THE CATALOGUE OF POLISH OSTEOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS

THE CATALOGUE OF POLISH OSTEOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS

Variability and Evolution, 1994, Vol. 4: 145–147
ALICJA WITUCKA-PISKORSKA
Adam Mickiewicz University, Institute of Anthropology,
Museum and Osteological Laboratory, Poznan,́ Poland
THE CATALOGUE
OF POLISH OSTEOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS
WITUCKA-PISKORSKA A. 1994. The catalogue of Polish osteological collections. Variability and Evolution,
Vol. 4: 145–147, Fig. 1, Adam Mickiewicz University, Faculty of Biology, Poznan ´
Abstract. This paper concerns the creation of a catalogue of Polish human osteological
samples. The catalogue is a computer file and has been founded with the help of a data
base programme. It has been continually expanded. Its aim is to become a complete set of
information concerning studies on human remains from Poland. It is expected to help people
who are looking for sources for their investigations.
Key words: catalogue, skeletal remains, burial grounds, bibliography
The need of collecting and systematizing information about Polish osteological
collections appeared several years ago, due to the increasing number of anthropological sites and descriptions of collected material. Milicerowa (1955) began studies
in this topic and published a paper about skeletal remains from Poland and neighbouring lands. She collected the data from anthropological and archeological papers
published up to the year 1952. Further data from the years 1952–1978 was compiled
by Poradnik (1981). Her paper is a continuation of Milicerowa’s work and describes
skeletal and crematory remains.
This paper is aimed at informing readers about the creation and possible use of
the catalogue which is a computer file and has been created with the help of a data
base programme (TIG, dBase, QuatroPro or CorelDRAW). The catalogue includes
information and bibliographic data about most of the anthropologically examined
146
A. Witucka-Piskorska
osteological samples studied before 1994. It has been continually supplemented as
new publications appear. Authors’ co-operation would be greatly appreciated.
The creation and permanent completion of the catalogue is aimed at having a full
set of information about all published research on human skeletal remains excavated
in Poland. An English version is also being prepared. Offprints of papers have been
continuously collected as well; however, access to many of the offprints is difficult
so this may not be completed until some future date. The catalogue is expected to
help people who are looking for texts and sources for their investigations and to
provide them with bibliographic data and copies of available papers.
The data for the catalogue have been obtained from the lists mentioned above
(Milicerowa 1955, Poradnik 1981); from the “Bibliography of Polish Anthropology”
´
by Wrzosek (1959) and by Cwirko-Godycki (1967, 1973, 1976, 1982) and from
other scientific literature.
The catalogue primarily consists of records. The current data contains 85 records
from The Neolithic Age, 88 from The Bronze Age, 183 from The Iron Age, 257
from The Middle Ages and 28 from The Modern Ages. Each record of the catalogue
contains information about the localization of the site, its dating, the number of
skulls and skeletons, the form of burial and bibliographic data (author, title, journal,
year of publishing etc.). The localization of the site is given according to the current
territorial division of Poland, i.e. into voivodeships and parishes. Dating is given in
Site:
Chłapowo
Parish:
Dominowo
Voievodeship:
Poznań
Dating:
Archeological
culture:
Author:
Pomeranian
Year of publishing: 1991
Form of burial:
crematory
Number of skulls:
25
skeletons: 25
Kozak J., Rewekant A. (1991)
Title: Wyniki badań szcza˛tków kostnych z grobów ciałopalnych z cmentarzyska
kultury wschodniopomorskiej w Chłapowie, gm. Dominowo.
Journal:
(in:)
Key words:
Studia Lednickie II. Poznań–Lednica, p. 203–207.
paleodemography
Paper contents: sex and age estimation, paleodemographic analysis
Offprint available: Adam Mickiewicz University, Institute of Anthropology,
Fredry 10, 61-701
offprint number 709
Record number: 724
Fig. 1. An example of a record
The catalogue of Polish osteological collections
147
archeological epochs (the Neolithic, Bronze or Iron Ages) and cultures, if they are
mentioned in the source paper. Each record also contains a field called “Paper contents” which informs the user of the kinds of data or analyses the paper presents,
e.g. morphological description, measurements, indexes, sex and age estimation, typological, paleodemographic, odontological and paleopathological analyses, body
height etc. Some papers present individual measurements, some give only mean
values (it is also marked in the “Paper contents”) and some articles present only
typological analysis. These limitations reduce the usefulness of some papers for
comparative analyses. Since the main criterion for creating a particular record is the
site, papers analysing samples from several sites or different cultures or different
forms of burial can appear in several records.
The selection of records can be achived according to the required condition which
must be written in an appropriate field of the record pattern. The pattern is presented
on Figure 1. (i.e., the “Key words” field can contain such words as paleopathology,
odontology, paleodemography, non-metric traits, skull capacity, craniometrics or
osteometrics).
All researches interested in using the catalogue and co-operating can write to
the Institute of Anthropology in Poznan.́ After receiving an order for particular information, the requested data can be sent by mail as printed matter or on floppy
disk. The catalogue can be extended and modificated according to the wishes of
everyone interested in its value to research.
References
´
Cwirko-Godycki M. 1967. Bibliografia antropologii polskiej od roku 1955 do 1965 wła˛cznie. [in English
transl. Bibliography of Polish Anthropology since 1956 till 1965.] Przegla˛d Antropologiczny, 33,
pp. 196.
´
Cwirko-Godycki M. 1973. Bibliografia antropologii polskiej (1966–1970). [in English transl. Bibliography of Polish Anthropology (1966–1970).] Przegla˛d Antropologiczny, 39. Vol. 2: [Suplement],
pp. 130
´
Cwirko-Godycki M. 1976. Bibliografia antropologii polskiej (1971–1975). [in English transl. Bibliography of Polish Anthropology (1971–1975).] Przegla˛d Antropologiczny, 42. Vol. 2: [Suplement],
pp. 129.
´
Cwirko-Godycki M. 1982. Bibliografia antropologii polskiej (1976–1980). [in English transl. Bibliography of Polish Anthropology (1976–1980).] Przegla˛d Antropologiczny, 47. Vol. 2: [Suplement],
pp. 142.
Milicerowa H. 1955. Organizacja badań antropologicznych w zakresie etnogenezy. [in English transl.
The organization of anthropological studies in the sphere of ethnogenesis.] Przegla˛d Antropologiczny, 21: 117–153.
Poradnik E. 1981. Wykaz polskich stanowisk kostnych, opracowany na podstawie piśmiennictwa z lat
1952–1978. [in English transl. The list of Polish osteological sites, worked out on the base of
literature from the years 1952–1978.] Materiały i Prace Antropologiczne, 100: 131–171.
Wrzosek A. 1959. Bibliografia antropologii polskiej do roku 1955 wła˛cznie. [in English transl. Bibliography of Polish Anthropology till the year 1955.] Materiały i Prace Antropologiczne, 41, pp. 468.