Archaeologists discovered the remains of a medieval knight buried under a closed ice salon in Gdansk, Poland.
Experts from 2023 He worked on the site of the historic shródmieście (city center) district and initially unveiled a medieval tombstone decorated with a carved knight image, sent by CNN on Tuesday by a report by Polish archaeological firm Archeoscan.
The tombstone was then raised earlier in July, revealing the complete skeleton of an adult man, which is believed to have lived around the 13th or 14th centuries.
Tombstone depicted in situ – S. Kurzyńska/Archeoscan
This finding is of “exceptional meaning” and “one of the most important archaeological discoveries in recent years,” says Sylwia Kurzyńska, Director of Archaeoskan.
The tombstone is made of Gotland’s limestone, which was highly valued in the Middle Ages, and the terrain depicts the knights’ sports chain armor and the post leggings, with a sword and shield.
The length of the panel is about 150 centimeters (4 ’11’), and important details of the artwork can still be seen, despite being partially damaged.
The knight was much taller at the time than the ordinary person. – S. Kurzyńska/Archeoscan
“The tombstone is extremely well preserved, given that it was carved from a soft limestone and has been lying underground for centuries,” Kurzyńska said.
“The knight is shown that it stands directly with a raised sword – a posture that most likely symbolizes authority and increased social status,” she added.
It marks the tombstone from the Great Most Late Medieval tomb art, which was inclined to confine itself to the written epitaph, heraldic plaques or Christian crosses, says Kurzyńska.
“Only a small portion were depicted by images of the deceased – and most of them were simplified engravings on flat panels for use on church floor,” she added.
The site was part of the early medieval fortress. – S. Kurzyńska/Archeoscan
It is also unusual that both the work of art and its archaeological context remain intact.
After lifting the stone, archaeologists found a man who stood 170-180 centimeters (5 ‘7 ” – 5’ 11″), much larger than the medieval average, according to Kurzyńska.
The bones were naturally arranged, confirming that the tombstone marked the initial burial site and that pre -analysis shows “great preservation,” she said.
“Although there was no serious goods, all the existing evidence shows that the deceased was a person of high social status – probably a knight or commander, considered to be extremely respectful and respectful,” said Kurzyńska.
The tomb was a part of a cemetery with nearly 300 burials, which was attached to the oldest known church in Gdansk.
The church was built of oak, found to be cut off in 1140, and was located in an early medieval fortress occupied from the end of the 11th century to the beginning of the 16th century, the report states.
“It was the place of power, faith and burial – the space of symbolic and strategic significance in Gdansk’s history,” said Kurzyńska.
The latest find “offers invaluable knowledge of the life and death of the Gdansk military elite in the 13th and 17th centuries, about medieval burial traditions and about the relationships between the Cross,” she added.
Experts now work in further analysis of tombstone and skeleton.
The stone slab is cleaned and stabilized so that it can be documented, and 3D scanned to digital reconstruction of missing fragments, and the skeleton will perform anthropological and genetic analysis to more about the knight’s life and the facial reconstruction is based on the skull.
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