page_title: Poland in antiquity
section_title: Wielbark culture and burials
hierarchical_section_title: Poland in antiquity / Cultures and tribes in Roman times / Wielbark culture and burials
caption_attribution_description: English: Rome and the Barbarians in Eastern and Central Europe around 100 AD by Shchukin. Created by Slovenski Volk after M B Shchukin, Rome and the Barbarians in Eastern and Central Europe. 1st century BC - 1st century AD. Illustration 42, in vol 2.
context_page_description: Poland in antiquity was characterized by peoples belonging to various archeological cultures living in and migrating through various parts of the territory that now constitutes Poland, in an era that dates from about 400 BCE to 450–500 CE. These people are identified as Slavic, Celtic, Germanic, Baltic, Thracian, Avar, and Scythian tribes. Other groups, which are difficult to identify, were most likely also present, as the ethnic compositions of archeological cultures are often poorly recognized. While lacking use of a written language to any appreciable degree, many of them developed relatively advanced material culture and social organization, as evidenced by the archeological record; for example, richly furnished, "princely" dynastic graves.
  Characteristic of the period was a high rate of geographical migration of large groups of people, even the equivalents of modern nations. The La Tène period is subdivided into:
  La Tène A, 450–400 BCE
  La Tène B, 400–250 BCE
  La Tène C, 250–150 BCE
  La Tène D, 150–0 BCE
  The centuries 400–200 BCE are also considered the early pre-Roman period, and the centuries 200–0 BCE the younger pre-Roman period.
context_section_description: Wielbark culture, named after Wielbark in Malbork County where a large cemetery was found, replaced Oksywie culture in Pomerania rather suddenly across its entire territory. While Oksywie culture was closely related to Przeworsk culture, its successor Wielbark culture shows only minimal contacts with the Przeworsk areas, indicating clear tribal and geographical separation. Wielbark culture lasted on Polish lands from 30–400 CE, although most of its people left Poland long before the latter date. Some of this culture's burials are skeletal; the dead were inhumed in solid log coffins, while others were cremated; both such graves were identically equipped. Cremated remains were either placed in urns or simply buried in hollows. Burial gifts did not include weapons or tools. They did include clay vessels, decorations, personal ornaments, and — if the deceased had been wealthy enough to own a horse — spurs. These various items, and especially the 1st and 2nd century CE jewelry made of bronze, silver, and gold, are works of the highest quality, surpassing the comparable products of the Przeworsk culture. This craftsmanship reached its apex with 2nd-century "Baroque" jewelry, beautiful by any standard, that was placed in the graves of women in (as the Wielbark culture expanded south) Poznań Szeląg and Kowalewko, Oborniki County, among other places.
  The Kowalewko cemetery in Greater Poland is one of the largest Wielbark burial sites in Poland and is distinguished by a great number of beautiful relics, made locally or imported from the Empire. The total number of burials is estimated to exceed 500, most of which have been excavated. Sixty percent of bodies were not cremated but were typically placed in wooden coffins made of boards or planks. The burial ground was in use from the mid-1st century CE to about 220, meaning that approximately 80 local residents of each generation were inhumed there. Remnants of settlements in the region have also been investigated. At Rogowo near Chełmno, a Wielbark settlement, an industrial production site and a 2nd-to-3rd-century bi-ritual cemetery with very richly furnished graves have been discovered. In the area of Ulkowy, Gdańsk County, a settlement consisting of sunken floors and post-construction dwellings has been found, as well as a burial ground in use from the mid-1st century to the second half of the 3rd century. Only part of the cemetery was excavated on the occasion of a motorway construction, but it yielded 110 inhumations (11 in hollowed-out log coffins) and 15 cremations (eight of them in urns) with a rich collection of decorative objects, mostly from the graves of women. Those include fancy jewelry and accessories made of gold, silver, bronze, amber, glass, and enamel. Ceramics, utility items, and tools, including weaving equipment, were recovered from the settlement site. Other significant Wielbark settlements in the area were encountered in Swarożyn and Stanisławie, both in Tczew County.
  Many Wielbark graves were flat, but kurgans are also characteristic and common. In the case of kurgans, the grave was covered with stones, which were surrounded by a circle of larger stones. These were covered with earth and a solitary stone or stela often put on top. Such a kurgan could include one or several individual burials, have a diameter of up to a dozen or so meters, and be up to 1 meter high. Some burial grounds feature large stone circles of massive boulders up to 1.7 meters high, separated by several meters of spaces, sometimes connected by smaller stones; the whole structure is 10–40 meters in diameter. In the middle of the circles, one to four stelae were placed, and sometimes a single grave. The stone circles are believed to be the locations of meetings of Scandinavian (see below) tings (assemblies or courts). The single graves inside the circles are probably those of human sacrifices meant to propitiate the gods and assure their support for the deliberations. A stone kurgan cemetery was found in Węsiory, Kartuzy County; another burial site with 10 large stone circles was discovere
caption: Central and East European cultures ca. 100 CE
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