Middle Bronze Age Settlement in Czeladź Wielka – The Next Step Toward Determining the Habitation Model, Chronology, and Pottery of the Silesian-Greater Poland Tumulus Culture

Abstract

The article presents the results of research on the habitation model, chronology, and pottery production of the Silesian-Greater Poland Tumulus Culture at Czeladź Wielka settlement (Góra county). The site of the Czeladź Wielka is the first published settlement of the Tumulus culture from the area, providing the first evidence for developing a model of habitation change between the Early and Late Bronze Age. The typochronological analyses allowed positioning the finds in the Middle Bronze Age, while radiocarbon dating placed the site between the late sixteenth and fifteenth century BC. Quantification of technological traits were used to define the general characteristics of Tumulus culture pottery in the region showing the preference for coarse, undecorated, or textile-impressed ceramics. Spatial analyses indicate the presence of a clustered settlement pattern characterized by discard of ceramic material in cultural layer. The findings suggest continuity of certain cultural traits from the preceding Únětice and the influence of contemporary Trzciniec cultural circle.