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Lipnik site 5, from which a storage pit dated to the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 1400–1100) was studied, gave more than 70 plant taxa in the extraordinarily well-preserved charred assemblage. In the paper, a detailed description of selected plants is presented followed by environmental interpretation. Acorns (Quercus) dominated in volume and proso millet (Panicum miliaceum) in the number of specimens. The first large find of that late incomer north of the Carpathian Mountains is presented here. The pit users also used hulled wheat (einkorn, emmer, and spelt); barley; and probably peas. In the pit, a large number of grassland plants were noted accompanied by a very few remains of aquatic (Elatine) and forest herbaceous plants (Astrantia major). Weeds and ruderal plants were also present. The composition of plant remains is very unusual for this type of archeological feature, suggesting a mixed type of food strategy for its users, dominated by plant gathering and animal husbandry. The site is located in a newly settled ecotone zone, on the margin of fertile loess areas and mountain foothills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The archaeological site 3 in Miechów provided samples for anthracological, carpological, zooarchaeological and malacofaunal analysis in order to investigate the dynamics of local vegetation and to understand people-environment interactions. The main research tasks included the characterization of local forests, the determination of the landscape openness near the site and a verification of the presence of xerothermic vegetation in the Atlantic period. The majority of samples came from the Neolithic period, which in Miechów began in the second half of the VIth millennium BC with the appearance of the Linear Pottery Culture and continued with several occupation phases until the development of the Funnel Beaker and Baden cultures. Younger periods were represented by archaeological features dated to the Late Bronze Age, the Iron Age and the Middle Ages. Therefore, the recovered materials have been valuable sources of information about the local environment near human settlements developed during the second part of the Holocene. The anthracological study has revealed the dominance of open oak forests with Quercus , Pinus sylvestris and Betula during all occupational phases. The presence of feather grass Stipa sp., since the beginning of the settlement, has pointed toward the existence of patches of xerothermic steppe-like vegetation during the Holocene climatic optimum and in younger periods. Also, the molluscan assemblages have shown a dominance of taxa characteristic of open landscapes during the entire occupational sequence. The interdisciplinary results have indicated that due to specific local environmental conditions, the landscape in the vicinity of the settlement remained open in the second half of the Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined plant remains from the Smólsk 2/10 site, situated on the border of two different landscapes and preserving traces of Neolithic occupation from several cultures: Early Linear Pottery culture (LBK, ca 5300-5200 cal. BC to ca 5000 cal. BC). Stroke Band Pottery culture (SBP, ca 4700-4400 cal. BC), the Brześć Kujawski group of Lengyel culture (BKG, ca 4500-4000/3900 cal. BC), Funnel Beaker culture (TRB, ca 3950-3380 BC), and also some features of the Lusatian culture (Hallstatt C, ca 970-790 cal. BC). Mostly hulled wheat remains (Triticum monococcum, T. dicoccum) were found in the LBK, SBP, and BKG cultures; they were completely absent in younger cultures (TRB, Lusatian), where barley remains appeared. Among other plants the most numerous were remains of small-grain grasses (mostly cf. Hierochloë type), feather grass (Stipa sp.), wild buckwheat (Fallopia convolvulus), and goosefoot (Chenopodium album type), but the plant remains are relatively scarce. The archaeobotanical data obtained from the site supplement data from neighbouring Osłonki to the west and Wolica Nowa to the north-west. The differences between those microregions are reflected mostly in the earlier appearance of feather grass (Stipa sp.) in the Smólsk area as well as the higher quantity of crop chaff remains in the Osłonki area, but their random occurrence, along with the fragmentariness of the archaeological data, must be taken into account. However, intentional introduction of feather grass by the first Neolithic settlers in eastern Kuyavia cannot be excluded. The relatively high proportion of small-grain grasses, usually interpreted as traces of fodder, together with the scarcity of crop remains at the Wolica Nowa site, suggests that the site was connected more with animal husbandry than with agriculture. On the other hand, the small-grain grasses at Smólsk are represented mainly by a large number of non-weedy grass (cf. Hierochloë type) grains from the crop sample, which cannot be explained in a simple way. A comparison of the anthracological data from the Osłonki and Smólsk microregions reveals differences in woodland management and differences between the local environments. Pine wood was more accessible at Smólsk than at Osłonki, due to local landscape characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarises archaeobotanical studies of plant macroremains derived from medieval town deposits of Kraków, focusing on cultivated plants. Correspondence analysis was used in interpreting the botanical data and their archaeological context. Changes in cultivated plant composition were connected mainly with the chartering of the town under Magdeburg law in 1257, and are discussed in terms of their temporal relation to the chartering of Kraków and possible changes in the food preferences and wealth of the residents. Millet and wheat remains are rarer in specimens from after the establishment of the town; this seems connected mainly with the relocation of the mills outside the city walls. The number of cultivated plants generally increased in the late medieval samples, but hop and mallow were more frequent in the tribal period than later. Problems in the definition of cultivated plants are discussed. The probable escape of cultivated amaranth (Amaranthus lividus L. var. lividus) from gardens to ruderal communities is indicated in the samples. A comparison of archaeobotanical data from written sources shows the incompleteness of both types of source, including the clear underrepresentation of some cultivated plants in the archaeological deposits of the town (especially peas, Pisum sativum), a deficiency which should be considered in other archaeobotanical and palaeodietary studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palaeoecological and archaeological studies conducted in Mozgawa (southern Poland) demonstrated a long-term sustainable land-use by inhabitants of a large settlement occupied during the second half of the fourth millennium BC. The Middle Neolithic society established a settlement that covered an area of about 30–35 ha and functioned during at least three centuries, as validated by the absolute chronology. A thorough analysis based on the fuzzy-logic principle combined with archaeobotanical and archaeozoological data showed that the subsistence model was based on agricultural practices, related with both crop cultivation and animal husbandry, together with an important component of hunting, fishing and gathering. Ecological requirements of plants and animals represented by fossil remains suggested that the exploited area included a variety of habitats. In the open landscape, wet and dry grasslands, used partly as pastures, cultivated fields and marshes were present. Wooded areas included deciduous lime-oak-elm forests, also of open canopy type, and riparian forests. This was due to the transitional location of the Mozgawa site on a loess-mantled hill, covered with fertile soils, but right on the border with a vast alluvial plain of the Nida River. Such ecologically diversified micro-region became a managed landscape, which provided rich resources for seasonal diets of the settlement's inhabitants. The case study of the Mozgawa site offers a unique insight into the palaeoeconomy of the Funnel Beaker culture in central Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A large quantity of what appear to be processed fruits of Daucus carota L. were found in Rynek Główny (the main market square) in Kraków in a medieval organic layer dated to the 14th century AD. The fruits possess only slight traces of spiny secondary ridges, a characteristic feature of fruits used for sowing. Comparative measurements of the fruit dimensions also show them to be significantly different to other finds of D. carota in medieval Kraków. This therefore is perhaps the first archaeobotanical evidence indicating the cultivation of carrot in medieval Poland. Unprocessed carrot fruits, wild and cultivated forms being indistinguishable, are found in Europe from the Neolithic period onwards. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

When found on settlements of early European farmers, the dietary role of seeds of Chenopodium album (commonly called goosefoot or fat-hen) is difficult to assess. It is often hard to determine whether the small black seeds are modern or ancient. Rarely are they found in sufficient concentrations to warrant radiocarbon dating. Palaeobotanical sampling at the Neolithic site of Ludwinowo 7 in north-central Poland yielded abundant carbonized C. album seeds but only a modest quantity of domesticated cereals (einkorn wheat, Triticum monococcum, and the new type of glume wheat, NGW) and other cultivated plants (flax, Linum usitatissimum , and peas, cf. Pisum sativum). Samples of C. album seeds and carbonized wheat chaff from the same context produced consistent dates in the late 6th millennium B.C. The frequency of C. album type seeds at Ludwinowo suggests their presence was not incidental but intentional, contributing significantly to the diet of the inhabitants in multiple ways. We propose that wheat cultivation, although practiced, was not central to the subsistence economy of the inhabitants of Ludwinowo. • Chenopodium (fat-hen) was important in the subsistence economy of pioneer farmers of the North European Plain. • Cultivation of hulled wheats, flax, and pulses was known to the settlers. • Fat-hen seeds and wheat glume bases produced consistent dates in the late 6th millennium B.C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work on the catalogue of type specimens of vascular plants deposited in the KRAM herbarium has highlighted uncertainties and errors in references to place of valid publication of numerous taxa described by Hugo Zapałowicz in his Conspectus florae Galiciae criticus - Krytyczny przegląd roślinności Galicyi (1904- 1914). Zapałowicz published his work in an excerpt series, a serial publication and a multi-volume book, with much duplication amongst these three different forms. Despite the importance of this work, no studies have clarified the dates of publication of its various parts, as relevant to the nomenclature of numerous new taxa of Central European vascular plants described therein: 94 species and hybrids, 10 subspecies and more than 2000 other infraspecific taxa. Here, the publication dates of the component parts of Zapałowicz's work are clarified and discussed. Archival sources that made it possible to determine publication dates of these works are described in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollen analysis of sediments from three lakes and analysis of plant macroremains including charcoal from archaeological sites in the Mazurian Lake District provide new data for the reconstruction of vegetation changes related to human activity between the 1st and 13th century ad. At that time settlements of the Bogaczewo culture (from the turn of the 1st century ad to the first part of the 5th century ad), the Olsztyn Group (second part of the 5th century ad to the 7th or beginning of the 8th century ad), and the Prussian Galinditae tribes (8th/9th-13th century ad) developed. The most intensive woodland clearing occurred between the 1st and 6th/7th century ad. Presence of Cerealia-type, Secale cereale and Cannabis-type pollen, as well as macroremains of Hordeum vulgare, S. cereale, Triticum spelta, T. cf. monococcum, T. cf. dicoccum, Avena sp. and Panicum miliaceum documented local agriculture. High Betula representation synchronous with microcharcoal occurrence suggests shifting agriculture. After forest regeneration between c. ad 650 and 1100, the area was strongly deforested due to the early medieval occupation by Prussian tribes. The archaeobotanical examination of samples taken in a cemetery and a large settlement of the Roman Iron Age revealed strong differences in the taxonomic composition of the fossil plant remains. An absolute dominance of birch charcoal in the samples from the cemetery indicates its selective use for funeral pyre construction. There is a difference between cereals found in both contexts: numerous grains of Triticum have been found in the cemetery, while in the settlement crops were represented mostly by Secale and Hordeum. Grass tubers, belonging probably to Phleum pratense, are among the particularly interesting plant remains found in the cemetery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to define the first chrono-cultural framework on the domestication and early diffusion of the opium poppy using small-sized botanical remains from archaeological sites, opening the way to directly date minute short-lived botanical samples. We produced the initial set of radiocarbon dates directly from the opium poppy remains of eleven Neolithic sites (5900–3500 cal BCE) in the central and western Mediterranean, northwestern temperate Europe, and the western Alps. When possible, we also dated the macrobotanical remains originating from the same sediment sample. In total, 22 samples were taken into account, including 12 dates directly obtained from opium poppy remains. The radiocarbon chronology ranges from 5622 to 4050 cal BCE. The results show that opium poppy is present from at least the middle of the sixth millennium in the Mediterranean, where it possibly grew naturally and was cultivated by pioneer Neolithic communities. Its dispersal outside of its native area was early, being found west of the Rhine in 5300–5200 cal BCE. It was introduced to the western Alps around 5000–4800 cal BCE, becoming widespread from the second half of the fifth millennium. This research evidences different rhythms in the introduction of opium poppy in western Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During archaeological excavations of a medieval stronghold in Rozprza, a buried thick deposit of deep black (Dark Earth type) soil was discovered. A multianalytical (sedimentological, geochemical and archaeobotanical) study was carried out in order to identify traits the Rozprza Dark Earth. The analyses demonstrated that the soil was formed as an effect of surface accumulation of organic deposits from swampy areas and waste materials with rich admixtures of organic materials. The organic carbon content of the soil of the Rozprza Dark Earth was twice as high, and the total concentration of P was many times higher as compared with the adjacent soil outside the stronghold. Plant macroremains which were recorded within the buried soil and a cultural layer are evidence for human activity, mainly wood gathering and agriculture. In the Early Middle Ages, summer crops could be cultivated there with the use of tilling methods characteristic for root crops or gardens. The accumulation of the Rozprza Dark Earth commenced in the second half of the tenth century AD. In the period between the eleventh and thirteenth century, a ring-fort was established there. The deep black soil is partly covered by the ring-fort's rampart. The rampart was built with the use of re-deposited earlier cultural layers and sand of the subsoil. It was then clad with sod bricks. Such a construction of a medieval rampart has been recorded for the first time in the territory of Poland. A new interpretation of archaeological structures and cultural layers offers a basis for new conclusions concerning the chronology and the development stages of the medieval settlement and ring-fort in Rozprza. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant materials were frequently used as a temper as an important part of the process of making pottery. However, identification of the presence of tempering material and its taxonomic composition are still uncommon practices. This paper presents the results of a study of plant remains observed in pottery dated to the oldest Neolithic from south-eastern Poland, as a tool for detecting or confirming changes in the method of making the pottery. In previous studies, plant material was noticed sporadically in coarse ware and its identification was based on macroscopic plant morphology. On the other hand, remains of plants were not usually observed in the other finer ware types since their surfaces were frequently smoothed and decorated, while their sections were very thin. Therefore, in the present study, these groups of pottery have been studied in detail. A preliminary observation of surfaces and fresh sections of selected potsherds has shown that plant temper was neither evident nor abundant in them. However, with microscopy, small fragments of plant tissues and their imprints have been seen inside the clay. Their identification was not possible on the basis of plant morphology, but was carried out with the help of plant anatomy, especially by observing the microscopic features of plant epidermis. Previous archaeobotanical studies from the area indicated that the plants used as temper in coarse ware mostly included remnants of cereal chaff. Consequently, this paper will test this hypothesis in the case of the finer Neolithic ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During an archaeological investigation at Lutomiersk–Koziówki in central Poland, deposits indicative of an old rettery from the 16th–17th century AD were discovered. The artifacts found in the lacustrine deposits, together with historical sources and radiocarbon dates of organic matter, show that the pond at a local mill was present from ca. AD 1525 to at least AD 1620. The high content of Cannabis and Linum subfossil macro- and micro-remains in the sediment indicate that the pond was most probably used as a rettery for hemp and flax fibre production. Pollen analysis revealed strong deforestation of the local landscape at the beginning of the pond history. Despite high pollution caused by plant retting, species-rich chironomid, cladoceran and diatom communities occupied the pond. Our investigations reveal that the rettery was situated on the artificial channel of a local stream. High abundance of yellow flatsedge ( Cyperus flavescens ) fruit remains and coprophile beetle subfossils indicate that pond was also used as a watering place for cattle. Decline in the concentration of aquatic invertebrate subfossils, diatoms, aquatic and cultivated plant macrofossils, reveals rapid abandonment of the rettery in the mid-17th century AD. For some time after the basin was a telmatic ecosystem overgrown by sedges and bulrush. The basin was finally filled by a high-energy overbank deposition not later than in the beginning of 19th century AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manna grass (mainly but not exclusively G. fluitans) used to be widely gathered in most lowland areas of the present territory of Poland and western and southern Belarus. It had an important function as a component of tribute paid to local landowners by villagers, which led to the persistence of manna gathering even when this was not sustainable for peasants themselves. Manna grass was always an expensive food due to its time consuming gathering, but appreciated for its sweet taste and often served as dessert. In the nineteenth century marshes shrank significantly and the payment of tribute disappeared from the local economy, which gradually led to the total abandonment of Glyceria use around 1914. This article provides a detailed overview of Glyceria use as food within the borders of the former Polish-Lithuanian Kingdom (now Poland, Lithuania, western Belarus and western Ukraine) based on archaeobotanical, historical and ethnographic sources. The evidence for the continued use of manna since at least medieval times is abundant in historical accounts and ethnographic studies, but little has been reported in archaeobotanical findings due to the relatively small amounts of Glyceria consumed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]