Stone Age settlement in the Lega Valley microregion of north-east Poland
TL;DR: In this paper, a field survey of the Lega river basin (NE Poland) was conducted over a period of 14 years, and as part of the Polish Archaeological Record research project, almost 1100 archaeological sites were discovered, 748 of which contained lithic materials.
Abstract: Over a period of 14 years, and as part of the Polish Archaeological Record research project, the author directed a field survey of the whole of the Lega river basin (NE Poland) – an area of over 850 km2. As a result of the survey of this hitherto poorly investigated area, almost 1100 archaeological sites were discovered, 748 of which contained lithic materials. The most interesting sites were initially studied by detailed mapping of surface-find distribution and later by excavation. A complete study of the whole drainage basin was very important for settlement research. The large number of the surface lithic assemblages enables reliable statistical analyses and accurate cartographic studies supported by palaeo-environmental reconstructions. Lithic assemblages were analysed from the point of production techniques and typology, dispelling some doubts about chronological-cultural affiliations of flint inventories from north-east Poland and neighbouring countries, but also raising new questions. It wa...
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TL;DR: Gamble et al. as discussed by the authors showed that the large but so far largely ignored eruption of the Laacher See-volcano, located in present-day western Germany and dated to 12,920 BP, had a dramatic impact on forager demography all along the northern periphery of Late Glacial settlement and precipitated archaeologically visible cultural change.
98 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the early and mid Holocene local vegetational history, with special reference to woodland communities, was revealed by pollen analysis of a radiocarbon dated lake sediment profile from Lake Milkowskie in northeastern Poland.
Abstract: Early and mid Holocene local vegetational history, with special reference to woodland communities, was revealed by pollen analysis of a radiocarbon dated lake sediment profile from Lake Milkowskie (Jezioro Milkowskie) in northeastern Poland. The main factor controlling the dynamics of woodland composition changes until ca. 1950 b.c. was climate. After that, the role of human activity became increasingly important. The results of high-resolution pollen analyses provide evidence for early woodland disturbances caused by Mesolithic people at ca. 6950 b.c. Several episodes of human impact, differing in scale, and separated by subsequent episodes of woodland regeneration/stabilization were noted. The first traces of local crop farming, shown by the presence of Cerealia pollen, were recorded at ca. 3800 b.c. in the Paraneolithic/Neolithic period. Animal husbandry as well as cereal cultivation played only a marginal role in the economy, which was traditionally based on hunting, fishing and gathering through the Neolithic and the early Bronze Age. The change in economic strategies from foraging towards farming, starting around 3750 b.c., was a long-lasting process. An increase of productive economy took place in the middle Bronze Age at ca. 1400 b.c.
37 citations
Cites background from "Stone Age settlement in the Lega Va..."
...Cyclic vegetational changes were to some degree caused by woodland management using fire and the mobility of the Mesolithic tribes, who probably frequently returned to the lake region (Gumiński 1995; Siemaszko 1999; Stančikait _ e et al. 2002)....
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...The Mesolithic settlements were closely connected with the margins of water bodies and riverbanks, and people settled on islands in lakes and on the ridges and slopes of the Post-glacial moraines and dunes (Okulicz 1981; Siemaszko 1999; Galiński 2002)....
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TL;DR: In this article, the taxonomic landscape of Late Palaeolithic large tanged point cultures in eastern Europe was reviewed, and it was shown that distinct groups are difficult to recognize, with major implications for our understanding of patterns and processes of culture change in this period in north-eastern Europe and perhaps elsewhere.
Abstract: The Late Glacial, that is the period from the first pronounced warming after the Last Glacial Maximum to the beginning of the Holocene (c. 16,000–11,700 cal bp), is traditionally viewed as a time when northern Europe was being recolonized and Late Palaeolithic cultures diversified. These cultures are characterized by particular artefact types, or the co-occurrence or specific relative frequencies of these. In north-eastern Europe, numerous cultures have been proposed on the basis of supposedly different tanged points. This practice of naming new cultural units based on these perceived differences has been repeatedly critiqued, but robust alternatives have rarely been offered. Here, we review the taxonomic landscape of Late Palaeolithic large tanged point cultures in eastern Europe as currently envisaged, which leads us to be cautious about the epistemological validity of many of the constituent groups. This, in turn, motivates us to investigate the key artefact class, the large tanged point, using geometric morphometric methods. Using these methods, we show that distinct groups are difficult to recognize, with major implications for our understanding of patterns and processes of culture change in this period in north-eastern Europe and perhaps elsewhere.
25 citations
Cites background from "Stone Age settlement in the Lega Va..."
...Despite the early critique highlighting the weak empirical basis for the Perstunian, this culture has found its way into current literature with sites both in Poland and elsewhere being attributed to it (Siemaszko, 1999a, 1999b; Sinitsyna, 2002)....
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TL;DR: This paper examined the taxonomic landscape of the Central European Late Palaeolithic (ca. 12,000-9700 cal BC) and critically analyzed the use of typological, functional and economic criteria in the definition of selected groups.
Abstract: In the analysis of archaeological relationships and processes, a uniform classification of the dataset is a fundamental requirement. To achieve this, a standardised taxonomic system, as well as consistent and valid criteria for the grouping of sites and assemblages, must be used. The Central European Late Palaeolithic (ca. 12,000–9700 cal BC) has a long research history and many regionally and temporally specific units—groups and cultures—are recognised. In this paper, we examine the complex taxonomic landscape of this period and critically analyse the use of typological, functional and economic criteria in the definition of selected groups. We subject three different archaeological taxonomic units, the Bromme culture from Denmark, the Furstein group from Switzerland and the Atzenhof group from Germany, to particularly detailed scrutiny and highlight that the classificatory criteria used in their definition are inconsistent across units and most likely unsuitable for circumscribing past sociocultural units. We suggest a comprehensive re-examination of the overarching taxonomic system for the Late Palaeolithic, as well as a re-evaluation of the methodologies used to delineate sociocultural units in the Palaeolithic.
25 citations
Cites background from "Stone Age settlement in the Lega Va..."
...In fact, collectors in Franconia still attribute assemblages to the Late Palaeolithic and even the Atzenhof group despite the absence of diagnostic tool types (Sauer 2018); workers in Eastern Europe still attribute local assemblages to the Perstunian culture or related large tanged point groups of Eastern Europe despite their problematic classificatory foundation (Siemaszko 1999; Sinitsyna 2002); and in southern Scandinavia, the Bromme culture remains enshrined as the first regional culture (Price 2015)....
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...…local assemblages to the Perstunian culture or related large tanged point groups of Eastern Europe despite their problematic classificatory foundation (Siemaszko 1999; Sinitsyna 2002); and in southern Scandinavia, the Bromme culture remains enshrined as the first regional culture (Price 2015)....
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01 Jan 2007
TL;DR: The Laacher See Tephra (LST) as mentioned in this paper is a vulkanausbruche of the Spatpleistozans in the Nordlichen Hemisphare and begrub eine Flache of mehr als 1300 km 2 unter Lava (Schmelztuff)-and Ascheschichten, where stellenweise uber zehn Meter dick waren.
Abstract: Zusammenfassung: Vor etwa 12.920 Jahren, gegen Ende der Allerod Warmephase, brach der Laacher See-Vulkan in der Nahe von Koblenz explosionsartig und mit katastrophalen Auswirkungen aus. Dies war einer der bedeutendsten und gewaltigsten Vulkanausbruche des Spatpleistozans in der Nordlichen Hemisphare und begrub eine Flache von mehr als 1300 km 2 unter Lava (Schmelztuff)- und Ascheschichten, die stellenweise uber zehn Meter dick waren. Die Eruptionssaule stieg bis zu 40 km in die Atmosphare auf und Aschelagen setzten sich uber weiten Teilen Europas ab. Laacher See Tephra (LST) in archaologischen Schichtenfolgen dient schon seit uber funfzig Jahren als nutzlicher chronostratigraphischer Leithorizont fur das Spatglazial. Bisher wurde jedoch nicht ensthaft in Betracht gezogen, dass die Laacher See Eruption (LSE) auch nachhaltigen Einfluss auf die damaligen Jager- und Sammlerkulturen und deren technologische Entwicklung genommen haben konnte. Basierend auf kalibrierten 14 C-Daten, einer Kartierung der Tephralagen im Bezug zu dem Vorkommen spatglazialer Kulturgruppen in Nordeuropa und einer technologisch-quantitativen Analyse spatglazialer Projektilspitzen, wird in diesem Beitrag die Hypothese vorgestellt, dass die LSE direkt und kausal mit dem Ursprung der wohlbekannten BrommeKultur Sudskandinaviens und des Perstunien in Osteuropa zusammenhangt. Obwohl die messbaren Klimaveranderungen im Zuge der LSE wohl eher gering waren, hat dieses Ereignis weitgreifende demographische Nachwirkungen in Gang gesetzt, die sich dann als archaologisch sichtbare Veranderungen in der materiellen Kultur niederschlugen. Insbesondere wird gezeigt, dass der Ursprung der BrommeKultur und des Perstunien mit dem Verlust der Pfeil-und-Bogen-Technologie zusammenhangt. Eher spekulativ wird angeregt, dass auch andere, zum Teil weit vom Laacher See Vulkan und seinem Fall-out entfernte Regionen (z.B. die Britischen Inseln) demographisch beeinflusst wurden. Abschliesend wird eine Forschungsstrategie fur die Zukunft vorgelegt, mit deren Hilfe die hier vorgeschlagene Hypothese getestet, weiter erhartet oder widerlegt werden kann. Schlagworter: Nordeuropa, Osteuropa, Spatglazial, Bromme-Kultur, Perstunien, Laacher See-Eruption, Projektilspitzen, Kulturwandel The eruption of the Laacher See-volcano and prehistoric material culture change at the end of the Allerod in Northern Europe. A new hypothesis for the origin of the Bromme and Perstunian cultures
12 citations
References
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01 Jan 1981
TL;DR: In this article, the expanding role of surface assemblages in archaeological research is discussed and a number of limitations of using surface artifacts can be addressed by future research, such as fragile materials, stratigraphic relationships, intact feature information, and special samples are best obtained through selected excavation.
Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the expanding role of surface assemblages in archaeological research. Archaeologists have long used surface artifacts to locate sites, establish regional culture histories, and to determine where to excavate within sites. In recent years, this traditional role has been expanded to utilize surface phenomena for research problems that used to be exclusively studied through excavation. This expansion is manifested by increasing application of surface collection in cultural resource management and basic research projects and the development of documenting formation processes that create surface phenomena. Surface artifacts are useful in more situations and for more kinds of research problems than might commonly be appreciated. There are a number of limitations in using surface assemblages that can be addressed by future research. Surface materials usually represent the most durable artifact classes. More fragile materials, stratigraphic relationships, intact feature information, and special samples are best obtained through selected excavation. Precise temporal assessment of surface assemblages is limited. Further work is required to define more subtle stylistic attributes and refine physical–chemical techniques for direct age determination of artifacts.
123 citations
01 Jun 1991
66 citations
01 Jan 1996
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose d'etudier les traces et la repartition des sites de chasse au rennes and habitats du Tardiglaciaire (Hambourgien, Federmesser et Ahrensbourgien) dans la region du sud-ouest du Lolland (sud-est du Danemark) in Denmark.
Abstract: Le modele d'habitat des chasseurs de rennes en Scandinavie meridionale est sans aucun doute adapte au modele migratoire des rennes. Les decouvertes de bois de rennes travailles ont montre la presence de populations humaines au Bolling jusqu'a la baie de Koge. Les assemblages osseux du Tardiglaciaire indiquant des habitats sont associes aux rives aujourd'hui inondees de la Baltique. Cet article propose d'etudier les traces et la repartition des sites de chasse au rennes et habitats du Tardiglaciaire (Hambourgien, Federmesser et Ahrensbourgien) dans la region du sud-ouest du Lolland (sud-est du Danemark)
22 citations