Why Had been Medieval Folks Buried Twice In Nowy Chorów, Poland?

Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – Whereas excavating on the cemetery of Nowy Chorów in northern Poland, archaeologists made an uncommon discovery and located proof that graves had been reopened in the course of the Center Ages.

Why would individuals bury the lifeless if the graves would later be reopened and the stays cremated? What position did the three-headed Slavic god Triglav play in these funerary rituals? These had been the questions Polish archaeologists sought to reply as they examined the Orzeszkowo-type (rectangular) burial mounds and each inhumation and cremation graves.

Pomerania’s location alongside the Baltic Sea and river networks made it a key gateway to Central Europe in the course of the Early Center Ages (AD 800–1100). Because the Piast state, Poland’s first historic ruling dynasty, rose round AD 950, Pomerania turned a hub for cultural and political change among the many German Kingdom, Scandinavia, the Baltic area, and Rus.

Distribution of cemeteries with Orzeszkowo-type mounds (drawn by T. Drozdowski & S. Wadyl). Credit score: Wadyl et.al. 2025 / Antiquity

The tenth to twelfth centuries noticed important modifications in politics, faith (particularly Christianity), the financial system, and society. Whereas Western Pomerania’s Christianization is nicely documented, data for Japanese Pomerania are scarce, aside from transient mentions, akin to St. Adalbert’s mission in AD 997. This lack of documentation makes archaeology essential to understanding this pivotal interval in Pomeranian historical past. The lately excavated cemetery at Nowy Chorów offers precious insights into the previous, in addition to individuals’s beliefs and traditions.

Cemetery In Nowy Chorów – A Place The place Christianity And Paganism Co-Existed

As a result of shortage of written data from this period, archaeology performs a significant position in uncovering the historical past of Pomerania throughout a transformative interval. The lately excavated cemetery at Nowy Chorów offers necessary proof about previous societies, shedding gentle on their beliefs and traditions.

Nowy Chorów, a small city, is residence to a well-preserved cemetery located deep inside a forest and much from main settlements. The graveyard has largely remained untouched. In 2022, spatial evaluation and lidar surveys recognized 16 earthen mounds organized into two distinct clusters. The western cluster options 10 mounds aligned alongside a north–south axis, whereas the japanese cluster contains seven mounds organized in a much less common sample. Non-invasive geophysical investigations point out that these mounds comprise inner divisions, seemingly representing particular person graves. As a result of a lot of the cemetery stays undisturbed, archaeologists can research native burial customs intimately.

 Grave 7 exhibiting the unique grave lower (yellow line) and later intrusive lower (pink line); A) is a cross-section; B) a plan of the grave. Credit score: S. Wadyl, Antiquity, 2025

Analysis at Nowy Chorów started anew in 2022 beneath the management of Dr. Slawomir Wadyl from the College of Warsaw’s School of Archaeology and Dr. Pawel Szczepanik from Nicolaus Copernicus College’s Institute of Archaeology. Their major goal is to research how the cemetery was organized, look at varied burial practices discovered there, and interpret these findings inside the broader context of Christianization within the area.

Excavations have revealed that many mounds comprise a number of burials. As an illustration, mound K8 held eight graves: six had been conventional burials (inhumations) whereas two concerned cremation. The graves themselves diverse broadly—from easy pit graves or these marked by single stone rings to a powerful central grave (grave no. 7) that includes double stone enclosures measuring as much as 5.2 by 3.6 meters.

Excavations initiated in 2022 targeted on mound K8, the place archaeologists found eight burials: six inhumations and two cremations. The cremation graves had been recognized as easy pit burials, whereas the inhumation graves displayed a spread of types, together with primary pit burials, single enclosures, and extra complicated double enclosures. Amongst these, grave 7 stood out for its central location and substantial dimension—measuring 5.2 by 3.6 meters—and was marked by a outstanding double-stone setting.

All burials had been oriented alongside an east–west axis, with the top to the east. This association contrasts with conventional Christian burial customs, which generally place the top to the west in order that people face the rising solar on the Day of Resurrection. The distinction in orientation means that these burial practices could mirror a transitional or syncretic part that includes components from varied cultural or spiritual traditions.

Distinctive Artifacts Found Amongst The Grave Items

The Nowy Chorów graves comprise a wide range of tools typical of the eleventh century. Widespread finds embrace iron knives, usually in leather-based sheaths with fittings, in addition to ornaments and equipment akin to temple rings—ornamental gadgets worn by ladies—and belt buckles. Notably, a single silver coin was found: a cross-shaped denarius from Saxony courting to the transition between the tenth and eleventh centuries, which helps affirm the positioning’s chronology.

Artifacts from Grave 7: an iron spearhead with textile remnants and a reconstructed yew bucket with iron banding. Credit score: J. Szmit, 2025, Antiquity, 2025

Amongst these finds, the central grave in barrow K8 (grave 7) stands out as seemingly belonging to an individual of excessive standing. Though proof suggests this grave was plundered, it nonetheless contained distinctive artifacts, akin to an iron spearhead with traces of material—probably from a pennant or banner—and a picket yew bucket bolstered with iron bands. Such symbolic and elite objects are uncommon in early medieval cemeteries and spotlight the distinctive significance of the person buried there.

Biritualism And The Re-Opening Of Graves

The re-opening of graves is a observe documented in varied areas throughout Europe, however proof for this phenomenon in early medieval Poland has been restricted. The findings at Nowy Chorów mark the primary well-documented cases of grave reopening on this space, suggesting that such practices could have been extra widespread than beforehand acknowledged.

In these instances, the 2 reopened graves initially contained inhumations, with the deceased seemingly buried in keeping with Christian customs—akin to east–west grave orientation and minimal grave items. Subsequently, at an undetermined time after burial, the our bodies had been exhumed and subjected to cremation.

Journey To The Afterlife And The Image Of The Three-Headed God Trivlav

Archaeological findings point out that the introduction of Christian burial customs didn’t instantly change older pagan cremation traditions. In each historic and medieval occasions, reopening graves and interacting with the lifeless was thought of a hazardous act, necessitating particular rituals. Proof akin to three-armed stone symbols found in two burial mounds factors to connections with the triquetra, the quantity three, and the underworld. These symbols could also be linked to Triglav, a three-headed god worshipped by the Pomeranian Slavs and described in medieval chronicles as a deity of heaven, earth, and the underworld.

In funerary contexts, these symbols may symbolize not solely a merging of the worlds of the residing and lifeless but in addition an integration of historic beliefs with rising Christian practices. Comparable motifs seem in artifacts like these from Zbruch River dowry websites and an eleventh-century becoming from Oldenburg. The presence of such symbols in burials seemingly displays pre-Christian beliefs meant to supply safety or stability in opposition to Christian rites.

See additionally: Extra Archaeology Information

Every burial mound at Nowy Chorów offers distinctive insights into early medieval funerary practices. The differentiation noticed throughout Pomerania’s Christianisation reveals that ritual modifications had been extra complicated than a easy shift from paganism to Christianity; quite, they mirror nuanced cultural transitions.

Future analysis will give attention to figuring out who was buried inside these graves—whether or not particular lineages had been interred collectively or if extra intricate patterns exist. Historic DNA evaluation holds promise for answering these questions. Ongoing investigations at Nowy Chorów are anticipated to shed additional gentle on early medieval burial customs at this web site and all through the Baltic area.

Written by Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com Workers Author

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