MISCELLANEA
Committee for the Ancient Flint Mining Research, State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw. A Bibliography 1985-2006
More details
Hide details
1
Państwowe Muzeum Archeologiczne, ul. Długa 52, 00-241 Warszawa
Publication date: 2007-12-31
Wiadomości Archeologiczne 2007;LIX(59):3-15
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
The Bibliography documents the achievements of the prehistoric flint mining research team of the State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw (PMA). The Committee for Ancient Mining Research was formed in 1985 by Jan Jaskanis, then Director of the Museum, and recruited its members from the archaeologists on the staff of the Stone Age Department of the Museum – Wojciech Borkowski, Witold Migal, Sławomir Sałaciński, Marek Zalewski. They were supported by specialists in draughtsmanship, recording and documentation, and members of Museum administrative department. Works of the Committee focused mainly on the prehistoric flint mining complex at Krzemionki Opatowskie. Excavation units of the Committee investigated the following mines at Krzemionki: no. 7/610 (a chamber mine with its spoil dumps, flint knapping areas and connecting pathways), no. 8/669 (niche mine), no. 9/160 and 10/1441 (features in the northern and central area of the mining complex destroyed by an unauthorised lime quarry), as well as relics of a settlement in the karst funnel area. Parallel to this research, in 1991–2000 the Committee investigated the Rybniki – ‘Krzemianka’ flint mines in NE Poland (Knyszyn Forest), a site with a well preserved above-ground mining landscape and camp sites in the vicinity of a water spring. During the first excavation seasons at Krzemionki the Committee was greatly assisted by Professors Waldemar Chmielewski and Jan Machnik, leading authorities on prehistoric flint mining in Poland, who were invited as consultants by Director Jan Jaskanis. The professors supervised the research activities and by their authority guaranteed an appropriately high level of fieldwork and post-excavation works, helping also deflect reservations of some representatives of archaeologist circles ill-disposed to the State Archaeology Museum team who attributed to themselves the unwarranted monopoly to the study of prehistoric mining. The Committee published its findings from field research and follow up studies in its series ‘Studies in Prehistoric Flint’ (Studia nad Gospodarką Surowcami Krzemiennymi w Pradziejach). The list is also intended as an answer to the claims of some researchers concerning the lack of a satisfactory recapitulation of excavation work by yet another generation of Polish archaeologists and as a reference on source materials for those who disseminate information on the lack of specialist publications. The present Bibliography is a general end report on the activities of the Committee for Ancient Mining Research of the State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw during the period 1985–2006. At present the Committee members were appointed to various duties and are at present pursuing other research projects eg, concerned with Neolithic funerary rites and history of archaeology.