EN BURIAL MOUNDS IN AN OLD SETTLEMENT: UNEXPECTED RESULTS OF EXCAVATIONS OF THE BURIAL MOUND CEMETERY IN OBŁĘŻE, SŁUPSK COUNTY

2025

Pomorania Antiqua

Rocznik: 2025 | Tom: XXXIV

artykuł naukowy

polski

EN In 2021, a multidisciplinary research project was launched to investigate the archaeological complex in Obłęże (Słupsk County) within its environmental context. The complex comprises two sites: a fortified settlement (AZP 13-28/80) and a burial mound cemetery (AZP 13-28/83), both situated in a river bend near Kępice. This area had not been previously excavated, though it was known from earlier surface surveys which identified 24 burial mounds and ceramic fragments of uncertain chronology. Initial research involved archival studies, satellite imagery, and LiDAR data, followed by surface prospection and aerial survey, which led to the inventory of the burial mounds. Geomagnetic prospection and trial excavations were conducted at the cemetery, focusing on Mound 14. No grave was identified, thus the previously assumed early medieval chronology could not be confirmed. However, substantial prehistoric ceramic and flint assemblages were discovered, originating from a settlement predating the cemetery. Although the precise dating of the cemetery remains unresolved, its sepulchral function is not in doubt. The materials recovered, especially ceramics and flint tools, point to earlier phases of occupation in the late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age. The ceramic assemblage aligns with the Corded Ware, Iwno, and Grobsko-Śmiardowo (Płonia group) cultures. Flint artifacts, produced primarily from local Pomeranian raw material using the débitage laminaire technique, indicate occupation by Mesolithic, Neolithic, and early Bronze Age communities. Regional settlement analysis places Obłęże within a broader prehistoric network along the Wieprza and Bystrzenica rivers, with occupation spanning from the Mesolithic to the Early Bronze Age. The research highlights the complex and multi-phase use of the site and underscores the need for further excavation to clarify the chronology of the burial mounds.

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