Evidence of a homestead from the Late Bronze Age at the Ruda site (Northern Poland) based on archaeopedological studies

Abstract Based on archaeological data and pedological analysis, an attempt was made to reconstruct the functional pattern of a farmstead from the Late Bronze Age at the Ruda site (Northern Poland). Late Bronze Age human activity in the area and immediate vicinity of the homestead led to changes in the chemical properties of the soils. Different values of phosphorus and organic carbon content in the features and cultural layers may help interpretation of the past spatial development and use of the studied households. The areas with the highest concentration are linked with places of intense economic activity, and the small increase in the phosphorus content in the soil from the homestead may suggest a relatively short exploitation of this place, which would correspond with the small number of artefacts from that area. Features similar to the presented Late Bronze Age homestead have not been recorded before in the Polish territory. Analogous spatial assumptions are known from the Carpathian Highlands as well as from the north (German and Scandinavian territories).