Andrzej Prinke (Poznań)
A Note on the Mesolithic of Eastern Great Poland and Kuiavia
[in:] S. K. Kozłowski (ed.), The Mesolithic in Europe, Warsaw
1973, s. 477-483, Warsaw University Press.
The aim of this
communicate is to give some information about the monograph
of Mesolithic in Eastern Great Poland and Kuiavia, which is
now in preparation. The necessity of such work results from
the present state of studies over the Polish Mesolithic. So
far, several monographs devoted to the regions of Mazovia
(1), Western Central Great Poland (2), Little Poland (3),
Basins of Upper Oder and Upper Warta Rivers (4) and to the
Barycz Ice Marginal Streamway (5) have been written. Actually
the work dealing with the Mesolithic of Pomerania is in the
offing (6). The area of Eastern Great Poland and Kuiavia remains
therefore the only larger part of western and central Poland
not taken into consideration in systematic studies over Mesolithic.
The area of the
discussed monograph extends between the northern edge of the
Noteć - Warta (or: Toruń - Eberswalde) Ice Marginal Streamway
and the southern edge of Warsaw - Berlin Ice Marginal Streamway.
The western border runs in parallel to the meridian course
of River Warta on its eastern shore; the eastern border minimally
oversteps the Vistula. The sculpture of this landscape varies
considerably and contains the river valleys, the hills of
frontal moraines, the moraine plains and the uplands. The
hydrographical system is rather well evolved, even in most
of the uplands which are here usually the main lake centres.
Almost whole of the investigated area lies inside the zone
of postglacial lakes (the border of Würm Glacial). The relics
of declined lakes are represented by numerous peat bogs and
marshes. Great parts of both Ice Marginal Streamways and the
shores of the Middle Vistula are covered by extensive complexes
of dunes.
The physiographic features of the discussed area set up attractive
conditions for the human occupation during Early Holocene.
Archaeological surveys which have been initiated as early
as the end of the last century, enabled to discover nearly
300 sites situated in 170 localities (author has not yet finished
the stage of gathering the source materials, so that the total
sum of sites can be even a little higher). All sites known
so far lie entirely on dunes and loose sands. The archaeological
materials usually have no defined stratigraphic position and
often occur exclusively on the surface of the site that effects
the danger of mechanic mixture of artefacts from different
times and cultures. The scanty amount of assemblages obtained
in methodical excavations constitutes the additional difficulty
for the undertaken studies. Because of little attention given
by archaeologists to the Mesolithic of this area, so far only
9 sites were excavated on its southern (Białobrzeg, site 6,
Września district (7); Konin, site 2; Pietrzyków, site g,
Września district (8); Rumin, Konin district; Szczepidło,
site 1 and 2, Konin district (9);) and eastern (Wistka Szlachecka,
sites 1-3, Włocławek district (10);) edges. Several other
inventories are however rich enough to be used in the chronological
and cultural analysis by comparing them with the assemblages
obtained from excavations. It refers, among others, to the
following sites: Baba, site 2, Mogilno district (11); Holendry
Brzezińskie, Konin district (12); Modlica, site 2, Września
district and Pietrzyków, site 2, Września district. Many inventories
contain but few implements that allow us to determine their
chronology only generally as Mesolithic. They are useless
in more precise cbronological and cultural considerations
but, at the same time, they form important background for
the richer sites, while they allow to grasp the main centres
of human occupation, the type of natural environment preferred
by Mesolithic peoples, and their penetration zones. The included
map (fig. 1) shows all Mesolithic sites of the area registered
so far (their cultural and chronological differentiation will
be possible after carrying off the analysis of artifacts).
Some concentrations one can already observe. Considerably
rich traces of the Mesolithic occupation can be ascertained
in the duny part of the Warsaw - Berlin Ice Marginal Streamway
between Nowe Miasto, Jarocin district, and Konin. As results
from the surveys, carried out by the author, the sites do
not overstep the edges of Ice Marginal Streamway, in spite
of the presence of the large dune area lying close to its
southern border. The next concentration of sites is situated
in the western part of the Kuiavian Upland (Mogilno and Żnin
districts). Numerous sites lie along both shores of the Middle
Vistula between Włocławek and Toruń as well as in the Noteć
- Warta Ice Marginal Streamway. Interesting results have been
obtained after comparing the Mesolithic materials from the
area of two adjacent and fully elaborated districts of Gniezno
(13) and of Mogilno (14). Both districts, equal in size and
situated in the same physiographical region of Gniezno Upland,
differ strongly with regard to the amount of Mesolithic sites
(in district of Gniezno - 4 sites and 2 other of doubtful
cbronology; in the district of Mogilno - 33 sites and 10 others
ot doubtful chronology). Similar differences appear by comparing
the area of the Warsaw - Berlin Ice Marginal Streamway with
terrains adjoined to it from the north (the northern parts
of the districts of Słupca, Konin and Koło). This distinct
differentiation of the intensity of occupation traces should
be treated as the reflection of a real situation in the prehistory
rather than of the state of surveys, because the whole area
under discussion has been recognized archaeologically at the
same extent.
After the whole
source materials are gathered, the chronological and cultural
classification will be carried out. It will provide an introduction
to the analysis of Mesolithic human occupation (the connection
of occupation with the type of soil, forms of landscape, vegetation,
climate and sources of raw materials, etc... Our aim will
be also the formulation of topographical typology of sites
from the investigated area that in reference to the Mesolithic
of Bohemia was carried out by S. Vencl (15).
In order to get
the absolute dates for the examined flint materials, for the
year 1973 the verifying investigation of probable peat sites
are planned. Verification, prosecuted by the help of borings
with geological driller, will enable us to discover the cultural
layers. Quite numerous finds of Mesolithic bone and antler
artefacts as well as centres of dune sites in the neighbourhood
of recent peat bogs would constitute the hints for that survey.
Parallely with the searching for peat settlements, excavations
of dune sites, mainly of those ones which do not contain the
admixtures from other periods, will be continued. The results
of several palynological investigations derived from the discussed
area (16) and from its closed neighbourhood (l7) will provide
the additional help for chronological and cultural analysis.
fig. 1
|
References
1 H. Więckowska, M. Marczak, Próba. podziału kulturowego mezolitu Mazowsza, [in:] Materiały do prahistorii plejstocenu i wczesnego holocenu Polski. Kraków 1967, pp. 9-40.
2 M. Kobusiewicz, Mezolit w środkowozachodniej Wielkopolsce,
Światowit, 31, 1970, p.-101-189.
3 S.K. Kozłowski, Z problematyki polskiego mezolitu. Wybrane
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we wczesnym. Holocenie, Wiadomości Archeologiczne,
34, 1969, p. 70- 149.
4 B. Ginter, Schyłkowy paleolit i mezolit w dorzeczu górnej
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5 Z. Bagniewski , Mezolit w pradolinie Baryczy. Wrocław 1972,
[unpublished].
6 See the article by M. Czarnecki in this volume.
7 A. Prinke, Białobrzeg, pow. Września, stanowisko 6. in:
Informator Archeologiczny. Badania 1972 [in press].
8 M. Kobusiewicz, Krzemienica przemysłu tardenuaskiego z
Pietrzykowa, pow. Września, Fontes Archaeologici
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9 J. Trzeciakowski, Szczepidło, stan. l, pow. Konin, [in:]
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10 H. Więckowska, M.Marczak, Próba podziału..., p. 28-32.
11 A. Prinke, T. Wiślański, Materiały do osadnictwa w epoce
kamienia na terenie powiatu mogileńskiego, Fontes
Arcbaeologici Posnanienses, 23, 1972 [in press].
12 J. Trzeciakowski, Stanowisko mezolityczne wydmowe Holendry
Brzezińskie I, pow. Konin, Światowit,
29, 1968, p. 59-72.
13 M. Kobusiewicz, W. Tetzlaff, Materiały do osadnictwa w
epoce kamienia na terenie powiatu gnieźnieńskiego, Fontes
Archaeologici Posnanienses, 22, 1971 [in press].
14 A. Prinke, T. Wiślański, Materiały do osadnictwa... op.cit.
15 S.Vencl, Topografická poloha mesolitickych sídlišt v Cechách,
Archeologické Rozhledy, 23, 1971,
p. 169-187.
16 Among others: Z. Borówko - Dłużakowa, Badania palynologiczne
torfowisk na lewym brzegu Wisły między Gąbinem, Gostyninem
i Włocławkiem, [in]: Z badań czwartorzędu w Polsce, 10, 1961;
Z. Borówko - Dłuźakowa, Palynological Investigations of Late
Glacial and Holocene Deposits at Konin, Geographia
Polonica, 17, 1969, p. 267-281; F. Szafrański,
Historia roślinności okolic Nowin w pow. Inowrocławskim, Badania
Fizjograficzne nad Polską Zachodnią, 15, 1965,
p. 147-158.
17 Among other: I. Dąbkowska, O torfowiskach Ziemi Dobrzyńskiej,
Sprawozdanie Komisji Fizjograficznej PAU,
68, 1933-34; K. Tobolski, Późnoglacjalna i holoceńska historia
roślinności na obszarze wydmowym w dolinie środkowej Prosny.
Poznań 1966.
