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Polish archaeologists have discovered dozens of iron and bronze artefacts including a sword and decorative buckles in a nearly 2000 years old Germanic cemetery, archaeologist Krzysztof Socha from the Kostrzyn Fortress Museum reported to PAP.

Credit: Krzysztof Socha/Muzeum Twierdzy Kostrzyn

The cemetery is located in Gorzów poviat (county), though archaeologists have not revealed the exact location of the newly discovered cemetery to prevent its destruction by treasure hunters who search fields and forests with metal detectors. Socha emphasises that he was surprised by the large number of discovered metal objects. Archaeologists have also found numerous fragments of burned human bones.

"After preliminary research, which we carried out in November, I believe that we are dealing with a huge, perhaps even several-hectare cemetery from the first centuries of our era", says Socha. Three complete graves were discovered during the excavations; the remains of the dead had been cremated. In one case, they were originally in a ceramic urn, in the other two they were poured into pits dug in the ground.

Credit: Krzysztof Socha/Muzeum Twierdzy Kostrzyn

Socha added that the necropolis has been largely destroyed by forest management - the forest was planted in this place nearly half a century ago. "We do not know if there had been a forest here before, but during the excavations we recorded traces of very deep ploughing, which could have contributed to the degradation of the ancient burials", he said. But according to the archaeologist, there had been many more graves. This is evidenced by artefacts chaotically scattered just below the surface.

"The first complete graves probably belonged to warriors because we found weapons in the graves, including a ritually bent metal sword, spear heads and shield bosses. We are also finding metal elements of clothing such as belt buckles and other adornments in the area. This shows that the cemetery belonged to the entire community - probably women, men and children", said Socha.

Credit: Dariusz de Lorm/Stowarzyszenie Tempelburg

Researchers are now waiting for the anthropological analyses of the bones which will determine the sex of the deceased.

Archaeologists believe that the cemetery belonged to a Germanic community. "Here, the influence of the Goths and Vandals clashed with influences from the Elbe", says Socha adding that this conclusion can be drawn from various artefacts. He emphasises that this is one of the few cemeteries of this type in western Poland.

Credit: Krzysztof Socha/Muzeum Twierdzy Kostrzyn

The ancient cemetery was discovered in April 2018 when several artefacts, including metal shield bosses, were revealed in the roots of felled trees following a violent storm.

Archaeologists are preparing an exhibition of artefacts that will be opened next year in the Kostrzyn Fortress Museum.

Author: Szymon Zdziebłowski | Source: PAP - Science in Poland [December 10, 2018]

Archaeologists excavating in the village of Hozelec in northern Slovakia have unearthed a unique trove of jewellery believed to date from the Middle to Late Bronze Age.

Credit: TASR/Oliver Ondráš

Matúš Hudák, archaeologist of Spiš Museum in Spišská Nová Ves, said that small fragments of bronze spirals, funnel-shaped pins and three bronze discs had been recovered.

The funnel-like objects are somewhat unusual in that they are made of a white metal which may be due to a higher tin to bronze ratio of the alloy or possibly the result of 'etching' with organic acid or heating at high temperatures.

Credit: TASR/Oliver Ondráš

“It is proof of advanced metallurgic technologies that people did not often use and it is unique,” Hložek pointed out.

The remains of leather were also found attached to the spirals, funnels and discs suggesting that the items had been buried in a leather pouch. Three bronze disk-like objects appear to have been sewn at the top of the pouch and were likely used to keep it closed.

Credit: TASR/Oliver Ondráš

The finds were transported to the Technical Museum in Brno, where they underwent laboratory examination followed by intensive conservation work.

The organic remains were radiocarbon dated to approximately 3,000 years ago.

Credit: TASR/Oliver Ondráš

In addition to the jewellery, artefacts from later times were also discovered at the site, including Celtic buckles, a spade, and horseshoes from the Middle Ages, a 1616 solidus coin, a link chain, a copper hook, knives and other objects that were probably accidentally lost.

Source: The Slovak Spectator [December 07, 2018]

Excavations carried ahead of the Pinczow bypass in southern Poland revealed two burials of the so-called Early Bronze Age Mierzanowice culture, dating to about 2,000 BC.

Early Bronze Age grave found in Pinczow [Credit: Agata Chrobot]

The first grave contained the skeleton of a man, five clay vessels (two almost whole, three broken), and five arrowheads. It is unclear at present whether the individual in the second grave is male or female.

Early Bronze Age grave found in Pinczow [Credit: Agata Chrobot]

Post holes from a Neolithic 'long house' found in Pinczow [Credit: Agata Chrobot]

The excavations were carried out in the immediate vicinity of the 767 road from Pińczów to Busko-Zdrój. Archaeologists discovered a total of 214 archaeological objects, including remains of a 'long house' and arrowheads from the Neolthic period, an iron knife from the Roman period, as well as several hundred fragments of ceramics from the Neolithic period to the Middle Ages.

Arrow heads found in the first grave at Pinczow [Credit: Agata Chrobot]

Remains of furnace found in Pinczow [Credit: Agata Chrobot]

On the road 767 from Pińczów to Busko-Zdrój, archaeologists also excavated the remains of a 2,000 year old iron-smelting furnace.

All findings will probably be exhibited in the Regional Museum in Pinczow.

Source: Echodnia [December 02, 2018]

A research group from Russia and the United States analyzed samples of obsidian volcanic glass in Kabardino-Balkaria. It turned out that more than 70 thousand years ago, Neanderthals transferred this mineral to distances up to 250 kilometers and used it to manufacture tools. These findings help to understand how populations from different regions communicated in antiquity. The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation and is published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

A) obsidian in rocks formed during the eruption; B), C) obsidian boulders ("bombs"), differing in colour and shape  [Credit: Ekaterina V. Doronicheva et al./Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2018]

When volcanoes erupted, the ejected lava hardens formed a mixture of various minerals, including obsidian. In the Stone Age, the ancient people used this material extensively to create tools. In fact, we use it even now: in surgery, for the manufacture of dark glass and jewelry.

The elemental composition of obsidian is unique not only for each volcano, but also for each eruption. This makes it possible to determine precisely the specific archaeological site, where particular obsidian sample originated from.

According to earlier studies, in the Paleolithic in Central Europe and the Caucasus, obsidians were actively transferred from one settlement to another, and over time the distance of its transportation increased from 100 to more than 700 kilometers.

Scientists from the non-profit organization "Laboratory of Prehistory" analyzed the elemental composition of obsidian samples from various Neanderthals ites of the Central and North-Western Caucasus, which were found during several expeditions. The obsidian composition turned out to be almost identical for many tools, which indicates their common origin.

Saradj-Chuko Grotto. 2017 excavations. 1) View from the grotto to the Saradj-Chuko (Fanduko) river valley; 2)–9) – obsidian tools from layer 6B, 2017 excavations [Credit: Ekaterina V. Doronicheva et al./ Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2018]

New data also indicates that obsidian was transported over more than 250 kilometers from sources in the Central Caucasus to the North-West Caucasus during the Middle Paleolithic. At the same time, new studies show that the Central Caucasus populations cultural tradition differed from the Neanderthals of the North-West Caucasus. So archaeologists have yet to figure out how the interaction between these different Neanderthals groups was build in this period.

Scientists also found that in the Upper Paleolithic, people transported obsidians from the Elbrus region and the South Caucasus to the Mezmay cave, which is located in the North-West Caucasus. The length of migration was 250 and 450 kilometers respectively. The researchers suggest that in the Upper Paleolithic there was already a developed social network between groups of people from different regions.

"The study of cultural areas, the impact of innovations and mechanisms for the dissemination of new technologies is one of the most important tasks of modern research. Our work reliably shows the existence of connections of the population of different regions in antiquity.

These results can be widely used in university lectures, as well as in modern textbooks for middle and high school. Also, the results of recent studies can be used in the design of expositions of museums and thematic exhibitions," summarizes Ekaterina Doronicheva, one of the authors of the work, Ph.D., research associate of the "Laboratory of Prehistory".

Source: Akson Russian Science Communication [November 29, 2018]

A man fishing in the Sava river in Kranj, northern Slovenia, noticed a rectangular block of stone with what appeared to be an inscription sitting in the river bed.

Credit: Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia

He notified the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, which sent archaeologists to take a look at the stone.

The inscription, in Latin, revealed that block was in fact a Roman tombstone dedicated to a young girl named Aurelia who died when she was 12 years old in the 1st or 2nd century AD.

Credit: Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia

According to the inscription her bereaved father had commissioned the tombstone.

It’s not clear where the tombstone came from or whether there’s a cemetery nearby. Wear on the stone indicates it has been in the water for a considerable time.

Credit: Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia

A recess at the top of the tombstone suggests that a small statue may have stood above the inscription.

Two days after it was found, firefighters were called in to rais the stone from the river and transport it to the Restoration Centre of the Institute of the Slovene Academy of Sciences and Arts in Ljubljana for conservation and further study.

Source: 24ur [November 27, 2018]