Badania archeologiczne na terenie gminy Sędziejowice

This article presents some remarks on archaeological researches on the oldest traces of human settlement in Sędziejowice commune. Up to now this region has not been the object of thorough archaeological studies. Only one object i.e. a graveyard in Podule colony in Łużyce, was examined by archaeologists and this state proves that the works have been hardly advanced. In the end of XIX century there was an active local cultural circle in Sieradz province. This circle consisted of town intelligence and regional gentry. They were deeply interested in the history of their region and in remains and relics of primaeval epochs. Their activity (mainly of E. Stawiski from Podłężyce) caused the identification of many archaeological posts (places); the relics coming from thes posts were included in manorial collections. During the interwar period the commune region was penetrated by the research workers from Warsaw and Cracow. At that time in the years 1929-1930, Jan Dylik - well-known geographer and the expert of this region, examined mentioned above graveyard in Podule. But the results of these works were published only in the sixties. The eighties mark the essential development of knowledge about primaeval settlement and colonization of this region we are interested in. During that time nearly the whole area of commune was subjected to the superficial examinations (a sort of survey) which formed a part of AZP (Archeologiczne Zdjęcie Polski - Archaeological Picture of Poland). The main purpose of this undertaking is a full register of archaeological post in Poland. It was found, that there are one hundred and fifty archaeological posts in commune region. Although the data obtained during the Archaeological Picture of Poland is random, we can hope that chronological definitions included in this data allow for initial characteristic of colonial changes dynamics. In commune region only several posts from the stone age have been found. This shows, that in times of mezolit and neolit there were few settlements in this area. However, more than thirty posts can be connected with Łużyce culture, developing up from the third period of a bronze age to the early iron age (so called „halsztacki period”). In late-laten (125-0) and roman (0-375) times the population was big. It was connected with general colonial and demographic situation of this region (Sieradz province). In the fourth century came the general brake down, the first few early-mediaeval posts date from eighth, nineth centuries. From the tenth century the structure of colonization began to intensify and it lasted till the most historical moment-so that in the area of commune there were found about seventy posts with the early and late mediaeval cultural relics. Historians are mainly interested in the times from the half of thirteenth century when Sieradz province became the separate principality. Among the most interesting monuments which should be the object of archaeological researches the ruins of renaissance, brick and fortified mansion in Wola Wężykowa (formerly Wola Grabicka) should be mentioned. That was the fortified residence of the Wężyk house, which many members lived in Sieradz province (Widawa, Osiny, Siedlec). Summing up it should be stated, that the state of archaeological research works is not advanced enough. There are only few areas so scrupulously avoided by the archaeologists as the region of Sędziejowice commune.