During the northern European Mesolithic, new types of objects were ornamented with different geometric motifs. Many examples, however, are stray finds and their dating is poorly understood. The authors present new AMS radiocarbon dates for ornamented artefacts from Pomerania that contribute to an absolute chronology of Mesolithic art and allow for new consideration of connections between cultural groups in the western Baltic region. A baton, featuring an anthropomorphic figure, dates to the end of the Boreal period; three other objects date to the early Atlantic period, revealing a combination of regional and local innovations. The results demonstrate the value of absolute dating of stray finds for refining knowledge of wider cultural trends.

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The article presents the results of research on the settlement of the Pyrzyce Lowland, NW Poland, in the Pre Roman and Roman Iron Ages. The central part of this area was covered in the past by a large water body, pre-Miedwie lake, which due to natural processes and subsequent human intervention was partially drained. In order to carry out the research, 85 Pre-Roman and 305 Roman Iron Age sites were catalogued. The main method of researching the spatial organization was triangulation and subsequent polygon networking. The results of the spatial analysis were confronted with data from lake Racze’s palynological profile. Thanks to this procedure information was obtained on settlement structures, population, environment and economy, as well as their changes in time. The similarities and differences between the Pre-Roman and Roman Iron Ages were then discussed. During the research a strong suggestion of settlements having been relocated according to changes of the palaeo-shoreline of pre-Miedwie lake was concluded. Also, the change from inhabiting large and stable settlements in PRIA to single, often relocating farms in RIA was registered. There were no significant changesin terms of economy, which stayed diversified during the entire PRIA and RIA periods. The changes in anthropopression were most likely linked with changes in population size, reflecting 8 distinct phases of settlement in the area.

The following paper will pose a number of questions concerning the usefulness and potential of lithics in palaeodemographic research. Lithic material is the most common find among Stone Age sites in Central and Northern Europe. Osteological material is extremely rare and can therefore not form the basis for demographic analysis. However, previous studies have shown that in some cases a detailed analysis of lithics can provide information concerning group size and structure, as well as territory size and mobility in prehistory. We will use case studies from Central and Northern Europe from the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods to describe this issue.