Z dziejów badań archeologicznych na terenie kompleksu prehistorycznych kopalń krzemienia pasiastego w Krzemionkach Opatowskich / From the history of archaeological research at the area of prehistoric striped flint mines’ complex in Krzemionki Opatowskie
by Barbara Sałacińska 
, Sławomir Sałaciński
DOI: 10.33547/SeTII.3
In: A. Jedynak (ed.) 2023. Krzemionki. 100 lat od odkrycia (Silex et Ferrum II), pp. 45–94. Sudół – Pękowice: Muzeum Historyczno-Archeologiczne w Ostrowcu Świętokrzyskim/Wydawnictwo Profil-Archeo.
The prehistoric striped flint mines in Krzemionki Opatowskie were discovered in 1922 by a geologist Jan Samsonowicz. Up to the early XXI century they were explored by a few generations of Polish archaeologists, mainly specialists from the State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw and the related. The site became acknowledged as a Historic Monument, Archaeological and Nature Reserve, it was placed within the Natura 2000 area and it was recorded as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The aim of the article is to present the history of archaeological research of the site. The division of the text follows the period of archaeological activity immediately after discovery, in interwar period as well as in after-war times until the close of the XX century. During long-standing excavation works, their focus was put on archaeological and mining questions. This led to the examination of undergrounds, work organization ways, exploitation techniques as well as to defining the types of excavation sites – shallow open-pit mines, open-pit niche-gallery ones as well as deep chamber-pillar and chamber ones. Developed methods of underground exploration and production activity accompanying the shafts under exploitation deserve to be acknowledged essential. Flint workshops came under research, when it was found that half-products of axes and chisels were made there, with technological aspects, stages and cycles also recognized and determined. An important element of research was to analyze the settlement of communities exploiting
the mines, ranked to Neolithic cultures: Funnel beaker culture (mainly the northern part of Sandomierz Upland), Globular Amphora Culture (loess uplands of upper Vistula basin) as well as Early Bronze Mierzanowice Culture (loess soils of Sandomierz Upland). The beginnings of mining date back to the mid-fourth century BCE, with development period around the second half of the fourth century extending until the half of the third century BCE. The article briefly presents research issues along with the authorities of Polish archaeology who are creating the knowledge concerning the exploitation of natural flint deposits by the prehistoric communities.