Variability of the Lithic Raw Material in the Upper and Late Palaeolithic sites in Southeastern Poland

In terms of supply of good quality raw materials for stone tool manufacture, the area of southeastern Poland is rather poor. Considering research conducted so far, there are only few sites that can be the basis for analysis. Nevertheless, certain phenomena seem to be characteristic on sites in southeastern Poland in the later phase of the Upper Palaeolithic and in the Late Palaeolithic. There are usually more than one kind of raw material present. Apart from local erratic flint, imported Świeciechów (grey white-spotted) and ‘chocolate’ flint dominate. The presence of both Jurassic (areas near Cracow) and Volhynian flints are poorly recorded, whereas resources from the south are almost absent. These imported raw materials indicate the existence of particularly strong relations linking the areas of southeastern Poland with the Sandomierz Upland, and much weaker relationships with the territories of Lesser Poland and Western Ukrain

Regiony osadnicze na terenach polski w młodszej fazie górnego i początkach schyłkowego paleolitu na tle osadnictwa środkowoeuropejskiego

Praca dotyczy porównania rozprzestrzenienia osadnictwa graweckiego i magdaleńskiego na ziemiach polskich. Część eksploatowanych terytoriów ściśle się zazębia, zaobserwowano też różnice. Przesuwanie się osadnictwa graweckiego na wschód związane było ze zmianami klimatycznymi w początkach II pleniglacjału ostatniego zlodowacenia (LGM). Osadnictwo magdaleńskie rozprzestrzeniło się bardzo szybko, zajmując tereny ziem polskich aż po wschodnie granice swojego zasięgu. Struktura osadnicza obu kultur jest odmienna

Examination of Late Palaeolithic archaeological sites in northern Europe for the preservation of cryptotephra layers

We report the first major study of cryptotephra (non-visible volcanic ash layers) on Late Palaeolithic archaeological sites in northern Europe. Examination of 34 sites dating from the Last Termination reveals seven with identifiable cryptotephra layers. Preservation is observed in minerogenic and organic deposits, although tephra is more common in organic sediments. Cryptotephra layers normally occur stratigraphically above or below the archaeology. Nearby off-site palaeoclimate archives (peat bogs and lakes <0.3 km distant) were better locations for detecting tephra. However in most cases the archaeology can only be correlated indirectly with such cryptotephras. Patterns affecting the presence/absence of cryptotephra include geographic position of sites relative to the emitting volcanic centre; the influence of past atmospherics on the quantity, direction and patterns of cryptotephra transport; the nature and timing of local site sedimentation; sampling considerations and subsequent taphonomic processes. Overall, while tephrostratigraphy has the potential to improve significantly the chronology of such sites many limiting factors currently impacts the successful application

Palaeogenomics of Upper Palaeolithic to Neolithic European hunter-gatherers

: Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years1,2. Our knowledge of the genetic relatedness and structure of ancient hunter-gatherers is however limited, owing to the scarceness and poor molecular preservation of human remains from that period3. Here we analyse 356 ancient hunter-gatherer genomes, including new genomic data for 116 individuals from 14 countries in western and central Eurasia, spanning between 35,000 and 5,000 years ago. We identify a genetic ancestry profile in individuals associated with Upper Palaeolithic Gravettian assemblages from western Europe that is distinct from contemporaneous groups related to this archaeological culture in central and southern Europe4, but resembles that of preceding individuals associated with the Aurignacian culture. This ancestry profile survived during the Last Glacial Maximum (25,000 to 19,000 years ago) in human populations from southwestern Europe associated with the Solutrean culture, and with the following Magdalenian culture that re-expanded northeastward after the Last Glacial Maximum. Conversely, we reveal a genetic turnover in southern Europe suggesting a local replacement of human groups around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, accompanied by a north-to-south dispersal of populations associated with the Epigravettian culture. From at least 14,000 years ago, an ancestry related to this culture spread from the south across the rest of Europe, largely replacing the Magdalenian-associated gene pool. After a period of limited admixture that spanned the beginning of the Mesolithic, we find genetic interactions between western and eastern European hunter-gatherers, who were also characterized by marked differences in phenotypically relevant variants

Palaeogenomics of Upper Palaeolithic to Neolithic European hunter-gatherers

Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s).Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years1,2. Our knowledge of the genetic relatedness and structure of ancient hunter-gatherers is however limited, owing to the scarceness and poor molecular preservation of human remains from that period3. Here we analyse 356 ancient hunter-gatherer genomes, including new genomic data for 116 individuals from 14 countries in western and central Eurasia, spanning between 35,000 and 5,000 years ago. We identify a genetic ancestry profile in individuals associated with Upper Palaeolithic Gravettian assemblages from western Europe that is distinct from contemporaneous groups related to this archaeological culture in central and southern Europe4, but resembles that of preceding individuals associated with the Aurignacian culture. This ancestry profile survived during the Last Glacial Maximum (25,000 to 19,000 years ago) in human populations from southwestern Europe associated with the Solutrean culture, and with the following Magdalenian culture that re-expanded northeastward after the Last Glacial Maximum. Conversely, we reveal a genetic turnover in southern Europe suggesting a local replacement of human groups around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, accompanied by a north-to-south dispersal of populations associated with the Epigravettian culture. From at least 14,000 years ago, an ancestry related to this culture spread from the south across the rest of Europe, largely replacing the Magdalenian-associated gene pool. After a period of limited admixture that spanned the beginning of the Mesolithic, we find genetic interactions between western and eastern European hunter-gatherers, who were also characterized by marked differences in phenotypically relevant variants.Peer reviewe

Bayesian age modelling of the Magdalenian settlement in the territory of present-day Poland

The paper addresses the problem of the use of Bayesian methods for modelling age of the Magdalenian settlement on the territory of contemporary Poland. Basing on 14C datings of 10 sites we present the chronological frames of settlement on particular sites and we model occupation dynamic of Polish territory. Bayesian methods made it possible to clarify and in some cases to significantly narrow time frames of Magdalenian settlement on the research area

An addition to knowledge of the Middle Stone Age in Central-Eastern Poland. Mesolithic site of Pulki 1 in the Vistula valley near Puławy

Rejon Puław jest słabo rozpoznany pod kątem osadnictwa przedneolitycznego. Znane są stąd nieliczne stanowiska, które można łączyć z paleolitem lub mezolitem. Należy do nich nowe stanowisko Pulki 1 położone na łagodnym stoku wydmy opadającym ku dopływowi rzeki Kurówki. Materiały z czasów poprzedzających początek neolitu stanowią jedynie niewielką część znalezisk. Pozyskano w sumie 411 zabytków krzemiennych. W skład inwentarza wchodzi 17 rdzeni, łuszczeń, 50 narzędzi, oraz debitaż i odpadki. Artefakty wykonano z kilku rodzajów surowców kamiennych, głównie z lokalnego krzemienia narzutowego. Mniej licznie reprezentowany jest krzemień czekoladowy, świeciechowski i wołyński. Niemal 40% inwentarza jest przepalona. W grupie rdzeni dominują drobne albo nawet mikrolityczne rdzenie do wiórków, niekiedy połączonych z otrzymywaniem odłupków lub wiórów. Niemal wszystkie to formy szczątkowe, jednopiętowe lub ze zmianą orientacji. Ponad połowę debitażu stanowią wióry i wiórki. Odłupki to głównie odpadki z zapraw bądź napraw rdzeni. W grupie narzędzi dominują zbrojniki (wiórki tylcowe, trójkąty i trapezy, półtylczaki) i drapacze, które łącznie stanowią 60% wszystkich narzędzi. Wśród pozostałych występują dwa liściaki trzpieniowate oraz ciosak. Z analizy inwentarza wynika, że jest to niemal w całości pozostałość osadnictwa mezolitycznego – najpewniej młodszej fazy kultury komornickiej. Tylko pojedyncze zabytki są na pewno starsze (liściaki) bądź młodsze (grocik z wklęsłą podstawą).Stanowisko w Pulkach jest kolejnym śladem osadnictwa z początków holocenu odnotowanym na obszarach położonych po wschodniej stronie Wisły. Jest to też jedno z nielicznych stanowisk, które przebadano wykopaliskowo.The Puławy region is poorly recognized in terms of pre-Neolithic settlement. There are few known sites that can be connected with the Palaeolithic or Mesolithic, among them Pulki 1. The site is located on a gentle slope of a dune, falling towards a tributary of the Kurówka river. The materials dating from before the beginning of the Neolithic period constitute only a small part of the findings. A total of 411 flint artefacts have been obtained. The inventory consists of 17 cores, 1 flake, 50 tools, debris and waste product. Artefacts are made of several types of stone raw materials, mainly local erratic flint. Chocolate, Świeciechów and Volhynian flint is less represented. Nearly 40% of the artefacts are burnt. The group of cores is dominated by small or even microlithic cores for bladelets, sometimes combined with obtaining flakes or bladelets. Almost all of them are residual forms, mono-directional or with a change of orientation. More than half of the debitage is made up of blades or bladelets. Flakes are mainly waste from core preparation or repairs. The group of tools is dominated by microliths (backed bladelets, triangles and trapeze, truncated bladelets) and endscrapers, which together account for 60% of all tools. Among the others, there are two tanged points and an adze. The inventory analysis shows that this is almost entirely a relic of the Mesolithic settlement – most probably of the younger phase of the Komornicka culture. Only single artefacts are certainly older (tanged points) or younger (a point with a concave base). The site in Pulki is another trace of settlement from the beginning of the Holocene recorded in areas located on the eastern side of the Vistula. It is also one of the few sites which were excavated

Human settlement in Polish territory during the Last Glacial Maximum (ca 24,000–19,000 cal. BP): the calm before a new deal

Human presence in Poland during the Late Pleniglacial is evidenced by Gravettian sites, mostly from Małopolska. Such settlement almost disappears from the archaeological record during the period between 24 and 19 ky cal. BP. Only a few sites from that period have been discovered – two workshops without absolute chronology, and some meagre records of settlement with uncertain dating to the LGM. The Polish territory was resettled in the19th and 16th millennium cal. BP onward, the settlers being associated with the Epi-Gravettian and Magdalenian cultures

The accidental discovery of prehistoric remains as chance and threat for archaeological research on the basis of the collection of flint artefacts from Łęki Dukielskie

Tereny Polski południowo-wschodniej dostarczają coraz to nowych śladów osadnictwa paleolityczne-go. Stosunkowo dobre jest rozpoznanie schyłkowego paleolitu, bardzo zaś słabe starszych faz tego okresu. Dlatego też na uwagę zasługuje niewielka kolekcja artefaktów z Łęk Dukielskich. W skład kolekcji wchodzi w sumie zaledwie 14 zabytków krzemiennych. 13 z nich to narzędzia i ich fragmenty. Wśród narzędzi wyróżnia się licząca 7 egzemplarzy grupa ostrzy bifacjalnych. Ta niewielka kolekcja została wykonana z różnych gatunków surowca o nieznanym pochodzeniu. In-terpretacja pozyskanych zabytków jest bardzo trudna. Artefakty są tak różne, że ich wzajemne związki są nieoczywiste. Analogie można znaleźć na stanowiskach obejmujących rozległe tereny Europy i bardzo szeroki przedział czasu – od końca paleolitu środkowego po być może nawet młodszą epokę kamienia(?). Kolekcja jest ważnym przyczynkiem w dyskusji nad wartością kolekcji pozyskanych w bliżej niezna-nych okolicznościach. Charakter kolekcji każe zadać pytanie o rzeczywiste pochodzenie zbioru. Jeśli przyjąć, że zabytki te pochodzą skądinąd, co jest możliwe, to zachodzi pytanie jak dostały się na pole w Łękach Du-kielskich. Nie można jednak wykluczyć, że pochodzą one z rejonu w którym zostały znalezione. Oznaczałoby to, że jest to pierwszy i jedyny jak dotąd ślad osadnictwa z przełomu środkowego i górnego paleolitu na tere-nach Polski południowo-wschodniej, a tym samym ważne świadectwo w badaniach nad najstarszym osadnic-twem w rejonie podkarpackim. Jeśli zaś jest to kolekcja o nieznanym pochodzeniu to jej wartość wyznacza wartość samych przed-miotów – estetycznie pięknych, niemających jednak znaczenia naukowego pomocnego w rekonstrukcji naj-starszych dziejów omawianego tu regionu Polski.The terrain of south-eastern Poland provides more and more traces of Palaeolithic settlement. The close of the Palaeolithic epoch is relatively well recognised, while the earlier phases of this era are poorly identified. This is why the modest collection of artefacts from Łęki Dukielskie is deserving of attention. In its entirety it contains just 14 flint remains. 13 of them are tools and corresponding fragments. Among the tools 7 examples from the group of bifacials stand out. This small collection was compiled from various types of resources of unknown origin. An interpretation of the remains is extremely difficult. The artefacts are so diverse that their mutual connections are unclear. Analogies may be found at excavations from across the territory of Europe and from an extremely broad time period – from the end of the Middle Palaeolithic Period possibly ranging up to the beginning of the Younger Stone Age. The collection makes an important contribution to discussions on the value of assortments gained in almost unknown circumstances. The nature of the collection forces the question to be asked as to its actual origins. If it were accepted that the find comes from elsewhere, which is a possibility, then the next question should be how did they come to be in a field in Łęki Dukielskie? The fact that they herald from the region in which they were discovered may not be excluded. This would mean that it is the first and only trace of settlement from the turn of the Stone Age to be found in the south-eastern region of Poland, and simultaneously an important source for research into the oldest settlement in the Subcarpathian region. However, if it is a collection of unknown origin then its worth is nothing more than the intrinsic worth of the items themselves – aesthetic beauty – without having any scientific significance in the reconstruction of the oldest events discussed in this region

Krzemienica mezolityczna ze stanowiska Malnie 3/14, gm. Krapkowice

Site Wysoka 57 was discovered by Jaroslaw Bronowicki during an archaeological survey of the construction of Freeway A4 in the Opole province, in the area of the St. Anna Mountain (Fig. 1). The rescue excavation of the site has been conducted by the Wrodaw Branch of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences. Archaeological artifacts were found scattered over an easy southeastern slope of a no-name hill. The summit of the hill crowned by limestone rocks is immediately above the site. The flint material obtained during the excavation, rather scarce in number, can be dated to the Upper Paleolithic. Because the artifacts were scattered over a vast area without any distinct concentration, it is probable that the site extends beyond the construction place and the excavation covered only its marginal part. Altogether, 132 flint artifacts (Fig. 2-4) and one non-flint stone artifact (Fig. 5) have been recovered from the Wysoka 57 site. Set of tools complies with Upper Paleolithic standards (Table 1 ), with burins (Fig. 3) prevailing. They are complemented by endscrapers (Fig. 2: 1, 4, 8, 10, 11 ), perforators (Fig. 2: 9), retouched blades (Fig. 2: 3, 5), combined tools (Fig. 3: 8, 10), and one saw-like retouched blade (Fig. 2: 7). A layer of white patina covers the artifacts. The cultural affiliation of the assemblage is unclear, but the presence of blades with "stepped" retouch of small overlapping negatives suggests the Orignac circle. The only macrolithic implement- the limestone point (Fig. 5), has no close analogies in Upper Paleolithic assemblages, possibly due to the unusual rock it is made of. In addition, three Neolithic artifacts have been found. The value of the site is augmented be two chronologically close sites registered in the vicinity, already published (Wysoka 4, Ligota Dolna 1).Dariusz Boba