A clay urn found in the future Morawica ring road (Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship) may have been buried in the ground for as long as 1,900 years. The burial was arranged on four crossed javelin heads, two of which were ritually bent. The find will be thoroughly examined by archaeologists.
The discovery took place in the area of the planned bypass of Morawica and Wola Morawicka near Kielce. During archaeological excavations prior to construction, a clay urn was found buried in the ground, resting on spearheads.
A clay urn may be as much as 1,900 years oldGeneral Directorate for National Roads and Motorways
A mysterious archaeological find near Kielce
As stated in the message General Directorate for National Roads and Motorwaysarchaeologists were primarily looking for traces of settlements from the Bronze and Iron Ages.
“Survey research indicated the possible location of the cemetery. Intensive cultivation of the land for several centuries meant that mainly fragments of pottery, tools, bone fragments, glass beads and weaving spindle whorls were found” – reports GDDKiA.
A clay urn may be as much as 1,900 years oldGeneral Directorate for National Roads and Motorways
The discovered urn has been preserved in its entirety and most probably comes from the period of Roman influence of the Przeworsk culture from the 2nd century AD. So it may be even about 1900 years old.
The monument hides several secrets. Archaeologists are interested in, among other things, the fact that the urn was placed on four crossed arrowheads, while usually two were found with such objects. It is also unclear why only two of the four arrowheads were bent.
“Its (urns – ed.) extraction and transport were possible only with their contents in order to prevent destruction. In the Przeworsk culture, the dead were buried with equipment – e.g. men with weapons, tools, women with jewelry, clasps, spindle whorls. Spearheads or knives heated in the fire were ritually bent” – the release said.
Finds from the area where the ring road is to be built General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways
Archaeological research in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodship
The urn extracted from the ground was transported with its contents to the archaeological workshop. Specialists will look inside and examine the remains after proper preservation and protection of the ashtray against decay. What archaeologists find will be documented, and then it will go to the museum.
As emphasized by GDDKiA, the construction of the Morawica and Wola Morawicka bypass near Kielce will start in 2024. This is the second stage of the investment. “Since last year, we have been using the first section of the ring road. Both will be approx. 8.5 km in total” – road workers inform.
Map of the Morawica and Wola Morawicka bypass along DK73 (GDDKiA materials from July 2022)GDDKiA
This year, road workers also found traces of the past on the area of the Opatów ring road under construction, also in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. The finds there testified to the settlement of these areas even seven thousand years ago, in the Neolithic era. Archaeologists unearthed, among others, an axe-hoe made of antlers, a comb, and vessels – including a powerful, by modern standards, mug. There are hundreds of objects.
Main photo source: General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways