Inside a parade shield. An interesting grave from the Przeworsk culture cemetery in Czersk, distr. Piaseczno Cover Image

W środku paradnej tarczy. Ciekawy grób z cmentarzyska kultury przeworskiej w Czersku, pow. piaseczyński
Inside a parade shield. An interesting grave from the Przeworsk culture cemetery in Czersk, distr. Piaseczno

Author(s): Katarzyna Czarnecka
Subject(s): Archaeology
Published by: Łódzkie Towarzystwo Naukowe
Keywords: Przeworsk culture; Roman Period; weaponry; burial rite

Summary/Abstract: An urn grave 93 from cemetery of the Przeworsk culture was furnished with opulent set of arms: a sword, two spearheads and shield fittings, all ritually destroyed according to burial custom of the Przeworsk culture. A shield-boss, of type Jahn 7, has broken spike. Bronze rivets, coated with silver sheet are flattened. Inside the boss were stored small objects, a not rare phenomenon in the Przeworsk culture. A shield grip, of type Jahn 8, has rectangular bronze plates covered with thin layer of silver, with small silver studs, and decorative rosettes. Crests separating rivet plates from a handle are covered with silver sheet, and decorated with filigree plait. A big number of iron U-shaped edge mountings, elaborately destroyed, allows a cautious reconstruction of a shield-form – it should be rectangular/oval. An evidence, that shields of such shape were used in the Przeworsk culture, could be finds of miniature shields (e.g. Siemiechów, grave 46). Some analogies are also outside the Przeworsk culture, e.g. preserved in situ shield from grave 19 in Hunn, Norway. Grave 93 is dated to phase B2 of the Roman Period. All finds have no traces of fire, so they weren’t put on the pyre but were deposited directly in grave pit. A shield was disfigured. Edge mountings were irregularly dispersed in grave pit, some pieces were inside shield boss. They must be torn away from the shield planks. A shield boss was deposited more then 40 cm apart from the grip. The urn were placed in the middle.

  • Issue Year: 2014
  • Issue No: 60
  • Page Range: 35-44
  • Page Count: 10
  • Language: Polish