Papers by grzegorz osipowicz
Heavy duty bevel-ended tools, such as axes and mattocks, belong to the category of the most frequ... more Heavy duty bevel-ended tools, such as axes and mattocks, belong to the category of the most frequently discovered artefacts on the early Holocene hunter-gatherer European archaeological sites. These objects are distinguished by c.a. 50-degree bevelled working edge and the raw material used to produce them was mostly deer antler. The main objective of the presented study is to classify, analyse, interpret and correlate the macro and microscopic traces formed on the experimental replicas of this kind of tools. During the experiments conducted directly for the purpose of this project, a wide variety of household activities were tested, taking into the account many possible variables, such as: the kind of worked material (soil, wood, hide, flesh, ice), the type of activity performed (chopping, digging, scraping, hewing, hitting) and the duration of work. The effectiveness and suitability of the selected tools for those varying activities were also examined.
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Archaeologia Polona
The aim of the article is to present the results of a multifaceted analysis of a collection of no... more 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 det...
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Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences
Late Glacial and Early Holocene bone and antler artifacts are recovered from all over the Polish ... more Late Glacial and Early Holocene bone and antler artifacts are recovered from all over the Polish Lowland. Elements of projectile weaponry, in the form of various points made of osseous raw materials, were an important part of hunter-gatherer equipment of that time. We present the results of AMS dating of a unique collection of thirteen artifacts that had previously been chrono-culturally attributed by means of relative dating using typological approaches only. The results obtained are considered alongside current knowledge and typological arrangements for these types of tools in Europe. We also attempt to determine the interpretative potential of the technological studies to which the discussed osseous points were subjected in terms of possibly identifying processing techniques that can be specific to the given periods of the Stone Age. Suggestions made in this respect are verified through the radiocarbon dating results.
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Lietuvos archeologija
This article presents the results of traceological analyses of bone points and harpoon heads disc... more This article presents the results of traceological analyses of bone points and harpoon heads discovered at hunter-gatherer-fisher sites 1, 3, 4, 6 and 23 in Šventoji, coastal Lithuania, c. 3500–2700 cal bc. The data obtained through the studies were used to interpret technological processes and operational chains resulting from the production of these artefacts, as well as in answering questions surrounding the function of some specimens. Another important result of the presented research is the confirmation, thanks to an SEM-EDX analysis, of the presence of an inlay in the decoration visible on one of the harpoon heads. Keywords: Šventoji, Subneolithic-Neolithic, points, harpoon heads, bone, traceological analysis, SEM-EDX
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In this paper we describe an experiment designed to provide guidelines for a detailed classificat... more In this paper we describe an experiment designed to provide guidelines for a detailed classification of use-wear traces formed on flint projectile points, resulting from striking a range of organic and non-organic materials. We verify the existing findings, and pay particular attention to microscopic damage (retouches, polish and striations). The list of traces characteristic for projectile points is formed mainly on the basis of morphology (current microscopic observations) and only indirectly on functional classifications. In the course of our experiment 122 arrowhead replicas were used: 33 points, 31 arrowheads with bifacial surface retouch, 26 trapezes and 16 composite arrowheads (made of a lateral inset/barb and point inset each). Our classification in- cludes 22 diagnostic features, divided into 4 main groups: fractures, retouch, polish and striations. Among the fractures, the most characteristic were the complex splintered ones as well as certain types of fractures with retou...
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The article presents the results of traceological studies of two harp seal bacula, from the Švent... more The article presents the results of traceological studies of two harp seal bacula, from the Šventoji 3 site (coastal Lithuania). As a result of the microscopic observations carried out, technological and functional microtraces were discovered on both artefacts. The analysis of the use-wear traces, which are better readable only on one of the artefacts, allowed for a hypothesis that they arose as a result of contact with well-tanned and dry hide. This made it possible to assign to the studied artefacts the function of objects of everyday use, having direct contact with this material. The findings were illustrated with the current knowledge on the use of bacula in prehistory, historical times and among archaic communities known from ethnographic observations.
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In the course of archaeological research at site 2 in Oslonki (Kuyavia, central Poland), a dense ... more In the course of archaeological research at site 2 in Oslonki (Kuyavia, central Poland), a dense deposit of 20 cattle bones was discovered, most of which are semi-finished products for production of bone chisels. The collection was dated ab. 3350-3097 calBC. The traceological analysis of technological traces on the artefacts and experimental studies indicate that they were processed using several metal tools with working edges of varying shape, employed as chisels for bone splitting. Although SEM-EDX analyses did not show the presence of a substantial amount of copper on the surfaces of the artefacts, the collection can be considered most likely evidence for widespread use of this metal among Late Neolithic communities in Poland or at least the people who inhabited the area of Kuyavia.
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The Late Glacial and early Holocene points and harpoons made of bone and antler are one of the mo... more The Late Glacial and early Holocene points and harpoons made of bone and antler are one of the most common finds from these periods in the southern Baltic zone. They are a manifestation of the well-developed hunter-gatherer economy of that time. The presented work deals with a group of characteristic, uniserial harpoon heads which are mostly well known from Late Palaeolithic and Mesolithic contexts. Their common characteristics are: one row of distinct, massive barbs, distinguished tang, and wide, flat base. Originally, the finds of this type discovered on the Polish Lowland, constituted a fairly large collection, with over twenty specimens of this type mentioned in the literature. Unfortunately, the majority of them were discovered at the beginning of twentieth century and most of them were lost during World War II. This paper present the first detailed technological analysis of the seven remaining specimens. The artefacts included represent a valuable source of information on issu...
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L'Anthropologie
Link to the article (available 50 days): https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1dqfnpiAwHKD The subject ... more Link to the article (available 50 days): https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1dqfnpiAwHKD The subject of the research described in this article is a collection of flint artefacts obtained in the course of an exploration of one of the Mesolithic assemblages from site 29 in Paliwodzizna in Central Poland. The artefacts were subjected to a typological-technological analysis, a use-wear analysis and multi-faceted spatial analyses. As a result of the studies it was concluded that the collection might be affiliated with the Komornica culture and dated to the Atlantic period, which was confirmed by radiocarbon dating. The functional structure of the collection and the spatial organisation of the camp indicate that it was a hunting camp briefly used by a small group of people. The structure was compared with other camps of similar function from the region and the type of mobility of the hunter-gatherer groups that were using the site was considered.
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Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory
Slotted bone tools are an iconic example of composite tool technology in which change in one of t... more Slotted bone tools are an iconic example of composite tool technology in which change in one of the components does not require changing the design of the other parts. Commonly, slotted bone tools are seen through the lens of lithic technology, highlighting organizational aspects related to serial production of insets, reliability and maintainability. In this framework, slotted bone tool technology is associated with risk aversion in demanding environmental settings. Here, we provide the first overview of radiocarbon-dated slotted bone tools in northernmost Europe and the East European Plain, including 17 new direct dates on pitch glue, and show that the Late Pleistocene to Middle Holocene period of inset slotted bone tool use in this area shows marked variation and idiosyncrasy in associated lithic technology against a trend of continuously warming climate. We suggest that historical specificity and path-dependence, rather than convergent evolution, best explain the variability see...
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Praehistorische Zeitschrift
Zusammenfassung: Forschungsgegenstand dieses Artikels ist ein Begräbnis- und Ritualplatz der Kuge... more Zusammenfassung: Forschungsgegenstand dieses Artikels ist ein Begräbnis- und Ritualplatz der Kugelamphoren-Kultur der Fundstätte 14 in Kowal (Zentral-Polen). Die Stätte umfasst einen Submegalithen sowie einen Ritualplatz mit Tiergräbern und einer menschlichen Bestattung. Der Komplex kann auf die Zeit zwischen 3250/3100 und 2400/2150 v. Chr. datiert werden. Analysen haben gezeigt, dass der Platz über eine lange Zeit benutzt wurde, und dass die durchgeführten Rituale sehr komplex waren. Beweise wurden gefunden, dass an einigen Stellen rituelle Handlungen ohne Unterbrechung über viele Jahre durchgeführt wurden und einzelne Tieropfer und Niederlegungen nur durch einen Zeitraum von wenigen Jahren voneinander getrennt waren. Die Fund-Struktur einiger Gruben zeigt eine sehr penible Organisation des geheiligten Platzes und ermöglicht an einigen Stellen sogar eine Unterscheidung in Nutz- und rituelle Zonen. Weitere wichtige Informationen wurden durch die Untersuchung einer menschlichen Grabl...
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Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
Abstract The starting point for the studies described in the article were the results of traceolo... more Abstract The starting point for the studies described in the article were the results of traceological studies of a collection of seal craniums discovered during archaeological excavations at a Subneolithic site complex in Sventoji, Lithuania. Microscopic analysis revealed repetitive technological traces and well-developed use damages on the surfaces, the characteristics of which most likely indicate their use during ritual practices, possibly in a similar way to that suggested for antler frontlets known from several Mesolithic sites. This is the first such discovery in this part of Europe, shedding new light on the symbolic culture of the hunter-gatherer communities inhabiting the south-eastern Baltic Sea coast between 3200 and 2700 cal BC, and especially the role of seals and their skulls, what is discussed in the article in a wider perspective. The use-wear traces described in the article are also a unique example of damage created on the surface of artefacts that are associated with ritual practices, and can, therefore, provide important information in identifying and correctly interpreting similar objects of this type elsewhere.
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Praehistorische Zeitschrift
The article describes the results of the interdisciplinary studies of a unique bone slotted point... more The article describes the results of the interdisciplinary studies of a unique bone slotted point from Tłokowo, north-eastern Poland. The artefact was discovered in 1989, and indirect dating suggested an Early Mesolithic date. In this article we present the results of direct radiocarbon dating of the point, which shows that it is almost 2000 years younger than previously suggested. In addition, physical-chemical studies of the adhesive used to mount the flint inserts inside the point were conducted. The results of gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FT-IR) analysis indicate that the adhesive is birch tar. Finally, the article presents the results of detailed traceological studies that allow interpretation of the technology of production and possible function of the point. For the analysis, as well as various types of microscopes, optical coherence tomography (OCT) was used. In the discussion the r...
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Sprawozdania Archeologiczne, 2017
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Quaternary International
Abstract This article presents the results of traceological studies of ornaments observed on sele... more Abstract This article presents the results of traceological studies of ornaments observed on selected prehistoric osseous products from Poland and Lithuania. Included are unique artefacts from this region dated to the Late Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic, or which are connected to Subneolithic communities. The article presents the results of analyses focused on interpreting the applied decorative techniques and tools employed in making the ornaments. In some cases, the use of metal tools, rare or unknown in a given area, is suggested, which presents a significant impact on the interpretation of the socio-cultural nature. An attempt is also made to identify the roles of symbolic features hidden in the way the ornaments were created or how they were treated afterwards. For the analysis of the artefacts, stereomicroscopes, SEM, computed tomography and optical coherence tomography (OCT) have been used.
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Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
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Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
Abstract This article presents the results of an interdisciplinary study of the Late Mesolithic s... more Abstract This article presents the results of an interdisciplinary study of the Late Mesolithic site of Ludowice 6 in Central Poland. Here, the remains of three shelters/huts were identified, each with a clearly organised functional space, in which zones for various activity types could be distinguished. It is suggested that the camp was seasonally used in the early autumn. Most probably, it served as a location for conducting the highly specialised processing of silica plants. The functional structure of an excavated tool assemblage indicates that this place might have been used to acquire plant material seasonally, which was later transported to a base camp situated elsewhere. The location and characteristics of individual activity zones, as well as the manner in which projectile points were dispersed, together with the characteristics and the intensity of flint processing allowed us to test a hypothesis that it could have been used mainly by women.
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Papers by grzegorz osipowicz
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wear analysis of 20 osseous artefacts,
com
ing from three sites of the Linear Band Pottery Culture (LBPC), located in different parts of Poland: Chelmno
Lakeland (Trzciano, site 40), Kuyavia (Bodzia, site 1) and Sandomierz Highland (Tominy, site 6). The collection is
morphologically diverse, howev
er particular types of points dominate. In the course of the analyzes conducted, we
have observed clear regularities in the manufacturing processes of the stylistically similar artefacts, coming from
individual collections, differentiating them from other
collections. Therefore, it possible to speak about discrepancies
in the chaine oparatoire used in their production by the LBPC communities living in different areas of Poland.
Similar differences were observed in the course of use
-
wear analysis. We have i
dentified here tools used for many
tasks, often very specific. An important conclusion from the studies is a thesis of probably specialized profile of
workshops that the analyzed collections come from.
The study was supported by National Science Centre,
Poland, grants number: N N109 226140 and
2015/19/B/HS3/01720.
development of use-wear analysis research conducted at the
Institute of Archeology Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń.
Większość artefaktów z omawianego stanowiska związana jest z osadnictwem kultury pucharów lejkowatych. Wyroby mezolityczne wystąpiły jedynie w jego północnej części, w odległości około 20 m od obszaru objętego osadnictwem wspomnianej kultury. W miejscu ich największej koncentracji założono osiem wykopów badawczych o łącznej powierzchni 68 m2, natrafiono w nich na dwie krzemienice mezolityczne. Materiał krzemienny zalegał w warstwie żółtego piasku, bezpośrednio pod humusem współczesnym, do głębokości 50–70 cm od poziomu powierzchni gruntu. Z warstwy ornej pozyskano tylko nieliczne okazy, co świadczyło o dobrym stanie zachowania obiektów. Obie krzemienice wystąpiły na tym samym poziomie stratygraficznym.
Wytwory z krzemienic poddano wieloaspektowej analizie uwzględniającej badania traseologiczne oraz przestrzenne z zastosowaniem metody składanek. Umożliwiły one podjęcie próby interpretacji organizacji wewnętrznej obozowiska oraz rejestrację stref bezpośredniej aktywności gospodarczej, czytelnych w ramach poszczególnych krzemienic. Wyniki tych badań stanowić będą przedmiot prezentowanego referatu.
Materiały pradziejowe odkryte na terenie stanowiska wystąpiły w ramach trzech skupisk. Pierwsze (zbadane w niewielkim procencie), to pozostałości po osadnictwie schyłkowopaleolitycznym, pozostałe dwa są mezolityczne. Skupiska wczesnoholoceńskie mają stosunkowo duże rozmiary (około 4 arów każde). Pierwsze z nich (zachodnie) przebadano w większym zakresie (około 95%), stopień rozkopania drugiego (wschodniego) to około 60%. Zgodnie z obserwacjami poczynionymi w trakcie badań archeologicznych oraz opiniami gleboznawcy i geomorfologa uznano, że materiały mezolityczne, które występują w sandrowej części stanowiska, w stropie gleby rdzawej, znajdują się na złożu pierwotnym (in situ) i nie uległy większym przemieszczeniom.
W skład grupy źródeł ruchomych pozyskanych w trakcie badań na stanowisku weszło: 11349 wytworów krzemiennych, 674 wyrobów z innych surowców kamiennych, 227 kości oraz (w części torfowej) nieliczne źródła z drewna. Analiza morfologiczna mezolitycznych wytworów krzemiennych pozwoliła na ich powiązanie z kulturą komornicką i określenie chronologii względnej na okres atlantycki. Datowanie to zostało potwierdzone oznaczeniami C14.
Wytwory krzemienne pochodzące z pierwszego ze skupisk mezolitycznych (zachodniego) poddano analizie traseologicznej. Jej wyniki są dość zaskakujące, gdyż wykazały dominację narzędzi związanych z przerobem roślin krzemionkowych, co stanowi duże odstępstwo od rezultatów badań mikroskopowych materiałów z innych stanowisk tego okresu. W skład tej grupy narzędziowej weszły głównie tzw. zagięte noże (ang. curved knives), występujące na stanowisku w trzech podtypach funkcjonalnych. Obok nich zidentyfikowano wiele innych rodzajów narzędzi, a ogólna struktura zbioru sugeruje, że osadnictwo mezolityczne na terenie stanowiska miało charakter wielokrotnych, krótkotrwałych, zapewne sezonowych penetracji (być może związanych z pozyskiwaniem wspomnianych roślin krzemionkowych).
W trakcie badań prowadzonych na stanowisku pozyskano także zbiór wytworów kamiennych, wśród których wyróżniono pozostałości interesującego przemysłu, liczącego obecnie około 500 przedmiotów. Jego podstawową cechą jest rdzeniowanie ukierunkowane na produkcję wiórów, odłupków oraz w konsekwencji narzędzi o formach zbliżonych do typowych dla wytworów z krzemienia. Przemysł ten opiera się na kilku typach porfiru kwarcytowego, drobnoziarnistym granitoidzie czerwonym i żelazistym piaskowcu kwarcowym. Obróbce poddawano jednak również granitoid szary, piaskowiec kwarcytowy szary, kwarcyty, gnejsy, kwarc oraz mułowce i łupki. Przeprowadzone analizy planigraficzne, wyniki badań technologicznych, doświadczalnych oraz traseologicznych potwierdzają pochodzenie antropogeniczne zbioru. Jest to pierwszy tego typu przemysł datowany na środkową epokę kamienia z terenu ziem polskich.
Badania finansowane ze środków Narodowego Centrum Nauki w Krakowie (grant N N109 226140).
from site 14 in Kowal (Kuyavia, Central Poland). The site includes a submegalith, a ritual feature with animal
burials, and a human burial. The complex can be dated to the period between 3250/3100 and 2400/2150 BC.
The book preparation involved a multidisciplinary research team of authors, among whom were archaeologists,
paleopedologists, geomorphologists, archaeozoologists, anthropologists, chemists, molecular biologists and
paleobotanists. A wide range of studies were conducted ranging beyond “classical” archaeological analyses
(artefacts, and contextual, chronological, spatial and functional analyses), which included environmental archaeology and bioarchaeology, geomorphology, and paleopedological (including geochemical), archaeozoological,
anthropological (including paleoserological), stable isotope (oxygen, carbon and nitrogen), paleogenetic,
anthracological, palynological, chemical and radiocarbon analyses.
Przedmiotem badań opisanych w książce jest miejsce sepulkralno-obrzędowe kultury amfor kulistych ze stanowiska
Kowal 14 (Kujawy), w skład którego weszły: submegalit, obiekt obrzędowy z pochówkami zwierzęcymi
oraz pochówek ludzki. Zespół datować można na okres 3250/3100–2400/2150 BC. W przygotowaniu
opracowania uczestniczył wielodyscyplinarny zespół autorów, wśród których byli: archeolodzy, paleopedolog,
geomorfolog, archeozoolodzy, antropolog, chemicy, biolodzy molekularni i paleobotanicy. Wykonany został
szeroki zestaw badań, obejmujący – poza „klasycznymi” analizami archeologicznymi (kontekstualnymi, przedmiotowymi,
chronologicznymi, przestrzennymi i funkcjonalnymi) – analizy z zakresu archeologii środowiskowej
i bioarcheologii: geomorfologiczną, paleopedologiczną (wraz z geochemiczną), archeozoologiczną, antropologiczną
(w tym paleoserologiczną), stabilnych izotopów (tlenu, węgla i azotu), paleogenetyczną, antrakologiczną,
palinologiczną, chemiczną i radiowęglową.
selected artefacts were subjected, which allowed the authors to detect an elevated iron content in the residues preserved on their working edges. Consequently, the functions of some of the artefacts were confirmed with a sufficient degree of probability. It is, therefore, the first time in the history of research on the discussed issue that some more compelling evidence for the use of the stone-on-stone percussion or friction technique for fire lighting in Poland in the Mesolithic, and probably in the Late Palaeolithic, was obtained. The article also aims to summarise the current state of knowledge on fire lighting techniques in the Stone Age in Poland.
two Mesolithic bone harpoon heads were found. Both artefacts were subjected to technological analysis, the results of
which are described in this article. In general, the analysis provided a possibility to interpret in what way both tools were
produced and allowed identification of commonalities and differences between them. Moreover, it allowed to put forward
a hypothesis concerning the function of the site.
includes 3 prehistoric stages: Terminal Palaeolothic, Mesolithic and Early and Middle Neolithic. Overall analysis was performed on 10199 specimens (all uncovered at the described sites), from which 1755 were functional tools. The study attempts to verify the correctness of the interpretation of the archeological site’s function based on use-wear analysis of these selected sources. In addition, the possibility of a morphological-functional typology, i.e. a classification connecting tool form and its function, has been discussed.
https://youtu.be/DUqTmIxchSM
We hope You will enjoy it!
More photos on the webpage of the project (http://searchingformesolithic.umk.pl/en/) soon.
https://youtu.be/GZ9BVMRLhBw