Andrzej Grzegorczyk

The technical report from execution of a project:

“The beginning of the Early Middle Ages in Prussian lands in the context of reasarches on the disappearance of the Olsztyn Group”

executed within the frameworkof the“Scholarship Marek andGrażynaDulinicz”, granted by the“Monumenta Archaeologica Barbarica Foundation”.

Time of scholarship: 10.09-04.10.2012 r.

Place: Archaeological Museum in Schleswig

Submitted in the scholarship application a description of the project on cultural transformation in the area of Prussia at the beginning of the Early Middle Ages in Prussian lands in the context of researches on the disappearance of the Olsztyn Group, founded two basic orientations in realization of the scholarship:

  1. Analysis of the heritage of Rudolf Grenz(filesbeing oneof the fewsurvivingdocument archiverelating toarchaeological researchconducted inthe Prussianlandsbefore 1945)forinformation onthe Olsztyn groupand cemeteriesfrom the earliestphases ofthe Early Middle Ages.
  2. Library queryforliterature,affectingina particular waytoraise awarenessabout undertakenissue.

Based on the above within the scholarship sojourn was conducted:

  1. Analysis of the heritage of Rudolf Grenz - a collectionof documents,copies ofscientific publications anddaily newspapers,concerning thearcheologyof East Prussia,arrangedin accordanceto contemporarydistrictsnamesand cemeteries. Thanks to thatit was possible toexpand owned state sources concerning the position ofthe Olsztyngroupanddiscover new, not yet taken into account in the consideration of positions date back to the late Migration Period and Early Middle Ages. A total of accumulateddocumentation concern60selectedcemeteries.
  2. Analysis of the heritage of Herbert Janhuhn - which is a collectionof researcher’s documents andnotes. Due to thepre-warresearch activitiesin East Prussiain the files weremanyinformationaboutarchaeological sitesdating tothe RomanPeriod, but also the Migration Periodand the beginning ofthe Early Middle Ages. A total of accumulateddocumentation concern10selectedcemeteries.
  3. Getting familiar witha widerange ofliterature on theareas ofthe formerEast Prussia (among others magazines and booksfrombefore 1945) and newliterature onissues related tothe BalticSea regionduring theMigration Period andthe Early Middle Ages.Thanks toa querywould bepossibleto findanalogies tohistoricalmaterialsfrom the Mazuryarea in the areas of western andnorthern Europe.

Scholarship sojourn was alsoan opportunitytofamiliarizewith the activities of the Archäologisches Landesmuseum and Zentrum für Baltische und Skandinavische Archäologiein Schleswig. In this context,very importantwas the ability toestablishscientific contactsand discussionsamong otherswith Dr.VolkerHilberg(author of a monograph bow-broocheson Olsztyngroup), Dr. JaroslawPrassolowand Dr.TimoIbsen(dealing with issues ofresearchon the area of​​the formerEast Prussia).

In conclusionit should be notedthat the issue taken up within the scholarship is an extensive subject and exceeds scholarship (whichwas expressedat the stage ofsubmission of the application). At the same timeaccumulatedduring sojournin Schleswig source database(archives) and the literaturewill be crucial inthefurther work. The scientificheritage ofR.Grenzand H.Janhuhnis one of thebasicsources ofBalt archaeologyand wereused repeatedlywith positive resultsin the literature.In this perspective, scholarship sojourn should be evaluatedas one ofthe most important partof the research.

Personal thanks I would like to submit to professorMichaelMüller-Wille, president of the professor Archäologisches Landesmuseum SchleswigClaus vonCarnap-Bornheim, president of the Monumenta Archaeologica Barbarica FoundationDr.MagdalenaNatuniewicz-Sekula, professor Aleksander Bursche, Dr. JacekAndrzejowski, Dr. AdamCieśliński, Dr. VolkerHilberg, Dr. ThorstenLemm, Dr. JaroslavPrassolow, Dr. TimoIbsen.

(Andrzej Grzegorczyk)