EN
This study presents the results of Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating of colluvial sediment profiles from Biedrzykowice and Świerklany in the archaeologically well documented loess area of southern Poland, The method, the criteria for site selection and the limitations of the interpretation of the dates obtained are discussed. It is shown that Holocene colluvial sediments containing grains of quartz can be approximately dated using OSL. Despite its many limitations, it remains the only method suitable for direct dating of colluvial sediments. The obtained OSL dates are consistent with the archaeological evidence. The Biedrzykowice profile, located 6 km from the Neolithic settlement at Bronocice, contains two layers of Holocene colluvial sediments.The older layer, OSL dated to 6–5 ka BP, is separated from the younger, medieval layer dated to 1,0–0,5 ka BP by a fossil soil. In Świerklany, where there are no known prehistoric settlements, the accumulation of colluvial sediments only started in the medieval period. The OSL dating confirms earlier assumptions that in natural Holocene ecosystems in loess areas of the moderate climate forest zones, mineral material was not transported by slope wash, or only to a minimal extent. This work is the first direct isotopic dating of colluvial sediments in Poland.