This collection contains the results of studies conducted during the realisation of the project titled "Feeding and ritual practices of the Early Iron Age based on the settlement in Milejowice and the necropolis in Domasław. Between the function and meaning of the ceramic “collections”
The goal of this project is to reconstruct the function of clay vessels from the Hallstatt period, found in both settlement and funeral contexts. Comprehensive analyses of ceramic assemblages—the principles behind their selection and their locations—have been combined with a large series of molecular and archaeobotanical studies. The chemical research was conducted by Prof. Joanna Kałużna-Czaplińska’s team from the Lodz University of Technology.
The settlement in Milejowice and the necropolis in Domasław offer unique opportunities for research. The features discovered there confirm changes analogous to those taking place in the entire cultural zone, including the adoption of customs practiced by Hallstatt elites by local communities. The scale of the contexts available for material selection at these exceptional sites is unprecedented. The complex uncovered in Milejowice, enclosed by a palisade, can be regarded as a local version of a seat for a leading social group, likely occupied by a privileged individual or family. The abundant ceramic material from this settlement comes not only from buildings of various functional and economic uses but also from wells and deposits. Meanwhile, the discovery of around 300 chamber graves at the vast cemetery in Domasław and their associated grave goods demonstrates the high status of the local community, which was integrated into an over-regional network of Hallstatt relations. The burials included sets of vessels reflecting feasting customs known from the Hallstatt cultural sphere. We presume these sets contained items intended for libations and material offerings: vessels for eating and drinking, ladling beverages, storage, and ritual activities.
The interpretive potential provided by molecular methods—used to identify food and drink residues in ceramic fragments—allows us not only to determine the functionality of vessels recovered during excavations but also to deepen our understanding of ancient practices. These methods help us clarify the context and role of ceramic deposits found at both settlements and necropolises, as well as establish the intended use of ceramics that were given specific utilitarian or cultic properties.
Deposited are chemical (GC-MS) data of all samples made in the project, as well as of selected samples (with descriptions) for publications.
A gas chromatograph connected to a mass spectrometer was used to identify organic compounds in vessel samples. The procedure of sample preparation included extraction of the total lipid fraction from ceramic material and derivatisation of isolated analytes (silylation). A detailed description of sample preparation and apparatus parameters has been described in previous publications (Józefowska et al. 2024; Rosiak et al. 2024). Qualitative analysis of organic acids and biomarkers was performed using Wiley and NIST14 mass spectral libraries and commercially available standards. Quantitative analysis of fatty acids was performed using the internal normalisation method.
(2024)
