Newly recorded Neolithic earthen long barrows in south-western Poland: unexpected discoveries, expanded perspectives, new interpretations

Abstract

A surprising discovery was made in 1995 in the Muszkowice Forest, south-western Poland, of a monumental cemetery with 6 earthen long barrows of the Funnel Beaker culture. Following an in-depth examination using traditional methods of archaeological survey, the cemetery was hailed as the only such funerary feature in that part of the country. However, subsequent large-area prospection performed using airborne laser scanning led to a startling discovery of further 15 monumental cemeteries with a total of 20 earthen long barrows. This article shows that even following a very fruitful examination conducted using surface survey, excavation and geomagnetic prospection, the employment of modern methods of non-invasive prospection may still deliver unexpected results that enhance our knowledge: they help discover unknown features and, by producing new data, extend the research perspectives, thus creating new possibilities for interpreting the cultural phenomena of the past.

Archaeological landscape – the past and the present. A case study of the megalithic landscape of Wietrzychowice, Poland

“…Landscape Online 97 (2022) 1099 -Page 19 tions. For example, the Muszkowice barrows were discovered just recently (in 1995), and non-invasive methods of research were used (Przybył 2014). The barrows are not reconstructed, but their landform is visible, though they are overgrown with trees (Figure 9).…”

“…barrows was of course related to burials and funeral ceremonies, but they also played a symbolic (as a symbol in thanatology, Rzepecki 2015) and a symbol of the ownership of the area(Przybył 2014) and a ceremonial role (cult houses, Socha 2015).…”