Przeworsk culture
The Przeworsk[1] culture is part of an Iron Age archaeological complex that dates from the 2nd century BC to the 5th century AD. It was located in what is now central and southern Poland, later spreading to parts of eastern Slovakia and Subcarpathia ranging between the Oder and the middle and upper Vistula Rivers into the headwaters of the Dniester and Tisza Rivers. It takes its name from the village near the town Przeworsk where the first artifacts were found.
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Influences [edit]
Scholars view the Przeworsk culture as an amalgam of a series of localized cultures. Continuity with the preceding Pomeranian culture is observed, albeit modified by significant influences from the La Tene and Jastorf cultures.
The Przeworsk culture is sometimes associated with the Vandals named by ancient geographers, as well as other "eastern" peoples.[2] Vandals are thought to have migrated out of Scandinavia into the Baltic coast of Poland, likely in the 2nd century B.C but possibly as early as the 5th century B.C, and by around 120 B.C had settled in Silesia.,[3] adding to the period of strong Scandinvaian influence on Poland that had lasted since the Bronze age [4] To the east, in what is now northern Ukraine and southern Belarus, was the Zarubintsy culture, to which it is linked as a larger archaeological complex. Much of this area was subsequently absorbed by the Wielbark culture.[5]
Features [edit]
The main feature of the Przeworsk culture are burials. These are mostly cremations, with occasional inhumation. Warrior burials are notable, which often include horsegear and spurs. Some burials are exceptionally rich, overshadowing the graves of Germanic groups further west, especially after 400 AD.[6] Pottery and metalwork are often rich and show a great variety [7]
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Decline [edit]
The culture's decline in the late 4th century coincides with invasion of Huns and subsequent westward movement of Germanic groups.[8] Other factors may include the social crisis which occurred as a result of the collapse of the Roman world and the trade contacts it maintained with peoples beyond its borders.[9] In the late 5th century, the Prague-Korchak culture appears in the Vistula basin.
See also [edit]
- Przeworsk culture settlements and burial sites
- Vandals
- Burgundians
- Chernyakhov culture
- East Germanic tribes
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Notes [edit]
- ^ Polish pronunciation: [ˈpʂɛvɔrsk]
- ^ http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/content/BPL_Images/Content_store/Sample_chapter/1405117141/Todd_sample%20chapter_The%20early%20germans.pdf
- ^ Encyclopedia of European people, "Vandals", p.821
- ^ Kaliff, Anders. 2001. Gothic Connections. Contacts between eastern Scandinavia and the southern Baltic coast 1000 BC – 500 AD.
- ^ Heather (1998, p. 38)
- ^ Vandals, Romans and Berbers. New Perspectives on Late Antique North Africa. A H Merrills. 2004, Ashgate. Page 35
- ^ Todd. Pg 26
- ^ Cunliffe (2003, p. 452)
- ^ The Archaeology of early medieval Poland. A Buzko. Brill 2008. Page 62
Resources [edit]
- Mallory, James P.; Adams, Douglas Q. (1997), Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, Taylor & Francis, ISBN 1-884964-98-2
- Todd, Malcolm, The Early Germans, Blackwell Publishing, ISBN 0-631-19904-7
- Heather, Peter (2006), The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-515954-3
- Cunliffe, Barry; Todd, Malcolm (2001), The Oxford Illustrated History of Prehistoric Europe, Oxford, ISBN 0-19-285441-0
