Profesor Lech Leciejewicz (26.01.1931–23.03.2011)

Professor Lech Leciejewicz, a scholar of the Polish and European Middle Ages and one of the most outstanding Polish archaeologists, died suddenly on 23 March 2011. Lech Leciejewicz was born on 26 January 1931 in Poznań. In 1949-1953 he studied prehistory and history at the Poznań university. From his youth he remained deeply interested in the history of the Early Middle Ages and he followed these scholarly interests throughout his life, carrying out research not only in Poland, but also abroad, in France, Spain and Italy. He published extensively, including several books among the near to 500 publications. Personally he considered as his greatest achievement a book on the origins of medieval European civilization. From 1954 until his retirement Lech Leciejewicz was associated with the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology (formerly Institute of the History of Material Culture) of the Polish Academy of Sciences, where he served in different administrative and managerial positions, including twice president of the Scientific Board. He was a member of many national and international scientific bodies, societies and committees, editorial boards, and a laureate of numerous awards and distinctions, as well as being a person decorated with medals. Professor Lech Leciejewicz helped to shape modern archaeology in Poland through his own discoveries, publications, grassroots work and strong influence on his students. In Polish postwar archaeology he was truly outstanding, his scholarly status supported by his oeuvre, a professed care for the common good and the impact his work has had on the development of Early Medieval archaeology in Poland.