Studia Lednickie, tom XX (2021)

Three years ago, with the knowledge and support of the restoration services of the Museum of the First Piasts at Lednica, together with the Wielkopolska Exploratory and Historical Group ‘GNIAZDO’ Association, surface penetration of the areas located around Lake Lednica began, within the Lednica project. So far, the research conducted with the use of the latest remote sensing and measurement techniques has yielded numerous finds of metal relics, with a chronology spanning from the Bronze Age to the present day. The finds include twenty four fibulae from the period of Roman influence. Their formal analysis is the subject of this article.

Recent remote sensing data analysis has made it possible to determine precisely the location of the currently levelled stronghold in Jankowo Dolne, Gniezno county, mentioned for the first time in 1496. The location of the already heavily damaged feature, to the east of Jankowo village in the valley of the Wełna river, was mentioned in 1924 by P. Schumacher. Later attempts to clearly define the location of the old stronghold were unsuccessful, and the researchers considered several points located far apart. Reliable information on the location of the stronghold was provided by publicly available remote sensing data supplemented by the photographs taken with the use of an unmanned aerial vehicle.

The following article is devoted to the enfranchisement reform conducted in Lednogóra village. The enfranchisement reform, which was begun on the territory of the Grand Duchy of Posen by the Prussian authorities in 1823, aimed at ending the relics of a manorial-serf economy, formed in the Middle Ages. It meant the abolition of serfdom and the creation of medium-sized peasant farms free from obligations to the manor. To cultivate the land on these farms, draught animals were needed. In Lednogóra, the implementation of the reform started at the requests of the peasants in 1830. As a result of the procedure that took nearly 10 years, a “reces” was written (1839), whereby 14 farms were created free of any encumbrances from the manor. At the same time, the established farms were moved to a new land and a new settlement was created – Moraczewo. The old and new land divisions were documented on the map of Lednogóra drawn up by the surveyor Demmler.

The article describes the presence of Anserini geese in the Lednica Landscape Park during autumn and spring migrations and during winter. Data concerning the species composition, the number and the distribution of geese, was collected in the years 2012–2021 during regular inspections of Lake Lednica, which functions as a roosting and resting place, as well as during inspections of the agrocenosis used as the feeding ground. The obtained results qualify the Lednica Landscape Park as one of the most important places in the Wielkopolska region where wild species of geese concentrate during the non-breeding season [Wylegała, Krąkowski 2010]. Except for a bean goose Anser fabalis (probably by oversight or lack of special attention given to this species), all domestic species from the Anser and Branta genera, i.e. a greylag goose Anser anser, a tundra bean goose Anser serrirostris, a pink-footed goose, Anser brachyrhynchus, a lesser white-fronted goose Anser erythropus, a red-breasted goose Branta rufi collis, a brent goose Branta bernicla, a barnacle goose Branta leucopsis and a Canada goose Branta canadensis, were identified in the study area.

Two early medieval weapons discovered within the relics of the Ledniczka bridge on Lake Lednica were subjected to non-invasive archaeometallurgical investigations. The conducted analyses allowed to determine the methods of their manufacture, as well as the characteristics of materials that were used in their making. Each specimen was a composite product forged from iron alloys of varying properties. Both the sword and the hammer axe were richly decorated with ferrous and non-ferrous metals. The research allowed in most parts to recreate the original appearance of these ornaments.

The article presents the results of the research conducted so far on the early medieval burial ground at site 10 in Giecz. Over six seasons of research, 133 early medieval graves have been discovered. Graves of wooden construction or encased in stone, as well as graves with an unusual arrangement (the deceased bent on the side and on the stomach), with different orientation, or double graves of women with small children draw particular attention. In the majority of graves, grave goods were found such as coins, ornaments or household items (including pieces of unique character). These finds – together with 14C analyses conducted for 7 graves – made it possible to determine the chronology of the burial ground to the period dating from the beginning of the 11th century (or even the end of the 10th century) till the 13th century.

During archaeological research conducted in the years 2014-2019 on the Giecz site 10, an early medieval burial ground was found. 385 old coins were discovered, out of which 16 were located in archaeological sites (of which 14 are in early medieval graves). The aim of the study is to recognize the coins discovered in the features and to assess the chronology of the burial ground on the basis of their dating.

The study focuses on the collection of over 40 encolpions, i.e. historic devotional items of private devotion, from the environs of Volodymyr-Volynskyi. The presented collection is the property of the Volodymyr-Volynskyi Regional Historical Museum, partly from a private collection. The article presents the history of the discovery of the analyzed items and includes the state of research from the late 19th century to the present. The question of their dating is considered, as well as issues concerning the social affiliation of their owners, import routes, distribution of the encolpions, their technological and iconographic features, and the possibility of their local production.