SŁUSZKÓW, POLAND—The First News reports that a medieval treasure of more than 6,000 pieces has been recovered in west-central Poland by archaeologist Adam Kędzierski of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology at the Polish Academy of Sciences. He had been researching the discovery of a medieval coin hoard in the same cornfield in 1935 when he was alerted to the possibility of more coins by a local priest who had heard rumors of additional treasures. The 900-year-old hoard, stored in linen pouches placed in a pot, includes Czech, Danish, Hungarian, and German coins; lumps of silver; fragments of lead; and four gold rings. One of the rings is inscribed in Cyrillic with the words “Lord, may you help your servant Maria.” Kędzierski speculates that the ring may have belonged to a princess. “We know that at that time the wife of Bolesław the Wrymouth was a Russian princess named Zbysława,” he said. “According to the literature, she was supposed to have a sister Maria, who was married to [Polish political figure] Piotr Włostowic. It is commonly acknowledged that Maria was the daughter of Svyatovslavovich Isiaslovovich, Prince of Kiev.” Kędzierski thinks Maria might have hidden treasures from her dowry during a time of turmoil in 1146. Further investigation of the region is being planned. For more on Polish archaeology, go to "Viking Knights, Polish Days."
