Origins of medieval lead artefacts are hard to establish due to re-smelting and mixing. One can obtain conclusive evidence from ingots that served for bulk trade and originated directly from the mines. This paper aims to analyse the thirteenth century lead ingot from Wrocław (Poland). To establish its origins we analysed its structure and chemical composition. We used archaeometric methods: light and electron microscopic observations, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry and Pb isotopic analysis. We compared our measurements with measurements of analogical ingot found on Kraków Market Square and a database of lead ores from Europe and the Middle East. The research indicated that both ingots originated from -Kraków and Silesia Upland Pb–Zn ore deposits (Poland), intensively mined from the twelfth century. The results complement the view of trade routes established based on written records and add valuable data for future comparative studies.
I. Introduction. II. Wood demand and deforestation. III. Soil deterioration. IV. Water. V. Air. VI. Impact of toxic substances on the local population. VII. Living conditions in mining regions. VIII. "Ecological awareness" in mining regions and attempts for natural resource protection. IX. Conclusion 1
Empty, abandoned or covered with vegetation – such areas were inherent to the medieval urban space, yet remain overlooked in research. Here, we describe three major types of ‘empty’ space of various origins and functions in Central European towns and suggest how these types can be investigated and interpreted through an interdisciplinary approach combining archaeological, written, pictorial and cartographical sources. We propose a simple interdisciplinary protocol to trace empty spaces in the urban context. This study will help to change our perception of medieval urban space into one that is more dynamic and heterogeneous than commonly believed.
In this paper, we present the results of the 2016-2019 study of the residence of the noble Ciołek family, in _ Zelech ow (Mazovia, eastern Poland). The complex, located on a marshy and overgrown terrain, was recently discovered through the Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) data analysis. The site was surveyed using three geophysical methods: magnetometry (fluxgate gradiometer); electrical resistivity (two level twin-probe profiling); ground-penetrating radar (GPR) (450-MHz antenna). The data allowed to formulate hypotheses on the layout of the complex, its functions, phases and used building materials, which were verified by simultaneously conducted archaeological excavations. Adopted interdisciplinary approach resulted in the comprehensive exploration of the large defensive residence and the reconstruction of its phases with only a minor use of the intrusive archaeological excavation method. The examination of written records and dendrochronological and numismatic analyses allowed to date the complex to the 15th-17th century as well as to verify some hypotheses formulated based on the geophysical data. The presented study gives an impulse for transdisciplinary geophysical, archaeological and historical exploration of rarely identified and scarcely researched noble residences on the border between two medieval administrative regions-Mazovia and
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