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Zdobiony zabytek z poroża z Nowej Łupianki, woj. podlaskie

100%

Gieysztor-Szymczak E.

Wiadomości Archeologiczne

2001

vol. LV

issue 55

3-19

The article presents a previously little known ornamented antler artifact discovered nearly five decades ago in the deposits of an open cast chalk mine at Nowa Łupianka, woj. podlaskie (Fig. 1). It is a 41.5 cm long right antler of a red deer, its head section is 7.85 cm wide, the main stem 3.5–3.8 cm wide (Fig. 2). The truncated head section features a hole bored inside the antler to the maximum depth of 10.5 cm (Fig. 4g). Worthy of note is both the unusual richness of the ornament as well as the precise multi-stage working. It is possible to reconstruct the working techniques used in producing the specimen. After preliminary preparation of the raw material (presumably separating the antler from the skull, cutting and breaking off of the needed fragment, cutting off of the brow line and trez) it was softened most probably by soaking in cold water or by heating, for instance, in ashes. Next, the surface of the object was carefully modelled by whittling. It is also possible that an effort was made to straighten the antler (Fig. 6). Finally, after decorating the antler with an elaborate ornament it was smoothed and polished. There is a suggestion that the antler was painted with yellow ochre (Table 1). The find is covered with a series of notches almost all over its surface forming an original composition, different at different locations. Several zones of ornamentation were distinguished: A. On the face of the circular head section, five lines formed of 18 grooves and 6 rough incisions converging at a single point and 7 incisions on the edge forming a zigzag (Fig. 3); B. On the circumference of the head section, two rows of lentoid incisions arranged in two rows: row one – 23 lentoid incisions (12 distinct and 11 less well defined), row two – 31 lentoid incisions (29 distinct and 2 schematic) (Fig. 2–4); C. In the region of the junction of the head section and the main beam, on one side of the antler, a set of 13 irregular incisions, on the opposite side, a set of 7 and 8 parallel incisions; D. On three sides of the main beam, an ornament of a large zigzag formed of 6–8 parallel lines of incisions in the form of adjoining “V-shapes (Fig. 4a,b,d); E. On the remaining side of the main stem, herringbone formed by five pairs of diagonal lines and a central line topped with chevron incisions, one of its apexes pointing downwards (Fig. 4c); F. On the top section, an encircling representation of a “fringe composed of sets of 2–4 parallel rows of incisions separated from zones D and E by three to five transverse lines of incisions (Fig. 5). The ornament was produced with a flint burin in two similar techniques: 1. Technique of an engraved line, a single incision; 2. Technique of repeated deepened incisions to produce grooves or lentoid shapes. Presumably the ornament on the antler was made at a single sitting by one artist. In its technique of working the find from Nowa Łupianka shares some characteristics with mesolithic antler objects from the European Lowland (Pobiel 10, Pułtusk, Woźniki, Sværdborg I, Holmegaard I, IV). However, the ornament seen on individual sections of the specimen has no close analogies on any bone or antler objects in the western and eastern Baltic zone during the Boreal Period (G. Clark 1975; I. Loze 1983). Likewise, the form of the artifact does not resemble any known antler or bone artifacts. Presumably the studied find did not serve any economic function (showing no traces of wear or damage, being in a fine state of preservation and apparently resulting from substantial effort to model and decorate the antler). Rather it would seem that the aim was to produce an object of beauty having a decorative purpose and most probably, symbolic as well. The incisions may have been a calendar of a kind associated with inserting additional months to form a year consisting of 12 lunar months (see S. Iwaniszewski 1996). In zone E it is possible to distinguish a design which may possibly be an anthropomorphic representation. The image has analogies in mesolithic specimens from Denmark (Veksø, Jordløse, Ryemarksgaard, Refsvindinge, Fyn(?); fig. 7). Alternately, it may be an image of an animal or plant – lizard or Cosmic Tree with an image of a heavenly body (moon or sun) at the top. Both designs have numerous analogies in 17th c. and later clan symbols of Siberian tribes on the river Ob (Fig. 8). Accurate dating of the antler find and definition of its culture affiliation is at present exceedingly difficult owing to the lack of archaeological context or close analogies. Nevertheless on the basis of raw material used to produce the specimen it is possible to define the lower chronological boundary to the beginning of the Holocene when woodland fauna, mainly red deer, dominated Poland’s territory. Definition of the upper chronological boundary is more difficult. Ornamented antler artifacts occur in the Mesolithic but in later periods as well. Basing on the elements of the working and the ornamentation technique the find from Nowa Łupianka may with relative probability be classified as a specimen of early Holocene art.

Toporek z poroża z Łukęcina w powiecie kamieńskim

84%

Adamczyk M.

Materiały Zachodniopomorskie

2023

issue 19

177-183

W artykule przedstawiono topór z poroża znaleziony w miejscowości Łukęcin na wybrzeżu Bałtyku. Narzędzie przypomina późnomezolityczny topór typu Kongemose, choć jego dokładna chronologia nie jest pewna.

The article presents a stray find of an antler axe from Łukęcin discovered on the coast of the Baltic. The artefact resembles the Late Mesolithic Kongemose type axe, although its exact chronology is unclear.

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1 Materiały Zachodniopomorskie

1 Wiadomości Archeologiczne

1 Adamczyk M.

1 Gieysztor-Szymczak E.

1 2023

1 2001

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Zdobiony zabytek z poroża z Nowej Łupianki, woj. podlaskie

Toporek z poroża z Łukęcina w powiecie kamieńskim