NetConnect

Archaeological site and reasons for the choice

The key of the story:

In early 7th century BC a Mediterranean merchant (Etruscan, early Greek, or perhaps traveller from Hallstatt Culture) who plays the role of a current visitor i.e. user of the animations is on his way through “terra incognita” to the southern Baltic Sea coast to discover sources of amber, “gold of the North”; by accident he visits the settlement in Biskupin. His interpreter, who speaks the local language, has many friends inside the settlement. This gives our visitor opportunity to go inside all the houses, spend an exciting time there, try local food, witness various crafts and farming methods, listen to music, get acquainted with local traditions (i.e., burial custom, music and so on) and daily life of the villagers. He wonders at the rather old-fashioned sometimes quite primitive technologies used, on the other hand, he is impressed by sophistication of the timber structures of the fortified settlement, the villagers’ semi-urban mode of life and at the same time their close contact with nature, the beauty of local women, their attire and jewellery. The only cause for alarm is the rising water level in the lake which threatens to disrupt the nearly idyllic life of the villagers of Biskupin.

Historical placement

The fortified Lusatian Culture settlement known as the “Polish Pompeii” was built on a two hectares’ marshy peninsula. It was a peat meadow, rising in late 8th century BC between 80 and 120 cm (at N and S end respectively) above the surface of Lake Biskupin. The settlement was one of a group of fortified settlements having a nearly identical siting and construction, small open “satellite” settlements and urnfields, which during the early Iron Age abounded in the lakeland region of Pałuki in N. Poland, an area which was crossed by the main central European routes leading from the Adriatic (Illyrian and Venetian region of Este Culture) to the Baltic Sea. A possible reason of the region’s prosperity was exploitation of local saline groundwater resources (Hallstatt influence). The prehistoric settlement in Biskupin is the only site to have been almost completely excavated. The village continued over four or five 5 generations, i.e. almost a century, starting from the winter of 737/736 BC (according to dendrochronology), in two main phases documented by two levels of timber constructions, the first burnt in a great fire. Lusatian Culture was one of the major archaeological units in the Urnfield cycle which during the middle and late Bronze Age and early Iron Age (Hallstatt C-D) prevailed in central Europe, almost the entire area of Poland, eastern Germany and Slovakia. The population of Lusatian Culture was over l million. Large open settlements which started to appear in late Bronze Age in the Pałuki region were replaced during the early Iron Age to fortified settlements, in Sobiejuchy, Biskupin, Izdebno, Smuszewo and Janikowo.

Geographical layout of the archaeological site (maps, historical horography, kinds of plants and landscape)

Obviously we have no maps or historical horography relating to Polish territory in 7th century BC. Biskupin lies in a gently rolling lakeland region, now mostly surrounded by corn-fields, in the past also dotted with fields but also with large stands of primeval oak and birch, as well as pine forest. Recent analyses of pollen cores taken from the bottom of Lake Biskupin help to reconstruct both the natural as well as cultivated flora of the region. Landscapes similar to the one in 7th c. BC may still be seen in the Mazury Lakeland region in NW Poland and in E. Poland (primeval forest in the Białowieża National Park). Thanks to palaeozoology analyses we have reconstructed wild and domesticated animal species known to inhabitants of Biskupin. Some of these species (e.g., the wild pig, Przewalski horse – a primitive breed of low stature, etc.) are reconstructed as an experiment in the open air museum in Biskupin. The late Bronze/early Iron Age landscape, vegetation and wildlife will be reconstructed on film for the purpose of the project.

Current status of the archaeological site (ortophotos, aerial photos, QTVR)

Currently, the archaeological site forms the most important part of the open air museum with partly full-scale reconstructions set up on the site of the original village. Most of the reconstructions (fortifications, the gate, a single row of houses) were reconstructed quite recently, using original materials (e.g, prehistoric timber from the waterlogged site) and technologies; the entire process was fully documented by photography and may be used to develop the animations. There are thousands of ortophotos of both the original documentation of surviving timber constructions, fortifications, wooden streets, lower parts of houses, their interior arrangement etc., as well as their modern reconstructions. The settlement in Biskupin may be one of the world’s best documented archaeological site with aerial photos taken during the 1930s and 1940-70s excavation (black-and-white, taken from a jack, balloon and plane) and more recent colour photographs (taken from a balloon or kite). They may be compare directly - i.e. photos of the excavated prehistoric site and of its reconstructed features. In addition, there are some aerial photos of other fortified settlements from close proximity of Biskupin like Izdebno or Janikowo, which provide a perspective on the current state of unexcavated sites.

Research for reconstruction

• Features of the site (please specify the time of year and time of day of the final model and if the final model will include people and animation) Time of year: summer (harvest season) and winter (snow and ice) second half of 7th century BC Time of day: early morning and evening (depends on scenes). The final model will include both people and 3-D animations, as well as many short movies presenting experimental archaeology which will be prepared to provide instruction in different ancient technologies and processes. - Main monuments/buildings (an interior or only an exterior modelling, section detail, orthographic layouts and plans) Monuments and buildings of particular interest are:

• The Gate The gateway was closed by a two-winged gate fixed on wood pins let into the threshold and platband of the gateway. At the top of the gateway is a wooden tower, protecting the entrance to the gate, which also plays the function of a watch tower. Access into the settlement was constrained on both sides by two high rows of piles, making the approach to the gate even more difficult. Only a small group of enemies could attack the entry at one time. As they approached the gateway along the bridge the enemy were hampered further by the ramparts on their right which made their shields which they gripped in their left hands, useless for protection. A 250 m x 3 m wooden bridge led from the shore of the lake to the gateway. The gate should be reconstructed as 3-D exterior and interior model

• The Breakwaters The 190x125 m peninsula was surrounded by 3 to 8 m wide breakwaters built of oak or pine stakes driven at an angle of 45° into lake shore and bottom. The stakes, 20-30 cm in diameter and 2.5-3.5 m long, were sharpened at both ends for easier driving into the ground using a tool which resembled today's pile-drivers. The outer perimeter of the breakwater, made up of three to nine rows of stakes, was 512 m long. To build it, 18 000 to 20 000 stakes were used and some 4000 oak trees had been felled in the nearby forest. The breakwaters protected the shore of the peninsula from being eroded by water and the settlement from approaching enemies. On the inside, the rampart was reinforced using oak piles placed both vertically and leaning outwards. The inner wall of at least one fragment of the rampart was built slanting outwards, to facilitate climbing from inside the settlement. There were also leaning beams with steps hewn into them which served as ladders. At the foot of the rampart piles of stones had been collected every few meters to serve as missiles in defence. The only entrance into the settlement was through the gate. The practical function of the breakwaters should be presented in the form of animation.

• The Defence Rampart Behind the last row of piles a defence rampart was built around the peninsula. It was formed of three rows of oak compartments interlocked at corners and placed on a foundation of oak half-logs arranged in rectangles. The cases were filled with sand, earth and clay. The rampart was 460 m long and had an average height of 6 m and a width of 3.5 m. At the top there was a parapet for the defenders. The construction logs of the outer boxes were cut nearly flush with the wall so the attackers could not use them as supports for climbing. A coat of clay protected the walls against fire and stopped the earth and sand from being washed away. The technology of construction of ramparts has already its animation.



• The Houses There were 13 rows of houses standing along parallel streets. The skeleton of a house was made of uprights each with a vertical groove; into these grooves horizontal logs were slotted by their tapering end, one above the other, to form the wall (this method of construction will be shown on film). The corner and entrance uprights were round and made from pine wood, while those in the middle of the wall were rectangular and made from oak. The corner posts were evenly cut at the bottom so they would not sink, and driven one meter into the ground. They were also additionally reinforced by a circle of pegs. The rectangular oak uprights supporting the roof were protected against subsidence by wooden bars, passed through openings cut at the base of the uprights and resting on transversely placed timber beams. Houses standing in one row usually had common end walls. The area of an average house was 70-90 m2. Most houses were rectangular, though some could be trapeze-shaped if the street plan made this necessary. Presumably the roofs were thatched with reeds. They rested on the walls and on vertical posts, forked at the top, which stood inside the houses. A large beam ran along the top of the house with sloping rafters resting on it. Laths were attached to the rafters as support for the thatching. The part of the roof facing north was more sloping, an important feature in early spring when the snow melted. Each house was divided into two parts: the vestibule and a main room. The floor was made of oak, pine or birch logs. The vestibule took up about 25 percent of the area of the house. Since no separate buildings were found at Biskupin, it must be assumed that domesticated animals were housed in the vestibules in winter. Here also farming tools and fuel were kept and grain was ground on large stone querns. In the main room, to the left of the entrance, was a large plank bed on which the whole family slept. Since the oak floor did not extend under the bed, it seems that smaller animals may have been kept there. Over the bed there was a loft for storing food supplies, corn, hay, fuel, etc. To the right of the entrance there was a stone fire-place lined with clay. It was usually round or oval and about 2 m in diameter. The entrance to the house was always in the southern wall to take full advantage of the light and heat of the sun. It was blocked by screens woven of branches, which in cold weather could be covered with animal skins. Each house was occupied by one family consisting of 7-10 members. It may be assumed that Biskupin had about 100 houses and from 700 to 1000 inhabitants. Two rows of houses and two house interiors are already documented in animations. The houses should have their exterior and interior 3-D model; construction of houses, including the original carpentry methods used to build the house wall (i.e., horizontal logs slotted into the grooved vertical posts) should be presented in form of animation. House-building technologies will be presented also as experimental archaeology.

• The ‘Village Square’ Inside the settlement, just past the gate, there was a small square lined with fascine and covered with a mixture of clay and sand. The inhabitants probably used it as a meeting place. It also facilitated communication since the streets were too narrow to allow carts to pass each other and to turn around. Surviving original axle-trees show that the carts were 1.8 m wide.

• The Streets There were 12 parallel and 1 circular street (running by the ramparts) lines with oak timbers and fascine. They retain many traces of repair and struggle against the rising waters of the lake – usually, the streets have two levels. They were used as foot-paths and by ox-drawn carts. The technology of building of the street should presented in form of animation. Carts with disc wheels and mobile axles were used. Similar carts, like the ones discovered in Mercurago in N. Italy, were already being used in Europe in late Bronze Age. Such a cart should be reconstructed as 3-D model. - Architectonic and urbanistic features (References for the styles of architecture) The very practically organised urbanistic construction of the settlement is described under the previous heading. Since only the bottom section of all timber structures survived in the peatland there is little evidence on architectural style of upper storeys and roofs. In reconstructing them archaeologists relied on analogies from ethnography. In general, houses were built using the carpentry methods described under the previous heading. - Habitat features (elevation, materials for the textures, and so on) The outer walls of houses in the entire settlement were oak and pine wood and presumably had the natural colours of the wood, although imaginably whitewash may have been used to protect against parasites, mildew etc. The roofs presumably were covered with a reed thatch. The interior was rather dark since daylight entered only through the open doorway.



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