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The first prehistoric burial mound discovered in the Białowieża Forest

The first prehistoric burial mound in the Białowieża Forest with traces of burial was discovered by archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Cremation barrow was built around 1800 years ago near the village of Czerlonka.

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Fot. Pixabay

The Białowieża Forest is the last European lowland natural forest and UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a place where you can meet the European bison, wolves and lynxes in the wild. Part of the Białowieża Forest is strictly protected and has the status of a national park.

Dariusz Krasnodębski, an archaeologist from the PAS Institute of Archeology and Ethnology in Warsaw, has studied the history of this area since 2003. This year, he has carried out excavations within one of the eight mounds that were located earlier thanks to the use of air laser scanning.

"This is the first prehistoric barrow from the Białowieża Forest in which archaeologists have managed to find the remains of a burial chamber," said Krasnodębski to PAP. The original construction of the embankment had a maximum of 6 m in diameter. Its current height reaches half a meter.

It was one of eight earth mounds placed next to each other, located on the island near today's Czerlonka village. The island is surrounded by swamps and small streams flowing nearby.

"We found burnt bones in a burial mound, among them fragments of thin-walled and blackened pottery, pieces of vessels covered with hatched pattern and an iron object – perhaps a badly damaged large fibula (brooch or pin for fastening garments - PAP) or knife" – says Krasnodębski. These archaeological finds have been found resting on burnt boards.

Archaeologists believe that after the cremation rite, the remains of the deceased, along with the remains of the funeral pyre, were moved to the place where the mound was built over them.

About 250 meters south-west of the island, archaeologists have found the remains of ancient villages from the early centuries AD. They were inhabited by representatives of communities described by scientists as Wielbark culture (identified with the Goths) and the hatched pottery culture (scientists are not able to say much about their ethnicity).

Preliminary findings suggest that the person buried in the barrow was a member of hatched pottery culture, as no iron objects (weapon or tools - PAS) are found in Wielbark culture graves. "It would be the first cemetery of this culture known to archaeologists" emphasizes Krasnodębski. To confirm this thesis it is necessary to conduct excavations in the remaining part of the mound and perform additional specialist analyzes.

Source: PAP Nauka w Polsce