Preliminary report 2005

Wlodzimierz Raczkowski
Institute of Prehistory,
Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan

Within the Culture 2000 Project European Landscapes: Past, Present and Future Institute of Prehistory, Adam Mickiewicz University of Poznan undertakes five types of activities as follow:

• aerial survey in three main regions: Wielkopolska, Kujawy and along Odra river,
• preparing the database of aerial photographs (for results of aerial survey),
• cataloguing, indexing, storing etc . of aerial photographs,
• interpreting and mapping of selected sites (using available archival photographs and results of aerial survey),
• searching for German WWII photo-maps, mosaics and aerial photographs.

During the first year of the project (September 2004 – August 2005) some different tasks have been done.

Ad. 1. Aerial survey was undertaken in four main regions: Wielkopolska, Kujawy, Lubusz Land and western Pomerania. I spent 19 hours and 40 minutes in the air during June and July 2005. Despite of rather unfavourable conditions results of surveys in each region allowed to photograph many archaeological sites (as cropmarks). Many of them were not known before. New types of sites were also discovered – namely pit-alignments in two regions: Kujawy and Lubusz Land. Discovery of not known Brzesc Kujawski type settlements in Kujawy region belongs to the most spectacular. Most of other sites were represented by different kinds of pits. During the aerial survey other type of features were also recorded: villages, medieval towns, natural landscapes, individual monuments like granges, manor houses, monasteries, churches as well as industrial features and military objects.

Ad. 2. In cooperation with Poznan Archaeological Museum a new software as database has been prepared. It is called APh_Max. The software allows to build a database of aerial photographs as well as provides several different analytical procedures. In the nearest future the programme will be linked with AZP_Max and mAZePa – two programmes which are used in Poznan for protection and management of monuments.

Ad. 3. Using above mentioned APh_Max database of existing aerial photographs has being built. Over 2100 records, it means 2100 aerial photographs have been scanned, located on a map and put into database. At the first stage of building the database aerial photographs taken during Aerial Archaeology Workshop at Leszno in 1998 are the subject of recording.

Ad. 4. This task will be undertaken when the database is ready.

Ad. 5. According to the German WWII aerial materials, during the first year of the project enquiry have been done in National Archive in Poznan and National Museum in Szczecin. In National Archive in Poznan nothing have been found. But in National Museum in Szczecin a collection of aerial photographs taken before and during the WWII has been found. Aerial photographs (unfortunately, not photo-maps or mosaics) which are there are not catalogued. Also I got a permission to search through Central Military Archive in Warsaw where aerial staff is … uncatalogued.

A database of existing German WWII photo-maps and mosaics held in Poznan, Slupsk and Keele is being prepared in cooperation with Poznan Archaeological Museum.

Additionally, in cooperation with Poznan Archaeological Museum a webpage presenting results of the project has been prepared.