Cmentarzysko kurhanowe ludności kultury łużyckiej w Podgórach, gm. Kępice, pow. Słupsk, woj. pomorskie, stanowisko 54 (AZP 14-26/124)

The barrow burial ground in Podgóry, Kępice commune (site 54) was discovered several years ago during forestry works conducted by employees of the Warcino Forest District (Fig. 1). In 2021, the Pomeranian Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments permitted the felling of trees. In 2024, archaeological research was carried out on the deforested site under archaeological supervision during forestry works. In the course of that work, an inventory of 14 barrows perceptible in the field was prepared. The results of the field prospection were compared with LiDAR imaging data. A total of 22 barrows with strongly levelled mounds were recorded (Fig. 2). Their height does not exceed 0.5 m. The diameters of the barrows range from 12 to 15 m. Remains of stone linings surrounding the mounds are visible on their edges. During the inventory, a fallen tree trunk was observed within mound No. 1 (Fig. 3). Among the exposed roots, the lower part of an urn in a stone cist was unearthed (Fig. 4). The grave was located in the western part of the mound, 0.7–1 m from the edge of the lining. Remains of the urn (Fig. 5) covered with a bowl, two small vessels (Fig. 6) and a coil of bronze wire, which was inside the urn together with human remains, were explored (Fig. 7). Based on the anatomical analysis (Table 1), it was determined that the urn contained skeleton of one individual who died at the age between 7 and 13 years. Due to the fact that the remains belonged to a juvenile individual, no attempt was made to determine the biological sex. The assemblage of vessels discovered within the barrow represents features typical of the inventories of the Lusatian culture from the IV and first half of the V period of the Bronze Age. The style of the products allows us to determine the time of burial at around 1100-950 BC. Due to its location, the burial ground belongs to the Miastko cluster of barrow necropolises of the Lusatian culture designated on the upper Wieprza River. Considering the number of sites discovered in the Podgóry area during the AZP research conducted in 1988 – including two further necropolises and settlement points (Fig. 8) – this region could have been inhabited by the Lusatian culture until the early Iron Age. However, settlement research in this region requires field verification of sites and broader studies.