THE BALTIC POCKET LIBRARY THE PREHISTORY OF POLISH POMERANIA BY DR. JÓZEF KOSTRZEWSKI PROFESSOR OF PREHISTORY*^!' THE UNIVERSITY OF POZNAŃ 1 9 TORUŃ (POLAND)3_6 PUBLISHED BY THE BALTIC INSTITUTE J. S. BERGSON, 4, VERNON PLACE, LONDON W. C. 1 THE PREHISTORY OF POLISH POMERANIA r Double face urn and bronze cauldron of provincial workmanship, found at Topolno, district of Świecie. I 4 Ki THE BALTIC POCKET LIBRARY THE PREHISTORY OF POLISH POMERANIA BY DR. JÓZEF KOSTRZEWSKI PROFESSOR OF PREHISTORY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF POZNAŃ 19 TORUŃ (POLAND) 3 6 PUBLISHED BY THE BALTIC INSTITUTE J. S. BERGSON, 4, VERNON PLACE, LONDON W. C, 1 Printed in Poland by “Rolnicza Drukarnia i Księgarnia Nakładowa Poznań, Sew. Mielżyńskiego 24 CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................5 CHAPTER 1. THE STONE AGE......................................................... 9 The Final Palaeolithic Period, p. 9. The Mesolithic Age, p. 10. The Neolithic Age, p. 13; Ribbon Ware, p. 14; Funnel Cup Culture, p. 16; Eastern Globular Amphora Culture, p. 19; The Corded Pottery Culture, p. 21; The Rzucewo Culture, p. 24; The Comb Pottery, p. 29; Finds of Copper, p. 30. CHAPTER 2. THE BRONZE AGE....................................................32 The Early Bronze Age, p. 32; The Iwno Culture, p. 33; Hoards, p. 34. The Second Bronze Age Period, p. 36. The Third Bronze Age Period, p. 37; The Cassubian Local Group, p. 38; The Chełmno Local Group, p. 40; Affinities of the Lusatian Culture, p. 41. The Fourth Bronze Age Period, p. 43; The Cassubian Sub-Group, p. 43,; The Chełmno Sub-Groun, p. 46. The Fifth (Latest) Bronze Age Period, p. 49; The Cassubian Sub-Group, p. 49; The Chełmno Sub-Group, p. 53. CHAPTER 3. THE IRON AGE................................................... .55 Pomeranian Culture, p. 55; Face Urn Culture, p. 57; Hoards, p. 62; Sites, p. 64; The Lusatian Culture (The Chełmno Sub-Group), p. 65; Sites, p. 66. The La Tene Period, p. 66; The Early and Middle La Tene Period, p. 66; The Bell Grave Culture, p. 68; Origin of the Cist Grave Folk, p. 70; The Late La Tene Period, p. 71; Celtic Influences, p. 72; Origins of the Ash-Pit Grave Culture, p. 76. The Imperial Roman Period, p. 76; Roman and Roman-Provincial Imports, p. 76. The Early Imperial Period, p. 78; Goths and Gepids, p. 78. The Later Imperial Period, p. 85; Sites, p. 88. The Period of the Great Migrations, p. 88. The Early Historical Period, p. 92; The Chełmno District, p. 94; The Cassubian and Danzig Groups, p. 97; Hacked-Silver Finds, p. 99; Forts, p. 102; Stone Figures, p. 103; The Vikings, p. 104. XXXVII Illustrations Page Fig. 1. Świderian flint implements from Podgórz.............................. 9 Fig. 2. Tardenoisian flint implements from Ostrowo ... 11 Fig. 3. Kunda culture implements.........................................................12 Fig. 4. Vessels and implements of the ribbon ware culture . 15 Fig. 5. Objects belonging to the funnel cup culture ... 19 Fig. 6. Amphorae and beads of the globular amphora culture 20 Fig. 7. Pottery and other objects — corded pottery culture 23 Fig. 8. Amphora from Rzucewo, coastal district............................26 Fig. 9. Pottery and implements of the Rzucewo culture . 27 Fig. 10. Objects belonging to the comb-ornamented pottery culture ........................................................................................... 29 Fig. 11. Cups belonging to the Iwno culture..................................33 Fig. 12. Bronze objects of the early bronze age..................................35 Fig. 13. Bronze palstave and ornaments from Lusatian barrows 37 Fig. 14. Bronze objects of the third bronze age period ... 39 Fig. 15. Pottery and bronze objects — the Cassubian group of the Lusatian culture.............................................................. 45 Fig. 16. Pottery and bronze objects — the Chełmno group . 47 Fig. 17. Bronze objects belonging to the Pomeranian culture . 51 Fig. 18. Pottery and bronze objects — Pomeranian culture . 57 Fig. 19. Pottery belonging to the face urn culture .... 59 Fig. 20. Implements and ornaments — face urn culture ... 63 Fig. 21. Pottery and ornaments —- the Lusatian culture . 64 Fig. 22. Pottery and implements of the late La Tene period 74- Fig. 23. Pottery and implements of the Roman period ... 82 Fig. 24. Antiquities of the migration period....................................... 89 Fig. 25. Ornaments of the early historic period..................................95 Fig. 26, Weapons and tools of the early historic period . 97 Fig. 27. Pottery of the early historic period ..................................... 101 Plates I. Double face urn and bronze cauldron .... frontispiece II. 1. Round barrow of the late bronze age ...(-. _ . 2. Unearthed stone barrow of the Roman period f 1 & P* 3. Stone cist grave of the early iron age . j - . -- 4. The same grave before opening........................\ *acmS P* Maps Neolithic cultures in Pomerania.........................................................17 Middle and late bronze age cultures in Pomerania .... 41 Early iron age cultures in Pomerania..............................................69 Early historic earthworks in Pomerania ,,,,,,,, 93 INTRODUCTION The prehistoric development of Polish Pomerania was chiefly conditioned by its situation on the Vistula, which connects it with central and southern Poland. The earliest inhabitants known to us, the represent­ atives of the Swiderian culture, came into the district down the Vistula, as, probably, did the bringers of the Tardenoisian culture and, certainly, those of the Danubian ribbon ware, who found a second home on the upper Vistula and spread northwards from there down the river. On the other hand the Vistula valley offered a convenient route to Little-Poland for the representatives of the funnel cup culture, who had entered Pomerania from the north-west, and likewise for those of the globular amphora culture and probably of the corded pottery culture. At the same time the river was an important trade route, by which the excellent flints of south-west Poland found their way to Pomerania and the amber of the Baltic was transported to southern Poland. The ear­ liest copper utensils also certainly reached Pomerania from Moravia and Hungary by this route. During the third period of the Bronze Age the bronze eyed pins of Lusatian type found their way along the lower 5 Vistula from Great-Poland to the Baltic coast, and in the late Bronze Age (periods IV and V) bronze cups and other bronze vessels imported from Hungary reached Pomerania by this route. At the end of the Early Iron Age the cist grave culture with face urns which arose in Pomerania spread southwards along the Vistula, reaching the Sandomierz district in the early La Tene period. In the late La Tene period Celtic imported ware reached Cuyavia, the province which adjoins Polish Pomerania, probably through the intermediation of Celts settled in Little-Poland, and strong Celtic influences are noticeable in Pomerania also. At the same period ornamented spear-points made in Pomerania were introduced into south-east Poland by way of the Vistula and its tributary the Bug. In the first two centuries after Christ the skeleton grave culture ascribed to the Goths and Gepids spread along the Vistula to the border of Mazovia (the Płock district), and some ornaments typical of it found their way by this trade route even into Little-Poland. The Gepids emigrating from Pomerania in the first half of the third century after Christ likewise followed the Vistula route, afterwards branching off south-east along the Bug. At this period the lower course of the Vistula formed also a trade route for Roman provincial imported ware, made chiefly on the lower Rhine, as is clearly to be seen from the map showing the dis­ tribution of the obliquely fluted bronze cauldrons. But it was in the early historical period that the Vistula played its most important part. A large number of Arabian coins, brought by the Vikings, found their way up the river as far as Mazovia, and some weapons of Viking origin found in the northern part of Little- Poland must also have come by the same route. The river, too, was an important factor in the commerce of the different Polish tribes living on it, as may be seen from a map showing the distribution of the hollow temple-rings made in Pomerania, extending far into central Poland. A second article of export from Pomerania at this time was amber, which found its way as far as Sandomierz. In the other direction dif­ ferent imported articles came down the Bug and the Vistula from south-east Poland and the Ukraine to Pomerania; e. g., glass and enamel rings, finger rings twisted of two or three threads of bronze or silver, spinning whorls of rose-coloured Volhynian slate, and earthenware Easter eggs ornamented with enamel. The above-enumerated facts show that new groups of population, after settling in Little-Poland on the upper Vistula, strove to penetrate northwards down the river, whereas peoples which had occupied its mouth showed a tendency to advance up river south­ wards^ indeed has happened again in historical times. The Polish kingdom which arose in the tenth century, being in possession of the upper and middle course of the Vistula, naturally endeavoured to occupy its mouth. 7 On the other hand, foreign conquerors, such as the seventeenth century Swedes, or the eighteenth century Prussians after the first partition of Poland, as soon as they had succeeded in occupying Pomerania tried to gain possession also of the other Polish territories on the river. The great importance of the Vistula as a navigable route in historical times, especially for the Polish grain- export trade, is sufficiently known. All this clearly shows the intimate connexion between Pomerania and the other Polish territories, and the striking part played by this river, the backbone of Poland. CHAPTER 1 THE STONE AGE THE FINAL PALAEOLITHIC PERIOD The most ancient remains of human existence in Polish Pomerania date from the early post-glacial age. Evidence for this earliest settlement is found in open camping places among the dunes, with ancient 1 2 3 4 5 67 Fig.