Goth Cemetery Unearthed in Poland

WDA LANDSCAPE PARK, POLAND—According to a Live Science report, archaeologists in north-central Poland have discovered an expansive Goth cemetery dating to the fourth century A.D. The first clue to the presence of the cemetery was a cache of silver jewelry including two silver necklaces and beads from a third necklace as well as two silver brooches that were spotted along the Wda River. The site, which lies within the Wda Landscape Park, was investigated by a team of park archaeologists. They excavated 300 square meters of the cemetery and uncovered 50 Goth graves, including both pit graves and cremations in urn burials. Grave goods included pottery, brooches, amber beads, and additional jewelry decorated with snake motifs. In all, the researchers believe the burial ground covers more than 2.5 acres. The Goths were a Germanic people known for sacking Rome in A.D. 410. Goths inhabited northern Poland between the first and fifth centuries A.D., and a large number of Goth burials have been unearthed near the village of Wielbark. To read about the burial of four medieval knights in Poland, go to “Viking Knights, Polish Days.”