EARLY 'ANIMAL BURIALS' IN THE LATE LINEAR WEAR CULTURE OF THE POLISH LOWLAND (CONTRIBUTION TO THE STUDY OF CONTACTS BETWEEN LATE LINEAR WEAR CULTURES IN THE LOWLAND PERIPHERY AND THE CIRCUMCARPATHIAN CENTRAL ZONE)

Among the highly significant Neolithic finds in the Polish Lowland, which came to light during excavations along the route of the East-West transit gaspipe, there are two 'burial' sites of the Late Linear Wear culture with animal remains. So far ritual burials of this kind on the territory of the Polish Lowland were associated with the Globular Amphorae Culture and explained exclusively in terms of their southern provenience. If the burial deposits in question, described below, were proved to be intentional, it would be of great importance for the study of the early phases of the so-called animal cult in early agrarian societies. The Siniarzewo 1 find is a clay pit of the Late Linear Culture with the complete deposit of a young pig, radiocarbon-dated to 4380-4240 BC. The animal is laid prone on the E-W axis, with crouched legs. The site also contains ceramic material, preliminary dated to Phase IIb of Late Linear Wear Culture. The ritual nature of this find is beyond any doubt. On the contrary, a complete animal (cattle) deposit in the Kurczowo 5 site may have been a purely utilitarian disposal of the carcass, yet a ritual burial cannot be ruled out.