YouTube blogger Olaf Popkevych, who makes videos on archeology, noticed the decorations during his walk along the Vda River. happened two silver necklaces, two silver fibulae (brooch) and beads that once belonged to the third necklace. Later, a team of archaeologists arrived there.

Opening details

The study found evidence of cremation not only in those buried in pit graves, but also in pottery. Similar finds have been found elsewhere; This led to the conclusion that the vessels were made specifically for burial, as they could not hold liquid and were not suitable for everyday purposes such as cooking.

In three weeks we were able to explore more than 250 square meters of the cemetery and discover 50 Gothic tombs.
– researchers wrote about new excavations.

Archaeologists have found a rich collection of grave goods, including pottery, brooches, amber necklaces and other jewelry decorated with snake motifs. All were buried with the dead.

Silver fibula (brooch) / Photo: Wdecki Park Krajobrazowy

A researcher removes a cremation vessel / Photo: Wdecki Park Krajobrazowy

The excavated area is probably Just a fraction of the ancient burial site that researchers believe could cover more than 2.5 acres (1 hectare)so this is probably just the beginning.

Archaeologists hope to excavate the rest of the Gothic cemetery before it is demolished. “Unfortunately, the condition of most of the cemetery means that urgent excavation is needed to help save and protect the site.”says archaeologists.

A bead found in the cemetery / Photo: Wdecki Park Krajobrazowy

A sculpture by archaeologists with a snake image found in a Gothic cemetery / Photograph: Wdecki Park Krajobrazowy

What is known about the Goths

The Goths were a Germanic tribe people who, according to some accounts, migrated from Scandinavia in the 1st century AD and settled all over Europe. They sacked Rome in AD 410 and later split into two kingdoms: the Visigoths, who flourished in Iberia and southwestern Gaul (modern France), and the Ostrogoths, who dominated Italy. These kingdoms were relatively short-lived, however, and the last Goths fell to the Moors in 711 AD.

Gothic tribes inhabited northern Poland between the 1st and 5th centuries, during their migration south from Scandinavia to the Roman Empire. More than 2,000 Gothic tombs had previously been excavated in the area near the village of Velbark, testifying to an early Gothic culture that stretched from the southern coast of the Baltic Sea to the western part of modern-day Ukraine.

The Goths who lived on the territory of modern Poland during the Roman Empire were skilled gold and silversmiths. In 2020, archaeologists again discovered a Gothic tomb in the village of Veclice in northern Poland. Hundreds of silver ornaments were found there, made of high-quality metal, the complexity of which sometimes exceeds even modern products. The quality of jewelry, including bracelets, hairpins, and ornaments, was as high as that of the Roman Empire.