The Pomeranian culture, also Pomeranian or Pomerelian Face Urn culture was an
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
culture with origins in parts of the area south of the Baltic Sea (which later became
Pomerania
Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...
, part of northern
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
/
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
), from the 7th century BC to the 3rd century BC, which eventually covered most of today's Poland.
About 650 BC, it evolved from the
Lusatian culture
The Lusatian culture existed in the later Bronze Age and early Iron Age (1700 BC – 500 BC) in most of what is now Poland and parts of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, eastern Germany and western Ukraine. It covers the Periods Montelius III (earl ...
between the lower
Vistula
The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland.
The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...
and
Parseta rivers,
[Jan M Piskorski, Pommern im Wandel der Zeit, 1999, p.23, ] and subsequently expanded southward. Between 200 and 150 BC, it was succeeded by the
Oksywie culture
The Oksywie culture (German ') was an archaeological culture that existed in the area of modern-day Eastern Pomerania around the lower Vistula river from the 2nd century BC to the early 1st century AD. It is named after the village of Oksywie, ...
in eastern
Pomerania
Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...
and the
Przeworsk culture
The Przeworsk culture () was an Iron Age material culture in the region of what is now Poland, that dates from the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD. It takes its name from the town Przeworsk, near the village where the first artifacts wer ...
at the upper
Vistula
The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland.
The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...
and
Oder
The Oder ( , ; Czech, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows thr ...
rivers.
Features
The Pomeranian culture developed in
Western Pomerania
Historical Western Pomerania, also called Cispomerania, Fore Pomerania, Front Pomerania or Hither Pomerania (german: Vorpommern), is the western extremity of the historic region of Pomerania forming the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, Weste ...
covering the entire range of the
Oder
The Oder ( , ; Czech, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows thr ...
(Odra) and
Vistula
The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland.
The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...
river basins. It has been sometimes associated with the
Bastarnae
The Bastarnae (Latin variants: ''Bastarni'', or ''Basternae''; grc, Βαστάρναι or Βαστέρναι) and Peucini ( grc, Πευκῖνοι) were two ancient peoples who between 200 BC and 300 AD inhabited areas north of the Roman fronti ...
. The original homeland of the Bastarnae remains uncertain. Babeş and Shchukin argue in favour of an origin in eastern
Pomerania
Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...
on the
Baltic
Baltic may refer to:
Peoples and languages
* Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian
*Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...
coast of northwestern Poland, on the grounds of correspondences in archaeological material e.g. a Pomeranian-style
fibula
The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity is ...
found in a Poieneşti site in
Moldavia
Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...
.
The most characteristic feature was the use of burial urns with faces. The urns were often contained in stone
cist
A cist ( or ; also kist ;
from grc-gre, κίστη, Middle Welsh ''Kist'' or Germanic ''Kiste'') is a small stone-built coffin-like box or ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead. Examples can be found across Europe and in the Middle East ...
s. The face-urns have lids in the form of hats, often miniature ear-rings of real bronze are added. The faces are sometimes modelled very naturalistically, and no two urns show the same face. Incised drawings on the urns show hunting scenes, chariot races, or riders.
Brooch
A brooch (, also ) is a decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to garments, often to fasten them together. It is usually made of metal, often silver or gold or some other material. Brooches are frequently decorated with vitreous enamel, ...
es of Certoza-type and necklaces of multiple bronze rings are typical examples of metal work.
The economy was similar to that of the Lusatian culture.
Rye
Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (''Triticum'') and barley (genus ''Hordeum''). Rye grain is u ...
was systematically cultivated for the first time, but still formed a minor component of the cereals. There were fewer
hill forts
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
than in the area of the
Lusatian culture
The Lusatian culture existed in the later Bronze Age and early Iron Age (1700 BC – 500 BC) in most of what is now Poland and parts of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, eastern Germany and western Ukraine. It covers the Periods Montelius III (earl ...
further west. Southern imports were sparse as well.
Related cultures
A related culture of the same age was the
House Urn culture
The House Urns culture (german: Hausurnenkultur) was an early Iron Age culture of the 7th century BC in central Germany, in the Region between Harz Mountains and the junction of river Saale to river Elbe. It was the western periphery of the bron ...
in central Germany.
Peter N. Peregrine
Peter N. Peregrine (born November 29, 1963) is an American anthropologist, Register of Professional Archaeologists, registered professional archaeologist, and academic. He is well known for his promotion of the use of science in anthropology, and ...
, Melvin Ember
Melvin Lawrence Ember (January 13, 1933 – September 27, 2009) was an American cultural anthropologist and cross-cultural researcher with wide-ranging interests who combined an active research career with writing for nonprofessionals.
Biography ...
, Human Relations Area Files, inc, ''Encyclopedia of Prehistory'', Springer, 2001, p.406,
Spread
In the later Iron Age, the Pomeranian culture spread southward, into areas formerly belonging to the
Lusatian,
Wysoko- and
Milograd culture
The Milograd culture (also spelled Mylohrad, also known as Pidhirtsi culture on Ukrainian territory) is an archaeological culture, lasting from about the 7th century BC to the 1st century AD. Geographically, it corresponds to present day souther ...
s. In
Masovia
Mazovia or Masovia ( pl, Mazowsze) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the unofficial capital and largest city. Throughout the centurie ...
and Poland, this mixture led to the development of the group with bell-shaped burials.
Gallery
File:Bronze pectoral from Mrowino.jpg, Pomeranian bronze pectoral, Poland
File:019 Typishes Fachwerkhaus in der Nahe von Krakau zirka 8. Jh. v. Chr..jpg, 8th century BC house model
File:055 Pomerellische Funde, Archaologisches Museum, Krakau.JPG, Tools and weapons
File:0857 Pomoranische Kultur, Hallstattzeitlicher Bronzedolch im Kraków-Museum.JPG, Antenna sword, Hallstatt period, 8th century BC
File:056 Pomerellische Funde, Archaologisches Museum, Krakau.JPG, Bronze cup
File:Gesichtsurne Dreidorf.jpg, Urn with facial decoration
Pomeranian culture pottery.PNG, Pottery
File:0178 Pommerellische Keramik des 7. Jhts. v. Chr., Kraków.jpg, 7th century cinerary urn burial
File:02019 1647 Hausurne, Hallstatt Grab von Obliwowice, 620–450 v. Chr.jpg
File:01933 3 1 0 10 1056 13 1 227528 Przedmioty kultury grobów skrzynkowych z wczesnego okresu żelaza na Pomorzu.jpg
File:02019 1643 Pomerellische Gesichtsurne aus Pomerania, 500–400 v. Chr., Piła.jpg
File:02019 1641 Pomerellische Gesichtsurne aus Pomerania, 500–400 v. Chr., Gdańsk.jpg
File:3 1 0 10 754 2253 Muzeum Archeologiczne Polskiej Akademii Umiejętności.jpg
File:MuseumGrudziadzA5149.JPG
File:Face Urn inside the Gdańsk Archaeological Museum.jpg
File:GrudziadzMuseumA5147.JPG
See also
*
Bronze- and Iron-Age Poland
The Bronze and Iron Age cultures in Poland are known mainly from archeological research. Early Bronze Age cultures in Poland began around 2400–2300 BCE, while the Iron Age commenced in approximately 750–700 BCE. The Iron Age archeological cu ...
*
Lusatian culture
The Lusatian culture existed in the later Bronze Age and early Iron Age (1700 BC – 500 BC) in most of what is now Poland and parts of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, eastern Germany and western Ukraine. It covers the Periods Montelius III (earl ...
*
Przeworsk culture
The Przeworsk culture () was an Iron Age material culture in the region of what is now Poland, that dates from the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD. It takes its name from the town Przeworsk, near the village where the first artifacts wer ...
*
Nordic Bronze Age
The Nordic Bronze Age (also Northern Bronze Age, or Scandinavian Bronze Age) is a period of Scandinavian prehistory from c. 2000/1750–500 BC.
The Nordic Bronze Age culture emerged about 1750 BC as a continuation of the Battle Axe culture (the ...
References
External links
Late Bronze and early Iron Age costumes in the Southern Baltic (2017)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pomeranian Culture
Archaeological cultures of Central Europe
Archaeological cultures of Eastern Europe
Iron Age cultures of Europe
Slavic archaeological cultures
Archaeological cultures in Belarus
Archaeological cultures in Poland
Archaeological cultures in Ukraine
Prehistoric Poland
History of Pomerania