STORAGE VESSELS IN THE LATE ROMAN AND EARLY MIGRATION PERIOD IN THE POLISH WEST CARPATHIANS

The article concerns large storage vessels (Krausengefäße) from the Late Roman Period and the Early Migration Period, found in large numbers in the Polish West Carpathians. Traditionally, it has been assumed that they were used to store grain. It seems, however, that storage vessels found inside houses probably were local ‘pantries’ – places used to keep various agricultural and gathered produce and its products, intended for direct consumption. They were probably used to store drinking water. Storage vessels dug into the ground outside houses may have served as local reservoirs of water for consumption or pottery manufacture. The water might have been brought to the settlement in other, smaller, ‘storage’ vessels. On the other hand, ground granaries and pits dug in the ground, properly secured against birds, rodents and postharvest pests, were much more suitable for long-term grain storage. The characteristic rim of the Krausengefäße vessels, shaped as a flange, was undoubtedly functional and connected to the vessel’s closure system. It was an element of a tight cover whose function was to make access to the inside of the vessel as difficult as possible. The lid was probably made of organic material, thick textile of leather, which – once placed over the vessel and tied under the flange – tightly sealed the vessel. This flange-shaped rim was an important invention, which served to strengthen the edges of the vessel and allowed the vessel to be closed easily, quickly and tightly. It secured the contents during both transport and storage.