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Zorganizowane i wyspecjalizowane obozowisko zbieraczy? Z wyników badań traseologicznych i przestrzennych materiałów mezolitycznych ze stanowiska Ludowice 6

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Osipowicz G.

Przegląd Archeologiczny

2015

vol. 63

59-85

This article attempts to interpretation function and probable internal, spatial organization of the Late Mesolithic camps, discovered at western habitat at site Ludowice 6, Wąbrzeźno commune (central Poland). The site is located in the middle part of Chełmińskie Lakeland (Fig. 1), within a slope of a hill reaching the height of at most 100 m above the sea level. It is situated in the contact zone of sander and a large melt ice depression, presently filled with biogenic sediments (peat - Fig. 2). Excavation research was conducted here in 2009-2013. Altogether, it covered the area of 756m2. Prehistoric materials found on the examined part of the site formed three collections. According to the observations made during the excavations, as well as opinions of a soil scientist and a geomorphologist, they persisted here in the in situ contexts (Osipowicz et al. 2014). The first of the evolving concentrations (located farthest to the east) consists of remnants of Late Palaeolithic settlement, the remaining two are Mesolithic. Both Early Holocene aggregations found are relatively large (around 4 ares each). So far, precise analysis covered only artefacts originating from one of them, due to location called western habitat (Osipowicz et al. 2014). A spatial analysis of the spread of specimens found here allowed to distinguish two, partly overlapping flint scatters (numbered as 1 and 2 – Fig. 3-6). Altogether, the study of this area provided an unusually rich prehistoric material, which included, among others, 4026 flint artefacts. Technological and stylistic analyzes carried out indicate that these materials may be associated with the Komornica culture and dated for the late (Atlantic) phase of its development (Osipowicz et al. 2014). This chronology found its confirmation in the radiocarbon cross-dating of charcoal samples collected from the hearth, identified within the habitat (feature 10). Both dates provided by two different laboratories are very similar: 6540±45BP (Poz-52082) and 6660±80BP (KML-1706); they locate the described materials in the period directly preceding the occurrence of early-agricultural societies at the Chełmińskie Lakeland (Kirkowski 1994, 58). The basis for conclusions drawn in article were primarily the results of use-wear analyze, which covered all the artefacts from the habitat identified under the arable layer, i.e. specimens included in the planygraphy as well as the material from sieves, and also chosen artefacts from the arable layer (those for which there was no doubt as for their Mesolithic chronology, in practice geometrical insets and other backed forms as well as some end scrapers). Altogether, it covered 2031 flint artefacts, that is more than a half of the collection from the habitat. As a result of the conducted analysis, identified were 198 artefacts bearing use-wear traces, which were used for 209 functions (Tab. 1, Fig. 8-11). Function of the camps Flint scatter 1 may be considered as a remnant of some sort of a briefly used home structure and its backroom. Such interpretation is supported by several arguments. First, it is in agreement with the identification of a complex hearth and several other large features (Fig. 12), which may be considered as the result of activities of character going beyond temporary/occasional stay of a human group. Important is here also significant amount of bones found, and most of all the fact they originate from many animal species (Osipowicz et al. 2014), what may suggest a longer occupation of the place. Next of the arguments supporting this hypothesis is the functional structure of the collection, in which in a similar way (although in an usually small number) are represented artefacts related to processing of hide/meat and bone/antler, specimens associated with wood treatment are relatively numerous, but no significant content of projectile insets characteristic for hunting camps were found. It’s a very similar functional structure to observed in case of a collection from the flint scatter 2 in site Sąsieczno 4 (Osipowicz 2010, 238). Nevertheless described feature from Ludowice couldn’t be used for a longer time, what indicates a small amount of discovered tools. Situation is very different in the case of flint scatter 2. No fireplace was found here, no larger number of features, and no bones (Osipowicz et al. 2014), while the functional structure of the collection is generally quite similar to the one observed in case of flint scatter 1 from site Sąsieczno 4 (Osipowicz 2010, 238). Identified functional tools are mainly (omitting the group of tools for treatment of siliceous plants for the moment) artefacts related to the processing of hide and meat, projectile insets as well as functionally uncertain but maybe directly associated with gathering or hunting microscrapers (Osipowicz 2010: 239). Such structure of the tool group suggests a hunting profile of the location. Thus, we are dealing here with collections largely corresponding in terms of functional structure to chronologically close Early Holocene collections from the site Sąsieczno 4. Interesting is also the occurrence here of the homestead-hunting camp arrangement observed in Sąsieczno. However, it is not possible to confirm its homogeneity, what precludes any far-reaching reasoning, going spatially beyond the area of a single flint scatter. Here the analogies between the two sites end. In materials from both concentrations found in the western habitation in Ludowice very strongly represented is also a functional group essentially absent in Sąsieczno, i.e. tools used for processing of siliceous plants. Artefacts included in it dominate both the studied collections and occurred in many types, what allows to claim that they probably evidence the basic activity of Mesolithic hunters in Ludowice. The results of hitherto analyzes indicate that curved knives constituting this group were most probably used in splitting and combing of plant fibers (Vaughan, Bocquet 1987: 402; Juel Jensen 1994: 67; van Gijn 2010: 66, Osipowicz 2010: 96). However, so far one did not succeed to identify with certainty the species which could be treated with the help of these tools. It is believed that these were perhaps plants useful for instance in making ropes or cloth production (Juel Jensen 1994: 63). Perhaps the discovery of a large number of these artefacts in Ludowice is a resultant of production exceeding the needs of single group. The existence of specialized workshops in the Mesolithic is suggested by findings from the site 7 in Krzyż Wielkopolski (Kabaciński et al. 2008). Localization of camp in Ludowice might be in such case determined by the consumption of resources provided by a peat bog located here in the Late Mesolithic, but most of all flora of ecological zone associated with it. Perhaps the availability of certain siliceous plant species, determined by the moment and length of their growth season fixed the time and duration of stay of Mesolithic people at the discussed site (occasional camp? – Galiński 2011: 90). This question however, has to remain unanswered, at least until an unambiguous interpretation of bent knives’ function is known. Internal organisation of the camps The methodology applied during excavations in Ludowice, especially the way of collecting and cataloguing of flint materials, together with a very good state of site preservation, allowed to carry out a precise spatial analysis and shed light on possible internal organization of the camp. Observation that comes to mind even after only a superficial analysis of various sources’ distribution in the settlement is the fact that both distinguished main flint scatter (1 and 2) do not form ensembles, where functional artefacts are spread evenly (Fig. 12). In both cases, they are concentrated in specific (southern) regions of flint scatter, occupying an area of approximately 5m2. At the same time, these were places with the highest concentration of flint artefacts, beyond which there were no significant signs of functional tools or any other relevant source categories. Therefore, these sites comprise the zone of economic activity (EA zone) of Mesolithic groups and, interestingly, in both concentrations cover less than a half of area where flint artefacts forming the flint scatter. The second important observation is the presence of large features in the centre of both EA zones, around which the economic activity of human groups was probably centred. In flint scatter 1 it is a hearth (feature 10) while in flint scatter 2 it is feature 2, relatively rich in prehistoric material (Osipowicz et al. 2014). The area around these features can be analysed in terms of zonality of tools (observable to some extent) related to the processing of particular types of raw materials and other artefacts which express human economic activity within a particular EA zone (Fig. 12). And so, feature 10 in flint scatter 1 constituted not only the central area of flint processing, but also of treatment of other stone materials. On its western side, works related to the processing of siliceous plants were performed, while on east and south sides most of works in wood were carried out. Bones were abundant within the whole area, and are most likely the remains of meals prepared on the hearth. Organization of the EA zone of flint scatter 2 is slightly different. Stone raw material was processed on the west side of centrally located pit (feature 2). The eastern and southern part of the zone was the site of siliceous plants’ processing. However, there was also a narrow area in this zone related to treatment of hide and meat (Fig. 12). Moreover, several microscrapers and flint projectile points were present in a scattered manner in flint scatter 2, which is probably the result of a functional profile different from that observed in concentration 1. Both Mesolithic sites are characterized by a rather large analogy in terms of the overall functional structure, and particularly the organization of internal space of settlements. However, until the larger number of collections is investigated and observations made here are confirmed, no far-reaching conclusions concerning presented issues can be drawn.

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1 Przegląd Archeologiczny

1 Osipowicz G.

1 2015

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Zorganizowane i wyspecjalizowane obozowisko zbieraczy? Z wyników badań traseologicznych i przestrzennych materiałów mezolitycznych ze stanowiska Ludowice 6