Medieval knight's tomb discovered beneath former ice cream parlor in Poland: 'Very rare'
The tomb was found in Gdańsk, Poland, a historic city revered for its colorful architecture and location on the scenic Motława River. The discovery was announced this month by Polish archaeology company ArcheoScan.
The knight's grave was found beneath the former site of Lodziarnia Miś, a beloved ice cream parlor that once stood at the intersection of Sukiennicza and Grodzka streets.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, the organization said the area was once a 13th-century cemetery next to the remains of Gdańsk's oldest known church. Both are located in the city's historic center, known as Śródmieście.
"This church was built of oak wood cut down in 1140, based on dendrochronological dating," the organization said. "It is currently recognized as the oldest wooden church ever identified in Poland."
The tombstone, dating to the late 13th or 14th century, was buried in an early medieval stronghold within the city. Archaeologists said the site was a "key place of power, faith and burial" in medieval Gdańsk.
The tomb likely belonged to an elite knight, having been made from limestone imported from the Swedish island of Gotland. The grave's carvings were also skillfully crafted, suggesting a high-quality artisan produced the tombstone.
"Figural tombstones showing full-length armored figures are rare in Poland, especially from the 13th–14th centuries."
Pictures of the discovery show the faint image of a male figure standing upright wearing full chainmail armor and leggings.
"He holds a sword and shield [in the image]," ArcheoScans noted.
"Despite some damage, the head, left foot and many details of the armor and weapons remain visible."
Although limestone is very fragile, ArcheoScan said the tombstone weathered the centuries well.
"The tombstone is surprisingly well-preserved, considering it was made from soft limestone and buried for centuries," the organization added. "The carved figure, armor and shield are still visible."
It also noted, "Tombstones like this were very rare in Poland at the time and were typically made for important people. However, there is no evidence linking the figure to the Teutonic Order, and no inscriptions confirm that connection."
During the excavation, archaeologists carefully lifted the tomb slab and uncovered the knight's complete skeleton. An initial examination showed that the warrior stood between 5'5" and 5'9" tall, which was above average for the time.
"The bones were found in anatomical alignment, confirming the tombstone marked the actual burial site," ArcheoScan added. "The skeleton is well-preserved, although no grave goods were found in association with the body."
Experts hope to conduct additional research, including genetic analyses to determine the knight's age at death, as well as his health history.
Further isotopic analysis may shed light on his lifestyle and diet, along with any other possible links to other burials.
"Together, the tombstone, the church, and the cemetery help tell a rich and layered story of early medieval Gdańsk."
Archaeologists also plan to conduct a facial reconstruction.
ArcheoScan stressed that the discovery is "one of the most important archaeological finds in Poland in recent years," shedding light on burial customs as well as medieval symbolism.
"Figural tombstones showing full-length armored figures are rare in Poland, especially from the 13th–14th centuries," the organization concluded.
"Together, the tombstone, the church, and the cemetery help tell a rich and layered story of early medieval Gdańsk."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Archaeologists Found the Lost ‘Book of the Dead' Buried in an Egyptian Cemetery
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: Egyptian archaeologists located a lost 3,500-year-old cemetery containing mummies and statues—among other discoveries. They found a 'Book of the Dead' papyrus scroll measuring over 43 feet long—a rare surviving copy of the traditional burial item. The team behind the find was mum on the details of the textual discovery. Ancient Egyptians sure knew how to stage a burial, including canopic jars to hold organs and scrolls from the 'Book of the Dead' to help the deceased navigate the afterlife. In central Egypt, archaeologists uncovered one of these elaborate scenes: a 3,500-year-old New Kingdom cemetery filled with mummies, amulets, statues, canopic jars, and a 43-foot-long papyrus scroll containing part of the Book of the Dead. This scroll is the first complete papyrus found in the Al-Ghuraifa area, and is 'characterized by being in good condition,' Mustafa Waziri, secretary general of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, said in a translated Arabic statement from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. While the cemetery—dating to sometime between 1550 BC to 1070 BC—was significant for the hundreds of archaeological finds and tombs carved into the rock located within its boundaries, the discovery of what could be a copy of the 'Book of the Dead' captured the attention of experts as a truly rare find. But with few details released to the public about the contents of the scroll—believed to be 43 to 49 feet in length—there's plenty of questions remaining about this particular copy of the traditional Egyptian cultural book. These texts—which can differ depending on the writer—first appeared at the start of the New Kingdom around 1550 BC. As a result, locating one in 'good condition' from the era isn't a common occurrence. 'If it's that long and well-preserved [then it's] certainly a great and interesting find,' Lara Weiss, CEO of the Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum in Germany, told Live Science. Foy Scalf, an Egyptologist at The University of Chicago told Live Science that it's 'very rare' to find a copy in the grave it was originally buried in—although, without photographs and an official publication describing the text, it's hard to verify the details of the find. The book, which is more properly translated as 'The Chapters/Book of Going Forth By Day,' played a key role in ancient Egyptian culture. Any examples of the text give researchers insight into ancient Egyptian religion and beliefs about an afterlife, according to the American Research Center in Egypt. 'The 'Book of the Dead' reveals central aspects of the ancient Egyptians' belief system,' the center writes, 'and, like many topics in Egyptology, our theories are constantly changing, growing, and adapting with every new translation of this text.' While the 'Book of the Dead' may continue to interest researchers—the Egyptian ministry says they expect the scroll to be displayed in the Grand Egyptian Museum—the text wasn't the only item found in the burial chambers. The team located stone and wood coffins containing mummies, more than 25,000 ushabti statues, an untold number of utensils, thousands of stone and wooden amulets, and canopic jars. The engraved and colored wooden coffins—including that of Ta-de-Isa, daughter of Eret Haru, the high priest of Djehuti in Al-Ashmunin—were highlights of the collection. Next to her coffin were two wooden boxes with her canopic vessels, in addition to a complete set of ushabti statues and a statue of the ostrich-like deity, Ptah Sokar. Photo credit: Hearst Owned Get the Issue Photo credit: Hearst Owned Get the Issue Photo credit: Hearst Owned Get the Issue Photo credit: Hearst Owned Get the Issue Photo credit: Hearst Owned Get the Issue Photo credit: Hearst Owned Get the Issue Photo credit: Hearst Owned Get the Issue Photo credit: Hearst Owned Get the Issue Photo credit: Hearst Owned Get the Issue You Might Also Like
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Archaeologists Followed a 500-Year-Old Clue—and Found a Lost Town Hiding in Plain Sight
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: Years of searching for a lost medieval Norwegian town was finally rewarded with a discovery. Crews used a 500-year-old legend to start the search, but used more modern georadar techniques to pinpoint the right spot for excavation. The team discovered the lost town of Hamarkaupangen, the first ruin being a two-room home. A 16th century tale of a Norwegian town just east of a bishop's castle turned out to be far more than ancient lore. Archaeological crews from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research and the Anno Museum have revealed the discovery of Hamarkaupangen, the lost medieval town from the story. The Chronicles of Hamar—a 16th century text—describes the settlement, believed to have originated in the 11th century, as east of the cathedral and the bishop's castle in Hamar, located in southern Norway. The only problem? Every time archaeologists looked, they found just trivial topsoil-level artifacts and no real evidence of an established medieval village. Belief the city ever existed started to wane altogether, while others questioned if maybe the village was only a seasonal trading post. That doubt has all for naught. Georadar was only first used in 2023, and that really helped move the project along. Crews used the technology—in 2023 and 2024—to search a field east of the cathedral and castle, locating the town just where the 16th-century text said it would be, confirming the legend. This summer, an excavation dug three feet below a layer of stone into what the team believes is a two-room home, according to a translated statement from the institute. Buried under the masonry, the team exposed wooden structures they believe are walls and floors, confirming the findings from the georadar survey that showed the remains of wooden buildings that once made up the town. Researchers believe the radar shows the site as a two-room living area with logs and plank floors. The hunt is now on for the fireplace. 'We were very excited about what it looked like down below, because thick layers of quarries are a context that we have not worked with before,' Monica Kristiansen, archaeologist on the project, said in a translated statement. 'We therefore have no prior knowledge of how the stone-filled layers will affect the visibility of, for example, wood in the georadar data. In addition, there are poor preservation conditions for organic material in these areas, and any remains of wooden buildings was therefore assumed to be poorly preserved. Therefore, it is very gratifying that the georadar impetrations are successful.' To get inside, the team opened a small peephole into what they believe is the living area. Already, through the 43-square-foot hole, the crew has identified wall logs and floors, 'and that bodes well for the rest of the field,' Kristiansen said. As the search continues for the fireplace, Kristiansen is confident that the radar findings showing additional urban structures in line with Norwegian medieval architecture, groupings of buildings, narrow passages, and even street layouts will play out in excavations just as this site has. The long-held legend of Hamarkaupangen is no longer just a legend. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life? Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Vounous Bowl: A 4,000-year-old basin holding 4 miniature cows and 18 people — that was buried for mysterious reasons in a Bronze Age tomb in Cyprus
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. QUICK FACTS Name: Vounous Bowl What it is: Ceramic vessel with complex figural scene inside Where it is from: Bellapais, northern Cyprus When it was made: Circa 2025 to 1850 B.C. Scholars have debated the meaning of the Vounous Bowl for decades since it was discovered in a Bronze Age tomb in northern Cyprus. While the exact purpose of the unusual vessel is unclear, most experts believe it depicts some sort of sacred scene and may have been used in a religious ceremony. Excavations at the site of Vounous-Bellapais in the 1930s revealed dozens of tombs from a large prehistoric cemetery. Although many of the tombs had previously been looted, archaeologists recovered a large number of intricately decorated ceramics, including the Vounous Bowl, which had broken into many pieces over the ages. The Vounous Bowl, which is now in the Cyprus Museum, is shallow with a flat base measuring 14.6 inches (37 centimeters) in diameter and 3.1 inches (8 cm) tall, Louise Steel, an archaeologist at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, wrote in a 2013 study. Related: Roman dodecahedron: A mysterious 12-sided object that has baffled archaeologists for centuries One side of the bowl has a rough, rectangular hole that likely indicates a doorway. Inside the bowl is a complex scene composed of 18 human figures, four cows in pens and some furniture. Opposite the doorway is a structure with three pillars linked by two cross bars with wavy lines — which may be a shrine — and a human figure kneeling in front of it. Some figures are seated on a bench with their arms crossed, and one figure appears to be wearing a headdress and sitting on a kind of throne. In a 1994 study, Edgar Peltenburg, emeritus professor of archaeology at the University of Edinburgh, suggested that the Vounous Bowl had three distinct scenes inside — including a pastoral scene with the cows; an indication of male power with the individual wearing the headdress; and a representation of the spiritual world with the kneeling figures. Together, these scenes reflected a new, hierarchical social order that was developing at this time. MORE ASTONISHING ARTIFACTS —Penguin Vessel: 1,600-year-old Nazca depiction of a cold-water Humboldt penguin that lives in tropical Peru —Monomachos Crown: The 1,000-year-old crown honoring 'the one who fights alone' found by a farmer in a field —Assyrian swimmers: 2,900-year-old carving of soldiers using inflatable goat skins to cross a river Steel wrote that the Vounous Bowl was likely a means of symbolic communication, created at a time when the quickly growing population began engaging in elaborate communal feasts and elaborate burial rituals. The use of modeled figures to create a scene inside the bowl is extremely rare in prehistoric Cypriot vessels, so the Vounous Bowl was likely special in some way and buried with someone held in high esteem by their community. The Vounous Bowl was made at a time of social transition and rapid cultural innovation, and "almost certainly it was meant to be viewed or displayed in significant ceremonial occasions," Steel wrote. "The Vounous Bowl is just one example of an increased display of symbols within the funerary context."
