The frequentation of the uplands and the origin of seasonal pastoralism in the Central Alps in prehistory are intensively discussed topics. This case study from the Karwendel Mountains, a mountain range situated between Tyrol (Austria) and Bavaria (Germany), illustrates on the basis of archaeological surveys and excavations as well as pollen analyses how groups of hunter-gatherers frequented and used a mountainous area since the Mesolithic. This traditional use continued well into the period that is in the more fertile lowlands characterized as Neolithic. The study also shows that the human impact on the natural vegetation in the heart of the mountain range was very modest until the Roman era, while other upland meadows of the Central Alps were used for livestock grazing since the Bronze Age. These pastoral practices deeply changed the landscape and the vegetation of the areas involved. The Karwendel, on the other hand, was at least sporadically visited but remained largely unaffected by human exploitation until modern times, as it is situated at the margin of the important communication routes and the main settlement areas.

The Foothills of the Northern Carpathian region were an important part of the ecumene of the Linear Pottery Culture (LBK), as witnessed by the repetitive pattern of settlement in such areas. Multiple sites associated with this archaeological culture can be found near the Raba basin in the region of Wieliczka and Bochnia, as well as in the Rzeszów Foothills. Among these, the complex of LBK sites in the Dunajec basin stands out, as most distant from settlement centres. The sites also represent a different settlement system than clusters uncovered in the upland areas: the sites are mostly located in the highest points in local topography and show a higher degree of centralisation. This study aims to include chronological data to the analysis of changes in this settlement system, with the use of a collection of radiocarbon data from the LBK sites in the foothills area of SE Poland. The general model of a probability distribution for the phenomenon was constructed and confronted with the data from individual sites from the Wiśnicz Foothills region. On this basis, a spatiotemporal simulation was performed, to illustrate changes in the settlement network changes over six centuries of the LBK activity. Additionally, regions threatened with higher erosion possibilities were identified, in which possible archaeological traces were not preserved. According to the known distribution of sites in space, these regions were populated with semi-randomly generated sites to perform a second simulation. While the available data allow only limited insight into the problem of settlement system changes over time, the approach used in the study seems to be relatively robust in visualising and identifying general patterns of this phenomenon. It provides an interesting exploratory method, allowing the formulation of further research questions concerning the changes in the LBK settlement system in the foothills area.

The Spiš Castle (Spišský hrad) hill (632 a.s.l.) is located administratively within the village of Žehra, Spišská Nová Ves district, the northern part of eastern Slovakia, in the historic region of Spiš. Since the 12th century, the top of the hill has become the seat of a vast royal castle complex as the seat of the Spiš Komitat (County). It is a multicultural place, that has already been inhabited in prehistoric times. For many years there have been excavation works done here that yielded a substantial amount of archaeological material including artefacts dated before the building of the castle. However, due to numerous reconstructions of Spišský hrad involving repeated earthworks, this material is located within the secondary deposit. These discoveries include a relatively small ceramics inventory with features typical of the Mierzanowice culture groups from the eastern part of the Polish Carpathians. The most numerous in this collection are fragments of ceramics referring directly to the inventories known from the late-Mierzanowice-culture assemblages. This indicates the presence of zonal cord ornaments formed in a wavy line, with negatives of cord imprints inclined to the right, knobs with incisions, presence of the triangle-shaped stamp ornamentation, Besenstrichmuster-type roughening of the belly as well as pseudo-textile ornament. In the ceramics inventory from Spišský hrad, we can indicate pottery fragments, which can be linked with the older phases of the Mierzanowice culture development. This is proven by the presence of carpet cord ornamentation with the negatives of cord imprints inclined to the left and the zonal cord ornamentation inclined to the left as well. The analysis of the Spišský hrad inventory indicates that we can identify here the direct references to the Mierzanowoice culture assemblages from the San river valley, i.e. the eastern part of the Polish Carpathian zone as well as the area between the Raba and Vistula rivers, located further west.

In the material of the Mierzanowice culture from Spišský hrad, we do not find any references to the Pleszów group of the Mierzanowice culture, inhabiting the area north of Spiš, in the western part of the Polish Carpathians.

In 2001, approximately 30 bronze hoards were known in the Polish Carpathians. At least 30 more were discovered between 2001 and 2022. An overview of these assemblages sheds some light on the dynamics of changes in the region and its contacts with various areas of Central Europe. While connections with the Carpathian basin initially prevailed (BrABrD), in BrD-HaA artefacts with analogies in the Oder basin and local types (Sieniawa style) became noticeable as well. At the end of the Bronze Age (HaB3), finds suggesting connections with the steppe cultures appeared, and bronze artefacts with analogies in northern Poland dominated in the early Iron Age (HaC-HaD).

The TL and OSL ages obtained from two ancient kilns and gothic to baroque bricks in the SE of Poland, were compared to their presumed historical ages and discussed. The luminescence ages of ancient kilns were also matched with the results of archaeomagnetic dating. The OSL and archaeomagnetic data indicates that the ancient kilns were last used not later than ca. 280 AD. This age corresponds well to the lower limit of the postulated age of fragments of Roman type storage vessels found in the filling of kilns. The OSL data used alone can point even to the end of the phase B2 of Roman influence in Poland. The TL ages obtained from the kilns (5297 ± 256 BC, 7092 ± 423 BC) are significantly older. These bottom parts of kilns, from which samples were taken, most probably were heated to a relatively low temperature, insufficient to reset the TL signal. Most of TL ages obtained from gothic to baroque bricks do not correlate with their historical ages. Unknown and most probably varied brick moisture contents in sampled ground floor walls and cellars does not allow to precisely date these bricks using the TL signal.