Latest news with #TheBattleofGrunwald
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Archaeologists Searched a Farmer's Field—and Found a 600-Year-Old Depiction of a Martyred Saint
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: A 600-year-old brass seal found in a farmer's field features an image of St. Catherine of Alexandria. The depiction is chock full of symbolism, and includes items that show she was martyred. Archaeologists believe that the 14th-century item was a seal for a church parish. St. Catherine of Alexandria, the patron saint of a church in the Braniewo region of Poland, served a key function as a symbolic figure for both the church and a centuries-old cavalry unit. A recent find in a Polish farmer's field—a 600-year-old brass seal depicting St. Catherine—helps highlight that storied importance. The brass piece, which has been identified as a seal for the church in a translated statement from private archaeological firm Pogotowie Archeologiczne, is dated to the 14th century. The surprisingly well-preserved seal is flat on one side, with an image of St. Catherine dominating the center. She's shown holding a sword and circle, which symbolize her death as a martyr. The engraved image is encircled with Gothic writing, and the back side of the seal has a raised edge with a hole, which would have allowed the seal to be tied onto another object. Tomasz Kaluski of the University of Silesia, who has studied the find, said in a statement that is is interesting to locate an artifact of this kind, as parish seals from the Middle Ages are rarely preserved. He noted that the seal would have been used by an entire parish rather than a specific village rector, and considers the find to be one of significant importance. The image of a crowned St. Catherine is the same image depicted in a well-known painting by Jan Matejko titled 'The Battle of Grunwald.' That painting features Polish and Lithuanian soldiers fighting side-by-side against a Middle Eastern religious order known as the Knights of the Teutonic Order, in what has been described by historians as a decisive battle in the order's expansion. Historians believe that the image of St. Catherine found on the seal would also have been used by fighters from the Braniewo region on banners during that battle. 'Imagine life in the Middle Ages, in the 14th century Braniewo, the capital of Warmia at that time,' Adrian Klos, co-founder of Pogotowie Archeologiczne (the firm that recovered the seal), said in a statement. 'The mentioned seal was used by the Bishopric of Braniewo, which in 1410 exhibited its own cavalry at the battle of Grunwald, which is immortalized on the famous painting by Matejka.' How a brass seal from a 14th-century parish ended up in a random field is a complete mystery, however. 'We know that the seal was found in a plough in Iózefów near Braniewo,' archaeologist Robert Wyrostkiewicz said in a statement. 'The seal could have been abandoned, hidden, or lost. Without the archaeological context it is impossible to determine.' The Braniewo Land Museum is already displaying the artifact in its main hall, and is now 'one of the most important artifacts in our museum.' 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?
Miami Herald
13-02-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
Rare medieval brass emblem — 600 years old — discovered in Poland field. See the find
Following its discovery in a farm field in northern Poland, a chunk of engraved brass has been confirmed by historians and archaeologists to actually be a 600-year-old religious seal. The item was first examined by Adrian Kłos, co-founder of the private archaeological firm Pogotowie Archeologiczne, or Archaeology Emergency, according to a Feb. 11 Facebook post from the company. The brass item had one flat side and one side with a stand and ring, photos show. The flattened side was carved with an intricate image, showing someone in a crown holding a sword and a circle, and encircled by a gothic phrase, the company said. The image is that of St. Catherine of Alexandria, the patron saint of the Braniewo church, and the items she holds are symbols of her martyrdom, according to the company. The piece would have been used as a seal for the church, archaeologists said, and dates to the 14th century. The seal is somehow almost perfectly preserved, though archaeologists are unsure whether it was intentionally hidden, lost, or merely abandoned in the field, according to the company. Archaeologists said seals from the Middle Ages are rare to find, and this piece is particularly unique because it appears to belong to the church's parish and not to a specific rectory. The seal would have been used by the Bishopric of Braniewo, and the image even appeared in battle, the company said. In 1410, the symbol of St. Catherine of Alexandria was put on the Bishopric of Braniewo's banner and displayed during the Battle of Grunwald, a conflict that is the subject of the artist Jan Matejko's famous painting, archaeologists said. The painting, entitled 'The Battle of Grunwald,' depicts the combined Polish-Lithuanian forces battling the Knights of the Teutonic Order, a religious order from the Middle East. The battle is seen as a final blow to the order in its plan to expand along the Baltic Sea and marked the beginning of the combined Poland-Lithuania state. The seal was found outside Braniewo, a town on the northern coast of Poland. Facebook Translate was used to translate the Facebook post from Archaeology Emergency.
