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Dobkowice revisited. Interdisciplinary research on an enclosure of the Jordanów culture

This paper is available in a repository.
This paper is available in a repository.

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Preprint: policy unknown
Question mark in circle
Postprint: policy unknown
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Abstract

The site near Dobkowice (Lower Silesia) was discovered by accident in 1971. Archaeological excavations carried out in 1972 and 1979 to 1981 have revealed 16 features; among them various kinds of pits, the remains of a ditch, and 4 burials related to the Jordanów culture. In 2012, interdisciplinary investigations were performed on site. The main research goals were the confirmation of the existence of an enclosure, a re-evaluation of the absolute chronology of the site (by radiocarbon dating) and obtaining sample material for laboratory analyses: archaeobotanical, geoarchaeological (e.g. soil/sediment micromorphology) and osteological. In order to ensure a solid research framework a three-step procedure has been adopted: 1) geophysical prospection with a magnetometer, which revealed a number of anomalies indicating the presence of archaeological features, including a double ditched enclosure; 2) excavations in designated areas, which confirmed the presence of ditches and their chronological association with the Jordanów culture; revealed a burial in one of the ditch sections and enabled the collection of sample material; 3) laboratory analyses (currently in progress): archaeobotanical, geoarchaeological, osteological, DNA and stable isotope analyses of the discovered human remains and radiocarbon dating. Such an approach to site investigation permits the examination of the archaeological record (also on the microscopic scale) and acquisition of new data, while doing limited damage to the archaeological substance. The chosen analytical techniques will hopefully deliver new information, which will enable a better understanding of chronology, land use patterns, and the function of enclosures in Neolithic Lower Silesia. The aim of this paper is to present this procedure "in action" and discuss the preliminary research results. KEY WORDS: Jordanów culture – Neolithic – Enclosure – Silesia