Description

• Title:
  The state of archaeological research on the small towns of Gdańsk Pomerania in the late Middle Ages
• Creator:
  Starski, Michał
• Description:
  The article presents the issues and the state of archaeological research on small urban centres operating in Gdańsk Pomerania in the late Middle Ages (fig. 1). The construction of the network of towns occurred when the area was under the control of the state of the Teutonic Order, and the process of the towns’ formation lasted until early 15th century. As a result, 18 towns were founded, concentrated in the most densely populated area along the Vistula River and in the south-western part of the region (fig. 2). The state of their archaeological identification is very unequal, moreover, the excavations results are published only in part, and in most cases the basis for study are the unpublished reports. As a result, three groups of centres can be identified (fig. 3). The first group form the most excavated towns (Chojnice, Lębork and Puck). The second one, 212 Michał Starski the most numerous, included those in which only single projects were undertaken (Bytów, Człuchów, Debrzno, Gniew, Starogard Gdański, Świecie, Tczew and Tuchola). Almost a similar number of towns can be assigned to the third group (Biały Bór, Czarne, Hel, Kościerzyna, Łeba, Nowe and Skarszewy); these are centres where no excavations were conducted or their results in relation to the late Middle Ages are very modest. One of the key research issues are the origins of small towns in Gdańsk Pomerania. In the light of previous work, there are strong indications that at the time of the Teutonic Knights Chojnice, Człuchów, Lębork, Starogard Gdański and Tczew were founded on a greenfield site or on very widely scattered traces of pre-incorporation settlement, but the older settlement was located near the newly incorporated town (e.g. Człuchów, Starogard Gdański and Tczew). Less numerous are centres established on pre-incorporation settlements; they are confirmed on part of the urban area in Gniew and Puck, this probably also applies to Skarszewy and Tuchola. It can be assumed that Nowe was also situated within an older settlement, relocated by the Teutonic Order. Towns established in previously unoccupied or undeveloped areas, but near older settlements dominate, however. Historians believe such towns are Biały Bór, Czarne, Debrzno and Świecie. This indicates the deliberate decision of the Teutonic Order’s administration, which aimed to establish centres on greenfield sites, thus enabling efficient arrangement and settlement. The dating of discoveries from the oldest settlement levels in Lębork and Puck reveals that the process of settlement was undertaken in connection with the granting of the incorporation privilege or shortly after that time. The dating of a significant number of wood samples oscillate around the time of the writing of this document – in 1341 and 1348 respectively. The situation in Chojnice is somewhat different, because the acquisition of the privilege was extended in time – probably from about 1315 to 1360. The verification of the data by analysing the dendrochronological test results makes the older date more realistic. For the rest of the centres in question no dendrochronological dates were acquired. Based on artefacts’ analysis instead, layers from the second half of the 14th century were recorded. Probably the settlement process primarily took place in the early decades of their existence for this group. The arrangement of the towns is poorly identified – it was studied only for Bytów and Człuchów. Important sources for this kind of work are the preserved incorporation privileges, which reported the dimensions of residential plots. A perspective for comparative analysis is the similarity of studied urban systems in terms of the size and shape of their market squares and building blocks. The research issues of small towns in Gdańsk Pomerania also focus on the organization of public space. The state of knowledge of town halls is not very advanced; the results of archaeological research on this kind of buildings are available for Chojnice, Człuchów, Lębork and Puck. Partial data was obtained for the development of the market squares and street surfaces. In Chojnice, Gniew and Lębork traces of wooden surfaces were recorded. The use of wooden equipment related to trade was also confirmed in Chojnice, Lębork and Puck. The key issue for towns’ safety were fortifications; most of them built city walls with gates and moats (Chojnice, Debrzno, Gniew, Lębork, Nowe, Puck, Skarszewy, Starogard, Świecie, Tczew and Tuchola), in smaller centres, there were only ramparts with moats. Town fortifications are relatively poorly identified by archaeological methods; probably they worked as passive defensive lines with only manned half-shell towers and town gates, usually linked with the fortifications of the Teutonic Order’s castles. Stan badań archeologicznych nad małymi miastami Pomorza Gdańskiego... 213 In terms of development of the burghers’ plots, data were obtained for Chojnice, Człuchów, Lębork, Puck and Starogard. They confirm that small wooden dwellings were located in the front parts, sometimes with an annex built in a timber-framed construction. The central part of plot was occupied by wooden storage buildings or equipment related to craft production and, in the back part, there was a garden, a barn with a pen for animals or a cesspit. An extensive but rarely undertaken issue is the question of craft production in the small towns of Gdańsk Pomerania. The most frequently published are pottery products, but the issue of the formation of local production is not sufficiently determined. Amongst other categories of finds, more attention was paid to leather, metal and wooden products. As a result, the source base for characteristics of small town craft production is very limited. Against this background, unpublished assemblages seem mostly promising to-date. A study of these would certainly be important in the research on craft production in small towns in the region. This would enable the reconstruction of the the material culture and the standard of living of Pomeranian townspeople. An overview of the results of archaeological research in the small towns of Gdańsk Pomerania due to the limited source base makes it very difficult to consider the key issues for the oldest period of their history. However, in centres where excavations were undertaken, a picture of the towns’ origins, their planning and development becomes considerably clear. Based on this, it appears that, in the late Middle Ages, permanent urbanization mechanisms occurred and, as a result, new local centres of production and trade were created. It should be expected that with the intensification of the revitalization of historic centres of the towns in question, it will be possible to expand the current state of knowledge. The interest of researchers will also be directed towards smaller centres, which will result in their permanent archaeological protection. There is a need for further research and the publication of excavations results. ;
  W artykule przedstawiono problematykę i stan badań archeologicznych 18 małych ośrodków miejskich funkcjonujących na Pomorzu Gdańskim w późnym średniowieczu. Zaprezentowano wyniki prowadzonych tam badań archeologicznych oraz scharakteryzowano wybrane problemy, takie jak: kształtowanie się i zagospodarowanie przestrzeni prywatnej oraz publicznej, produkcja rzemieślnicza oraz umocnienia miejskie. 
• Object availability:
  free access
• Rights:
  Prawa autorskie (c) 2016 Archaeologia Historica Polona
• Date:
  2016.06.29
• Type:
  info:eu-repo/semantics/article;
  info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
• Language:
  Polish
• Source:
  Archaeologia Historica Polona; Vol. 23 (2015); 181-214;
  Archaeologia Historica Polona; Tom 23 (2015); 181-214;
  1425-3534
• Format:
  application/pdf
• Publisher:
  Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu
• Relation: https://apcz.umk.pl/AHP/article/view/AHP.2015.008/10179
• Subject:
  małe miasta;
  Pomorze Gdańskie;
  późne średniowiecze;
  stan badań
• Identifier: https://apcz.umk.pl/AHP/article/view/AHP.2015.008
• Data provider:
  Akademicka Platforma Czasopism
• Can I use it?:
  seek permission
• Type:
  text