The ancient Polish tomb reveals a mixture of Christian and pagan funeral rituals

Archaeologists in central Europe recently discovered an ancient tomb – reopened not by modern looters, but by medieval poles over 1,000 years ago.

The excavations took place in the Nowy Chorów cemetery in northern Poland. The results were published in the journal Antiquity on June 23.

Known as Grave 7, 12th century burial seemed to belong to an elite individual. It still contained high quality artefacts, including an IF wood bucket with iron fittings.

The tomb of the medieval knight discovered under the former glacier in Poland: “very rare”

Sławomir Wadyl, archaeologist at the University of Warsaw, told Fox News Digital that “almost everything on this project was surprising”.

An iron iron with preserved textile fragments has also been found – perhaps the remains of a banner or a ceremonial flag called standard.

A rare IF bucket with iron fittings was found in an 11th century elite tomb in Nowy Chorów in northern Poland. (Sławomir Wadyl; Nowy Chorów Project)

“We had little precedent to guide our expectations and what we found exceeded them,” said Wadyl.

Archaeologists have found that certain tombs had been reopened in a generation, the incinerated remains deposited directly on empty graves – a part probably of ritual reuse rather than theft.

“It was not a case of medieval or modern looters stumbling on an old tomb later,” noted Wadyl.

Burial site of the Viking era with treasures and gifts from the Elite family discovered, plus an “unusual coffin”

“It was part of the progress of local history.”

The archaeologist said that the reopening of the tombs was common in the 11th century, but that it was not always a question of stealing valuables. “

Archaeologists have discovered that rare textile remains cling to a spearhead (seen on the left), unusual survival in early medieval tombs. (Sławomir Wadyl; Nowy Chorów Project)

“Sometimes the tombs were disturbed to eliminate objects, perhaps for reuse, ritual reasons, or even as acts of social or religious rejection,” observed Wadyl.

“In other cases – as in Nowy Chorów – The bodies themselves were exhumed and cremated after the burial, suggesting a deeper ritual meaning.”

He added: “It may have been done to” correct “burial practices as beliefs have changed, or to help the deceased to reach life after death”.

Click here to register for our Lifestyle newsletter

The burials incorporated Christian and pagan rituals, losing new ideas over a period of dramatic transition in European history.

Wadyl noted that, although the orientation of the East -West tomb and the modest serious goods suggest a Christian influence, the bodies were aligned with their heads, not their feet, an unusual detail.

Characteristics such as cremation, symbolic tomb markers and stone constructions indicate pagan traditions.

Researchers think that certain graves have been reopened by the community of origin, not by looters or subsequent foreigners. (Sławomir Wadyl; Nowy Chorów Project)

This mixture of beliefs, Wadyl said, was “one of the most fascinating aspects of this project”.

“In short, they are not entirely Christian or entirely pagan burials,” he said. “They represent a funeral tradition of mixed transition, which is why this cemetery is so important.”

“The past is full of negotiation, resistance and adaptation.”

He added: “It is a community living through a period of deep change – Pagan’s transition to Christian belief, from tribal structures to the first states, from old traditions to new identities.”

For more lifestyle articles, visit foxnews.com/lifestyle

The following steps include DNA analysis to identify kinship models, said Wadyl – as well as “more in -depth in the mixture of Christian and pre -Christian ritual practices”.

He and his team also identified more than 120 similar serious sites through Pomerania, thanks to the Lidar cartography – opening the door to a more in -depth study.

This funeral structure reflects transition funeral practices – mixing Christian orientations with pre -Christian cremation rites. (Sławomir Wadyl; Nowy Chorów Project)

“This discovery reminds us that history is not always treated,” concluded Wadyl.

“The past is full of negotiation, resistance and adaptation.”

Click here to obtain the Fox News app

“For us, it is a chance to give a word to these forgotten people for a long time and to better understand how cultural transformation really occurs.”