Scandinavian warrior graves unearthed in Poland

Archaeologists in Poland were stunned to discover the skeletal remains of four Scandinavian warriors many hundreds of miles from their homeland.

Two of the graves containing the remains of Scandinavian warriors
[Credit: Z. Ratajczyk, PAP]

The 11th-century remains were discovered at a peculiar burial site dubbed by the archaeologists a death house. A chemical and genetic analysis of the remains found the four men were from Scandinavia, most likely from Denmark.

According to Dr Sławomir Wadyl of the Gdańsk Archeological Museum, the warriors were buried alongside a plethora of trinkets and armaments.

The archaeologist told the Polish Press Agency (PAP): “In the central part of the cemetery, there were four very well-equipped chamber graves.

Artistic reconstruction of one of the graves in the central part of the cemetery
[Credit: K. Patalon, PAP]

"Men, probably warriors, were buried in them as evidenced by weapons and equestrian equipment laid together with them."

The four warriors were unearthed in the village of Ciepłe in Eastern Pomerania or Pomorze Wschodnie, northern Poland.

The Danish warriors would have been buried during the Piast dynasty – the first Polish dynasty to rule from the 10th century to the end of the 14th century.

Equipment from one of the graves excavated in 1900.
After La Baume [Credit: PAP]

Dr Wadyl said: "It turned out that all of the dead buried in the central part of the cemetery were not from the Piast State, but from Scandinavia, most likely from Denmark."

The warriors were buried within a larger necropolis, dating back to the Polish King Bolesław Chrobry or Bolesław the Brave I. Alongside them, the archaeologists uncovered a treasure-trove of weapons such as decorative swords and spears.

Evidence suggests the four men were skilled horse riders, due to the buckles, stirrups and spurs found next to their bodies. The archaeologists also uncovered old coins, metal trinkets, combs, pots and even the remains of animals.

Z-type sword from the grave in the central part of the cemetery
[Credit: J. Szmit, PAP]

The burial site itself is interesting because it is more typical of Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. The warriors were laid to rest in wooden chambers measuring about 11.5ft by 6.5ft (3.5m by 2m). The chambers were built much like a log cabin, with intersecting planks or logs of wood stacked on top of one another.

Dr Wadyl said: "It was one of the more popular house building methods at the time, so you could say they were a 'death house'."

In another part of the cemetery, the archaeologists found another different but equally intriguing burial method. The archaeologists unearthed two large coffins laid to rest inside of a chamber built from vertical, sharpened poles forced into the ground.

Spur found in one of the graves [Credit: K. Odya, PAP]

Dr Wadyl said: |These are the biggest chests of their kind that we know of in Poland’s territories at this time."

The collection of burial sites was likely surrounded by some form of fencing or a wooden palisade.

Dr Wadyl believes the Danish warriors were likely part of the local elite due to their elaborate and flashy burials.

Reconstruction of a stirrup found in one of the graves
[Credit: K. Patalon, PAP]

He said:"Those buried in the central part of the cement ray represented the social elite of the time, as evidenced by the monumental character of their graves and rich furnishings. They probably belonged to a group of elite riders but their role was probably was not limited to the function of warriors"

The archaeologist also thinks the men collected taxes from the local populace due to a set of weights found next to two of the dead.

Author: Sebastian Kettley | Source: Express [January 20, 2020]

Grave of elite Bronze Age man from Poland reconstructed

A new 3D rendering of a 2,000-year-old aristocrat’s grave shows how the tribes inhabiting the Malopolska region buried their elites.

The mysterious prince, although in fact he was not a member of royalty, but a local elite, was about 20-30 years old
and massively built, according to the preserved bones. Unlike the other burials around it, the body wasn’t burnt
[Credit: M. Podsiadlo]

The richly-equipped kurgan, one of only a dozen in Poland, is known as the prince’s grave, due to the evident high standing of the man laid to rest there and the site’s monumental form.

The burial ground in Szarbia, near Krakow, was discovered in 1997 in fields by researchers from the Archaeological Museum in Krakow, led by Ryszard Naglik.

The excavations carried out until 2001 yielded incredible results. The archaeologists uncovered two burial sites, one from 2,000 years ago and one from 5,000 years ago.

The rich soil of the region was farmed as early as neolithic times and up to the bronze age.

The monumental tomb had a diameter of 17 meters and was surrounded by a trench,
separating it from the rest of the necropolis [Credit: M. Podsiadlo]

Naglik, who recently published the results of the research in Szarbia, told PAP: “Our special attention was drawn to the extensive kurgan, which was located within the younger necropolis. A representative of the local elite was buried in it.”

The monumental tomb had a diameter of 17 meters and was surrounded by a trench, separating it from the rest of the necropolis.

According to Naglik, similar structures appeared in Central Europe in the early Roman period (about 2,000 years ago). However, there weren’t many of them.

The mysterious prince, although in fact he was not a member of royalty, but a local elite, was about 20-30 years old and massively built, according to the preserved bones. Unlike the other burials around it, the body wasn’t burnt.

The kurgan was robbed and destroyed possibly only decades after its constructions
[Credit: Ryszard Naglik]

Unfortunately, the kurgan was robbed and destroyed possibly only decades after its constructions. Only some of its riches have survived.

Among them were shears, a needle, a knife, elements of the prince’s clothing, such as fragments of a belt with a buckle styled in Roman way (they could have possibly came from there).

Naglik pointed out, that the shears weren’t iron, as is usually the case in graves from that period, but bronze.

"Bronze wasn’t better than iron. It didn’t increase their effectiveness. It only indicated that the deceased could afford a tool from a more rare and valuable alloy," he explained. The metal could indicate, that the shears were used in a more ritualistic manner.

A pair of shears found at the site weren’t made of iron, as is usually the case in graves
from that period, but bronze [Credit: Ryszard Naglik]

Another curious finding was a bear claw, possibly left from the entire fur on which the prince was placed.

"This finding contributed as one of the elements one of the discovered tomb’s reconstruction - the deceased lies on the bear's skin,” Naglik added.

Author: Joanna Jasinska | Source: The First News [January 17, 2020]