This article analyses the evolution of private feudal seats in late medieval Poland on the example of the Pałuka family from northeastern Greater Poland. The authors present the history of research on the feudal residences and underscore the significance of an interdisciplinary approach that combines archaeology and an analysis of written sources. This paper discusses the spatial and functional development of the castle in Gołańcz and the residences in Danabórz and Łekno, noting the variability of the forms and uses of these structures. The present investigation has revealed the existence of four alternative variants of the residences’ evolution: from a simple house connected with manor (mainly farm) outbuildings in manor complexes (1), a residential-farm manor with a defensive fortalicium (2), a residential and defensive fortalicium with a manorial farmstead (3), and a castle (4). We highlight the role of the regalian right to fortification in the formation of knightly manorial complexes. Our study points to the necessity of further interdisciplinary research and a wider identification of field and written sources. We consider the evolution model proposed here as credible for the Pałuki microregion, but open for comparison to other areas of Poland.
This article discusses the main assumptions and methodological procedures used in the ‘Lexicon of Katyn Archaeology (1990–2015)’ project. The authors highlight the research and social significance of archaeological research into the Katyn Massacre. They discuss and explain the need for an integrative methodological perspective (archaeology, history, ethnography – cultural anthropology) that allows for the reconstruction and recognition of the significance of archaeological research, as well as the massacre itself, in aspects that sometimes escape historical studies, archaeological reports, and analytical scholarly texts – in biographical, personal, and emotional contexts.
This article presents the results of an archaeological and architectural investigation of the church and hospital complex of the Holy Spirit in Szydłów, one of the most interesting surviving examples of this type of layout in Poland. This study analyses the structural evolution of this site from the 16th to the 18th century, and reconstructs its successive development phases based on written sources, field studies and analysis of anthropological burials. Special attention was given to the complex’s social and sepulchral uses, as well as its place against the background of hospital management in Poland and Europe. This study highlights the significance of future interdisciplinary studies of similar sites, which allow us to gain further insight into the transformation of the spatial disposition of hospital and sepulchral complexes that occurred between the Middle Ages and the modern period. They were marked by the narrowing of the religious sphere in favour of the secular functionalization of space and the separation of these once equivalent contents, with their long-term interpenetration evident in the example of the provincial Szydłów project up to the end of the 18th century.
The publication reviewed here, under the evocative title Voices of a Murdered City, discusses the results of the recent fieldwork carried out in 2021 and 2022 in two locations: 1) along Świętojerska Street, at the northern border of the Krasiński Garden, in the area of the former workshops known as the Broom-maker’s shed, and 2) in the square at the intersection of Miła and Stanisława Dubois Streets, north of the so-called Anielewicz’s Mound, where the headquarters of the Jewish Combat Organisation were located. Excavations were conducted in cooperation with the Chief Rabbi of Poland, Michael Schudrich, and the Rabbinical Commission for Cemeteries, since there was a possibility of finding human remains – those of deceased Jews.
The study focuses on the findings of animal burials from the 18th century, which were excavated during archaeological research in the cadastre of the village of Semonice (Czechia). Ten pits contained more or less complete skeletons of cattle and horses, and two pits with superimposed parts of livestock skeletons. Most of them were adult and subadult animals, but in some cases, the remains of calves were also mixed in. No traces of butchering were recorded on the bones, and due to the high number of individuals recorded, it is hypothesised that these are animals that died during an epizootic. Hypothetically, it is possible to assume a connection between the cattle burials and the military camp that was located at the same site.
This article discusses the discovery of a wooden toy crossbow bolt, unearthed in 1987 during excavations at the Old Castle in Hrodna (Belarus). It is dated to the second half or the end of the 14th century. While the find offers valuable insights into medieval children’s games, it is also a significant piece of evidence for the widespread use of crossbows in the armament of the largest castle garrisons of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the late 14th to early 15th centuries.
From 23rd to 25th September 2025, the international conference Archaeology of Conflicts / Archeologie konfliktů took place in Hradec Králové, which focused on the research on material, landscape, and anthropological aspects of warfare from prehistory to the present day. The conference was jointly organised by the Department of Archaeology of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Hradec Králové and the Museum of Eastern Bohemia in Hradec Králové.
During multi-season archaeological investigations of the Ciołek family’s seat in Żelechów, situated on the borderland of present-day Mazovian and Lublin voivodeships, a large assemblage of artefacts was collected, mostly from well-dated cultural layers. For analysis we selected 20 artefacts belonging to three functional groups: elements of horse-riding equipment, horse tack and militaria. Alongside a detailed description of their state of preservation, metrics and dating, examples of analogous finds from other late medieval and early modern sites in Poland are provided.
This paper presents an iron axe discovered in 1960 during archaeological research carried out at the Szydłów stronghold near Lutomiersk (Central Poland). The weapon was discussed typologically (variant IB.12.2 according to Piotr Kotowicz’s classification) and was subjected to metallographic and technological analyses. The axe head from Szydłów appears to be a product made with simple methods, without the use of more advanced manufacturing techniques to improve its fighting qualities. The analytical material obtained indicates the use of phosphorus iron from bog ores in the production of the axe. It can be assumed that the axe discovered at the Szydłów stronghold dates back to the 10th century. It could have been connected with the final stage of the stronghold’s existence (a fire suggesting military action), or with its presumed later settlement.
In the reviewed publication, the Swedish military camp near Horní Moštěnice became a pretext for a broader presentation of the archaeological traces of the Thirty Years’ War in Moravia. The authors devote only part of the book to the camp mentioned in the title, focusing on presenting events related to the Thirty Years’ War – one of the longest conflicts in modern European history, which left many physical traces in Moravia and Czech Silesia in the form of battlefields, fortifications, and other sites, such as military camps – primarily from an archaeological perspective.
The textile production, and in particular drapery, was already highly developed in late medieval Silesia when the intensive urbanisation and colonisation of Silesia and the cultural breakthrough took place in the early 13th century and became, to a large extent, the driving force behind the civilisational and economic growth of the Silesian towns established at that time. This was particularly manifested through the development of market squares, which were the economic heart of every town and where the stalls of Silesian clothiers occupied a central place usually in the form of cloth halls built at great expense from stone and brick, which were the foundations of later market square blocks.1 For this reason, for years there have been calls for synthetic research into early medieval textile production in Silesia to identify the roots of the high level of craftsmanship that developed in this province.
The article discusses the broadly understood issue of food in the castle in Sieradz in the 16th century - 1st half of the 17th century, which was the capital seat of the county – starosty (Polish: starostwo) and also land, and later of the Sieradz voivodeship, an administrative and economic centre headed by startoste (Polish: starosta) – an official appointed for life by the king. Although the castle was destroyed about 200 years ago, its form and many aspects of everyday life are perfectly legible in the light of numerous archival written sources and, to a lesser extent, archaeological evidence, which allows for its analysis in the historical context of ‘food studies.’ They enable us to determine the location and formal reconstruction of places where food products were processed and stored (larder, kitchen, bakery, brewery, breeding and cultivation areas), make an attempt to recreate the inventory of the objects collected in these places, and capture the dynamics of the accompanying changes. An attempt was also made to hypothetically reconstruct the dishes and places where they were served, and the groups of people who consumed them. This enabled us to notice social stratification manifested in the standards of food and the conditions of its consumption.
Ice glass was invented by glassmakers in Renaissance Venice. Its distinctive surface texture made it an original and very visually appealing item, desirable as fine tableware in the modern era. It was manufactured not only in its place of origin but also in other glass-making centres north of the Alps, especially in the Low Countries. Examples of this glass are known primarily from museum collections and are relatively rarely recorded among archaeological finds. The article aims to discuss the unique finds of ice glass, dated to the 17th century, discovered at the Tykocin Castle complex in north-eastern Poland. An attempt is made to establish their form, function, and attribution through comparative analyses based on museum exhibits and archaeological artefacts from Poland and beyond. The finds from Tykocin can be seen as part of the broader phenomenon that was the popularity of Venetian glass and its imitation, i.e., façon de Venise, in modern Europe.
During investigations carried out at the site of a late medieval knightly residence in Mierzyn (Piotrków Trybunalski District, Central Poland), archaeologists discovered, among other things, numerous fragments of three-legged vessels cast from copper alloy, known as ‘Grapens.’ They were used for cooking and reheating food. The collection obtained from the above-mentioned site comprises 13 fragments from several different vessels, which distinguishes Mierzyn from other motte type knightly residences in Poland. In the course of research, including specialist analyses, at least four vessels were identified based on the discussed fragments. They varied in appearance – there were both classic forms with bulbous bodies and fitted with characteristic handles and legs, but also a form similar to cauldrons or frying pans – with a sleeve for a wooden handle. The fact that a fairly diverse assortment of metal Grapens was used at the excavated site testifies to the material status of the representatives of the knightly Nagodzice family of Mierzyn.
While researching the late medieval manor house in Czechowice, a small number of discoveries were made that directly or indirectly represent traces of food preparation, consumption and storage by the inhabitants of the local settlement. Archaeobotanical and archaeozoological remains and movable material were analysed, and archaeological structures representing the remains of buildings were uncovered. They indicate that the inhabitants of the Czechowice Manor were engaged in cereal cultivation and animal husbandry, which provided the local table with vegetable and meat and dairy products. Unfortunately, it has not been possible to discover the specific place where the food was prepared, but it seems that it was outside the residential part of the manor, perhaps in the open air or within an above-ground building with a light structure. The discovered storage pits or individual objects indicate that the Czechowice manor both stored and preserved meat or other products in a natural manner. It is difficult to create a complete picture of the sphere of life that constituted the consumption, preparation and storage of food by the inhabitants of the manor, however, they are certainly an interesting and important example for comparative studies with other late medieval settlement sites of this type.
Many aspects of medieval cuisine may be identified through material sources discovered during the archaeological investigations, one of which is the use of spit-roasting equipment, particularly ceramic dripping pots. The paper presents the largest collection of such finds, comprising 133 artefacts from Gdańsk discovered during excavations carried out at 3 Maja and Sukiennicza Streets. Although some examples from this city have already been mentioned in literature, they have never been studied in a wider context.
The paper, based on written sources as well as archaeological findings, points out that food preparation in the late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period required much more effort and skills. It also required more space and sometimes specialised rooms. The source records mention bakeries as well as cheese making and storage places, breweries and malt houses. These are usually separate buildings, functioning as back-of-house facilities. The former were located separately, most probably because of the fire hazard, and the latter perhaps because of the odours that were generated by the brewing process and the maturation or drying of the cheeses. Thus, instead of the single kitchen room that we are now accustomed to, on many farms, other rooms were used for food preparation and separate buildings that allowed for the production of the food and its preservation and safe storage. We need to take this into account when planning excavation studies of settlement assemblages dating from the time discussed here.
The 18th century was a period of intensive cultural changes in Europe. For Poland, this was the beginning of the reign of a new dynasty – the Wettins. As a lover of art and collector of Far Eastern porcelain, the first king of this dynasty, August II, led to the establishment of the first European porcelain factory in 1710 in Saxon Meissen. Early Meissen products include coffee and tea sets as an expression of socio-cultural changes related to changes in culinary habits. The work aims to present early Meissen products as evidence of the rapid development of consumption of new beverages, as well as to announce the interesting phenomenon of the occurrence of a relatively large number of vessels from early manufacturing activities in Warsaw, which will be confronted with analogies from other cities in present-day Poland.
