Przeworsk culture

Przeworsk culture (Переворська культура; Perevorska kultura). A prehistoric culture of the 1st century BC to 4th century AD found in central and southern Poland as well as parts of Volhynia and Galicia in western Ukraine. It is named after an archeological site in Poland. The people of this culture engaged primarily in agriculture and animal husbandry, although they were also adept at ironworking and pottery (they began using wheels in the 3rd century). They established settlements along rivers and lived in surface dwellings with hearths or ovens inside and storage pits outside. Trade with the Romans brought them coins, bronze, glass, red lacquered tableware, and personal adornments. The common burial practice was cremation, with remains placed into pits or urns. The influence of this culture was felt in Ukraine mainly along the Sian River and Buh River routes. Many scholars believe that the people of the Przeworsk culture were the proto-Slavic Venedi. Others associate this culture with the migrations of the Goths.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 4 (1993).]