Selective Survey of Archaeological Research in Eastern Europe

Abstract

In this article I present a selective overview of research conducted by archaeologists since the mid-1970s in the so-called socialist countries of easte Europe. For the e.purpose of this article I use the journalist's definition of eastern Europe, which includes all the Marxist countries. This definition is spatially imprecise; for example, Prague, Czechoslovakia, is located to the west of Vienna, Austria. My survey includes the central European countries of Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, and Poland as well as the southeastern European countries of Bulgaria, Romania, and Yugoslavia. I also include several republics of the Soviet Union, including Byelorussia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, and the Ukraine. Several archaeologists have surveyed European archaeology in American Antiquity (Bogucki 1985; Dyson 1982; Price 1983; Sterud 1979; Sterud et al. 1980; Wells 1984), including Evans and Rasson (1984) who reviewed Neolithic and Chalcolithic research conducted in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia. My study therefore stresses the remaining eastern European countries. Furthermore, I place greater emphasis on the Palaeolithic and Neolithic than the later periods. My discussion of findings is preceded by some comments about the structure and conduct of archaeology in eastern Europe. Eastern Europe is saturated with archaeologists. There are approximately 250 of them in East Germany and 800 (M.A.s and Ph.D.s) in Poland. This translates into one archaeologist per 431 km2 (166 square miles) in East Germany and one archaeologist per 391 km2 (151 mi2) in Poland. Based on the density of prehistorians in East Germany, one would expect to find approximately 300 archaeologists in New York State, but one finds only 100 archaeologists (1 per 1,284 km2; 496 mi2) at colleges, universities, museums, and state agencies. Furthermore, the majority of New York State archaeologists conduct their research outside the state or even the United States, while East German and Polish archaeologists predominantly work in their own countries. Eastern European archaeologists rarely conduct excavations in other Marxist countries. Probably Bulgaria is the favorite country for archaeologists of Marxist countries to conduct field research (Paviuk and Cochadziev 1984). In addition, Soviet, Polish, and East German archaeologists are working outside eastern Europe, e.g., Near East and Africa. For archaeological purposes, eastern Europe cannot be treated as one homogeneous area, for the distinct history of each country has influenced its archaeological development. For example, East Germany did not exist as a sovereign entity before 1945-the archaeological research conducted in prewar East Germany territory, therefore, reflects the history of German archaeology. Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland already had a rich history of archaeological research before World War II. Since the 1950s Czech and Polish archaeologists have exhibited great dynamism and pioneered new approaches in eastern European archaeology. All archaeological institutions in...

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