials includes weapons – a long double-edged sword, which can be attributed to the cavalry swords such as «spatha» with an iron suspension and a spearhead with a wide blade. Perhaps part of the fastening of the sword was an iron two-membered buckle, analogies of which are known from the European Barbaricum. The elements of the protective equipment of the warrior include a conical umbo, as well as the handle of the shield. Interestingly, on the surface of the umbo there is a lenticular hole from the impact of a sharp object, possibly a spear. The fact that he was buried by a horseman is indicated by the findings of two spurs with massive spikes. Iron tweezers are an object of personal use, in the area of settlement of the tribes of the Przeworsk culture on the territory of Ukraine it is quite a rare find. Based on the typology and classification of objects, the burial complex can be dated to the end of phase C1a–C2 – the middle – the second half of the III century. A. C. At this chronological stage, the population of the Przeworsk culture, under pressure from the Goths, moved to the southeast, resulting in several separate military burials known in the Dnister region. In the ethnocultural context, they are evidence of certain cataclysms that occurred in a certain period of time. The problem of single burials in the area of the Przeworsk culture remains poorly understood. This encourages the localization of such sites and their proper study. Key words: Przeworsk culture, military burial, late Roman period, Western Podillya.