Archaeological site 3 in Ulów is in an area previously thought not to have been settled before historical times. Systematic excavation work that began there in 2002 revealed long-term occupation from the Late Palaeolithic to the Middle Ages. The majority of archaeological features represent a cemetery belonging to the Late Roman and Early Migration periods (III–V c. AD, Wielbark culture). The site’s relative chronology was determined from analyses of archaeological artifacts. To complete the chronological framework required for a proper interpretation of cultural processes, a group of charcoal fragments was selected for radiocarbon (14C) dating. These charcoals were first taxonomically identified and weighed, and then designated for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and conventional 14C analyses. The datings (n=43) indicated three main chronological horizons. Some of the graves from the Wielbark culture contained charcoals of younger or older age, posing problems in interpreting taphonomic processes at this multicultural site. In the light of the 14C dating results, the chronology of several features previously attributed to the Wielbark culture was re-interpreted.

In Central Europe, medieval and early modern burials sometimes contain iron sickles placed on the body or in direct contact with the deceased. Previous interpretations have considered them as markers of social status or occupation, or as magical and apotropaic. Detailed analysis of sickle burials from a cemetery at Drawsko in Poland leads to a discussion of demonology beliefs, dual faith and a resurgence in paganism following the Counter-Reformation. The results illustrate how the sickle might have served as an indicator of social identity, the nature of the individual's death and the way the deceased was perceived within their community.

Herodotus' 5th-century BC Histories provide us with one of the earliest written accounts for the practice of cannibalism. This paper examines the references concerning cannibalism contained in Herodotus, reviews the theories proposed to account for these references, and suggests a new explanation for this cultural motif.