Medieval knight's complete skeleton discovered beneath Polish ice cream parlor

CNN

4 days ago

Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a medieval knight, buried under a shuttered ice cream parlor in the Polish city of Gdańsk.
Experts have been working at the site in the historic Śródmieście (city center) district since 2023, and initially uncovered a medieval tombstone decorated with the carved image of a knight, according to a statement from Polish archaeology firm ArcheoScan, sent to CNN on Tuesday.
The tombstone was then lifted earlier in July, revealing the complete skeleton of an adult male, thought to have lived around the 13th or 14th century.
The find is of 'exceptional significance' and 'one of the most important archaeological discoveries in Poland in recent years,' Sylwia Kurzyńska, archaeologist and director of ArcheoScan, said in the statement.
The tombstone is made from Gotland limestone, which was highly prized in the Middle Ages, and the relief depicts a knight sporting chainmail armor and mail leggings, with a sword and a shield.
The slab measures around 150 centimeters (4' 11') in length, and important details of the artwork can still be seen, despite the fact that it is partially damaged.
'The tombstone is remarkably well preserved, considering it was carved from soft limestone and lay underground for centuries,' said Kurzyńska.
'The knight is shown standing upright with an uplifted sword — a posture likely symbolizing authority and elevated social status,' she added.
This marks the tombstone out from the vast majority of late medieval sepulchral art, which tended to be limited to inscribed epitaphs, heraldic panels or Christian crosses, according to Kurzyńska.
'Only a small fraction included depictions of the deceased — and among these, most were simplified engravings on flat slabs designed for church floor use,' she added.
It is also unusual in that both the artwork and its archaeological context remain intact.
After lifting the stone, archaeologists found the remains of a man who stood 170-180 centimeters (5' 7' - 5' 11') tall, far larger than the medieval average, according to Kurzyńska.
The bones were arranged naturally, confirming that the tombstone marked the original burial site, and preliminary analysis indicates 'excellent preservation,' she said.
'Although no grave goods were found, all available evidence suggests that the deceased was a person of high social standing — most likely a knight or commander held in particularly high esteem and respect,' said Kurzyńska.
The grave was part of a cemetery housing almost 300 burials, which was attached to the oldest known church in Gdańsk.
The church was built from oak found to have been felled in 1140, and was located in an early medieval stronghold occupied from the late 11th century to the early 14th century, according to the statement.
'This was a place of power, faith, and burial — a space of symbolic and strategic significance in the history of Gdańsk,' said Kurzyńska.
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Go beyond the headlines and explore the latest scientific achievements and fascinating discoveries. Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. The latest find 'offers an invaluable source of knowledge about the lives and deaths of Gdańsk's military elite in the 13th and 14th centuries, about medieval funerary traditions, and about cross-Baltic cultural connections,' she added.
Experts are now working on further analysis of both the tombstone and the skeleton.
The stone slab is being cleaned and stabilized so that it can be documented and 3D scanned to allow for the digital reconstruction of missing fragments, while the skeleton will undergo anthropological and genetic analysis to reveal more about the knight's life, and a facial reconstruction will be made based on the skull.