Papers by Mirosław Rudnicki
The article discusses three bow brooches found in recent years in Kaliningrad Oblast of the Russi... more The article discusses three bow brooches found in recent years in Kaliningrad Oblast of the Russian Federation coinciding with the historic territories of Sambia and Natangia. All the brooches are stray finds either picked up during fieldwalking or found by accident. They represent different types, each with a different provenance. Chronologically they all belong in the Late Migration Period, from its earliest to its final phase – the brooches from Kievskoe, Zelenogradsk District (Fig. 2:1), and Ušakovo, Gur'evsk District (Fig. 2:2) may be referred to phase E1, the brooch from Okunevo, Zelenogradsk District (Fig. 2:3) to phase E2. The group of late bow brooches is represented by the most recently published specimen from Vavilovo, Bagrationovsk District (Fig. 2:4) which dates to phase E3. The brooches under discussion have added to our source database of this category of artefacts from the territory of the Dollkeim/Kovrovo Culture, improving our understanding of its connections during the late Migration Period. It is notable that all three brooches published here for the first time (Kievskoe, Ušakovo and Okunevo) belong to types previously not recorded sin the Dollkeim/Kovrovo territory.
Translation: Anna Kineck
Materiały do archeologii Warmii i Mazur, 2018
Studia Barbarica. Profesorowi Andrzejowi Kokowskiemu w 65. rocznicę urodzin, 2018
The subject of this article is the cicada fibula
found in Novoselovo/Новоселовo, in the area of
t... more The subject of this article is the cicada fibula
found in Novoselovo/Новоселовo, in the area of
the Dollkeim/Kovrovo culture. This find has few
analogies in the Baltic lands. Besides the brooch
found at Novoselovo, other finds in the Baltic lands
are known from the areas of Poland, Lithuania and
Russia. The cicada brooches are the leading artefacts
for the Early Migration Period. The brooches
from the Baltic lands came to these sites from
the area of the middle Danube, but the possibility
that they came from the northern Black Sea littoral
cannot be excluded. Most probably, the brooch
from Novoselovo and other West Baltic finds may
be dated to no earlier than phase D2–D3, the part
of the Migration Period when the cicada-like ornaments
were the most popular. The evident intensification
of the contacts between the Baltic
areas and the South is also dated to that phase. The
brooch from Novoselovo is a proof of the long-distance
connections of the Dollkeim/Kovrovo culture
with the areas of southern and south-eastern
Europe in the development of phase D.
Extra Limites, red. M. Bohr, M. Teska, Poznań-Wrocław , 2017
The history of archaeological excavations in Masuria is closely
connected with the history of ar... more The history of archaeological excavations in Masuria is closely
connected with the history of archaeology over a broader area, namely, East
Prussia. The largest quantity of the materials dated to the Late Migrations
Period was collected in the late 19th and early 20th century. This was thanks to
the intensive activities of G. Bujack, F.E. Peiser and E. Hollack who excavated
in former East Prussia an exceptionally large number of sites dated to between
the Stone Age and the Early Middle Ages. Numerous excavations were also
conducted by Polish researchers after the Second World War. In the recent
years there was an increment of materials connected with the Olsztyn Group.
The excavations and archaeological supervisions brought about the discovery
of the Olsztyn Group sites. Loose finds that can be connected with the Olsztyn
Group were also discovered in Masuria and Warmia.
The problem which remains to be solved is the area occupied by the
Olsztyn Group. N. Ǻberg limited it approximately to three pre-war German
districts: Allenstein/Olsztyn, Sensburg/Mrągowo, and Ortelsburg/Szczytno.
An attempt was made at distinguishing a separate “Galindian” cultural group
occupying the Great Mazurian Lakeland. The specific character of that area
was noted also in the post-war literature. Even though the burials in that area
were not so rich as the ones in the western part, on the basis of the available
sources, mainly the pre-war ones ones, it is possible to say that the Olsztyn
Group settlement embraced also Lake Śniardwy.
Whereas the western and southern border of the Olsztyn Group settlement
is well visible: it is determined by the unoccupied area abandoned by the
Wielbark culture, the northern and eastern limits, i.e., the borderline between
the Dollkeim/Kovrovo and Sudovian cultures, are difficult to establish. There
are also doubts about the claim that there was an Olsztyn Group settlement
between Reszel and Giżycko, even if the finds of artefacts evidently dated to
Phase E were found there. However, there is no evidence allowing to extend
the settlement of the discussed cultural unit up to the area of Węgorzewo in
the north-east. It should be, nevertheless, stressed that pottery with Olsztyn
Group stylistic features was found far to the east from its main area, e.g., the
materials from the area of sudovian culture. In developed Phase E there was
a perceptible westward expansion of the Olsztyn Group population to the area
of the Olsztyn Lakeland. This phenomenon was caused by the disappearance
of the earlier Wielbark culture people from these areas.
Kniha vyšla jako součást grantového projektu Grantové agentury ČR s názvem "Kořeny a proměny germ... more Kniha vyšla jako součást grantového projektu Grantové agentury ČR s názvem "Kořeny a proměny germánské společnosti střední a mladší doby římské ve světle výpovědi žárového pohřebiště Modřice-Sádky" (č. projektu GA15-20700S) a v rámci programu výzkumné činnosti Archeologického ústavu AV ČR, Brno, v. v. i. na léta 2012Brno, v. v. i. na léta -2017 Vydání publikace finančně podpořila Ediční rada Akademie věd České republiky, Národní 3, 117 20 Praha 1.
Acta Universitatis Lodziensis Folia Archaeologica, 2015
The cemetery in Kosewo (former Kossewen, Kr. Sensburg; from 1938, Rechenberg) is one of the large... more The cemetery in Kosewo (former Kossewen, Kr. Sensburg; from 1938, Rechenberg) is one of the largest known necropolises dated to the Roman and Migration Periods found in the Mazurian Lakeland.
At the cemetery in Kosewo there were pit and urn burials. The pit burials contained, besides the remains of the deceased, also the remains of the pyre. The predominant burial type were urn graves. It seems justifiable to assume that in the Olsztyn group the urn graves were generally predominant, with some local departures from the custom. We may also say that the graves from the late Migration Period were deposited closer to the surface than the ones from the Roman Period. .In the eastern part of the area settled by the Olsztyn Group, in which the Kosewo cemeteries are located, the burial grounds were usually made in the same places as the necropolises of the Bogaczewo culture. Large cemeteries used only in the Late Migration Period are exceptional. . Basing on the research conducted so far it is possible to state that the graves from the Olsztyn Group were usually located
in separate clusters located away from the graves from the Roman Period or only slightly overlapping with them. In the urn graves of the Olsztyn Group the urns are sometimes covered with overturned bowl- or plate-shaped vessels, or beakers with hollow stems. No stone linings, pavements, or cist graves have been registered. Also no horse graves, which can be found in Mazuria of the Roman and Migration Periods, have been discovered at the cemetery in Kosewo. The cemetery yielded some finds of weapons in the assemblages dated to Phase E. The decline of the Olsztyn Group is connected with the disappearance of
archaeologically recordable burial rites. The change of the form of the burial rite probably did not concern cremation, which is recorded for the Prussian tribes from the Early Middle Ages. The change of the burial rites probably consisted in the introduction of a different form of deposition of the burials. Also at the cemetery in Kosewo no materials
later than the 7th century have been recorded. The necropolis may have been abandoned or the way of depositing the burials was changed. The question about the final stages of use of the Olsztyn Group cemeteries may be answered by further investigations.
In 2006, at the fortified settlement Kamsvikus (Fig. 1, 2) close to
Timofeevka village in Sambian... more In 2006, at the fortified settlement Kamsvikus (Fig. 1, 2) close to
Timofeevka village in Sambian Peninsula (former Tammau, Kr. Insterburg),
a belt-buckle type Snartemo-Sjörup (Fig. 3) was accidentally
discovered. At the same time, five Roman coins and a couple of pieces
of silver artefacts I was found in a close vicinity of the find-spot. All
of them are stored now in the Kaliningrad Regional Museum of History
and Arts.
The belt-buckle is made of gilded silver and decorated in niello.
Buckles type Snartemo-Sjörup belonged to a male belts. They are
known from both from warriors’ burials (Fig. 4) and from bog finds.
The buckle from Kamsvikus is certainly an import from southern
Scandinavia and may be securely dated to the end the 5th and the
beginning of the 6th century AD, therefore it proves a Scandinavian
influences within the Dollkeim/Kovrovo milieu in the late phase of
the Migration Period.
tłum. Anna Kinecka
"Cemetery at Burdąg – rediscovered necropolis of the Olsztyn group"
The cemetery at Burdąg is one... more "Cemetery at Burdąg – rediscovered necropolis of the Olsztyn group"
The cemetery at Burdąg is one of the least known burial grounds of the Olsztyn group. It was discovered in 1881. In 1882 excavations were conducted by Georg Bujack. Sixty nine graves were discovered at the site. The finds from the excavations of the cemetery were deposited in the former Prussia-Museum in Königsberg. In 2012–2014 the Institute of Archaeology University of Warsaw and Institute of Archaeology University of Łódź conducted further excavations. The current state of research allows to date the discussed site to Phases E2 and E3. As many graves were not equipped with grave goods, it is impossible to date all the features. The available materials allow to suppose that the cemetery at Burdąg was established not earlier than in the developed Phase E.
![Research paper thumbnail of Uwagi wstępne o kolekcji Biriukova, czyli o możliwości identyfikacji zabytków z dawnego Prussia-Museum w Królewcu, [in:] B. Kontny (ed.), Ubi tribus faucibus fluenta Vistulae fluminis ebibuntur. Jerzy Okulicz-Kozaryn in memoriam, Światowit Supplement Series B: Barbaricum 11, Warszawa 2015, 585-600.](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/46306423/thumbnails/1.jpg)
The aim of the paper is to make an introductory presentation of the so-called Biriukov’s collecti... more The aim of the paper is to make an introductory presentation of the so-called Biriukov’s collection. It comprises 108 artefacts today stored in the Kaliningrad Regional Museum of History and Art with inventory numbers КГОМ 18350.1-99 and 18457.1-9 and the tag 'Biriukov’s Collection’. In 1998 P. Biriukov bought in one of the Moscow antique shops a collection of artefacts from the former Prussia-Museum in Konigsberg and handed it over to the museum in Kaliningrad. It turned out that these artefacts were picked up by the ‘treasure hunters’ from the soil and rubble at the area of fort № III ‘King Frederick IIP built in the mid-19* century, also called Fort Quednau, today located in the northern part of Kaliningrad. This was where part of the collection from the Prussia-Museum had been deposited towards the end of the World War II. In 1999-2003, excavations were carried out at the area of the fort, yielding ca 30 000 artefacts which are today part of the collection of the Regional Museum of History and Art in Kaliningrad. Biriukov’s Collection comprises the artefacts from the Neolithic to the Early Middle Ages. In this paper only some selected artefacts from the Balt cemeteries in Babięta, Kovrovo, Leleszki, and Malaå Lipovka, are be described. The authors are planning to analyse the collection extensively and publish it in a separate monograph. The analysis of the finds will consist of two stages. First they will be identified and it will be established where and when they were unearthed. The second stage will consist of a typological and chronological analysis. It may be facilitated by the study of the assemblages in which the artefacts from the collection were originally discovered.
The cemetery at Burdąg, Szczytno district (Burdungen, Kr. Neidenburg before 1945) is located in t... more The cemetery at Burdąg, Szczytno district (Burdungen, Kr. Neidenburg before 1945) is located in the north-eastern Poland. It was accidentally discovered in 1881 by local resident and excavated by the German archaeologist George Bujack in 1882. There were 69 cremation graves discovered. The finds from the excavations of the cemetery were deposited in the former Prussia-Museum in former Königsberg. During the Second World War the majority of the finds from Burdąg and other sites of Olsztyn Group kept at this museum were lost or destroyed. The possible location of the cemetery was detected and confirmed by archaeological material in the course of the field survey conducted by the author in the area of Burdąg in 2010–2011. University of Warsaw, University of Łódź and Belarusian State University joint expedition provided further investigations at the site in 2012–2013. Seventy two graves were unearthed during two seasons of excavations. All of them are dated to the Late Migrations Period (6–7th century) and belongs to Olsztyn Group. Materials from the cemetery indicate far contacts of Olsztyn Group and provided new data for the study of its chronology.
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Papers by Mirosław Rudnicki
Translation: Anna Kineck
found in Novoselovo/Новоселовo, in the area of
the Dollkeim/Kovrovo culture. This find has few
analogies in the Baltic lands. Besides the brooch
found at Novoselovo, other finds in the Baltic lands
are known from the areas of Poland, Lithuania and
Russia. The cicada brooches are the leading artefacts
for the Early Migration Period. The brooches
from the Baltic lands came to these sites from
the area of the middle Danube, but the possibility
that they came from the northern Black Sea littoral
cannot be excluded. Most probably, the brooch
from Novoselovo and other West Baltic finds may
be dated to no earlier than phase D2–D3, the part
of the Migration Period when the cicada-like ornaments
were the most popular. The evident intensification
of the contacts between the Baltic
areas and the South is also dated to that phase. The
brooch from Novoselovo is a proof of the long-distance
connections of the Dollkeim/Kovrovo culture
with the areas of southern and south-eastern
Europe in the development of phase D.
connected with the history of archaeology over a broader area, namely, East
Prussia. The largest quantity of the materials dated to the Late Migrations
Period was collected in the late 19th and early 20th century. This was thanks to
the intensive activities of G. Bujack, F.E. Peiser and E. Hollack who excavated
in former East Prussia an exceptionally large number of sites dated to between
the Stone Age and the Early Middle Ages. Numerous excavations were also
conducted by Polish researchers after the Second World War. In the recent
years there was an increment of materials connected with the Olsztyn Group.
The excavations and archaeological supervisions brought about the discovery
of the Olsztyn Group sites. Loose finds that can be connected with the Olsztyn
Group were also discovered in Masuria and Warmia.
The problem which remains to be solved is the area occupied by the
Olsztyn Group. N. Ǻberg limited it approximately to three pre-war German
districts: Allenstein/Olsztyn, Sensburg/Mrągowo, and Ortelsburg/Szczytno.
An attempt was made at distinguishing a separate “Galindian” cultural group
occupying the Great Mazurian Lakeland. The specific character of that area
was noted also in the post-war literature. Even though the burials in that area
were not so rich as the ones in the western part, on the basis of the available
sources, mainly the pre-war ones ones, it is possible to say that the Olsztyn
Group settlement embraced also Lake Śniardwy.
Whereas the western and southern border of the Olsztyn Group settlement
is well visible: it is determined by the unoccupied area abandoned by the
Wielbark culture, the northern and eastern limits, i.e., the borderline between
the Dollkeim/Kovrovo and Sudovian cultures, are difficult to establish. There
are also doubts about the claim that there was an Olsztyn Group settlement
between Reszel and Giżycko, even if the finds of artefacts evidently dated to
Phase E were found there. However, there is no evidence allowing to extend
the settlement of the discussed cultural unit up to the area of Węgorzewo in
the north-east. It should be, nevertheless, stressed that pottery with Olsztyn
Group stylistic features was found far to the east from its main area, e.g., the
materials from the area of sudovian culture. In developed Phase E there was
a perceptible westward expansion of the Olsztyn Group population to the area
of the Olsztyn Lakeland. This phenomenon was caused by the disappearance
of the earlier Wielbark culture people from these areas.
At the cemetery in Kosewo there were pit and urn burials. The pit burials contained, besides the remains of the deceased, also the remains of the pyre. The predominant burial type were urn graves. It seems justifiable to assume that in the Olsztyn group the urn graves were generally predominant, with some local departures from the custom. We may also say that the graves from the late Migration Period were deposited closer to the surface than the ones from the Roman Period. .In the eastern part of the area settled by the Olsztyn Group, in which the Kosewo cemeteries are located, the burial grounds were usually made in the same places as the necropolises of the Bogaczewo culture. Large cemeteries used only in the Late Migration Period are exceptional. . Basing on the research conducted so far it is possible to state that the graves from the Olsztyn Group were usually located
in separate clusters located away from the graves from the Roman Period or only slightly overlapping with them. In the urn graves of the Olsztyn Group the urns are sometimes covered with overturned bowl- or plate-shaped vessels, or beakers with hollow stems. No stone linings, pavements, or cist graves have been registered. Also no horse graves, which can be found in Mazuria of the Roman and Migration Periods, have been discovered at the cemetery in Kosewo. The cemetery yielded some finds of weapons in the assemblages dated to Phase E. The decline of the Olsztyn Group is connected with the disappearance of
archaeologically recordable burial rites. The change of the form of the burial rite probably did not concern cremation, which is recorded for the Prussian tribes from the Early Middle Ages. The change of the burial rites probably consisted in the introduction of a different form of deposition of the burials. Also at the cemetery in Kosewo no materials
later than the 7th century have been recorded. The necropolis may have been abandoned or the way of depositing the burials was changed. The question about the final stages of use of the Olsztyn Group cemeteries may be answered by further investigations.
Timofeevka village in Sambian Peninsula (former Tammau, Kr. Insterburg),
a belt-buckle type Snartemo-Sjörup (Fig. 3) was accidentally
discovered. At the same time, five Roman coins and a couple of pieces
of silver artefacts I was found in a close vicinity of the find-spot. All
of them are stored now in the Kaliningrad Regional Museum of History
and Arts.
The belt-buckle is made of gilded silver and decorated in niello.
Buckles type Snartemo-Sjörup belonged to a male belts. They are
known from both from warriors’ burials (Fig. 4) and from bog finds.
The buckle from Kamsvikus is certainly an import from southern
Scandinavia and may be securely dated to the end the 5th and the
beginning of the 6th century AD, therefore it proves a Scandinavian
influences within the Dollkeim/Kovrovo milieu in the late phase of
the Migration Period.
tłum. Anna Kinecka
The cemetery at Burdąg is one of the least known burial grounds of the Olsztyn group. It was discovered in 1881. In 1882 excavations were conducted by Georg Bujack. Sixty nine graves were discovered at the site. The finds from the excavations of the cemetery were deposited in the former Prussia-Museum in Königsberg. In 2012–2014 the Institute of Archaeology University of Warsaw and Institute of Archaeology University of Łódź conducted further excavations. The current state of research allows to date the discussed site to Phases E2 and E3. As many graves were not equipped with grave goods, it is impossible to date all the features. The available materials allow to suppose that the cemetery at Burdąg was established not earlier than in the developed Phase E.
Translation: Anna Kineck
found in Novoselovo/Новоселовo, in the area of
the Dollkeim/Kovrovo culture. This find has few
analogies in the Baltic lands. Besides the brooch
found at Novoselovo, other finds in the Baltic lands
are known from the areas of Poland, Lithuania and
Russia. The cicada brooches are the leading artefacts
for the Early Migration Period. The brooches
from the Baltic lands came to these sites from
the area of the middle Danube, but the possibility
that they came from the northern Black Sea littoral
cannot be excluded. Most probably, the brooch
from Novoselovo and other West Baltic finds may
be dated to no earlier than phase D2–D3, the part
of the Migration Period when the cicada-like ornaments
were the most popular. The evident intensification
of the contacts between the Baltic
areas and the South is also dated to that phase. The
brooch from Novoselovo is a proof of the long-distance
connections of the Dollkeim/Kovrovo culture
with the areas of southern and south-eastern
Europe in the development of phase D.
connected with the history of archaeology over a broader area, namely, East
Prussia. The largest quantity of the materials dated to the Late Migrations
Period was collected in the late 19th and early 20th century. This was thanks to
the intensive activities of G. Bujack, F.E. Peiser and E. Hollack who excavated
in former East Prussia an exceptionally large number of sites dated to between
the Stone Age and the Early Middle Ages. Numerous excavations were also
conducted by Polish researchers after the Second World War. In the recent
years there was an increment of materials connected with the Olsztyn Group.
The excavations and archaeological supervisions brought about the discovery
of the Olsztyn Group sites. Loose finds that can be connected with the Olsztyn
Group were also discovered in Masuria and Warmia.
The problem which remains to be solved is the area occupied by the
Olsztyn Group. N. Ǻberg limited it approximately to three pre-war German
districts: Allenstein/Olsztyn, Sensburg/Mrągowo, and Ortelsburg/Szczytno.
An attempt was made at distinguishing a separate “Galindian” cultural group
occupying the Great Mazurian Lakeland. The specific character of that area
was noted also in the post-war literature. Even though the burials in that area
were not so rich as the ones in the western part, on the basis of the available
sources, mainly the pre-war ones ones, it is possible to say that the Olsztyn
Group settlement embraced also Lake Śniardwy.
Whereas the western and southern border of the Olsztyn Group settlement
is well visible: it is determined by the unoccupied area abandoned by the
Wielbark culture, the northern and eastern limits, i.e., the borderline between
the Dollkeim/Kovrovo and Sudovian cultures, are difficult to establish. There
are also doubts about the claim that there was an Olsztyn Group settlement
between Reszel and Giżycko, even if the finds of artefacts evidently dated to
Phase E were found there. However, there is no evidence allowing to extend
the settlement of the discussed cultural unit up to the area of Węgorzewo in
the north-east. It should be, nevertheless, stressed that pottery with Olsztyn
Group stylistic features was found far to the east from its main area, e.g., the
materials from the area of sudovian culture. In developed Phase E there was
a perceptible westward expansion of the Olsztyn Group population to the area
of the Olsztyn Lakeland. This phenomenon was caused by the disappearance
of the earlier Wielbark culture people from these areas.
At the cemetery in Kosewo there were pit and urn burials. The pit burials contained, besides the remains of the deceased, also the remains of the pyre. The predominant burial type were urn graves. It seems justifiable to assume that in the Olsztyn group the urn graves were generally predominant, with some local departures from the custom. We may also say that the graves from the late Migration Period were deposited closer to the surface than the ones from the Roman Period. .In the eastern part of the area settled by the Olsztyn Group, in which the Kosewo cemeteries are located, the burial grounds were usually made in the same places as the necropolises of the Bogaczewo culture. Large cemeteries used only in the Late Migration Period are exceptional. . Basing on the research conducted so far it is possible to state that the graves from the Olsztyn Group were usually located
in separate clusters located away from the graves from the Roman Period or only slightly overlapping with them. In the urn graves of the Olsztyn Group the urns are sometimes covered with overturned bowl- or plate-shaped vessels, or beakers with hollow stems. No stone linings, pavements, or cist graves have been registered. Also no horse graves, which can be found in Mazuria of the Roman and Migration Periods, have been discovered at the cemetery in Kosewo. The cemetery yielded some finds of weapons in the assemblages dated to Phase E. The decline of the Olsztyn Group is connected with the disappearance of
archaeologically recordable burial rites. The change of the form of the burial rite probably did not concern cremation, which is recorded for the Prussian tribes from the Early Middle Ages. The change of the burial rites probably consisted in the introduction of a different form of deposition of the burials. Also at the cemetery in Kosewo no materials
later than the 7th century have been recorded. The necropolis may have been abandoned or the way of depositing the burials was changed. The question about the final stages of use of the Olsztyn Group cemeteries may be answered by further investigations.
Timofeevka village in Sambian Peninsula (former Tammau, Kr. Insterburg),
a belt-buckle type Snartemo-Sjörup (Fig. 3) was accidentally
discovered. At the same time, five Roman coins and a couple of pieces
of silver artefacts I was found in a close vicinity of the find-spot. All
of them are stored now in the Kaliningrad Regional Museum of History
and Arts.
The belt-buckle is made of gilded silver and decorated in niello.
Buckles type Snartemo-Sjörup belonged to a male belts. They are
known from both from warriors’ burials (Fig. 4) and from bog finds.
The buckle from Kamsvikus is certainly an import from southern
Scandinavia and may be securely dated to the end the 5th and the
beginning of the 6th century AD, therefore it proves a Scandinavian
influences within the Dollkeim/Kovrovo milieu in the late phase of
the Migration Period.
tłum. Anna Kinecka
The cemetery at Burdąg is one of the least known burial grounds of the Olsztyn group. It was discovered in 1881. In 1882 excavations were conducted by Georg Bujack. Sixty nine graves were discovered at the site. The finds from the excavations of the cemetery were deposited in the former Prussia-Museum in Königsberg. In 2012–2014 the Institute of Archaeology University of Warsaw and Institute of Archaeology University of Łódź conducted further excavations. The current state of research allows to date the discussed site to Phases E2 and E3. As many graves were not equipped with grave goods, it is impossible to date all the features. The available materials allow to suppose that the cemetery at Burdąg was established not earlier than in the developed Phase E.