A first toast in Kuyavia: New evidence for drinking rituals in Neolithic Europe from Sławęcinek, Poland
Abstract Excavations at Sławęcinek in central Poland, have yielded evidence for the Neolithic Funnel Beaker Culture, concurrent with a sweeping set of changes that occurred across much of Europe in the mid-fourth millennium BC. A set of vessels containing collared flasks, ceramic glasses and a beaker were found, demonstrating that libations of lactose-reduced dairy beverages were performed between 3500–3350 BC. One of the vessels, a funnel beaker, features iconography that may represent one of the earliest known examples of wheeled transport in the world. The evidence also raises the possibility of the emergence of women’s secret societies in Neolithic Europe.
Authors
- Magdalena Kozicka (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9807-0661)
- Łukasz Kowalski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0647-826X)
- Jasmine Lundy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8250-7697)
- Richard Hagan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1270-100X)
- Kamil Adamczak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8847-5670)
- Oliver E. Craig (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4296-8402)
- Paweł Zawilski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8667-6885)
- Miranda Evans (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9284-9268)
- Jessica Hendy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3718-1058)
- Harry K. Robson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4850-692X)
- Wilczyński Jarosław
- Beata Borowska
- Penny Bickle
- Alexandre Lucquin
Institutions
- Nicolaus Copernicus University (PL)
- University of Łódź (PL)
- Institute of Archaeology (CN)
- Department of Archaeology (LK)
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals (PL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Praehistorische Zeitschrift
- Published
- 2026-03-02
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1515/pz-2025-2032
- Primary Topic
- Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00