Funnel Beaker Culture settlement in Jasienica Sufczyńska Site 5 as an example of the eneolithic colonisation of the Przemyśl Foothills (Western Carpathians, SE Poland)

Abstract

Until now, the question of the Eneolithic settlement of the Funnel Beaker Culture in the 4th millennium BC in the area of the Przemyśl Foothills (Western Carpathians, SE Poland) has not been studied in detail. This was due to the relatively limited state of the sources, which were mainly collected during field surveys. These investigations resulted in the discovery of a relevant settlement in Jasienica Sufczyńska Site 5. The various artefacts collected from its surface have been used to formulate puzzling hypotheses concerning the chronology and the relations of its inhabitants with outer territories. It has been, for instance, suggested that it may have developed earlier than 3700/3650 BC (or even about 3800-3700 BC). These intriguing opinions were the main reason for the excavations carried out in 2017. This invasive research has provided new data about the nature of the settlement. They revealed pottery and stone materials, and the remains of several features. In this paper, we present the results of macro- and microscopic analyses of these materials and discuss them in the context of the current state of research on the Funnel Beaker Culture in the Przemyśl Foothills and adjacent areas. Based on newly collected data, it is debatable whether to date this settlement can be dated as early as previously thought.