Germanic Cemetery in Poland Investigated

GORZÓW COUNTY, POLAND—Science in Poland reports that a team of archaeologists led by Krzysztof Socha of the Kostrzyn Fortress Museum are investigating the site of a 2,000-year-old Germanic cemetery in western Poland. Plowing and forest planting some 50 years ago damaged much of the cemetery, resulting in a large number of iron and bronze artifacts scattered over the area. But the team members did find three intact graves. One held burned human remains in a ceramic urn. Cremains had been poured directly into pits in the ground in the other two graves. “While the first complete graves probably belonged to warriors—because we discovered weapons in the graves, including a ritually bent metal sword—we are also finding buckles and other decorations in the area,” Socha said. “This shows that the cemetery belonged to the entire community—probably women, men, and children.” To read about the excavation of another cemetery in Poland, go to “World Roundup.”