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INSTYTUT ARCHEOLOGII I ETNOLOGII POLSKIEJ AKADEMII NAUK
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INSTYTUT BADAŃ LITERACKICH POLSKIEJ AKADEMII NAUK
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INSTYTUT BADAWCZY LEŚNICTWA
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INSTYTUT BIOLOGII DOŚWIADCZALNEJ IM. MARCELEGO NENCKIEGO POLSKIEJ AKADEMII NAUK
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INSTYTUT BIOLOGII SSAKÓW POLSKIEJ AKADEMII NAUK
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INSTYTUT CHEMII FIZYCZNEJ PAN
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INSTYTUT CHEMII ORGANICZNEJ PAN
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INSTYTUT FILOZOFII I SOCJOLOGII PAN
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INSTYTUT GEOGRAFII I PRZESTRZENNEGO ZAGOSPODAROWANIA PAN
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INSTYTUT HISTORII im. TADEUSZA MANTEUFFLA POLSKIEJ AKADEMII NAUK
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INSTYTUT JĘZYKA POLSKIEGO POLSKIEJ AKADEMII NAUK
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INSTYTUT MATEMATYCZNY PAN
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INSTYTUT MEDYCYNY DOŚWIADCZALNEJ I KLINICZNEJ IM.MIROSŁAWA MOSSAKOWSKIEGO POLSKIEJ AKADEMII NAUK
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INSTYTUT PODSTAWOWYCH PROBLEMÓW TECHNIKI PAN
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INSTYTUT SLAWISTYKI PAN
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SIEĆ BADAWCZA ŁUKASIEWICZ - INSTYTUT TECHNOLOGII MATERIAŁÓW ELEKTRONICZNYCH
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MUZEUM I INSTYTUT ZOOLOGII POLSKIEJ AKADEMII NAUK
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INSTYTUT BADAŃ SYSTEMOWYCH PAN
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INSTYTUT BOTANIKI IM. WŁADYSŁAWA SZAFERA POLSKIEJ AKADEMII NAUK
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- 1. Analysing how “success” was achieved. The principal investigator and his team assumed that the strategies involved in migrants achieving success are dependent on: the time of migration, push & pull factors, cultural and social capital and contact networks (in the country of origin and in the host country). Another assumption is that success is more often achieved in isolation from the Polish community, in so-called scattered communities. The category of success is presented not only in terms of economic success, but first of all in social and cultural contexts, recognizing the success of those who perceive themselves as successful people and those who are regarded as such.
- The 1935 Basilica that overlooks the seacoast in Chersonesos Taurica is one of the best-known of the eight large Late Antique churches excavated at the site. The structure is a three-aisle basilica with an east- oriented apse, typical of the Christian East, and its architecture bears testimony to two clearly distinguished phases dated to the 5th and 6th cent. The earlier basilica was abutted from the south by a room that is traditionally interpreted as a Jewish synagogue, based on supposed Hebrew graffiti on fragments of fallen plaster and a relief representation of a menorah on a stone block re-used in the apse of the later basilica. However, the interpretation that assumes conversion of a Jewish place of worship into a Christian basilica is unconvincing in the light of cases better supported by archaeological evidence. Churches erected in Late An¬tiquity in place of earlier synagogues were found in Stobi in Macedonia, Apamea and Palmyra in Syria, and Gerasa (modern-day Jordan). In these cities, the synagogues occupied an important place in the urban land¬scape; their identification is supported by inscriptions, the wealth of architectural detail is significant, and niches for the Torah are always oriented towards Jerusalem. All of these synagogues were torn down or com¬pletely transformed in order to build Christian churches in their place. This cannot be said of the 1935 Basilica in Chersonesos Taurica. On the other hand, the mere four examples from known Late Antique sites is a modest number that contrasts with textual evidence describing brutal methods of „Christianising" synagogues. The number of synagogues converted to churches is also small compared to the number of known synagogues that were not destroyed in this manner
- 2. Identifying factors that contribute to achieving success outside the home country. Researchers assume that the most important of these are: professional, material and family stabilization, and their relationship with the processes of adaptation and integration in the country of settlement.
- 3. Identifying the transnational context of ‘the migrants of success’ in relation to their cultural competence acquired abroad. We believe that many Poles achieve success thanks to being able to function smoothly in two (or more) societies. The intercultural context reinforces the sense of accomplishment and, successful adaptation strategies affect the development of a transnational lifestyle.The final result of this 3-year project will be presented in publications, describing the most significant findings compared to the general migration processes taking place in Europe
- The 60th anniversary of Etnografia Polska is a good occasion to look at the origins of the journal and to reflect on the continuity of the approaches applied by its founders and the introduced changes. These concern, first of all, the problems raised by the authors publishing in the journal, in expanding the areas of research, in the terminology applied, in cooperation with other disciplines of human sciences, as well as the connections with various approaches in ethnology and cultural anthropology and innovation of research suggested by particular authors.The texts published in the recent decade have been analysed in a detailed way. Their subjects include: ethnic problems, intercultural contact, systemic transformation and changes connected with globalization, the functioning of information society, the anthropology of politics, migrations, urban anthropology, medicine, media, dialogue (between cultures, religious groups and in politics), the anthropology of business and management and the connections between human sciences and economy. Other subjects concerned the cultural phenomenon of memory and forgetting as well as the history of the discipline. According to the author all those subjects will be developed in the near future. The subjects that will be studied more intensely than hitherto will concern security in the broad sense of the word. More attention will be dedicated to growing numbers of various groups of migrants.Ethnologists/anthropologists will also conduct research into privileged groups, organizations and groups with strong social position. Another field of reflection whose development we should expect is, according to the author, autoethnography/autoanthropology. It is connected with ethical problems, deep reflection of the phenomena studied and with the experience of the study
- A birch bark box was unearthed in 1958 in the Lõhavere hillfort (Estonia). The main aim of the paper is to get closer to the initial owner of the box. The relatively well-preserved box contained jewellery, textile remains, and objects related to craft (e.g. textile tools, yarns). Special attention in the article is paid to the finds indicating production of spiral tube decorations, which were used to adorn clothing items. The authors argue that the owner was a more or less professional craftsperson living in the hillfort. Archaeologists tend to divide craft activities according to the raw materials, but the box content shows how in reality various skills, raw materials, and knowledge were needed in combination. It seems that the owner was mainly occupied with making narrow wares and clothing adornments. Possibly the owner was female, which stresses the role of female actors in the sphere of professional craft
- A cemetery of more than 100 barrows is located at Świelubie, near the 9th c. stronghold of Bardy lying south of Kołobrzeg in Western Pomerania. In six of the 36 graves that were explored, containing both male and female burials, the grave goods consisted of typically Scandinavian objects. For a long time the discovery posed a problem that was also political in its nature. Author revisits the Scandinavian finds from Świelubie and discusses their cultural attribution and chronology. A close study of the artifacts identified the burials as of Swedes with ties to the trade emporium of Birka on Mälaren lake in central Sweden; the dating of the finds points to the 2nd half of the 9th c.
- A city is a product of not only urban planners and architects, but also of politicians, writers and members of various groups who treat it as theirs. The struggle over memory is visible in many places. However, I claim that various „symbolic wars” are especially visible in the case of the post-socialist urban revival. The city of Skopje is a case in point. Nowadays, Skopje can be perceived as a symbolic battlefield through which diverse exclusive and inclusive myths are created and negotiated. The aim of the „Skopje 2014” project analyzed in this article is to restructure the city center of Skopje in style of the Antiquity by renovating facades, raising new buildings and establishing a number of new monuments. I claim that, through various meanings of nostalgia, this project conceals the nationalizing policy of the Macedonian government on the one hand, and the search for a new urban identity and its connection with the European heritage on the other hand
- A considerable increase in sources concerning a cultural phenomenon referred to as the so-called dog burials in settlements of Przeworsk and Wielbark culture allows for a revision of the interpretations of this phenomenon that are present in existing literature. During the research of the last three decades, 48 archaeological sites, previously unknown to researchers of this problem, were discovered, containing the remains of 124 dogs. In addition to the so-called dog burial under the floors of houses, under fire pit stones, in pottery kilns and bloomeries or in wells, the remains are also disposed in garbage pits. Such a collection of sources allows not only to verify some assumptions of previous researchers of the so-called dog burials, but it also provides a possibility to raise new questions concerning purely utilitarian significance of these animals for members of cultures living in Central European Barbaricum
- A crucial factor for the successful establishment of Buddhism among Tibetan and Himalayan societies from the 10th century onwards was the integration of pre-Buddhist local myths into the art and architecture of the new doctrine. Depictions of territorial spiritual forces were incorporated into the Buddhist theological and iconographic systems, while lhathos, archaic chairns that were considered as seats of local guardians, became part of the specific architecture in the whole Himalayan landscape. The following article presents a few case-studies to describe the beginning of this phenomenon and discuss further developments. The specific interest is on the physical transfer of lhathos into orthodox Buddhist temples and their installation in eminent positions inside assembly halls or even inside main niches of a sanctum
- A crusade against ethnic stereotypes is one of the manifestations of the principle of political correctness now obligatory in Europe. They are considered to be the source of xenophobia and racism, and a hindrance to the construction of common Europe and the development of European post-national awareness. According to the author, lack of familiarity with ethnic stereotypes would seriously impede understanding many phenomena, for instance the nature of the relationships between various ethnic/national groups; this includes tensions in Polish/Russian relations. The article presents most crucial elements of the stereotypical image of Russians in the eyes of Poles and vice-versa. It also discusses initiatives to further the Polish/Russian dialogue (especially those undertaken by the Centre for Polish-Russian Dialogue and Understanding). Among others, those initiatives are meant to alter negative stereotypes which still divide Poles and Russians and hinder dialogue between the two nations. Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church active in Poland and the Russian Orthodox Church is also supposed to contribute to changes in those stereotypes. The author considers the effects of actions undertaken by institutions whose aim is to further the Polish/Russian dialogue, their influence on the relations between Poland and Russia, and the possibility of changing negative stereotypes. She also describes various attitudes which anthropologists may assume with reference to the inter-ethnic dialogue
- A fragment of a 13th–14th century painted mosque lamp was identified in the collection of archaeological glass from Ostrów Tumski in Wrocław, held by the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Research Centre on Late Antique Culture and the Early Middle Ages). An analysis of glass chemical composition as well as the decoration of this fragment showed that it was made of sodic-calcic-silica glass, and that part of the ornament covering it was finished with gold. A comparative study indicated that the artifact had been made in the Middle East, most likely in a glass workshop in Syria or Egypt. Another example of this type of Islamic glass was discovered in Poland during the excavation in the 1930s of Ostrówek in Opole. Large fragments of a painted glass bowl were found there and identified as a mosque lamp. Since then the object has been lost. The fragments of glass mosque lamps from Wrocław–Ostrów Tumski and Opole–Ostrówek will be discussed here in the context of basic raw material studies and chemical composition analyses
- A fragment of the upper part of a beaker of transparent olive-green glass decorated with a series of non-transparent red-brown glass trails was discovered in a 4th/5th c. assemblage at the Byzantine fortress in Odărci (northeastern Bulgaria). The space between the two sets of trails is filled with two rows of letters in the Greek alphabet, which were painted with a color that is now white. The body of the vessel and the ornament were both made of glass of the Na2O CaO Al2O3 ·SiO2 chemical type. The body (matrix) glass was colored with oxides of iron (Fe2O3) and titanium (TiO2), that of the ornament with oxides of iron (Fe2O3), manganese (MnO) and copper (CuO). The results of a comparative analysis of sum totals and ratios of main glass-forming components and the quantitative content of different components in the glass of vessel from Odărci, compared to objects from other regions, appear to indicate that the glass of beaker was melted in a center somewhere in southern Europe or in Mediterranean center (in the late Roman or early Byzantine period)
- A fragmented human cranial calotte was discovered in a Bandkeramik (LBK) settlement context at Rovantsi in Volhynia (UA). The female calvarium of a mature woman with an age of about 45-50 years was uncovered in the deepest part of a settlement pit. It can be dated to round about 5,250 BC. PCR-based molecular genetic analyses were successfully performed on these extremely rare skeletal remains from the Early Neolithic of Ukraine. The female family line can be assigned to haplogroup T2, in which it represents the lineage T2c1d+152. The woman was lactose intolerant, like most LBK individuals. Her hair colour was brown, and her eye colour was found to be hazel
- A good fit of clothing to the body mainly depended on the perfect cut. Another way to fit clothes to the body shape was to use lacing. In the Middle Ages, women’s gowns could be fitted with laced slits at the sides or in front of the dress. In men’s medieval attire, lacing mainly concerned the fastening of doublets and it was always placed at the front. Strings had one more special task – they supported a pair of hose tied to the doublet. In the course of time, the laces became more visible, gradually gaining a decorative function. An interesting collection of laces from archaeological excavations is stored in the Museum of Archaeology and History in Elbląg. The earliest lace is dated back to the 13th century, and another medieval find in this collection is a metal lace chape. Other artefacts are silk laces dated to the 16th, 17th and 17-18th centuries. The Elbląg collection documents the development of this part of clothing. It certainly constitutes an important part of a relatively small assemblage of surviving European fashion accessories of this type
- A grave of an individual of the Maglemosian Culture, discovered in 2013 during the excavation of the Bolków site in Western Pomerania, is discussed in this article. The grave was dug into geological strata dated by the radiocarbon method and palynological analysis to the beginning of the Boreal period. Culturally and chronologically, the grave is associated with a vast Mesolithic campsite located in the vicinity. It is analyzed in terms of its burial form, and the religious beliefs and funerary rituals practiced by the members of this community, including a broadly understood cultural tradition. The feature was also compared with similar finds of Mesolithic date from other territories
- A Holocene peat bog was excavated during archaeological research of site 17 in Podłęże near Kraków. It was located at the bottom of the valley of the Podłężanka river, a Fore-Carpathian tributary of the Vistula river, with a multiphase prehistoric settlement nearby. Radiocarbon dating of the peat bog deposits was accompanied by analysis of the archaeological remains and pollen analysis. A well, dated dendrochronologically to after 613 BC, allowed the dating of the peat bog to be more precise. Palaeoclimatic data from around Europe indicates that after the episode of sharp cooling and wetting of climate at the beginning of the Subatlantic period (c. 850–650 BC), the climate became warmer and drier (c. 650–450 BC). The well dug into the peat bog may indicate a temporary lowering of the groundwater level due to improved climate conditions. Therefore, the case may contribute – just like the discoveries from the shores of the Kunickie and Koskowickie Lakes in Silesia and from the Elbe valley in Dresden – to the hypothesis of a warmer climatic event during the early Subatlantic period
- A large number of animal bones, mainly dogs' remains, were identified among features at the settlement in Polwica 4, 5/ Skrzypnik 8. It was established that they were deposited in various ways. The bones were recognized as remains of sacrifices. They has been often discovered in wells, which suggests the existence of a repeated ritual of filling in the wells. An attempt was made to describe these finds structurally
- A palstave of the Nordic type was handed over to the District Museum in Piła in 2003. No axes of this type have ever been found in Poland. The state of preservation of the artifact, reveal-ing extensive damages, could be related to the scrap yard where it appeared. The sloppy execution of the ornament could be an indication that the artifact is in fact a modern replica. Traseological examination and elemental composition analysis (XRF) revealed production imperfections and an atypical chemical composition of the casting alloy not encountered in the Bronze Age. The results lead to the conclusion that the artifact is indeed a replica of an axe typically found in the territories of Denmark and Sweden. The findings add to the discussion on the presence of replicas of archaeological finds in museum collections. <br>
- A piece of glass vessel found in a Byzantine fort at Odărci in Bulgaria bears an inscription in two lines. A few letters have been preserved and the following were identified on the grounds of shape analysis: … CAI … in the first line and … ΛINE … in the second line.Considering the presumed cup function of the vessel, the letters from the first line should be recognized as belonging to a very popular late antique convivial formula frequent on glass vessels: [… ΠΙΕ ΖΗ]CΑI[C]. The preserved letters from the lower line represent the end of a personal name, presumably that of the beaker owner. In keeping with the practice of the times, the name was written in the vocative. Similar inscriptions on glass vessels find many parallels in late antiquity. The shape of the letters, especially the characteristic alpha and lambda, points to a date for the painting on the cup sometime between the 4th and the 7th century. The proper spelling of the first word in the inscription argues in favor of the vessel originating from the Byzantine East
- A Polish historian of glass Jerzy Olczak, who worked in Poznan for many years, brought together a group of enthusiasts interested in this subject. In 1981, he founded the Group for the Study of the History of Glass in Greater Poland (Zespół do Badań Dziejów Szkła w Wielkopolsce) to carry out field research for verifying glassworks sites in the region. Under a different name, this group operates to this day
- A Polish-Ukrainian project researching Pleistocene environments and the stratigraphy ofPalaeolithic sites in the peri- and meta-Carpathian zone of Poland and Ukraine has been undertaken since 2010. The Palaeolithic sites in the eastern part of this area are associated with palaeosols within loess profiles, whilst those in the western part are mostly in caves and rock shelters (Fig. 1). Rich geological material shows both similarities and differences between loess and cave sites, and between the Polish and Ukrainian sites. These differences result from the diverse paleogeographical and geological situations of the sites as well as differences in the investigative methodologies used. Environmental studies at these two types of site used different but, as they concern similar periods, complementary methods (Table 1). Fig. 2 presents the very generalized results of the environmental research at the most important of these Palaeolithic loess and cave sites − and its interpretation. These data are compared with currently defined Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) and chronostratigraphy. The picture of environmental changes shows the state of knowledge at the beginning of the “Oecumene” project
- A reconstruction of the palaeoenvironmental conditions at Dudka, an island of the early and middle Holocene in the former Great Masurian Lake, is presented in relation to the history of human settlement. The paper explores all changes, even very weak, in order to interpret the interaction between man and the environment during the Mesolithic and aspects of geomorphology, hydrology, climate, vegetation and fauna through time are discussed. For many generations prehistoric people came to camp on Dudka island, that was included in their annual round for its resources of fish, tortoise, birds and edible plants; these were exploited on a seasonal basis, during discrete periods from early spring to early autumn
- A rich set artefacts made of copper comes from the cemetery of the Jordanów culture discovered at the site No. 10/11/12 in Domasław, Kobierzyce commune. This article presents the results of metallographic research of selected artefacts, which were the grave goods from two male graves No. 12862 and No. 13131. All the analyzed artefacts were made of a raw material containing very large amounts of copper and trace amounts of other elements. The observed differences in the content of arsenic, antimony and bismuth may indicate the use of various sources of raw material or can be related to the copper production process
- A scale of recently made rescue excavations enabled large areas to be uncovered and thus developed our understanding of the functional and spatial organisation of settlements, previously studied to a small degre ecompared to cemeteries. Among recently excavated sites, including the discussed settlement, fenced structures have prompted great interest owing to their unique spatial organization. The focus of this paper is on the interpretation of the site when compared with other settlements containing similar spatial structures discovered in SW Poland
- A series of new radiocarbon dates from Neolithic Malice Culture (MC) sites in Lesser Poland allow for making significant corrections in the absolute chronology of this culture. Bayesian modelling of a series of MC dates made it possible also to specify the absolute chronology of individual phases of the development of this culture. The early classic phase (MC1a) is around 4800-4700 BC, the classic phase (MC1b) between 4700 and 4450 BC, and the late phase (MC2) between 4450 and 4200 BC. In addition, the review of the definitions of the MC phases and their new absolute chronology allow for the synchronization of their development with the cultural units in the Tisza basin. Phase MC1b developed parallel to phase III of the Herpály culture, phase MC1c to Proto-Tiszapolgár (layer 5 on the Herpály tell), and phase MC2 with the Tiszapolgár culture. <br>
- A study of the chipped and ground stone tools from the Neolithic levels of Arene Candide was conducted by the authors. The chipped stone tools were examined for technological and typological information by Starnini and for microwear traces by Voytek. The ground stone tools were also studied in terms of manufacturing techniques and function by both authors. All materials were examined as to potential source of raw materials. The paper outlines the main findings of the study, including the differences among the assemblages associated with three archaeological cultures, the Early Neolithic Impressed Ware Culture, the Middle Neolithic Square Mouth Pottery Culture, and the Late Neolithic Chassey Culture
- A unique lead seal-matrix with majuscule legend: LUCIANI PRESBITERI belonging to a priest was found by the Romanesque castle church in Giebło. The name of its owner is mentioned in written sources from the years 1325–1327 as plebanus ecclesie de Kebel. As PRESBITER he probably didn’t enjoy all privileges that the collator usually bestows on a parish priest on his property. Possibly for that reason he had his matrix made in an easy-to-process material, infrequently used for such objects in this part of Europe. The use of this raw material suggests someone who tried avoid the high costs of making the item. Special attention is merited by the composition of a fleur-de-lis crowned with the cross engraved on the seal face that resembles a heraldic device. The repetition of a schematic lily flower on the reverse of the matrix shows the special importance of this sign (identified in medieval time with the Blessed Virgin Mary); this symbol was treated in this way by, for example, Cistercians. By presenting his name in the company of these symbols, Lucianus gave his seal strength and credibility
- A wooden artefact with traces of intentional processing excavated in the Late Palaeolithic biogenic sediments at the site in Wojnowo belongs to group of unique finds on a European Plain scale. This paper presents the results of interdisci¬plinary analyses of the artefact, an attempt to reconstruct its history and to determine its taxonomie affiliation
- Abegg’s Colony in Gdansk is the greatest achievement of the foundation established in 1870 by Georg Friedrich Abegg. The Colony was built in 1897–1906 as an estate of semi-detached houses located in suburbs of Gdansk. Those houses are still inhabited today. At the time of its construction, houses of Abbeg’s Colony were relatively modern; nowadays they are rather neglected and forgotten. The question arises whether this area can be revitalised. This paper is an attempt to answer this question, focusing on two aspects: the spatial (the local master– and colour plans) and social one (the perception of the colony, elements of collective memory, the transformation of space and local community)
- Abstakt “Chocolate’”flint was the main raw material used by the Early Neolithic Linear Band Cul¬ture (LBK) groups in the Polish Lowlands. Since the second (note) phase of the development of this culture, the early farmers developed a complex system of distribution of ‘chocolate’ flint within the great-valleys zone of the Lowlands. Concretions of raw flint were transported by the Vistula river from the outcrops located on the southeastern slopes of the Świętokrzyskie (Holy Cross) Mountains to Kuyavia. They were worked into cores and processed in settlements close to the Vistula valley. Cores and blades/flakes were also exported to distant locations to the west as far as the Lower Oder basin area. One would expect the existence of specialised workshops providing materials for such a mass distribution. Kruszyn site 13, Włocławek distr., is the first LBK ‘chocolate’ flint workshop discovered close to the Vistula river concentrated on production of blades. This site fits well into the LBK flint distribution system developed on the Lowlands
- The accidental discovery of an 1847 manuscript in the Local History and Special Collections Department at Maribor University Library in Slovenia (shelfmark: Kreps, 1847; UKM Ms 563), which contains, among other things, a song about cholera, was the basis for its contextual interpretation and comparison with related recorded songs. This new discovery is important because the song refers to the first wave of cholera on Slovene territory in 1836, whereas other songs describing the disease were written later. The text of the song resembles a collection of frightening news about the disease circulating among the people. The questions of whether the information in the song is real or fictional, genuine or exaggerated are discussed in light of the memory of cholera outbreaks found in other songs of the same genre and historical data
- According to different estimates Highly Sensitive People constitute 15–25% of the world’s population. Their nervous system processes external stimuli much more intensely than in case of so called average sensitivity people. This in turn evokes in them a sense of constant anxiety, causes hyperirritability and distress, induces psychosomatic disorders, fears or depression. Highly Sensitive People are characterised by strong (often uncontrollable) emotionality, empathy, being highly perceptive to suffering or any indication of injustice, as well as being too quick in placing trust. Quite often they experience loneliness, and a feeling of being misunderstood. Based on the analysis of posts from chosen Internet forums, the author portrays the Highly Sensitive Person. She also examines other issues discussed in these media, like the question of classifying this condition as an illness and thus of „curing” it. According to the author, Highly Sensitive People constitute a cultural minority in a world ruled by the culture of hostility, humiliation and rejection. Their behaviours influence interpersonal relations, but these individuals are also perceived as „different”. They often view their sensitivity as a weakness which hinders functioning in a society dominated by people of „average sensitivity”. On the other hand, according to some highly sensitive people, this quality is in fact a gift. Tedd Zeff holds that Highly Sensitive People have an important mission, which is to „serve as balance to the more aggressive behaviour of some of the non-HSPs who advocate a less than nurturing policy towards humans, animal and Mother Nature” (Zeff 2008, p. 30).
- According to the classical model of the metallurgical raw material supply chain proposed by Eugeniy Chernykh, the Eneolithic and Early Bronze age cultures of Ukraine were completely dependent on imported raw material. It seems that the main supplier of metal, as well as some complete goods during the 5th and 4th Millennia BC, was the ‘Carpatho-Balkan Metallurgical Province (CBMP)’ while during the 3rd Millennium BC, the provision chain was reoriented towards the ‘Circumpontic Metallurgical Province (CMP)’. Yet, new discoveries that were made during the 1990s-2020s indicate the need for the amendment of such a model. This is the aim of the current paper. In the following text, the concept of four Ukrainian local metallurgical provinces and two metalworking foci will be introduced. The typology and dating of the recently discovered metal objects as well as metallurgical tools will be provided. The question of the existence of domestic metallurgical raw material deposits will be discussed. <br>
- The activist approach remains a neglected area in the study of religion(s). By activist, we mean a socially engaged yet non-confessional stance that focuses on the scholar dealing with the relationship between religion and the public sphere. While other disciplines are incorporating the socio-political and socially transformative potential of academic knowledge production into their curricula, the field of the study of religion(s) is lagging behind. The (dis)engagement and rejection of activist approaches in the study of religion seems to be determined by paradigms of knowledge production, the dominance of understanding and explanatory approaches, the programmatic socio-political neutrality of the religious studies scholar imposed by the discipline, and claims to the specificity and uniqueness of the object of study. However, as we attempt to show, several modes of engagement can be identified that lie between the scholar’s attitudes of engagement and programmatic neutrality in the study of religion(s), namely translating, deconstructing, meditating and transforming. We propose that these modes should be included in the spectrum of approaches that straddle the critical and activist study of religion. We argue for the radical mode of engagement as a further step in developing the link between research and activism in the study of religion. In doing so, we focus on the scholar(s) of religion as an authority figure, an agent of power distribution, capable of proposing reformulations, accompanying negotiations, and supporting processes of reordering the contemporary post-secular public sphere. This article is an invitation to discuss the activist approach within the scientific study of religion. We also hope to stimulate debate on more radical forms of the activist approach, which we would call “the radical study of religion(s)”. <br>
- Actor-Network Theory and the related ontological turn is one of the most important paradigmatic changes in contemporary social sciences. In Polish archaeological discourse Actor-Network Theory is not widely discussed. The paper presents the basic assumptions of the theory focusing on its potential for the conceptualization of archaeological sources and the relationship between humans and the environment.
- The Aeolian ceramic textile tools dated to the advanced Early and Middle Bronze Age (c. 1600-1250 BC) comprise the only evidence for textile manufacture and are a unique source of information about the technology of textile production used in the Early-Middle Bronze Age (EBA-MBA) in the Aeolian Archipelago (province of Messina, Italy). A recent re-examination of 76 out of over 140 of these tools has shown that heavier spindle whorls (71-153 g) dominate in the more numerous MBA material. The high weight values of the Aeolian spindle whorls, uncommon in the area and epoch, could point to the prevalent use of long staple animal fibres, e.g. wool, which requires heavier implements in order to be spun, in yarn manufacture in the archipelago. A group of very heavy tools (165-199/222 g), difficult to classify, has been identified in the MBA material as well. It is suggested that these particular implements were potential heavy spindle whorls used primarily for spinning long hard plant fibres, such as flax, and plying yarns or producing twines
- African towns have been developing quite rapidly in the course of the last decades, especially since individual countries became independent states. The capital city of Togo, Lomé, is no exception. Its somewhat chaotic growth, however, with extensive suburbs spreading ever further from the city proper, renders communication between them problematic. The economic and social advantages of the city centre increasingly fail to offset losses incurred on account of the need to commute between the centre and the peripheries. Hence many city districts are being transformed, to a large degree, into self-sufficient “islands” in the city archipelago. The case study of the present article, the town of Agoènyivé, lies in the close vicinity of Lomé. Research on the demographic, political and social factors accompanying the development of Lomé indicates that they do not create particularly favourable conditions for a potential transformation of the city into an urban archipelago. In fact, the case study indicates the opposite: since the city centre expands, Agoènyivé becomes less peripheral
- After finishing a long-term conflict with the State of the Teutonic Order (1521, 1525), the Polish foreign policy directed its focus to the East, which resulted in the necessity to reorganise the armed forces, at least partially. It translated, among other things, into changes in the military technology. The latter, in turn, had to be gradually adapted to the unique military culture which dominated in the Eastern and South-Eastern theatre of military operations. Among many symptoms of these changes, some can be observed in the area of weaponry. This was a natural process, observed also in other territorial and temporal contexts, which normally took place after two different war customs had met. In the 16th century Eastern and South-Eastern theatre of military operations, a perfect example is offered by the abandonment and later the return to using the bow and arrow in combat.
- After the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the so-called Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, covering the area within the 30 km radius from the nuclear reactor site, was established (also in Belarus). All people were evacuated from the zone and displaced to “clean” territory. For the purpose of the current paper, reports of witnesses from the documental prose, dialectal texts, publications and Belarus Archives of Oral History were analysed in an attempt to find in their narratives the answers to the following questions: who the people called “chernobyltsy” (literally: the Chernobyl ones) are and in what way they were and are seen by other people, especially just after the disaster; what the reaction of the people to the process of evacuation was; what the indigenous people during the evacuation took with them; what they left at their homes and why; what their attitude towards new comfortable houses and flats was; in what way they tried to adapt themselves to new environment; where they buried the dead; and whether they successfully settled in their new places of residence. Having analysed the reports and arranged them according to the phenomenology of the area based on the report of H. Buczyńska-Garewicz, the category of “rootedness” of S. Weil and J. Tischner, A. van Gennep’s theory of rites of passage”, the author concludes that a great number of “chernobyltsy” are deeply rooted in their motherland; an approach that excludes the possibility of expanding the definition of “home” and “the sense of settlement”. Those people usually suffer at their new places of residence and sometimes return home. The only strategies favouring their acceptance of a new place that have been observed are focusing on work, especially on working the land (an allotment), or focusing on the health of their children
- After the rise of the British Empire, London docks have become the center of the world’s commerce. Their unparalleled heritage is the result of their cultural and spatial uniqueness. Following their fall into disrepair in the second half of the 20th century, a revitalization project was undertaken in the area under the blanket name of Docklands. In the 1980s, financial prosperity and the resulting boom in the construction industry enabled an accelerated transformation resulting in the gentrification of the district. The article aims at presenting the issues regarding marketization of the Docklands urban renewal processes in the context of its material and immaterial heritage. The author attempts at a cross-sectional view on the transformation taking a selected fragment of the Docklands, i.e. Bermondsey Riverside, focusing on the architectural changes. The author visited the area taken under scrutiny several times during the years 2008–2018
- The aim of my article is to present events which took place a few years ago, unfolding with a varying dynamism and temporary hiatuses, revealing themselves again after a while, provoking people to action and engaging their emotions. Those events had a varied nature, but were focused on the artistic installation “The Rainbow”. The Polish performer Julita Wójcik, on commission of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, constructed an arched structure with artificial flowers in the colours of the rainbow woven into it, and placed it in Plac Zbawiciela in Warsaw. This was not the first public presentation of the work – it was its new location that aroused social controversy. The emergent conflict gradually became polarized, dividing people into supporters of “The Rainbow” and its opponents. The installation itself became one of the most recognizable works of contemporary art in Poland, an important and fashionable tourist spot of the capital city, as well as a place for demonstrations and happenings or religious or carnival activities. The events around “The Rainbow” indicate that an artwork introduced into public space and confronted directly with the recipients may gain the power to provoke individuals and groups to action. While analysing them, I used Victor Turner’s concept of social drama, and also referred to the symbolic impact of artworks on people’s emotions and activities
- The aim of my article is to present the activities of urban gardeners – a decentralized, grassroots movement that implements various forms of plant cultivation in the city. It is an intersection of a hobby interest in the cultivation of flowers, vegetables and herbs with various forms of urban activism, as well as ecological trends and an interest in the protection of the Earth and in the rational use of its resources. I treat urban gardening as one of the urban movements, and its activities as a kind of infra-politics. However, I point out that it cannot be treated only in terms of resistance, but that its analyses should take into account the reaction of the adversaries; a reaction which takes over the signs of social insubordination and turns it to its own advantage
- The aim of my paper is to describe reciprocal influences in theoretical reflections on landscape within geography, archeology and anthropology. I draw attention to the correlation of particular approaches and to the existence of common research problems within those disciplines. Studying the phenomena on the surface of the earth using scientific methods of natural sciences, the traditional geography treated the landscape as a formalizing way of looking at the world. This approach was weakened on the one hand by the development of human geography in the 1970s, and on the other hand by new research on place and space, which integrated cultural aspects into the study of landscape. Eventually a crucial term ‘cultural landscape’ was developed. New archeologists claimed that it is impossible to maintain a universal concept of space separated from the human activity. Post-processual archeologists started to include theories and methodologies of social sciences in their research. As a result questions connected to theories of criticism, power relations, gender issues, postcolonialism were incorporated to the archeological research. It resulted in weakening of materialistic nature of the discipline and finally it allowed a systematic process oriented approach. Influenced by phenomenology and poststructuralism, archaeologists changed the research perspective. This means they abandoned the ‘external observer’ and focused on the social aspects of human relations with the earth, appreciating the importance of the subject. The landscape in anthropology was mainly used as a tool for constructing field monographs and was understood as a broad background or scene in which the life of the community took place. However the methodological changes in geography and archeology described above caused a shift in the anthropological research on landscape as well. The functionalistic and structural approach with an external and objective view of the landscape gave ground to an emic perspective. Anthropologists devoted more and more attention to the meanings that individuals attribute to the natural environment, and the landscape became a social category created by memory and dwelling, referring to the life of the insiders.
- The aim of the article is the preliminary presentation of the methodological tradition and theoretical condition of Polish archaeology. I focus here on the standard practice of Polish archaeologists, showing that either they have developed by themselves, borrowed or adapted elements of theories. Archaeological publications will be the basis for the article. The article also points to the multifaceted inspiration flowing from the humanities, social and biological sciences towards archaeology. The role of methodological turns was emphasized: anti-positivist, textual, visual, and performative. As a result, archaeology reached out to them with great hope, looking for answers to troublesome questions concerning forms of social life and culture in the past. The article highlights the individual aspects of Polish archaeology, including the nonobvious influence of Marxism, and processual and post-processual thinking.
- The aim of the article is to analyse social change in the area of the gendered care practices and identities of migrant mothers, who were forced by the social and economic situation in Poland to (illegally) work abroad without their children and families. It asks what kind of experiences of social change we can find if we look at the foodways practised by transnational mothers from the working classes. The concepts of “transnational maternal foodways” and “maternal bustling around foodways” will be used as tropes to discuss and explore the gendered changes in motherhood experienced by Polish migrants. The analysis presented here is based on the results of extensive fieldwork conducted both in the villages and small towns of Eastern Poland and in Belgium (particularly in its capital, Brussels), and on 54 autobiographical narrative interviews with Polish women who, during the two decades after the fall of socialism in Poland (1989–2010), worked permanently or cyclically abroad. The analysis combines critical food studies with gender and migration studies
- The aim of the article is to analyse the material from the West burial ground of Fiskeby in order find the differences in the mortuary practices for women and men in the Bronze and Iron Age. The article, the considerable part of which is a methodological presentationof the material from the Fiskeby burial ground with the category of the biological gender as the basis, will serve, together with the other material from different parts of Scandinavia as well as Poland, as the point of departure for further research on the social relations between the sexes in the prehistoric times
- The aim of the article is to analyse the property inventories of Anna KatarzynaRadziwiłł née Sanguszko, wife to the Lithuanian chancellor. This source material has a considerable value for exploring the rhythm of the court’s functioning, including the distinction between everyday matters and manifestations of splendour and luxury. Various property inventories of the magnate were analysed. The materials used, coming from 1738–1741, mainly concerned the particulars of the Biała estate. The source base was supplemented by information from private correspondence, indicating the individual taste of the magnate and her methods of obtaining particular items. Inventories were shown to be a valuable source for research on the everyday life of magnate courts in the 18th century. It is also an excellent material for researching many issues connected with the material sphere and the use of goods in that time
- The aim of the article is to analyze the relationship between the landscape and the process of building national identity in Mongolia in the context of political transformation. I describe contemporary practices related to the public tachilga offering intended for the guardians of the most important mountains with national status in Mongolia. I consider how the local ontology based on the relational interaction between human and non-human entities is reflected at the level of state activities. Discussing the issue, I refer to the category of landscape and show how it has become a major actor in contemporary national discourse in Mongolia
- The aim of the article is to characterize the occurrence of folk architecture in the urban space of Cracow. The introduction discusses the basic sources and techniques for obtaining information on the state of preservation of the historical buildings of former villages near Cracow. The next part of the article discusses the distribution of examples of this type of architecture in the city landscape. Author proposes to introduce a division into five zones, separated on the basis of quantitative and qualitative criteria. The areas designated in this way can be helpful in the future to conduct museum, conservation, urban and cultural studies. Finally, the issue of initiatives aimed at protecting the relics of folk architecture in this area is raised
- The aim of the article is to discuss the concept of the “Basque family”. The author explores the ideological and stereotypical image of the family and contemporary family models in the Basque Autonomous Community. She also tackles the myth of Basque matriarchy and describes certain aspects of the political situation in the region. The article is based on the results of field research conducted by the author
- The aim of the article is to discuss the issue of the ecological picturebook as a pheno-menon of contemporary material culture while emphasizing the ecology-economy-art relationship. The research optics, extended with a historical outline of ecological printing, made it possible to discuss the current issues related to the book production process, with particular emphasis on the aspect of environmental friendliness. I pro-posed two criteria for the environmental friendliness of the picture book and discussed it on an example.
- The aim of the article is to identify pastoral and breeding settlements in forest complexes of the Lubaczów County in the sixteenth century and to present selected elements of their organization. The bases for the research are archival and published treasury records from the sixteenth century. Their analysis allows to present, among others: the scale of animal breeding and a summary of livestock owned by individual village inhabitants. Moreover, it is intended to explore the place pastoralism played in the region’s economy and to examine the problem of limiting the role of Wallachian law in the economic system of rural settlements. The results indicate significant wealth stratification among breeders and show pastoralism and animal breeding as an important part of the region’s economy. <br>
- The aim of the article is to present and characterize the collection of flint axes made of Cretaceous flint from the interfluve of the Bug River and Neman that morphologically resemble the forms from the Neolithic cultures of the Polish Lowland (the Funnel Beaker Culture, Globular Amphorae Culture and Corded Ware Cultures). This group of objects consists of 10 items found in the Podlasie region. The presented axes are a small part of a large collection (50 flint axes) exhibited in the Museum of Podlasie in Bialystok. A new term for local Cretaceous flint has been introduced for the purpose of this study. Until now, this type of flint was known as Northeastern Flint, and although research to define this term has been done, it has never been fully finalized. Because of that, the author of this study has coined a new and more suitable term: Cretaceous flint from the interfluve of the Bug River and Neman. This includes a group of Cretaceous flints from the Podlasie area and contains all the local variations of it: Mielnik flint, Rybniki flint, flint from the Cretaceous beds and marls and Krasne Siolo flint
- The aim of the article is to present the results of a multifaceted analysis of a collection of non-flint stone artefacts obtained during excavations of the complex of Late Palaeolithic camps at site 17 in Nowogród, Golub-Dobrzyń district. It included an obsidian artefact and objects made of crystalline rocks (quartzite, quartzite sandstone, quartz, coarse sandstone and diorite), which were created as a result of knapping the raw material using techniques similar or identical to those used during the processing of flint. The results of petrographic analysis confirmed that these raw materials had come from natural resources located near the site. Most of the analysed artefacts are represented by large flakes. In addition, one chip and two tools, a multiple burin and a pebble tool, were distinguished. Use-wear analysis showed signs of use on two artefacts, including the pebble tool. The obsidian artefact is currently the northernmost Late Palaeolithic find of this type. In order to determine the geological source of the raw material, the artefact was subjected to PGAA and XRF analysis. PGAA analysis confirmed that the obsidian originated from a source in northern Slovakia (Carpathian 1 type), probably from the Cejkov or Kašov deposits, Trebišov district. The article also describes a rock crystal and a probable concretion of quartz of this type originating from site 6 in Ludowice, Wąbrzeźno district
- The aim of the current paper is to present and correctly describe stamps used for marking broadcloth, objects of extreme rarity on an European scale, which are held in the Regional Museum in Toruń. Their hitherto identification as employed to indicate the quality of broadcloth is only partially correct, since they were in possession not only of the broadcloth makers, but of the dyers. This is confirmed by a characteristic name contained in the stamp inscriptions: ENKEL STAEL, ANDERTHALB STAEL or DOBBELT STAEL. A more detailed characterization of these objects is possible through analogies with documents and material sources from the Gdańsk area, where a similar system of marking dyed broadcloth began to function in the year 1600. The beginning of the Toruń stamps’ period of use should be linked with the foundation, in 1607, of a joint-stock company known as the “Handels-Societat”, which dealt in, among others, textile dyeing.
- The aim of the following paper is to present the verification of probable megalithic long barrows of the Funnel Beaker culture, detected on LIDAR models. The location and characteristic shape of the structures seem to support such a hypothesis. In order to define their actual function and chronology, a magnetometric prospection was conducted with subsequent geological drillings. Also, an archival study of the vicinity was provided to establish the barrows within the regional cultural context. As a result of the research, the anthropogenic origin of these structures was confirmed and connected to the Funnel Beaker culture. This discovery allows for the incorporation of central Greater Poland into the discussion on megalithic funerary activity, which, until now, has been impossible due to the lack of data
- The aim of the paper is the analysis of changing patterns of human behaviour in relation to climatic changes of the Late Glacial in Europe. Paleoclimatic data support the view that amelioration of such factors as temperature and humidity led to the North migration of reindeer herds and horses to the steppe uplands and later growing domination of forest fauna. Specific time frame and region allow us to characterize the complexity of lithic technological variability and observe how hunter-gatherer groups adapted to changing climatic conditions during two warmer Late Glacial oscillations: Bølling and Allerød. The prevalence and spreading of the bow and arrows inspired new hunting methods and caused changes in lithic technology
- The aim of the paper is to present a new statistical method which records the shape of vessels and sorts those vessels into groups based on their shape. This new statistical method – the method of fuzzy similarity allows us to find the most similar vessels according to their shape regardless of their size. It is presented on a sample group of vessels from the Nitra-Lupka cemetery. Cemetery and pottery kilns from the 9th/10th c. in Nitra-Lupka are located in the foreland of the hillfort-fortification. Vessels revealed in graves were burned in these pottery kilns. Vessels are of high quality, although they were produced only on slow-rotating potter’s wheel. The results obtained by using of the new method were compared with the results of standard cluster analysis for four different cases of groups of variables. Chi-square-test was used to compare the two selected methods for the classification of vessels into groups.
- The aim of the paper is to present some of the results of a research project on the adaptation strategy of Polish migrants living in five west European capitals (Berlin, Dublin, London, Oslo, and Stockholm). The target group was composed of migrants who had settled in host countries either before and after the accession of Poland into EU. The migrants selected for the investigation belong to the category of well integrated and successful people. The central aim of the study is to present the mechanisms and circumstances of the process of achieving success. The migrants’ success is identified here in two ways: according to objective criteria (social and economic advances), and in terms of emic perspectives, disclosing a subjective satisfaction of migrants and their feelings of well-being. Another topic discussed in the paper is the transnational context of the adaptation and integration process. The importance of social and cultural capital brought by migrants from their country of origin and their openness and positive attitude toward the receiving country is also delineated. One of the most interesting findings is that migrant success is more often achieved in the context of relative isolation from the ethnic community (diaspora) established in the host country. At the same time the “migrants of success” participate frequently in an unformal social network of ethnic relations and continue to maintain ties with the home country
