Poland's giant crannog

Biskupin,Bronze Age and Iron Age site 

So Poland, for a country so close to the Celtic lands, has a lack of hillforts. Of course you could say it is a flatter country, so would lack them as of that, but it is not that flat, and other North European plain territories, like Northern France, Germany, and South East England have them. Though Poland does have some hillforts in the south, and such. I mean it is as of it being a Iron Age culture that was different to what was going on in Western Europe, and also Eastern Germany does not have many hillforts either, so it is not that surprising then. On reflection Poland's greatest castle, Krakov, it's ancient capital, of course in a way was a hillfort. Though it was from later than the Iron Age, but really it is true Poland lacks hillforts compared to what was Celtic Europe. So that shows hillforts were a Cultural as well as geographical feature. 

Anyway, Biskupin, is Poland's great late Bronze, and early Iron Age site.

So here is my star point list on it. 

* This is a site that is a 8th Century BC settlement, that people have compared to a Venice, of the early Iron Age, though it did not have canals running through the streets, but did sit by a major water route, and was a major trading focal point. Others have compared it to a crannog and this seems fair enough. 

* The site sits in North Western Poland, and since it's discovery has been handed much fanfare in Polish historical records. 

* The fort sat on an island of marshy ground in Lake Biskupin, a lump of land that of course was drained for the settlement, and built upon with timbers and such like. Today a museum, now commemorates the site, on a much more handily reachable peninsula. Indeed there is a entire reconstruction of the site, built by the Polish state, in proper life size ways. 

* The site had 2 phases, including a older phase. This older phase, covered 2 hectares, and had some 100 compact together log houses.  

* Each log house is said to have been 8 by 10 metres in size, and to have housed something like 12 people, but who knows there. 

* At hundreds of people in population it would have been among the most populous centre in Northern Europe at the time. Only some hillforts and such like and mining areas could surely have competed for size. 

* Streets were covered with wooden plank trackways, to keep feet dry on the boggy ground, 

* Very importantly this was not some open settlement, there was a tall wooden  pallisade surrounding the site, made of oak trunks, and boxes of earth. It has lengh of 450 metres, and there was a breakwater, to keep the place good for storms, and such like. 

* That first phase settlement was from the 8th Century, and of course wood, can be dated so a lot was from 720 BC plus or minus 150 years, and the second settlement was from 560 BC plus or minus 150 years. Though tree records, indicate that most of the building was from 748 BC, you now, dendroarchaeology. 

* Archaeologists define the place as being connected with the Lusatian culture, some seem to say that is distinct from later Polish culture. I think though that seeing it was in what is today Poland, surely the culture most connected to it is Poland, so it is part of Polish historical culture. Surely the term Lusatian is just like term Celtic, just a term, that is quite subjective, and that we do not fully understand, and yes it does have a sense to it, but I think the most important thing, is how that affects us today, not so much how we can box up groups and periods in the past. If anything we should be looking for how those times connect to us, not muddy the waters, of how they may not. 

* It was shaped like the above shape, a bit flatter on 1 short end,  but the long houses like those waves extended to the other side. 

* The second phase was a bit smaller, and ended possibly as of fire, some associate this to Scythian raids, but others wonder how anybody could claim that was definitely the case. 

* A third phase, was a open settlement of no ramparts, of less people, so not really a proper link with the Venice style place. 

* It is likely it was involved in the amber trade, as it was on the amber route between the Baltic states, and the booming Latin societies. You got to imagine a site of this size was involved in trade. Maybe a high level. So a great site there, for history. 

* It's population were involved agriculture barley, millet, peas, wheat, broad bean, vetch, turnip, flax, lentils, poppy, growing, plus domestic animal breeding (of pigs, little cattle, goats, sheep, small horses, and the keeping of dogs, plus a little fishing on the lake and rivers, and craftsmanship. So an nice life for them there.  

.* The place was effectively a kind of island or crannog style. 

* This page started off as a page, talking about holidays, with me thinking maybe I could link in with partners for that, but then I realised, just do it on Biskupin, and say it associated to that subject