Research Team

dr hab. Grzegorz Osipowicz, prof. UMK   

Department of Prehistory, Institute of Archeology, NCU in Toruń, Poland 

Head of the project and principal investigator on the Polish side. Professor at the Institute of Archaeology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. Grzegorz conducts research in the field of microscopic analysis of the function and technology of prehistoric and historic stone, bone, and wooden artefacts, experimental archaeology, and broadly defined issues of the Middle Stone Age, with particular emphasis on studies of the function and spatial organisation of encampments from that period.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4393-655X

Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Grzegorz-Osipowicz

dr Gytis Piličiauskas

Lithuanian Institute of History, Vilnius, Lithuania

Principal investigator on the Lithuanian side. Gytis’ current field of work and research interest is the Stone Age of the south-eastern Baltic region, Stone and Bronze Age pottery sequences, neolithisation of coastal ecosystems, sub-Neolithic and Neolithic settlement systems, and prehistoric fishing.

Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gytis-Piliciauskas

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4591-8822

dr Justyna Orłowska

Prehistory Department at the Institute of Archeology, NCU in Toruń, Poland

Justyna’s current field of work and research interest is Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Subneolithic archaeology, typological, technological and functional aspects of prehistoric osseous and stone artefacts, analysis of organic and inorganic residues discovered on prehistoric artefacts and experimental archaeology.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7843-3506

Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Justyna-Orlowska-5

dr Emanuela Cristiani

Diet and Ancient Technology, DANTE Laboratory, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy

Emanuela`s current field of work and special research interest is the study of forager societies of southern Europe and the characterisation of their identities, cultural traditions and dietary strategies through the study of the techno-functional choices connected with the production and use of material culture (knapped and ground stone tools, osseous artefacts and ornaments). She specialises in the use-wear and residue analysis of organic and inorganic artefacts. 

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2748-9171

Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Emanuela-Cristiani

dr Giedrė Piličiauskienė

Faculty of History of Vilnius University, Department of Archaeology, Vilnius, Lithuania

Giedrė current field of work and research interest is the history of fishing, hunting and animal husbandry, zooarchaeology, paleodiet, prehistorical migrations, and prehistorical economies in the Baltic Region.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5168-8568

Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Giedre-Piliciauskiene

dr Lucy Kubiak-Martens

BIAX Biological Archaeology & Environmental Reconstruction, Zaandam, The Netherlands

Lucy’s current field of work and research interest is archaeobotany and palaeoecology. She specialised in seed and fruit analysis and identifying charred vegetative plant remains such as roots, tubers, rhizomes, etc. Lucy is particularly interested in the role of plant foods in hunter-gatherer and early agrarian subsistence in temperate Europe and semi-arid Africa.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5322-3211

Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lucy-Kubiak-Martens

dr Grzegorz Skrzyński

Independent researcher, Warsaw, Poland

Biologist, specialising in archaeobotanical macroscopic analyses of plant remains, anthracology and xylology. Contractor in numerous national and international research projects, including grants, concerning historical transformations of the Białowieża Primeval Forest vegetation. Research participant in Lithuania, Georgia, Egypt and Sudan. Interested in anthropogenic transformations of modern and fossil flora.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2283-0924

Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Grzegorz-Skrzynski-3

Kęstutis Peseckas

Lithuanian Institute of History, Vilnius, Lithuania

Kęstutis currently works mainly as a field archaeologist with special interests in GIS applications, photogrammetry, palaeoenvironmental reconstruction, and wetland archaeology of Neolithic and Bronze Age sites. Working with archaeological finds from Šventoji, he learned the anatomical analysis of wood and the identification of wood species and applied this skill to the analysis of waterlogged, mineralized wood and charcoal. With this skill, the reconstruction of past woodlands and human choice of wood in prehistory became the subjects of his dissertation.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8405-8511

Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kestutis-Peseckas

As part of the project, we are also collaborating with the following specialists and research centres:

  • Mary Lucas and Tony Brown from the The Arctic University Museum of Norway
  • Theis Zetner Trolle Jensen, Max Ramsøe and Yun Chiang from the University of Copenhagen (Section for Evolutionary Genomics, Department of Health and Medical Sciences)