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ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences

ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences

Description

The „Academia” magazine was founded on the initiative of Professor Andrzej B. Legocki, a President of the Polish Academy of Sciences in 2003 – 2006. In the beginning it was published only in English as a reply to the growing demand for a current information on the Polish Academy of Sciences` activities, expressed by foreign scientists and Poles living abroad and interested in Polish science.

Since 2005 the magazine is published both in Polish and English.

The „Academia” is an exceptional - on the Polish market - scientific magazine for the general public, propagating achievements of Polish scientists here and abroad. Authors of articles in „Academia” explain their subject in a way that is accessible not only for all sorts of academics but also for students, pupils and all other readers interested in scientific topics for the general public.

ISSN
1731-7401
Publishers
Polish Academy of Sciences

Editorial Staff

Dariusz Jemielniak – Editor-in-Chief

Andrzej Buko – Issue editor

Anna Bielec – Managing Editor

Mariusz Karwowski – Journalist

Daniel Sax – Editor of English Version & Translator

Aleksandra Zych – Language editor

Dominik Wódz – Corrector

Andrzej Figatowski – Graphic Designer

Sylwia Piwowar – Photographer, Photo editor

Dorota Chabiera – Project coordinator


Scientific Council

Marek Konarzewski, President of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Chairman)

Dariusz Jemielniak (Deputy Chairman)

Andrzej Buko

Patrycja Dołowy

Paweł Golik

Janusz Jurczak

Tomasz Kapitaniak

Marek Krawczyk

Krzysztof Nowak

Publisher:


Polish Academy of Sciences

Communication and Science Information Department

Defilad sq. 1,

00-901 Warsaw, Poland

e-mail: academia@pan.pl



The journal content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0)
ttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.



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Content

ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2025 | No 1(85) Chrobry

1 Contents
ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2025 | No 1(85) Chrobry | 2
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2 Bolesław the Brave – A Ruler and His Times
Andrzej Buko
ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2025 | No 1(85) Chrobry | 3
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Authors and Affiliations

Andrzej Buko
1
  1. Center for Historical Archaeology, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw
3 On the Alleged Coronation in the Year 1000
Tomasz Jasiński
ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2025 | No 1(85) Chrobry | 4-6 | DOI: 10.24425/academiaPAS.2025.155500
Keywords: history Bolesław the Brave coronation of Bolesław the Brave Gallus Anonymous Gallus Anonymous’ Chronicles Mieszko I Piasts
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Abstract

Old chronicles of Polish history describe the coronation of Bolesław the Brave as a moment of great glory and might – but historical research tells a more complex story.
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Authors and Affiliations

Tomasz Jasiński
1
  1. Faculty of History, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań
4 A European Ruler
Roman Michałowski
ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2025 | No 1(85) Chrobry | 7-9 | DOI: 10.24425/academiaPAS.2025.155501
Keywords: history Bolesław the Brave Piasts Medieval Europe St. Adalbert German Empire Otto III coronation of Bolesław the Brave
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Abstract

Bolesław the Brave, the first crowned king of Poland, was a remarkable ruler of European stature. His policies involved extensive international engagement, including alliances with Emperor Otto III and military campaigns in Rus and Bohemia.
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Authors and Affiliations

Roman Michałowski
1
  1. Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw
5 Two Double Coronations?
Leszek Paweł Słupecki
ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2025 | No 1(85) Chrobry | 10-13 | DOI: 10.24425/academiaPAS.2025.155502
Keywords: history Bolesław the Brave Piasts Medieval Europe St. Adalbert German Empire Otto III coronation of Bolesław the Brave
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Abstract

Sources do not explicitly confirm that Bolesław was crowned together with his son Mieszko II in 1025, but the ceremony may indeed have been a double one – a formula possibly repeated again after Bolesław’s death.
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Authors and Affiliations

Leszek Paweł Słupecki
1
  1. University of Rzeszów, Scientific Council, Centre for Historical Research, Polish Academy of Sciences in Berlin
6 Bolesław Reflected in Contemporary Sources
Andrzej Pleszczyński
ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2025 | No 1(85) Chrobry | 14-16 | DOI: 10.24425/academiaPAS.2025.155503
Keywords: history Bolesław the Brave Piasts Bruno of Querfurt Thietmar Gallus Anonymous
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Abstract

Bolesław the Brave, the second historical ruler of the Piast dynasty, was a multifaceted figure. Early medieval authors portrayed him from various perspectives – ranging from the gushing praise of Bruno of Querfurt to the stern criticism of Thietmar of Merseburg.
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Authors and Affiliations

Andrzej Pleszczyński
1
  1. Institute of History, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin
7 Bolesław’s Conquests in Legend and Reality
Stanisław Rosik
ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2025 | No 1(85) Chrobry | 17-21 | DOI: 10.24425/academiaPAS.2025.155504
Keywords: history Bolesław the Brave Gallus Anonymous medieval conquests Bolesław’s pillars Holy Lance of St. Maurice
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Abstract

Did not he conquer Moravia and Bohemia and win the seat of the duchy in Prague (…), was it not he who time and again defeated the Hungarians in battle and made himself master of all their lands as far as the Danube? The indomitable Saxons were not a match for his valor: hence in the middle of their country an iron boundary sign in the River Saale marked Poland’s boundaries. (…) [W]hen Selencia, Pomorania, and Prussia persisted in their perfidy he crushed them, and when they converted he strengthened them in their faith, indeed he established through the pope many churches and bishops there.

Galus Anonymous, I, 6, trans. P. W. Knoll & F Schaer (CEUP, 2003)
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Authors and Affiliations

Stanisław Rosik
1
  1. Faculty of Historical and Pedagogical Sciences, University of Wrocław
8 Bolesław on the Baltic
Marian Rębkowski
ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2025 | No 1(85) Chrobry | 22-25 | DOI: 10.24425/academiaPAS.2025.155505
Keywords: history Bolesław the Brave coronation of Bolesław the Brave
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Abstract

In the year 1000, Emperor Otto III’s visit to St. Adalbert’s tomb in Gniezno led to the establishment of a Polish metropolitan see. One of the newly created bishoprics was based in Kołobrzeg on the Baltic coast, which thenceforth served as the principal stronghold of the Polish state’s Baltic province.
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Authors and Affiliations

Marian Rębkowski
1
  1. Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw
9 Monumental Structures from Bolesław’s Era
Teresa Rodzińska-Chorąży
ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2025 | No 1(85) Chrobry | 26-30 | DOI: 10.24425/academiaPAS.2025.155506
Keywords: history Bolesław the Brave Kołobrzeg stronghold early Piast architecture Piast residences Gniezno Cathedral Wawel Cathedral
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Abstract

Mieszko I’s baptism marked the start of Christianization and the development of stone architecture in Poland. The establishment of the archbishopric in Gniezno, with bishoprics in Poznań, Kraków, Wrocław and Kołobrzeg, bolstered the early Polish state’s foundations.
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Authors and Affiliations

Teresa Rodzińska-Chorąży
1
  1. Institute of Art History, Jagiellonian University in Kraków
10 What Was Used for Payment in Early Poland?
Mateusz Bogucki
ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2025 | No 1(85) Chrobry | 31-35 | DOI: 10.24425/academiaPAS.2025.155507
Keywords: history numismatics dirhams denarii coins
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Abstract

The small silver coins of the early Piast state were both a means of payment and a symbol of Bolesław the Brave’s ambitions.
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Authors and Affiliations

Mateusz Bogucki
1
ORCID: ORCID
  1. Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw
11 The Weaponry of a Thousand Years Ago
Paweł Sankiewicz
ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2025 | No 1(85) Chrobry | 36-40 | DOI: 10.24425/academiaPAS.2025.155508
Keywords: history military artefacts ducal retinue general levy swords axes spears arrows bows shields
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Abstract

The armed forces of Poland’s first crowned king reflected his power and prestige. Through their diversity, weaponry, and loyalty, Bolesław’s warriors helped him pursue his ambitious plans for expansion.
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Authors and Affiliations

Paweł Sankiewicz
1
  1. Museum of the First Piasts at Lednica
12 Piast State Society – History Deciphered from DNA
Marek Figlerowicz
ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2025 | No 1(85) Chrobry | 41-45 | DOI: 10.24425/academiaPAS.2025.155509
Keywords: history Bolesław the Brave genetics archaeogenomics mitochondrial genome research
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Abstract

Exploring the history of our ancestors – from written records to DNA – can reveal our deeper roots. Modern genomic research on ancient human remains is now challenging long-held assumptions and reshaping our understanding of Poland’s past.
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Authors and Affiliations

Marek Figlerowicz
1
  1. Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences in Poznań
13 Expansion and Elites
Wojciech Chudziak
ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2025 | No 1(85) Chrobry | 46-50 | DOI: 10.24425/academiaPAS.2025.155510
Keywords: history Bolesław the Brave Piast elites Piast warriors burial studies
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Abstract

The social elites of the region known as Pomerelia (or Vistula Pomerania) helped shape the first Polish state – leaving behind impressive chamber graves that still speak of their power, wealth, and connections.
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Authors and Affiliations

Wojciech Chudziak
1
  1. Department of Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, Institute of Archaeology, Faculty of History, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
14 Locals or Newcomers? Isotopic methods can tell us much about the status, diet, and mobility of people in early-medieval Poland
Dariusz Błaszczyk
ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2025 | No 1(85) Chrobry | 51-55 | DOI: 10.24425/academiaPAS.2025.155511
Keywords: history isotopic analysis burial studies diet migrations
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Abstract

Remains from early Piast-era cemeteries show striking variation in both geographic origin and dietary patterns among elites – evidence of long-distance movement and cultural exchange.
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Authors and Affiliations

Dariusz Błaszczyk
1
  1. Department of Medieval and Modern Archaeology, Faculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw
15 How Long Did They Live? What Ailed Them?
Alicja Drozd-Lipińska
ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2025 | No 1(85) Chrobry | 56-61 | DOI: 10.24425/academiaPAS.2025.155512
Keywords: history anthropology health diseases diet burial analyses metric bone analysis
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Abstract

Analyzing early medieval cemeteries sheds light on the societal status, health, living conditions, and adaptive strategies of the inhabitants of the early Piast monarchy.
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Authors and Affiliations

Alicja Drozd-Lipińska
1
  1. Department of Archaeology, Museum of the Kuyavia and Dobrzyń Region in Włocławek
16 Poland’s Cites of a Thousand Years
Andrzej Buko
ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2025 | No 1(85) Chrobry | 62-65 | DOI: 10.24425/academiaPAS.2025.155513
Keywords: history Bolesław the Brave Greater Poland Gniezno Poznań Kraków Płock Kalisz
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Abstract

As we admire the impressive historic landmarks found in many Polish cities, we may occasionally wonder: When and why was a city founded in this particular spot? Other places, lacking spectacular monuments today, may have been urban sites that witnessed the very birth of the Polish state.
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Authors and Affiliations

Andrzej Buko
1
  1. Center for Historical Archaeology, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw
17 Human Archaeologists Still Required
Mateusz Bogucki , Robert Ryndziewicz
ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2025 | No 1(85) Chrobry | 66-71 | DOI: 10.24425/academiaPAS.2025.155514
Keywords: history Bolesław the Brave ground-penetrating radar drones aerial photography laboratory raw material analysis
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Abstract

How technology is changing our view of the past – and how archaeology itself is evolving in response – is the subject of our interview with Mateusz Bogucki and Robert Ryndziewicz from the Laboratory of Bio- and Archaeometry at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences.
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Authors and Affiliations

Mateusz Bogucki
1
ORCID: ORCID
Robert Ryndziewicz
1
  1. Laboratory of Bio- and Archaeometry at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences
18 The Island at the Dawn of Poland
Paweł Sankiewicz , Sylwia Piwowar
ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2025 | No 1(85) Chrobry | 72-77 | DOI: 10.24425/academiaPAS.2025.155515
Keywords: history Bolesław the Brave Ostrów Lednicki Baptism of Mieszko I ducal stronghold Museum of the First Piasts at Lednica
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Abstract

This quiet island on a scenic lake is actually a place of great historical and cultural significance to Poland. Every stone here bears silent witness to momentous events, and the rustling leaves seem to whisper tales from a time when early-medieval Polish rulers called this island home. Walking the paths of Ostrów Lednicki, visitors encounter traces of the island’s early settlers and majestic ruins of tenth-century architecture. Past and present meet, offering an unforgettable journey through history and nature.
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Authors and Affiliations

Paweł Sankiewicz
1
Sylwia Piwowar
  1. Museum of the First Piasts at Lednica
19 A National Hero and a Challenge for History Teachers
Tomasz Stryjek
ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2025 | No 1(85) Chrobry | 78-79 | DOI: 10.24425/academiaPAS.2025.155516
Keywords: history Bolesław the Brave history education
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Authors and Affiliations

Tomasz Stryjek
1
ORCID: ORCID
  1. Department of Research on Eastern European History and Memory Institute of Political Studies,Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw
20 What Was on the Early Piasts’ Table?
Daniel Makowiecki
ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2025 | No 1(85) Chrobry | 80-82 | DOI: 10.24425/academiaPAS.2025.155517
Keywords: history archaeozoology diets in early Poland animal bone studies
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Abstract

We talk to Prof. Daniel Makowiecki of the Institute of Archaeology at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń about what Poland’s first rulers most likely ate and how archaeological finds can help reconstruct the culinary practices of early medieval times
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Authors and Affiliations

Daniel Makowiecki
1
  1. Institute of Archaeology at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń

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