SZCZEPANKI, ST. 8, WOJ. WARMIŃSKO-MAZURSKIE. BADANIA W LATACH 2009-2010. Stanowisko torfowe łowców-zbieraczy z epoki kamienia

• Authors: Gumiński Witold

Title variants

EN

Szczepanki, Site 8, the Warminsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship. Excavations in 2009-2010. The Stone Age peat-bog site of hunter-gatherers

• Languages of publication: PL EN

Abstracts

EN

The Szczepanki site is located on one of the islands of the former lake called Staświńskie (Fig. 1:a). The site was settled from the Late Palaeolithic, through the Mesolithic, to the end of the Para-Neolithic. During the last two seasons the southern shore (Trench “S”) and the eastern promontory (Trench “A”) of the island were excavated (Fig. 1:b,c). In Trench “S” remains of a hut (?) and six fire- places, south of it, were uncovered. In this trench flint im- plements, pottery of the Zedmar Culture and a few of the Funnel Beaker Culture (generally not occurring in Masuria), together with plenty of animal bones, and some bone artefacts were discovered. Three of them were made of wild boar tusk: a knife with smooth edges (Fig. 2:e), a perforator with narrowing point (Fig. 2:d) and a narrow cutter with obliquely widening cutting-edge (Fig. 2:c). There are also two pieces of small bone fish hooks, probably U-shap- ed (Fig.2:a,b). All above artefacts are dated to the Zedmar Culture. Apart from them, a Mesolithic adornment (Fig. 2:f), made of canine fang, was found in the vicinity of an Early Mesolithic grave (S-2) and a place with some loose human bones. The pendant has a groove (instead of a per- foration) and is additionally ornamented. The most spectacular find (Trench “A”) (Fig. 1:b,c) was a wooden paddle (Fig. 3:a,b) made of ash-tree. The blade is slightly curved as in modern paddles, which was probably obtained with hot water. The handle is spirally decorated with tar, maybe with addition of some ochre (but not charred). This painting was done after that the stick had been wrapped with skin or bast belt. Some red patches on both blade sides suggest that the blade could be also painted. The paddle was found almost in vertical position, going through three gyttja layers, and was broken off in the highest of them (beige gyttja), which is probably dated to the first half of the Atlantic Period. It seems that the paddle is from the beginning of the Late Mesolithic, so it could be older than the only known painted paddles from the Ertebolle site of Tybrind Vig in Denmark, dated to the Late Atlantic Period.

• Publisher: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
• Journal: Światowit
• Year: 2009-2010
• Volume: Tom VIII (XLIX), fasc. B
• Pages: 257-261

Contributors

author

Gumiński Witold

References

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