Studia Lednickie, tom XVII (2018)

This paper outlines the peculiarities of the genealogy of the Kyivan Rus (Ruthenian) princess Dobroniega-Maria (ca 1015/17–1087), wife of the Polish duke Kazimierz I the Restorer (1016–1058). It reviews the existing theories of Maria’s origin and propounds a new hypothesis of her genealogy as well as considers the circumstances of the dynastic marriage between Maria and Kazimierz I. The genealogical reconstruction represented in the article adduces arguments in favour of the origin of Dobroniega-Maria being connected with Bulgarian, Byzantine, German, English and Ruthenian ancestry.

This article is a synthetic analysis which concerns verification of the chronology of a post mill (‘koźlak’), which was moved from the Gryżyna locality to the Museum of the First Piasts at Lednica. A more thorough analysis of its chronology on the basis of dendrochronological and historic research is presented. The analysis of a Latin inscription, which was placed on the oaken crown tree of this post mill together with a broad analysis of the windmills’ symbolism and the message which stems from the inscription, is also described.

This paper deals with the subject of traditional sports and games (in international literature also called TSG) and the possibility of using them in the contemporary museums’ activities. The author describes and indicates the contemporary, cultural significance of these particular forms of physical culture. Then, he claims that traditional games and sports can be a significant and interesting element of the current museum’s activities. To prove it, he describes the examples of the museum institutions, putting into practice the initiatives related to TSG and the selected forms of their activities within the frame of their development. Special attention is paid to one, particular institution: the Museum of the First Piasts at Lednica in Poland.

The article describes the results of the analysis of 329 flint artifacts, three stone tools and nine pieces of Neolithic pottery, which were obtained in the course of over 60 years of research in Ostrów Lednicki and on burial ground in Dziekanowice. The island on Lednica Lake was already penetrated in the Late Paleolithic by Swiderian communities. A slightly richer collection of artifacts comes from the Mesolithic of the island’s settlement. Early Band Pottery communities and Funnel Beaker culture were also involved in this area.

The article highlights the results of the restoration research into the five glass goblets which were found in burial sites during the archaeological excavations on the territory of the National Museum “Sophia of Kyiv” in 2014. The composition of the glass conical beakers has been analyzed and their complete form has been restored and an interpretation of the archaeological context of the glass objects has been proposed.

In the 2015 season, the underwater research in Lake Lednica focused on further exploration of the exploration plots of the Poznań bridge. In the course of this research a wicker object in a radiating out shape was localised. During examination of the object and its cleaning after excavation, a great number of animal bone remains were collected and analysed. They almost exclusively came from fishes. In the bone material the remains of several fishes were found: a catfish, eight perch, a pike and fishes of the Cyprinidae family, including at least two roach, as well as three remains of a pig. Radiocarbon dating of the organic material which the object was made of indicates that it was placed after the bridge was no longer in use, probably in the late 12th or the early 13th century.

Advanced noninvasive research carried out as part of “The cradle of the Piasts: archaeological underwater prospections in the area of Lednickie Lake” (“Kolebka Piastów: archeologiczne prospekcje podwodne w rejonie Jeziora Lednickiego”) project, provided a new collection of artefacts and archaeological sites. The article describes preliminary research results concerning the bridge crossing between Ledniczka island and the mainland, which was discovered in 2017. It describes all the stages of the project and the context in which the bridge was discovered. It contains a detailed description of the bridge construction and artifacts, highlighting the metal and wooden objects. Additionally it briefly mentions the oral tradition concerning bridge to Ledniczka. The first mentions about potential bridges come from 1876 from M. Sokołow-ski’s publications. The presented construction analysis and initial C14 dating, as well as dendrochronological dating, suggest that there could be two bridge crossings with different chronology in this place.

Since at least the 13th century, Powidz has functioned as an important though small urban centre. The fact that it was located at the intersection of the trade routes and at a water reservoir, were essential factors which influenced the development of the town. Archaeological and environmental surveys conducted in 2017 throw light on the modern stage of the development of the centre and point to the turbulent changes which occurred in the last decades. As a result, stratigraphic layers with significant thickness developed but it was difficult to determine their chronology unambiguously.