Rudolf Jamka jako badacz wczesnego średniowiecza na terenie Polski

This article offers a critical assessment of Rudolf Jamka’s scholarly contribution to the study of the Early Middle Ages in Polish territories, with particular emphasis on his role in the development of settlement archaeology and hillfort research. It examines both his excavation work – notably at Opole and Zawada Lanckorońska – and his organisational initiatives, including his supervision of archaeological site catalogues in Lesser Poland, which later provided the groundwork for comprehensive inventory projects such as the Archaeological Record of Poland. A central focus is the renewed evaluation of Jamka’s findings at Zawada Lanckorońska on the Dunajec River, particularly his analyses of jewellery hoards and fortification systems, whose dating – subsequently confirmed by dendrochronology – established the site’s occupation during the 9th–10th centuries. The article underscores Jamka’s position as a pioneering interpreter of early medieval defensive structures and a scholar whose original insights, initially questioned, have since been substantiated by later research. It also highlights the significance of recent comparative studies of jewellery hoards, illuminating long-distance trade networks and elite cultural models in 10th-century Lesser Poland. Furthermore, the article discusses Jamka’s contribution to the study of the Krak Mound, demonstrating how his interpretation of pre-war investigations advanced the recognition of its pre-Piast origins and its relevance to debates on tribal elites and early political centralisation in the upper Vistula region.