HRUBIESZÓW, POLAND—According to a Science in Poland report, a collection of iron spearheads, battle axes, and a wood-cutting ax were discovered in disturbed earth in a forest in southeastern Poland and taken to archaeologists Bartłomiej Bartecki and Anna Hyrchała of the Hrubieszów Museum. Three of the heavily corroded items have not yet been identified, but Bartecki and Hyrchała think the items may have belonged to warriors from the Przeworsk culture, who lived in the region from about the first century B.C. through the second or third century A.D. The grave of a warrior of the Przeworsk culture had previously been unearthed near the spot where the weapons were found, although there is no evidence that there was once a larger cemetery at the site. The objects could also have been left behind by the Goths, who lived in the region from the second or third century through the fifth century A.D. In either case, it appears that the items had been collected into a bag or another container made of organic materials and then thrown into a swamp, Bartecki explained. Conservation of the artifacts will be undertaken at the Stanisław Staszic Museum, he added. “Only after these procedures will it be possible to properly determine the nature of the discovery in question and its chronological and culture affiliation,” he said. Researchers will also investigate the site where the weapons were found. For more on ancient arms, go to "Weapons of the Ancient World."
