Iwanowice, Babia Góra site: spatial evolution of an Early Bronze Age Mierzanowice Culture settlement (2300–1600 BC)

Abstract

Between 1967 and 1979 the Institute of History of Material Culture of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the State University of New York at Buffalo carried out a joint programme of archaeological field research on Neolithic and early Bronze Age (EBA) sites in southeastern Poland. As part of this programme in 1967-9 and 1971-3 Professor Jan Machnik conducted archaeological investigations at Iwanowice on a wedge-shaped elevation known as Babia Góra (50 12 14 E, 19 58 30 W, FIGURE 1). The site, some 8 ha in area (520 × 230 m), lies on the borderline between the Cracow-Częstochowa and Miechów Uplands, some 20 km north of Crakow on a hill spur overlooking the Dłubnia river valley. Babia Góra is built of siliceous limestone heavily laced with flint nodules covered by a thick mantle of loess. The entire area of the site is now under cultivation.

Radiocarbon dates and absolute chronology of the central European Early Bronze Age

“…Recent years have seen some welcome developments: two long 14C series for the Copper Age, from Tiszapolgar (Benko et al 1989(Benko et al : 1000 and VuCedol (SrdoE et al 1987;; a series of 18 Early Bronze Age determinations from Iwanowice in southern Poland (Kadrow 1991); series from Kiszombor and Kl5rafalva of the Maros group in southern Hungary (O'Shea 1992); and isolated determinations from various other Copper and Bronze Age sites in different areas of central Europe. There is now no significant gap in the radiocarbon sequence throughout the Copper, Early Bronze and Middle Bronze Ages, although some areas and 'cultures' are not covered.…”

Mierzanowice culture site in Dobranowice Kraków district

“…1926-1778 BC (probability 68.2%); or 1951-1751 (probability 95.4%; calibration program OxCal v4.4.4 -using the INTCAL20 curve). In the chronological scheme developed for western Lesser Poland on the basis of the C14 series from the Iwanowice settlement (Kadrow 1991;Kadrow, Machnik 1993, 1997, the results correspond to the late phase of the Mierzanowice culture. Similar dates were obtained for the western Lesser Poland cemeteries in Szarbia Zwierzyniecka (Baczyńska 1985) and Świniary Stare (Juras et al 2020).…”

Wielokulturowe stanowisko w Wysokiej, stan. 1, pow. łańcucki – wyniki badań sondażowych z 1995 roku (analiza obiektów nieruchomych i źródeł ceramicznych)

“…prezentowane obiekty zapewne stanowią jedyny uchwytny dziś ślad pozostałości zagród, tj. domów z podwórzem (Kadrow 1991). Struktury wziemnne tego typu charakteryzują zarówno środowiska lessowe, jak i strefy wydm i piasków eolicznych (Taras 1995, 40n.…”