Wczesnośredniowieczny punkt osadniczy w Gdańsku-Łostowicach w świetle analiz archeologicznych i archeobotanicznych

The remains of a settlement from the Early Middle Ages were discovered at the corner of Łucznicza St and Podlecki St in Gdańsk-Łostowice. This area was a wasteland covered with a grove of trees on the slope of a small valley of Potok Maćkowski. The impetus to undertake archaeological excavations was the planned construction of a commercial building. The research, is a result of a pre-investment activity, covered the southern edge of the settlement and cemetery from the Early Iron Age. The site was identified during surface research (1985) and some previous intervention prospections (2010, 2017). At that time, remains of settlement features dating generally to the Middle Ages were also eventually found. A wide-plane excavation with an area of approximately 2,000 m2 revealed some well-preserved relics of medieval hearths (features no: 6, 11, 12, 17), a storage pits (feature no: 4, 5), a kind of dugout partly deep in ground (feature no 10), and a small boundary mound (feature no: 13), which were subjected to research. A total of seven objects containing ceramic materials were registered, evidencing seasonal use of the area in the early Middle Ages, probably related to agricultural activities. The remains of older settlement structures dating back to the Early Iron Age were also recorded in the field, including a domed kiln for smelting ore (feature no. 9). As a result of the undertaken research, numerous ceramic materials were obtained - approximately 760 pottery fragments, of which 700 were classified as Early Medieval period. The complex of monuments is morphologically consistent. The fragments come exclusively from completely molded pottery, which dates back to the 11th-12th centuries. Respectively, material for flotation was obtained from the examined objects to detect the presence of botanical remains. The presence of cereal remains (Cerealia) and some remains of ruderal and segetal plants (such as Polygonum lapathifolium; Fallopia convolvulus, Thlaspi arvense) was found. The acquired data constitute new sources for understanding the material culture, agriculture, and the environment of the Gdańsk hinterland in the early Middle Ages.