Neolithic, Eneolithic, Early Bronze Age

Studie byla publikována v knize Petr Čech a Miroslav Dobeš (ed.): Sborník Miroslavu Buchvaldkovi vydané v Mostu roku 2000 / The study was published in the book Petr Čech a Miroslav Dobeš (ed.): Acta Miroslav Buchvaldek, published in Most in 2000. ISBN 80-901828-6-8.

Legumes are the richest source of protein, starch, minerals, vitamins and are considered as the earliest domestic plants. Legumes belong to leguminosae family, which is one of the largest and most important families of flowering plants. The present review describes the history, consumption, nutritional aspects, traditional medicinal uses pharmacology and commercial aspects of legumes.

H. Meller, H. W. Arz, R. Jung und R. Risch (Hrsg.), 2200 BC – Ein Klimasturz als Ursache für den Zerfall der Alten Welt? 2200 BC – A climatic breakdown as a cause for the collapse of the old world? 7. Mitteldeutscher Archäologentag vom 23. bis 26. Oktober 2014 in Halle (Saale). Tagungen des Landesmuseums für Vorgeschichte Halle 12 (Halle [Saale] 2015).

The end of the Early Bronze Age is a crucial period in terms of the issues relating to settlement strategies and settlement structure. In this paper we will focus on comparisons of the relationship between settlements and selected environmental and social parameters in two areas with different cultural traditions. The first territory studied is South-Western Slovakia occupied by Maďarovce and Transdanubian Encrusted Pottery cultures, the second area is Eastern and Middle-Southern Slovakia occupied by Otomani-Füzesabony cultural complex. The main resource for the spatial analysis implemented in geographical information systems is a database containing 257 archaeological sites. On the basis of data using statistical methods, we are able to specify various types of settlement strategies not only amongst the mentioned cultural complexes, but also between fortified and open settlements. We present a theoretical model of transformation of the Early Bronze Age civilization, which consist of radical amendment of settlement patterns due to decomposition of social relations, climate changes and migration.

The prehistoric settlement in Golo Bardo locality in the vicinity of the villages of Gradishte and Asenovtsi, Levski Municipality, Pleven Region, is the largest settlement in this region, discovered during the preliminary field surveys along the route of the gas pipeline.
The settlement is located in the southern part of the Lower Danube valley, on a river terrace of the river Osam. The terrain is flat, slightly sloping to the north and northeast. The sources of several rivers are located in the immediate vicinity. During the rescue archaeological excavations conducted in 2019 and 2020, part of the site was excavated. Sunken and above-ground structures were revealed. The first human presence at this place dates from the earliest stages of the Late Neolithic (5100 – 4900 BC), when a settlement emerged on an area of about 19 ha. In the material culture, one could observe the presence of a number of new elements, a kind of symbiosis between the western Vinča Culture A3/B1, the northern Dudeşti Culture, and the eastern Samovodene-Ovcharovo Culture. A typical feature of the settlement from this period is the presence of structures dug into the alluvial horizon, some of which could be defined as the remains of semi-dug-out dwellings with thermal facilities at their peripheries. From this period, special areas for the production of flint tools were identified, as well as depots for the extracted raw material. Dog skulls were found deposited in several of the pits, indicating the existence of an unknown Neolithic cult practice. A new type of stylized seated anthropomorphic figurines was discovered here – some of them are bisexual, hermaphroditic images. The fertile soils and abundant water sources provided good conditions for meeting the basic needs of the inhabitants. The discovery of a significant number of standardized sickles made from the antlers of red deer (Cervus elaphus) indicates the practising of intensive agriculture, the production of which probably served not only to meet the needs of the inhabitants of the village, but also for exchange. One of the richest collections of bone tools was discovered in the settlement. It is not clear why this population abandoned the village, but after a short interruption, small groups of new inhabitants resettled here during the Late Neolithic Period (Podgoritsa Cultural Group, 4750 – 4600 BC). To this period, the remains of massive above-ground buildings could be attributed. They were burnt down before the village was abandoned, and the burnt remains were “hidden” in specially prepared pits. Later, the place was inhabited by people that migrated from the west, carriers of the Early Chalcolithic Gradeshnitsa Culture (Brenitsa Phase), and once again during the later phase of the Early Chalcolithic by a population from Polyanitsa/Boyan Culture (4550-4400 BC). At this time, the buildings were already above-ground, with a rectangular shape oriented southeast-northwest. This settlement was destroyed by fire, which is the reason why the place was left for good. To this period belong also two shallow pits, covered inside with large fragments of thick-walled ceramic pithos. In one of them, there was a depot of seven ceramic vessels, and in the other – pottery sherds and a necklace of clay beads.

Sites Cieszacin Wielki 41, Jankowice 9 and Pawłosiów
55 are located in south-eastern Poland, within the area of
Podkarpackie Voivodeship, on south of Jarosław city. In
terms of geomorphology, it is the area of  the Sandomierz
Basin. In 2009–2011, rescue excavations were carried out
in connection with the construction of the A4 motorway
between  Jarosław  (Wierzbno  interchange)  –  Radymno
(Radymno interchange). In addition, with regard to the
site Jankowice 9, non-invasive geophysical surveys were
conducted in 2009. This publication is a comprehensive
development of the materials from all three sites and it
was established with the support of the Ministry of Culture
and National Heritage under the Cultural Heritage, Prior-
ity 5 – Protection of archaeological heritage. The project
was implemented by the Foundation for Archaeological
Centre  in  Rzeszów  in  collaboration  with  the  University
of Rzeszów and the University of Regensburg.