Archaeologists Just Unearthed A 6,000-Year-Old Neolithic Longhouse In Poland

Archaeologists excavating a Neolithic site in southeastern Poland discovered artifacts spanning thousands of years, including a rare longhouse from the Linear Pottery culture that was constructed around 5000 B.C.E.

Recent excavations of a Neolithic site in Sandomierz-Mokoszyn, Poland, uncovered something completely unexpected. An archaeological team that was originally trying to confirm the existence of a settlement dating to 3500 B.C.E. found evidence of an even older village.

Researchers unearthed the remnants of a longhouse built by the Linear Pottery culture between 5300 and 4900 B.C.E. These people were early farmers who were known for the unique designs they carved into the ceramic vessels they crafted. The longhouse is the first of its kind ever found in the region, and it’s providing new insight into this Neolithic culture.

Archaeologists Unearth A Neolithic Longhouse In Poland

A team of archaeologists in Sandomierz-Mokoszyn in southeastern Poland recently set out to confirm the existence of a settlement connected to the Funnelbeaker culture.

They found what they were looking for, including large storage pits dating to between 3700 and 3200 B.C.E. containing clay vessels, flint tools, and animal bones. However, they also found much more than they expected.

During excavations, researchers unearthed the remnants of a longhouse that was 1,500 years older than the Funnelbeaker artifacts. It belonged to the Linear Pottery culture, early farmers who lived in the area between 5500 and 4500 B.C.E.

The longhouse was about 20 feet wide and more than 65 feet in length. It was constructed using a post-and-beam technique, and its walls were built with material from nearby clay pits.

As reported by Ancient Origins, Dr. Marek Florek from the Provincial Office for the Protection of Monuments in Sandomierz stated, “The discovery of the longhouse is the first of its kind in the Sandomierz Upland.”

Alongside the longhouse, researchers found ceramics decorated in the traditional Linear Pottery culture style, flint tools, and objects made from volcanic glass. Now, they’re working to analyze these artifacts to learn more about the Neolithic people they once belonged to.

New Insights Into The Linear Pottery Culture

Historians believe the people of the Linear Pottery culture group migrated to Poland from Transcarpathia, near modern-day Slovakia and Hungary. It’s known that they excelled in farming and animal husbandry, but the discovery of their longhouse is revealing new information about the way they lived.

Similar longhouses have been found elsewhere in Poland, but as Florek stated, this is the first uncovered near Sandomierz-Mokoszyn.

“This is an interesting discovery that indicates that in the early Neolithic period there was a settlement with permanent buildings, not a makeshift camp,” Florek noted. “Moreover, it also confirms the continuation of settlement in this area over several thousand years.”

The tools archaeologists found are also providing insight into the lives of the Neolithic people. The obsidian artifacts were imported, suggesting the Linear Pottery culture traded with other ancient civilizations.

As these artifacts make their way to the Sandomierz Castle Museum for preservation and future public display, they promise to shed even more light on the region’s rich Neolithic heritage.

Rare Celtic Helmet Unearthed in Poland, the Oldest Ancient Helmet Ever Uncovered in the Country

Archaeologists have discovered a rare Bronze  helmet from the 4th century BC, along with 300 Celtic treasures, including axes, spearheads, a sword, and decorative horse harness in Mazovia, Poland.

Dr. Bartlomiej Kaczynski, who led the research, said the helmet found was a rare artifact and an example of advanced Celtic metallurgy.

According to experts, only a handful of such artifacts exist worldwide, making this an extraordinary find.

Research at the archaeological site “Łysa Góra” in the Chorzele commune was conducted by scientists from the State Archaeological Museum in cooperation with the Faculty of Archaeology of the University of Warsaw. Since spring, they have discovered about 300 different monuments in this place.

A bronze Celtic helmet from the 4th century BC was discovered in one of the archaeological sites along with four iron axes and a half-axe. This is the first find of this type from the Polish lands. So far, only a helmet from Siemiechów, dating to the 1st century BC, has been discovered.

“This is the first helmet of its kind found in Poland, and the oldest ancient helmet ever uncovered in the country,” Wojciech Borkowski, deputy director of the State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw, as saying.

A defensive settlement spanning approximately three hectares was discovered by archaeologists at the Łysa Góra site, where the helmet was discovered after five weeks of excavation.

The presence of burn marks suggests possible conflicts between the Celts and the Vandals.

Łysa Góra is a multi-phase settlement site. The earliest signs of occupation date back to the Lusatian culture, a group of people who lived in Poland, parts of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, eastern Germany, and western Ukraine in the late Bronze to early Iron Age.

Before distinguishing characteristics began to be discovered that proved the helm was an early La Tène helmet, it was initially thought to be a bronze vessel.

The La Tène culture was a European Iron Age society that flourished from approximately 450 BC until the Roman Republic’s expansionists seized their ancestral lands in the first century BC.

Borkowski highlighted the global significance of the discovery, noting that only a few such  helmets exist worldwide.

This discovery disproves earlier theories that the Celts were restricted to southern Poland and indicates that they were also present in the northern region of Mazovia.

Archaeologists have had to reconsider the amber trade routes of the early Iron Age and the wider European trade networks due to the variety of artifacts found, such as bronze ornaments and iron tools.

According to experts, the discovery holds significance not only for Poland but for the entirety of Central Europe.

Due to the helm’s poor condition, it has been sent to the Museum Conservation Department of the PMA for restoration, which is expected to take several months.

16th-Century Compass Possibly Belonging to Nicolaus Copernicus Unearthed in Poland’s Frombork

Researchers have discovered a 16th-century compass that is thought to have been used by astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus in the canonical gardens of Frombork, northern Poland, during a recent archaeological dig.

Copernicus is famously known for his heliocentric theory, which posited that the Sun is the center of the solar system and the planets orbit around it, as presented in his work De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium.

Copernicus, who served as a canon at the Frombork cathedral, lived in the town for nearly 30 years, conducting his clerical duties and astronomical observations.

Nicolaus Copernicus famously wrote himself into history by looking up at the sky and speculating that the Sun, not the Earth, was at the center of the universe.

Now, researchers from Warminska Grupa Eksploracyjna, an amateur archaeological exploration group in Poland, have made a discovery about Copernicus himself by looking at the ground.

The compass, which was made of a copper alloy, was discovered buried under the gardens of the northern Polish cathedral known as the Archcathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Andrew, or Frombork Cathedral.

The Warminska Grupa Eksploracyjna posted a description of their amazing discovery along with the steps that led to it on social media. Using a method that has proven invaluable in archaeological digs for its ability to reveal hidden structures without disturbing the earth, ground-penetrating radar was used to investigate beneath the cathedral’s grounds.

The compass was discovered in a trial pit that also revealed a corner of a now-nonexistent canonry and the entrance to its partially collapsed cellars.

“In the garden where Nicolaus Copernicus made his astronomical observations, we found a compass dating back to the beginning of the 16th century,” stated Misja Skarb, a member of the Warminska Grupa Eksploracyjna, wrote on Facebook.

“This incredible discovery not only takes us back in time to the period when Copernicus was making his groundbreaking discoveries, but also opens up new possibilities to understand his methods of working.”

Even though there isn’t enough proof to say that Copernicus used the compass himself, the circumstances surrounding its discovery point to a close relationship.

The compass is the third of its kind to be found in Poland, and the second to be found in Frombork’s gardens. According to an employee from the Nicolaus Copernicus Museum in Frombork, Zorjana Polenik, the compass “could have belonged to Nicolaus Copernicus himself.”

The museum hopes that conservation services will eventually add this artifact to its collection.

1,600-year-old Hunnic double burial found in Poland

In 2018, archaeologists uncovered a 1,600-year-old double burial in the village of Czulice near Krakow, Poland, containing the remains of two young boys.

This discovery, reported in the June issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, provides some of the earliest evidence of Hunnic presence in Europe. Radiocarbon dating placed the burial between CE 395 and 418, making it the oldest known Hunnic burial site in Poland.

As warriors, the Huns inspired almost unparalleled fear throughout Europe. Attila was the last sole king of the Huns. He ruled a vast empire, that from its firm center in Pannonia extended to the Baltic Sea and the “islands of the Ocean” in the north, and to the Caspian Sea in the east. Attila’s military prowess was so formidable that both the Eastern (Byzantine) and Western Roman empires paid him tributes to avoid his wrath.

The grave was discovered thanks to an excavation led by Polish Academy of Sciences archaeologist Jakub Niebylski. This site contained the remains of two boys aged between 7 and 9 years, buried alongside an assortment of grave goods and animal remains.

The grave contained numerous artifacts, including gold and silver trinkets, an iron knife, a clay pot, and the remains of various animals. Notably, one of the boys exhibited an artificially deformed skull, a practice common among Hunnic elites.

The Huns took up the practice of cranial deformation as a sign of aristocracy and elite status from the Alans, an ancient Iranian nomadic tribe. As a result, this burial site in Czulice provides a glimpse into the cultural practices and social hierarchies of the Huns, as well as their interactions with local populations during their migrations into Europe.

The boys’ bones were scattered in the oval-shaped grave, which was slightly over two feet below the surface. DNA testing revealed the boys’ separate ancestries. One boy, identified as Individual I, was of local European origin, likely connected to the Pannonian Plain in modern-day Hungary.

The other, identified as Individual II, was found to be of Hunnic origin and showed genetic similarities with modern Asian populations, especially nomads from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

The Hunnic boy’s remains were buried with several valuable items, including a gold earring, silver buckles, a clay vessel, and an iron knife, indicative of his high status. In contrast, the European boy, who lacked grave goods, was found buried on his stomach, suggesting a lower social status, possibly as a servant or companion to the Hunnic boy.

The double burial also included the remains of a dog, a cat, and a crow, which were thought to be the boys’ animal companions on their journey to the afterlife. This aspect of the burial is unusual for the Huns and may indicate a borrowing from Roman funerary practices.

More information about the lives and origins of the boys was discovered through isotope and ancient DNA testing, CT scans, X-rays, and further examination of the human bones.

The Hunnic boy’s lesions in his eye sockets suggested chronic anemia or another disease that may have contributed to his early death. Isotopic analysis of the boys’ diets indicated that both had protein-rich diets, but the lack of grave goods for the European boy hinted at his lower social status.

Scientists extracted and sequenced genes from the skeletons of the deceased and compared them with available genetic material. The genes have been deposited in a genetic database and will be compared with further material obtained from other graves across Europe.

300 Year Old “Exceptional” Prosthesis made of Gold and Copper and wool Discovered in Poland

Something novel has been discovered by Polish archaeologists working on the excavation of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Krakow; it is thought to be the first discovery of its kind in the nation.

A first-of-its-kind medical prosthesis: a nearly 300-year-old device that helped a man with cleft palate live more comfortably with this condition.

Anna Spinek, an anthropologist at the Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy in Poland, explained the discovery to Live Science. “This is probably the first such discovery not only in Poland but also in Europe. No such devices exist in institutional and private collections (Polish and foreign).”

The device, described as a palatal obturator, was designed to fit into the roof of the man’s mouth. It would fit into the nasal cavity of the man replacing his hard palate.

Cleft palates arise when the hard palate, or roof of the mouth, doesn’t close during gestation. These days, cleft palates can be corrected surgically. However, this was not available to the man 300 years ago. Instead, he found another solution: this device, which was inserted into his mouth as a prosthetic.

The authors note in their paper, that the first attempts to replace missing palate parts were likely made in antiquity. Demosthenes (384-322 BC), a Greek orator, had a congenital cleft palate and may have filled open gaps in his mouth with pebbles.

The “exceptional” device consists of two parts. A metal plate that mimics the hard palate is attached to a wool pad, designed to secure the device comfortably when fitted into the mouth.

The hard palate prevents substances in the mouth from entering the nasal cavity, and it also helps with swallowing, breathing and talking, according to the study.

The 1.2-inch-long (3.1 centimeters) prosthesis, known as a palatal obturator, weighs around 0.2 ounce (5.5 grams), according to the study. The prosthetic is overall concave in shape and designed to arch up into the nasal cavity leaving a hollow in the mouth, just as a natural hard palate would.

To better understand the prosthesis’s composition, the researchers examined it under a scanning electron microscope and used X-ray spectroscopy, which analyzes the chemical composition of a sample. They discovered that the metal pieces were primarily composed of copper, with significant amounts of gold and silver.

The wool was also tested and discovered to contain traces of silver iodide. This was most likely added to the pad because of its antimicrobial properties.

“Today, it is difficult to assess how well the obturator fitted or how tight a seal it provided,” the authors wrote in their paper. “However, modern-day patients struggling with similar health problems describe the use of a prosthesis providing improvements in speech (which becomes clearer) and increased comfort when eating.”

The study was published in the April issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

600 Years Old Sword and Equipment Found in Olsztyn

Aleksander Miedwiediew, a history buff, and detectorist discovered a bare sword, a sheath, and a knight’s belt with two knives attached, all of which most likely date from the Battle of Grunwald.

The objects were sent to regional authorities by the finder, who then passed them on to the Battle of Grunwald Museum.

The Marshal’s Office of Warmia and Masuria informed about the finding on Thursday, saying in a statement that “such findings happen once in decades”.

“It’s a phenomenal set of a sword, a sheath, a belt, and two knives. Taking into account that these artifacts date back somewhere between 14th and 15th centuries, and thus spent approx.

600 years below the earth, they have been preserved in an exceptionally good condition” – said the finder of the items Aleksander Miedwiediew. He added that in the times of their origin, such items had been extremely valuable – their price would match the price of a car today.

Miedwiediew found the items near Olsztyn. The exact location has not been revealed, as the director of the Battle of Grunwald Museum Szymon Drej said preparations for archeological exploration of that area were ongoing. “It’s puzzling that no one had taken hold of these items, very precious at the time. Maybe we will find the remains of a knight whom these things belonged to” – Drej added.

The finder of the weapons took them to the Marshal of Warmia and Masuria Marek Brzezin. The marshal passed the findings on to the Battle of Grunwald Museum where they will undergo conservation.

“The weapons will now undergo conservation and research process. We have a theory as to the sword’s medieval owner’s status, and we’re curious what’s underneath the layer of rust” – Drej added.

Other sensational discoveries have been made by Aleksander Miedwiediew.

During his annual archeological study at the Fields of Grunwald in the fall of 2020, he discovered two perfectly preserved battle axes. They were taken to the Grunwald Museum.

Poland’s oldest copper axe discovered in the Lublin region

A copper axe from the 4th to 3rd millennium BC identified with the Trypillia culture was found in the Horodło municipality in the Hrubieszów district.

An axe discovered in the Hrubieszów district, identified with the Trypillia culture, is most likely the oldest find of a copper product in Poland informed the Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments.

The Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments has described the valuable relic as being 7.4 cm in length, with a wide fan-shaped blade 4.1 cm wide, and a rectangular convex head measuring 0.9 cm x 0.6 cm.

The Cucuteni-Trypillia culture was one of the most important in South-Eastern Europe. It originated as a result of interactions between different Neolithic groups in the Carpathian-Balkan region during the second half of the sixth millennium BCE.

The fact that the ax appeared in eastern Poland is surprising because the territorial scope of the Trypillian culture covered the areas of today’s Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, and western Ukraine.

Analyzing the find in terms of its chronological and cultural affiliation, the archaeologist from the Zamość delegation of the Voivodeship Office for the Protection of Historical Monuments, Wiesław Koman, sought the assistance of Professor Elżbieta Kłosińska from the Institute of Archaeology of the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin.

The specialist ruled out that the presented axe belonged to Bronze Age cultures, as the artifact in no way corresponded to the known and already fairly well-recognized typologies of axes from that period.

“In addition, our ax was made in a quite simple ‘primitive’ casting method, in a flat-convex form, no longer used in the developed metallurgy of the Bronze Age.

Therefore, it was necessary to pay attention to the earlier Neolithic era. Unfortunately, in the inventories of Neolithic cultures from Poland there is no such equivalent,” the Lublin Conservator reported on social media.

The puzzle was solved by turning to archaeological finds from within Ukraine. “Wiesław Koman came across the publication of an identical find of a copper axe discovered in the village of Shcherbanivka in the Kyiv region, where the accompanying fragments of vascular pottery made it possible to attribute it to the Trypillia culture and date it to the late period of development of this culture, estimated at the 4th to 3rd millennium BC,” – reported the conservator.

The Lublin conservator says: “It is true that we have recorded finds of Trypillian culture pottery from Gródek, Hrubieszów commune, and the presence of this ax in nearby Matcz can be considered as confirmation of the settlement of people of this culture also in eastern Poland.”

The axe will soon be transferred to the collection of the Hrubieszów Museum, where it will undergo further research, reports the conservator.

An extraordinary medieval belt loop found near Kamień Pomorski in Poland

A late medieval belt loop for hanging keys or a bag was found near the town of Kamień Pomorski in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. So far, only 15 artifacts of this type have been discovered in Europe.

The discovery was announced on social media by the Museum of the History of the Kamieńska Land. The director of the museum, archaeologist Grzegorz Kurka, described the find as “extraordinary“.

In German literature, artifacts of this type are called anthropomorphic Gürtelhaken, Figürliche Schlüsselhalter, and Schlüsserhaken. The 56 mm high loop is in very good condition.

The front panel has an anthropomorphic form. The figure’s head is schematically marked. Hands are on hips. Protruding from the hip, they form an arc with holes of 4 mm in diameter.

There are diagonal and horizontal cuts visible on the torso and hips – schematically creating a costume typical of the late Gothic era. Below the costume, there is a vertical hole 13 mm long, and directly below it a hole probably intended for hanging keys or a purse (hole 4 mm in diameter).

These hooks or clamps can be divided into two large groups: (loving) couples of men and women embracing (dancing?) and single men who look at the viewer and, in frequent cases, put their hands on their hips. 

Based on the circumstances of the find and studies of the clothing components, some of which are depicted in much greater detail, they are usually dated to the second half of the 15th century or the first half of the 16th century. In the specialist literature, Nuremberg is usually assumed to be the place of manufacture.

Based on better or completely preserved examples, we know that a screwable axle was attached through the sleeve-like opening running across the bottom of the figures, to which a mostly oval bracket was attached, as is still the case today with some key rings or key rings.

This also led to the interpretation that such hooks were worn (clipped on) to strong leather belts, but could also be removed at any time. Keys, pouches, or small bags made of fabric or leather could be attached to the hanger.

Copperplate engravings and woodcuts from the 15th and 16th centuries show that men and women carried all kinds of things on their belts, including knives, cutlery, and individual spoons.