Prehistoric colonization on the Jurassic hills along the banks of the Vistula was longer than the city's recorded history. Temporary settlements by nomads in the Paleolithic period were followed by permanent ones, five thousand years ago. Remains of the earliest settlements have been found on the Wawel Hill. Archaeological excavations produced objects of uninterrupted culture, from tools of the Neolithic period to pieces in bronze and iron. Numerous objects from the Roman period [1st-4th centuries AD] reflect the commercial relationship between Cracow and the Empire.

 

 

In the course of the 9th and 10th century Cracow came under the influence first of the Greater Moravia and then of Bohemia. The union in marriage of Debrava, the Bohemian Princess to Duke Mieszko, leader of the Polani, determined Cracow's future. Mieszko made war against his Bohemian brother-in-law and took possession of the "State of Cracow", which he left to his son, Bolesla, who united all the Polish territories of the North to his kingdom, and so became the first Polish monarch over 'Little Poland'. When in 1000, Cracow became an Episcopal see, it gained importance over other Polish cities, and it was here the King of Poland was consecrated.

 

 

What sort of city was Cracow at that time?