PONIATY WIELKIE, POLAND—Science in Poland reports that some 200 metal artifacts, a kiln, storage pits, furnaces, slag, and wells have been found at an unfortified medieval settlement site in east-central Poland. The site may have served as a regional metallurgical center between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries. “Such wealth is rare in open settlements from this period, in this part of Mazovia and beyond,” said archaeologist Jakub Affelski of the Mazovian Provincial Conservator of Monuments. The metal objects include a piece of lead plate engraved with a face motif that may have been used as a seal; a copper-alloy, highly detailed face-shaped ornament equipped with mounting holes; and an encolpion, a capsule worn on the chest by Christians to hold holy relics or scripture quotations, he added. All of the artifacts will be conserved and displayed at the regional museum. For more on medieval archaeology in Poland, go to "Viking Knights, Polish Days."
