Search

Site 4 in Stare Marzy was excavated as a part of the rescue archaeology project associated with “Bydgoszcz section” of the A1 highway. It is located in a region where Funnel Beaker culture is poorly recognised. Due to the stratigraphic and cultural- chronological complexity of the site, as well as the utilised methods of excavation, it was only possible to execute a study of pottery itself. The conducted technological and stylistical analysis of potsherds and to a lesser extent the morphological one, showed that the site represents the earliest stage of the Funnel Beaker culture presence on the eastern edge of Tuchola Forest. It verifies the hitherto theories concerning the processes of spatial development of this culture along the left bank of the Vistula River in a northerly direction starting from Kuyavia. The results allow pushing back the beginning of FBC presence in this area by a few centuries (from Kuyavia phase IIIB to IIB and from Chełmno phase IIIA to I); showing that in this region it is comparative in age to other regions of Polish Plain (except Kuyavia, where it was probably earlier). Also it confirms the hypothetical migration model of the Funnel Beaker people. It was also determined that the group (groups) of FBC settlers present in Stare Marzy probably originated from Kuyavia. It was established, that the analyzed material represents a larger number of settlement facts/stages (at least four). We are probably dealing with small settlements, one house in size. This suggests that the land occupation model in this region was the same as established for other parts of the Polish Plain in the early phases of the Funnel Beaker culture. Just as important is the identification of elements showing connections with north-east European Subneoliothic (ornaments with comb imprints, trace presence of shells temper). This means that the Stare Marzy villagers were quickly introduced to a local stream of information flow, best visibly on the right side of the Vistula River (Chełmno Land). Artykuł prezentuje możliwie wszechstronną analizę zabytków ceramicznych kultury pucharów lejkowatych, pozyskanych w trakcie ratowniczych prac wykopaliskowych na tzw. bydgoskim odcinku autostrady A-1. W efekcie określono charakter zasiedlenia (wielofazowość) i jego chronologię relatywną (kujawskie fazy IIB i IIIA). Ustalono też związki genetyczne z kulturą pucharów lejkowatych na Kujawach oraz z subneolitem północno -wschodnioeuropejskim – zapewne za pośrednictwem grup tej kultury z ziemi chełmińskiej. Wskazano również na znaczenie prezentowanych materiałów dla rozumienia początków kultury pucharów lejkowatych na terenie Borów Tucholskich i szerzej, w strefie Niżu Środkowoeuropejskiego.

Artificial illumination is a fundamental human need. Burning wood and other materials usually in hearths and fireplaces extended daylight hours, whilst the use of flammable substances in torches offered light on the move. It is increasingly understood that pottery played a role in light production. In this study, we focus on ceramic oval bowls, made and used primarily by hunter-gatherer-fishers of the circum-Baltic over a c. 2000 year period beginning in the mid-6th millennium cal bc. Oval bowls commonly occur alongside larger (cooking) vessels. Their function as ‘oil lamps’ for illumination has been proposed on many occasions but only limited direct evidence has been secured to test this functional association. This study presents the results of molecular and isotopic analysis of preserved organic residues obtained from 115 oval bowls from 25 archaeological sites representing a wide range of environmental settings. Our findings confirm that the oval bowls of the circum-Baltic were used primarily for burning fats and oils, predominantly for the purposes of illumination. The fats derive from the tissues of marine, freshwater, and terrestrial organisms. Bulk isotope data of charred surface deposits show a consistently different pattern of use when oval bowls are compared to other pottery vessels within the same assemblage. It is suggested that hunter-gatherer-fishers around the 55th parallel commonly deployed material culture for artificial light production but the evidence is restricted to times and places where more durable technologies were employed, including the circum-Baltic.