Volume LIX

2024

Publication date: 12.2024

Licence: CC BY

Editorial team

Secretary Magda Kowal, Anna Kraszewska

Editor-in-Chief Paweł Valde-Nowak

Issue content

Mountain Archaeology Conference in the current issue of AAC

Paweł Valde-Nowak

Acta Archaeologica Carpathica, Volume LIX, 2024, pp. 7-10

https://doi.org/10.4467/00015229AAC.24.001.21114

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Archaeological research of three caves in the Tatra Mountains in 2019-2023

Paweł Valde-Nowak, Katarzyna Kerneder-Gubała, Magda Kowal, Julia Kościuk-Załupka, Anna Kraszewska, Kamil Makuła, Jakub Skłucki

Acta Archaeologica Carpathica, Volume LIX, 2024, pp. 11-40

https://doi.org/10.4467/00015229AAC.24.002.21115

This publication discusses the results of the project, which explains the mysterious lack of any traces of the Palaeolithic in the Tatra Mountains. Research undertaken in recent years in three caves – Obłazkowa and Dziura in the Polish Tatra and Hučivá diera Cave in the Slovak Tatras – have shown the destruction of sediments in Polish caves. Only in the Slovak cave was it possible to discover and partially examine a camp of the Late Paleolithic people. This discovery leads to the conclusion that during the Bölling warming of the Pleistocene, hunters operated in this cave, hunting goats and processed carcasses of hunted animals on site.

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Siliceous rocks of the Polish part of the Tatra Mountains. Potential source of raw materials for the Stone Age communities. Preliminary report

Katarzyna Kerneder-Gubała

Acta Archaeologica Carpathica, Volume LIX, 2024, pp. 41-66

https://doi.org/10.4467/00015229AAC.24.003.21116

The Tatra Mountains are located both in Southern Poland and Slovakia and are the highest range of the Carpathian Mountains. In this area, the primary and secondary outcrops of the siliceous rocks are present. The aim of the article is to list and describe the primary outcrops of siliceous rocks occurring in the Polish part of the Tatra Mountains. The article will also present the first conclusions resulting from preliminary field observations.

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Mountainous cultural crossroads: voyages for ochre quarrying

Julia Kościuk-Załupka

Acta Archaeologica Carpathica, Volume LIX, 2024, pp. 67-82

https://doi.org/10.4467/00015229AAC.24.004.21117

Recent decades have presented increased interest in provenance studies. However, such research in the sphere of mineral pigments are rare in archaeological dispute. The main aim of this paper is to portray the state of knowledge on that issue, followed by a presentation of ochre outcrops in the Carpathian Basin. The discussion is additionally illustrated by examples of 10 archaeological sites with described ochre traces from the Early Neolithic period. Moreover, two models of ochre acquisition were proposed: the first one assuming direct quarrying and the second one including potential intra-group contacts. For that reason, two roughly set areas of interest, within 50 and 150 kilometers in diameter were proposed. Those hypothetical circles would contribute to the understanding of general mobility patterns of the discussed communities.

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Looking closer: the eastern gate of the Early Bronze Age fortifications on Zyndram’s Hill and its relation to ritual practices

Marcin S. Przybyła, Jan Ledwoń, Magdalena Makiel, Aleksandra Wójcik

Acta Archaeologica Carpathica, Volume LIX, 2024, pp. 83-128

https://doi.org/10.4467/00015229AAC.24.005.21118

In the oldest phase of the Early Bronze Age settlement on Zyndram’s Hill in Maszkowice (Western Carpathians), the hilltop plateau was partially surrounded by massive stone fortifications which were extensively excavated between 2015 and 2020. In our paper, we shall focus on the unusual element of this fortification system, described as the “eastern gate”. This passage functioned only in the oldest phase of the Early Bronze Age settlement (ca. 1725-1690 BC) and was later filled in and partially destroyed – a change that could have been of a violent nature. Various features of this structure suggest that its function was not purely utilitarian, instead being to some extent related to ritual practices. We shall try to justify this assumption based on various categories of evidence: the layouts of the entire defensive system of the settlement on Zyndram’s Hill and of similar fortifications in the Balkans, the landscape and astronomical context, the symbolism of some of the elements used in the gate (stone stelae) and the artefacts discovered in it (anthropomorphic figurines), and finally, the results of archaeological-botanical and microstratigraphic analysis of sediments.

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Where styles collide: the Western Carpathians in the Early Iron Age in the light of pottery analysis

Joanna A. Markiewicz

Acta Archaeologica Carpathica, Volume LIX, 2024, pp. 129-158

https://doi.org/10.4467/00015229AAC.24.006.21119

In the Early Iron Age, the Western Carpathians constituted a contact zone of various cultural traditions, which contributed to the complex, syncretic stylistic character of this region. At the same time, due to the scarcity of archaeological data, consisting mostly of relatively poor pottery assemblages from settlements, these mountainous areas escape unambiguous cultural classifications. Leaving aside the problems of taxonomy, this paper is an attempt to define the past processes that resulted in the observed diversity. Analyses were performed based on the most numerous sources available, which are ceramic vessels. Instead of being assigned to specific cultural units, individual pottery assemblages from the Western Carpathians were described in terms of stylistic diversity. This approach made it possible to analyse the available sources using quantitative methods, e.g. network analysis. The obtained results were treated as the starting point for a broader discussion on the processes of cultural development in prehistory. The problem of the possibility of reconstructing past social relations based on the pottery was addressed. Furthermore, a detailed study of three Western Carpathian regions provided a framework for considering the branching and blending models of cultural development in the context of local geographical conditions. It was demonstrated that very different processes may occur in neighbouring regions at the same time, resulting in various patterns of pottery styles distribution.

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Reconstruction of ancient craftsmanship techniques during the Xiongnu-Xianbei period, based on the analysis of bone tools found at the Chultukov Log-9 site in Altai

Krzysztof Michalczewski, Łukasz Oleszczak, Konrad Lewek

Acta Archaeologica Carpathica, Volume LIX, 2024, pp. 159-190

https://doi.org/10.4467/00015229AAC.24.007.21120

The paper presents the results of research on bone artifacts from the Maima culture settlement of Chultukov Log-9. The site is dated to the Xiongnu-Xianbei period, specifically from the 3rd to the first half of the 6th century AD; its estimated area is around 5,000 square meters. The research involved the examination of 42 objects and the collection of 7,540 movable artifacts, of which approximately 4800 were made of bone. The site also revealed evidence of an advanced bone craft industry, evident not only in numerous bone and antler objects but also in the substantial accumulation of semi-finished products, waste materials, and tools used by craftsmen. Some of them were thoroughly examined in the presented paper, both based on literature, including ethnographic analogies, and through experimental replication of artifacts and their use. As a result, information was obtained regarding the possible applications of such tools as the U-shaped tools made from pelvis bones, spindle whorl, the tool made from deer scapula and the object made from the horse navicular bone. Bone tools continued to dominate in many crafts in southern Siberia during the late Iron Age (Xiongnu-Xianbei period). Experimental studies clearly demonstrate the validity of adhering to such traditions. Horse bones played a significant role as they provided material for tools used in various branches of traditional craftsmanship.

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Ein jungkaiserzeitlicher Goldanhänger aus Ražňany, Ostslowakei

Karol Pieta, Marián Soják

Acta Archaeologica Carpathica, Volume LIX, 2024, pp. 191-196

https://doi.org/10.4467/00015229AAC.24.008.21121

The golden pendant was accidentally found in the northern part of a large settlement area from the 3rd-4th century in the basin of the river Torysa, eastern Slovakia. It belongs to the group of Late Roman lunula/pretzel-shaped pendants decorated with granulation and filigree. The importance of this site is underlined by the fact that in the past a wellknown princely grave (Ostrovany, formerly Ostropataka) was found nearby. Fragments of Roman-type roofing tiles are also found in the vicinity of the site.

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The battle of Nedao. A new hypothesis

Tomislav Zaja

Acta Archaeologica Carpathica, Volume LIX, 2024, pp. 197-204

https://doi.org/10.4467/00015229AAC.24.009.21122

One of the most famous battles of antiquity, the Battle of Nedao (circa 454), pitted the Huns and their loyal vassals against a coalition of rebellious vassals. The battle’s location to this day is unknown, since its eponymous marker (the Nedao River) remains unidentified. While various hypotheses have proposed locations that are typically in the western half of the Carpathian Basin, this study argues that the battle took place on the southeastern fringe of the basin. By corroborating local toponymy and topography with the Norse Saga of Hervör and Heidrek (while deprioritising the account of Jordanes) – the present study argues that the battle took place between the left bank of the Danube and the right bank of the Nera River (modern Serbia).

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Mountains, Shrines, and Rock Art: Landscape in Ancestral Pueblo culture from the Colorado Plateau, North American Southwest

Radosław Palonka, Kathleen M. O’Meara, Katarzyna M. Ciomek, Zi Xu, Brianna Gooch, Claire Moriarty, Bartosz Foryś

Acta Archaeologica Carpathica, Volume LIX, 2024, pp. 205-240

https://doi.org/10.4467/00015229AAC.24.010.21123

Since 2011, the Sand Canyon–Castle Rock Community Archaeological Project has been conducted in several canyons of the central Mesa Verde region, southwestern Colorado in the North American Southwest. One of the project’s aims is to reconstruct the relationships between Ancestral Pueblo culture settlements and rock art vs. environment and surrounding landscape. All these elements were related to the beliefs and rituals of Pueblo societies in the thirteenth century A.D. Although contemporary Pueblo people live a few hundred kilometres south and southeast of the Mesa Verde region, many of these sites still have a special meaning to them and are mentioned in Puebloan oral traditions, histories, and myths. In the Southwest, other sacred places, including shrines, lakes, and mountains are significant for various Indigenous groups: Apache, Navajo, Ute, and others. They are part of cultures that still exist and for whom many landscape features are essential for their ritual life and perception of the world. Nowadays, a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between human settlements, rock art, and the landscape is possible with the use of digital documentation and spatial analyses including various methods of digital photography, 3D laser scanning, Geographic Information Systems, and subsequent reconstruction and visualisation.

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A kind of magic: a vessel with a unique swastika motif from Jelenia Góra (SW Poland) and early medieval Slavic magical rites

Ewa Lisowska

Acta Archaeologica Carpathica, Volume LIX, 2024, pp. 241-256

https://doi.org/10.4467/00015229AAC.24.011.21124

The paper discusses a unique find: an early medieval vessel with an incised swastika motif deposited as a foundation offering under a house in Jelenia Góra-Grabary (SE Poland, Sudety Mountains). Swastikas on vessel bodies were uncommon in the Early Middle Ages, although throughout the centuries this symbol has been regarded as magical and associated with the solar cult.

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An iron axe head from historical times discovered in Jaroszowice (Wadowice district)

Joanna Chowaniak, Michał Wojenka

Acta Archaeologica Carpathica, Volume LIX, 2024, pp. 257-268

https://doi.org/10.4467/00015229AAC.24.012.21125

In the 1970s, an iron axe head was discovered on the banks of the Skawa River in Jaroszowice (Wadowice district). This richly decorated find wa s brought years later by the finder’s son to the Sucha Beskidzka Municipal Museum. According to M. Głosek’s typology, the find can be classified as type VIII and dated in a broad time frame of the late medieval and the early post-medieval period.

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The problem of the lack of archaeological findings, based on the example of Šibeničná hora hill in Stará Ľubovňa. An example of lost potential heritage

Maciej Wawrzczak, Zuzana Kasenčáková

Acta Archaeologica Carpathica, Volume LIX, 2024, pp. 269-280

https://doi.org/10.4467/00015229AAC.24.013.21126

Stará Ľubovňa is a place that was settled in the medieval period. This town has archaeological sites that date back to prehistory and archaeological findings provide an opportunity to implement pre-investment rescue fieldwork. However, when locations in the given area are not identified, unlimited construction work can take place. A place called Šibeničná hora can be a good example. Nevertheless, it seems that evidence of earlier “exploitation” of the hill could exist here. This short text examines problem of archaeological inference and potential destruction of archaeological sites as a result of construction works.

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Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Archaeology of the Mountains: research, methods, analysis

Sylwia Buławka, Katarzyna Kerneder-Gubała, Paweł Kocańda, Anna Kraszewska, Jakub Skłucki

Acta Archaeologica Carpathica, Volume LIX, 2024, pp. 281-290

https://doi.org/10.4467/00015229AAC.24.014.21127

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Professor Krzysztof Sobczyk has passed away

Paweł Valde-Nowak

Acta Archaeologica Carpathica, Volume LIX, 2024, pp. 293-296

https://doi.org/10.4467/00015229AAC.24.015.21128

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