Located in the Wloclawek region in central Poland, Brzesc Kujawski is the site of several early farming communities dating back to between 4400 and 2600 B.C. Originally discovered in the 1930s, increased excavation and study began in the late 70s, when Peter Bogucki from Princeton University and Ryszard Grygiel, the director of the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography of Lódz, Poland began an extensive survey of the area. Bogucki and Grygiel originally studied only Brzesc Kujawski as an independent site from 1976 to 1982, but they discovered more sites at Nowy Mlyn and Oslonki in the next decade.
Using radiocarbon dating, the researchers have been able to estimate the site as being an example of a Neolithic landscape. Several items were found that established the approximate dates for the site. Ceramic, lithic and faunal samples were found, as well as some of the oldest copper in northern Europe, which allowed them to find at least 30 Neolithic radiocarbon dates.
Initially, the focus of the study was an attempt to reconstruct the Neolithic landscape and determine human impact. One of the more significant findings was the glacial and stream patterns in the region. Brzesc Kujawski and Oslonki show evidence of ground moraines deposited by the Weichsel ice sheet during the last glacial period. Also, both areas have easily identifiable stream channels which were attractive to early pioneering settlers.
Bogucki and Grygiel have identified three main cultural groups that settled in Brzesc Kujawski and have devised approximate dates for each group. (The gap between the Linear Pottery and Lengyel cultures represents a time where little information has been recovered.)
Linear Pottery culture ca. 4400-4000 b.c - The first settlers in the region made small clusters of homes close to stream channels. These people seem to have been pioneers that were very likely responsible for the forest-breaking and searching for potential settlement locations. The large number of cattle bones in the region suggests that people from this time were actively involved in the raising of livestock.
Lengyel culture (Early Lengyel) ca. 3500-3200 b.c. - Lengyel culture is marked by a dramatic increase in sheep and goat bones, suggesting a shift in the livestock practices. Domestic pigs became much more important at this point, but cattle were still the primary domesticated animals. It is believed that during this period, the settlements of Brzesc Kujawski and Oslonki began to trade and communicate more actively. Evidence for this is provided by similarities in dates for artifacts of corresponding types in the two regions. Bogucki and Grygiel hypothesized that the Lengyel culture had a significant impact on the landscape of the time due to both their usage of timber to create their longhouses, and the grazing of their livestock.
Funnel Beaker culture (Late Lengyel) ca. 3200-2600 b.c. - The final group to inhabit the Brzesc Kujawski region represented a shift in land usage. Suddenly, the area showed a shift toward a pattern of animal exploitation. It is believed that much of the physical changes to the area brought about by the Lengyel culture were still very visible at this time, but there is less available information on the Funnel Beaker culture.
While the goals of the research were originally to reconstruct the physical landscape of Neolithic Brzesc Kujawski, the discovery of several longhouses, houses remains, storage pits, flint industries, copper artifacts, and human skeletons led to a new focus. Research done in the past 20 years has expanded to include an investigation of household activities, settlement distribution and changes in subsistence patterns in early Northern Europe. The findings regarding the three main cultures suggested that there were significant changes in quality of life over the years. For example, the Lengyel culture had specific areas set aside for refuse, while the Funnel Beaker culture had a thin layer of waste strewn about the settlement.
"Abstract" Journal of Field Archaelogy http://tunica.bu.edu/Abstracts/G/GrygielR_8_1.html (3 Feb. 00)
"Changing Neolithic Landscapes at Brzesc Kujawski, Poland" Princeton University http://www.princeton.edu/~bogucki/landcape.html (3 Feb. 00)
"The Neolithic Mosaic on the North European Plain" Princeton University http://www.princeton.edu/~bogucki/mosaic.html (3 Feb. 00)
"Theoretical Archaeology Group " Cardiff University http://www.cf.ac.uk/hisar/conferences/tag99/mba.html (3 Feb. 00)
"APAP Archives 1999: Interesting Lecture" Association Of Polish-American Professionals http://www.informatics.sunysb.edu/apap/archives/1999/1086.html (3 Feb. 00)
Conrad Derus