Millennium [antikvár]

HEAD OF A DEITY - JANKOWO, PROVINCE OF POZNAfl Poland and its inhabitants were mentioned for the first time by foreign chroniclers late in the 10th and the beginnings of the 11th century, by which time it already had a rich and old heritage behind it - a heritage which was to influence the later course of the country's history throughout the Middle Ages and up to the present day. The Polish language, the most important cultural factor in the country's history, arose in the earliest years of the existence of Slavonic tribes; a great many other geographical, historical and ethnographic developments alsó date back to times long before the Polish State was set up. The names of those who tounded this state have not come down to us and we know little enough about their work. But those who contributed most to its foundation were ordinary people who changed the course of events by wresting arable land from primeval forests, by puffing up dwellings and villages, by bequeathing their growing material wealth and knowledge to the following generations. This uncharfed period beginning with the Slav migrations (5th to 7th century) and continuing until the formation of the Polish state in the 10fh century, was marked by momentous events: the foundations of a new society were laid and its basic trend of development determined. Improved methods of tillage, befter agricultural tools and the generál development of agriculture and livestock breeding in the early Middle Ages increased man's influence over his surroundings; man learned to turn nafure into his servant, Ground was' cleared by 7