The Funnel Beaker culture in western Lesser Poland : yesterday and today

Although Jan Kowalczyk’s work on the Funnel Beaker culture (TRB) did not particularly refer to western Lesser Poland, many of his general and detailed reflections on Neolithic archaeology can be utilized to better characterise this culture in this territory. The TRB appeared there c. 3750/3700 BC and existed until c. 2800 BC. “Funnel Beaker” acculturation of the late Lengyel-Polgár populations could play a large part in the origins of the local branch of this culture. For many years, the TRB seemed to be scarcely represented. This notion has changed since early 1970s onwards, due to more and more intensive investigations. Currently, western Lesser Poland is perceived as an equally important region of the TRB development as other the most important ones both in Lowland and Upland zones. The local TRB communities were characterised by varied patterns of settlement and economic behaviours. These patterns were correlated with ecological differences.