1,000-year-old graves of Scandinavian warriors found in Poland

Four richly furnished graves found in the middle of the medieval cemetery of the village of Ciepłe in eastern Poland contained the remains of Scandinavian men with complete armour. The furnishings and type of graves differed from all the others. The warriors have therefore raised many questions among archaeologists and historians, including who they were, why they are buried here and where they came from. The last question has only recently been answered by DNA analysis.

Excavations at the cemetery took place between 2004 and 2014. Analysis of the wooden parts and DNA analysis of bone samples from the central graves showed that all four men had indeed come from Scandinavia, probably from Denmark. Their graves were dated to the reign of the first Polish king Boleslaus I the Brave (967-1025). They were placed right in the centre of the cemetery, and they are clearly the oldest and most lavishly furnished of all the graves examined.

The warriors were buried with their equipment and accoutrements, which refers to their warrior but probably also clerical status. In addition to the complete harnesses of horses - stirrups, spurs and straps - elaborately decorated swords, knives and spearheads were found. Other artifacts included coins, combs, two sets of scales and weights, and various metal and wooden implements...

The graves are exceptional in themselves, even if they did not contain such significant and valuable artefacts. They represent so-called chambered graves, stacked in the floors with logs over each other - similar to a log house. Such graves are very rare in the archaeological record of medieval Poland. Two of the graves were made of horizontal logs, joined at the corners by "toothed joints", and two were made of pointed vertical piles.

All four graves contained the largest coffins of this type found so far in Poland. All were oriented along a north-south axis, another unusual feature in Polish graves from this period. The graves were enclosed (probably by a palisade) and were never disturbed, indicating the respect of the local population for generations to come.

According to the leading archaeologist Dr. Sławomir Wadyl, it was Bolesław I who founded the settlement in the area around Ciepłe. For the growing early Piast state, the emerging settlement was one of the means to gain control and sovereignty over the eastern part of Pomerania. "The undead in the central part of the cemetery represented the social elite of the time, as evidenced by the monumental structure of their graves and their rich furnishings. They probably belonged to a group of elite horsemen, but their role was probably not limited to that of warriors."

In addition, Dr. Wadyl believes that they were also hired tax collectors, collecting taxes from the local population for the benefit of the Polish ruler. "This is indicated by scales with sets of weights found in two graves, and the other two were found to have prubiGreek stones used for testing precious metal alloys, indicating access to these metals and also participation in a brisk trade.“

Roman Nemec

Sources: thehistoryblog,com, thefirstnews.com, archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com