of the International Quaternary Association and the international union of prehistoric and protohistoric sciences (UISPP).

Brodar was the first trained Paleolithic archaeologist in Slovenia. He began his archaeological career in 1928 with the excavation of the Upper Paleolithic cave site of potočka zijalka in the Karavanke mountains in northern Slovenia. The results of his research on this site greatly influenced the interpretation of the process of Wurm glaciation in alpine areas. Prior to the outbreak of World War II, Brodar discovered five new Paleolithic sites in Slovenia and demonstrated the connection between the Paleolithic cultures of the eastern alpine region with Paleolithic settlements on the Slovenian Pannonian Plain and in northwestern Italy.

After the war, Brodar’s research focused on the Karst area of southwestern Slovenia, especially on the multiperiod Paleolithic and prehistoric site of Betalov Spodmol near Postojna. Brodar also discovered the first Mesolithic settlements in Slovenia, such as the Spehovka cave. He substantially contributed to the development of Paleolithic studies in the other republics of the former Yugoslavia, especially in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Drasko Josipovic

References

Brodar, S. 1938. “Das Palaolithikum in Jugoslawien.” Quartar 1: 140–172.

———. 1956. “Ein Beitrag zum Karstpalaolithikum im Nordwesten Jugoslawiens.”In Actes du IV INQUA Congres (Roma-Pisa 1953), 737–742.

Brześć Kujawski

The site of Brześć Kujawski, located in the Polish province of Wloclawek, comprises a group of settlements and inhumation cemeteries located in the black-earth region of Kuiavia in central poland. The site belongs either to the Brześć Kujawski group of the Lengyel culture, according to Konrad Jazdzewski’s classification (Jazdzewski 1938, 6), or to the late Band Pottery culture, according to the classification of Lech Czerniak (Czerniak 1994, 66). The best known site, site 4, is a large settlement site with fifty-one trapezoidal long houses from a few phases of occupation along with outbuildings, objects, and human graves. On the basis of this material, the Brześć Kujawski group of the Lengyel culture was distinguished.

From 700 pits, 1,800 postholes, fifty-five human graves, and twenty hearths were excavated. Trapezoidal houses, up to forty meters in length and not smaller than thirteen meters, were also located. The long axis of the houses was oriented north and south with a slight northwest tilt. The interior of these houses was divided into three parts. The external pillars, which were construction elements of the walls, were situated in ditches. The walls were constructed from both whole tree trunks and logs split lengthways. The split logs were set upright in the trench, alternating with the flat side facing outward so that the interior and exterior walls were smooth. The houses were associated with a variety of features found in the immediate area. Adult burials have been found in storage pits near the long houses, and other burials have been found in graves and pits in the settlement. Some of the graves are typical inhumation graves mainly containing dress ornaments and copper grave goods. The settlement and the graves are contemporary, but the majority of the graves date from the late phase of the settlement.

The settlement is situated on the bank of a lake. During the occupation of the site, which lasted more than 200 years, the houses were destroyed and rebuilt many times, and some estimates suggest that houses were rebuilt eleven times. The many phases of occupation are indicated by overlapping house plans. The causes of the frequent rebuilding are thought to be the result of a rotational system or as a consequence of natural destruction, such as fire. The settlement usually consisted of forty-nine long houses, and household cluster was the archaeological manifestation of a fundamental socioeconomic unit of the Brześć Kujawski group. The settlement is related to a set of smaller camps in the neighborhood.

The settlement of Brześć Kujawski was excavated before World War II. The initiators of the excavation were Konrad Jazdzewski and Stanislaw Madajski, who carried out large-scale excavations