(in Polish) Ancient technologies: organic materials 2800-AORGAN

Organic materials form the “missing majority” of the archaeological record. This part
of the course introduces students to the topic of organic preservation, methods and
techniques to study archaeological artefacts made from perishable materials, and
the archaeology of textiles. Through lectures and practical workshops, students will
learn to identify materials, understand production technologies, and analyse textile
imprints using low‑power microscopy. The course culminates in an independent
analysis of cord imprints based on photomicrographs.
The second part of the course introduces students to ancient technologies based on
animal-derived raw materials, with particular emphasis on bone and antler. The
classes combine basic approaches of archaeozoology and use-wear (traceological)
studies with the analysis of economic, ritual and production contexts. An important
component of the course consists of practical sessions, during which students learn
to identify manufacturing and use-wear traces on bone and antler artefacts using
macroscopic and microscopic observation.
1. The Missing Majority - Organic Materials in Archaeology:
- What constitutes the “missing majority” in the archaeological record
- Definitions and categories of organic materials
- Types of organic materials preserved archaeologically (wood, fibres, hides, bone,
plant remains, etc.)
- Direct vs. indirect evidence
- Methods of study:
- Iconography
- Ethnographic analogy
- Experimental archaeology
- Scientific analyses (overview)

2. Literature assignment (independent work): critical reading on assigned literature
related to organic materials, preservation, or textile archaeology.
3. Preservation Pathways and Analytical Methods:
- Burial environments and their impact on organic preservation (waterlogged, arid,
frozen, mineralised contexts)
- How preservation informs treatment and analysis
- Analytical methods:
- Spectroscopic techniques (overview)
- Imaging methods: low‑ to medium‑power microscopy as the primary tool for
textile remains
- Pseudomorphs and imprints: formation, identification, interpretive limits
4. Introduction to Textile Archaeology:
- Overview of textile archaeology as a discipline
- Plant and animal fibres: properties, identification basics
- Textile production stages
- Tools and technologies: spindles, loom weights, needles, combs, etc.
5. Practical workshop - textile analysis with microscopy: group work with
experimental textiles and casts of prehistoric pottery with cord imprints; equipment:
Dino-Lite microscopes (or equivalent); activities:
- Observing basic textile parameters: diameter, twist-direction, twist angle, number of
threads per cm
- Recording observations systematically
6. Textile Tools, Implements, and Indirect Evidence:
- Overview of textile‑related tools beyond the basics
- Special focus: bone pointed objects (typology, use-wear, interpretive challenges)
- Indirect evidence of textiles in funerary contexts
7. Final assignment workshop - cord imprint analysis: independent analysis of cord
imprints based on provided photomicrographs plus a short written report with
annotated images
8. From animal remains to technology: archaeozoology and use-wear analysis.
9. Animal-derived raw materials as technological materials.
10. Consumption waste as evidence of economy and technology.
11. Animal burials and depositional practices: technology, symbolism and practice.
12. Bone technology: production techniques and research methodology.
13. Microscopic analysis of bone and antler artefacts – practical workshop.