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On display: 29 June - 23 September 2023
Exhibition curator: Dr Małgorzata Winiarska-Kabacińska
The exhibition "Treasures from the bog. Everyday life of hunters-gatherers from Krzyż Wielkopolski" showcases the results of 20 years of archaeological research conducted by the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Poznań at a unique wetland site located on the edge of the Noteć Valley in Krzyż Wielkopolski.
The research has revealed the remains of activity of hunter-gatherer communities who inhabited the area between approximately 12,700 and 9,000 years ago. Typical finds that survive to this day from such a distant past include only stone artefacts. The site at Krzyż is unique in this respect owing to natural conditions that have also preserved objects made of organic materials: bones, antlers, wood and various kinds of plant material.
Hunter-gatherers from the area of Krzyż Wielkopolski lived by the old river bed of the Noteć, which was then constantly filled with water. They used it as a garbage dump, throwing away anything they didn't need. Remnants of their daily lives sank into the sediment layers at the bottom of the river bed and have survived to this day. As a result, during the research, archaeologists unearthed food remains, bones, antlers of hunted animals, worn axes made of antlers and bones, fragments of hunting weapons, and even examples of prehistoric art.
A noteworthy find is the skull of a 40-year-old woman, probably deliberately deposited in the river bed. She is the oldest known inhabitant of the Krzyż Wielkopolski area and the entire Greater Poland region to date. She lived 10,000 years ago, had dark skin and blue eyes.
All these extraordinary discoveries can be seen at the exhibition in the Poznań Archaeological Museum until the end of September 2023.
The exhibition catalogue is available to buy at the Archaeological Museum ticket office (35 PLN).
The exhibition was made possible thanks to funds granted as part of a specific-purpose grant by the Local Government of the Greater Poland Province.
