We’re live! The Domasław Project brings together archaeologists and scientists to reconstruct mobility patterns and social hierarchies in southwestern Poland from the Late Bronze Age to the Hallstatt period. Follow field notes, lab updates, datasets, and publications here.
What we study
- Mobility & status: Bioarchaeology of cremations and 87Sr/86Sr isotopes on calcined bone (otic capsule and/or teeth roots + long bones) to distinguish local vs. non-local individuals and relate them to elite vs. non-elite funerary treatment.
- Chronology & phasing: AMS radiocarbon + Bayesian modelling combined with ceramic-assemblage change (typology/seriation) to establish high-resolution phases across cemetery zones.
- Cremation technology: FT-IR (ATR) to verify calcination and quantify burning intensity – ground truth for isotope work and pyre/ritual reconstruction.
- Vessels and residues: GC-MS/HPLC-DAD of grave ceramics to track consumption practices (including fermented beverages) across statuses and through time.
- Animals in ritual: Zooarchaeology (species, body parts, feasting/sacrifice, possible co-cremation) linked to status and phases.
- Landscape & GIS: Spatial analysis of the cemetery and its micro-region;
- Statistical modelling and machine learning to detect patterning in rites, mobility, and hierarchy.
- Open data: Isotopic results released via IsoArcH, with reproducible methods and clear metadata.
