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= <!-- EDIT BELOW THIS LINE --> =
= Bodzia Cemetery =
{{about|the medieval burial site in Bodzia|the modern day village|Bodzia}}
{{about|the medieval burial site in Bodzia|the modern day village|Bodzia}}
{{Infobox ancient site
{{Infobox ancient site
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| excavations = 2007-2009
| excavations = 2007-2009
| archaeologists = Andrzej Buko
| archaeologists = Andrzej Buko
}}
}}<br />
'''Bodzia Cemetery''' is a large 10<sup>th</sup> – 11<sup>th</sup> Century [[Chamber tomb|chamber burial]] site in [[Bodzia]], a town in the [[Kuyavia|Kuyavia region]] of [[Poland|Central Poland]], approximately 50km east of [[Poznań]]. A group from the [[Polish Academy of Sciences]], led by Polish [[Archaeology|archaeologist]], [[Andrzej Buko]]''',''' excavated this site between 2007 – 2009. The excavation uncovered a large elite [[necropolis]] containing more than 58 graves, [[Cenotaph|cenotaphs]], weapons and riches. The Bodzia Cemetery is considered to be one of the most significant and "spectacular"<ref> Andrzej Buko and Irena Sobkowiak-Tabaka, "Bodzia: A New Viking-Age Cemetery with Chamber Graves," Antiquity Project Gallery 85, no. 330 (2011): available at, http://antiquity.ac.uk/projgall/buko330/ </ref> [[Early Middle Ages|Early Medieval]] findings in Poland in the last century. Artefacts uncovered in the site were mostly of foreign origin, which is atypical of other sites in the area. Information gleaned from the Bodzia Cemetery provided archaeologists with evidence of [[Burial|burial practices]] during the [[History of Poland in the Middle Ages|Early Medieval period in Poland]].
'''Bodzia Cemetery''' is a large 10<sup>th</sup> – 11<sup>th</sup> Century [[Chamber tomb|chamber burial]] site in [[Bodzia]], a town in the [[Kuyavia|Kuyavia region]] of [[Poland|Central Poland]], approximately 50km east of [[Poznań]]. A group from the [[Polish Academy of Sciences]], led by Polish [[Archaeology|archaeologist]], [[Andrzej Buko]]''',''' excavated this site between 2007 – 2009. The excavation uncovered a large elite [[necropolis]] containing more than 58 graves, [[Cenotaph|cenotaphs]], weapons and riches. The Bodzia Cemetery is considered to be one of the most significant and "spectacular"<ref>Andrzej Buko and Irena Sobkowiak-Tabaka, "Bodzia: A New Viking-Age Cemetery with Chamber Graves," Antiquity Project Gallery 85, no. 330 (2011): available at, http://antiquity.ac.uk/projgall/buko330/</ref> [[Early Middle Ages|Early Medieval]] findings in Poland in the last century. Artefacts uncovered in the site were mostly of foreign origin, which is atypical of other sites in the area. Information gleaned from the Bodzia Cemetery provided archaeologists with evidence of [[Burial|burial practices]] during the [[History of Poland in the Middle Ages|Early Medieval period in Poland]].


Chamber burial sites were common in the area, being a primary practice within [[Kievan Rus'|Old Rus]], [[Scandinavia|Scandinavian]] and [[Slavs|Slavic]] countries in the [[Viking Age|Viking-Age]].<ref> Nadezhda I. Platonova, "Elite Culture of Old Rus’: New Publications and Discussions (A Review of IHMC RAS Studies in 2015 – 2016)," Archaeologia Baltica 24 (2017): 126. </ref> The study of Bodzia Cemetery is important, as it helps illustrate the [[Cultural anthropology|socio-cultural]] and [[Ethnic group|ethnic]] aspects of settled peoples in Poland, as reflected in the necropolis. The burial site indicates two separate periods of use. The first is from 980 – 1035 AD, and the second from the late 11<sup>th</sup> and early 12<sup>th</sup> centuries. There has been little evidence of an early [[Human settlement|settlement]] discovered, though, finds from a later settlement have been tentatively attributed to the second phase of the cemetery.<ref> Michał Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, Organisation of the Burial Space, the Burial Rites in the Light of the Cultural and Historical Determinants," in Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 346. </ref> The ethnicity of those buried at the site is inconclusive, as [[Isotope analysis|isotopic analysis]] of the remains indicate that they were from an unknown foreign origin. The site demonstrates burial rituals and artefacts of Kievan Rus, Scandinavian, [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]], [[Frisians|Frisian]] and [[Khazars|Khazar]] origin. The nature of multiculturality at the site, and proximity to the [[Vistula River]] trade route, indicates that it was perhaps a [[International trade|foreign trade]] settlement connecting the [[Baltic states|Baltic]] to the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]].<ref> Buko and Sobkowiak-Tabaka, "Bodzia: A New Viking-Age Cemetery with Chamber Graves." </ref>
Chamber burial sites were common in the area, being a primary practice within [[Kievan Rus'|Old Rus]], [[Scandinavia|Scandinavian]] and [[Slavs|Slavic]] countries in the [[Viking Age|Viking-Age]].<ref>Nadezhda I. Platonova, "Elite Culture of Old Rus’: New Publications and Discussions (A Review of IHMC RAS Studies in 2015 – 2016)," Archaeologia Baltica 24 (2017): 126.</ref> The study of Bodzia Cemetery is important, as it helps illustrate the [[Cultural anthropology|socio-cultural]] and [[Ethnic group|ethnic]] aspects of settled peoples in Poland, as reflected in the necropolis. The burial site indicates two separate periods of use. The first is from 980 – 1035 AD, and the second from the late 11<sup>th</sup> and early 12<sup>th</sup> centuries. There has been little evidence of an early [[Human settlement|settlement]] discovered, though, finds from a later settlement have been tentatively attributed to the second phase of the cemetery.<ref>Michał Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, Organisation of the Burial Space, the Burial Rites in the Light of the Cultural and Historical Determinants," in Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 346.</ref> The ethnicity of those buried at the site is inconclusive, as [[Isotope analysis|isotopic analysis]] of the remains indicate that they were from an unknown foreign origin. The site demonstrates burial rituals and artefacts of Kievan Rus, Scandinavian, [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]], [[Frisians|Frisian]] and [[Khazars|Khazar]] origin. The nature of multiculturality at the site, and proximity to the [[Vistula River]] trade route, indicates that it was perhaps a [[International trade|foreign trade]] settlement connecting the [[Baltic states|Baltic]] to the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]].<ref>Buko and Sobkowiak-Tabaka, "Bodzia: A New Viking-Age Cemetery with Chamber Graves."</ref>


== History ==
== History ==
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The site itself is located near [[Włocławek]], on the Vistula River.<ref> Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, Organisation of the Burial Space," 347. </ref> This area had significant military importance as well as having two common trade routes during the Piast period.<ref> Mateusz Bogucki, “The Archaeological Context of the Bodzia Cemetery and the Trade Route along the Middle and the Lower Vistula during the Middle and Late Viking Period,” in Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 31. </ref> During late 10<sup>th</sup> – early 11<sup>th</sup> centuries, under [[Bolesław I the Brave|Bolesław the Brave]]’s reign, there was an influx of Scandinavian and Kievan mercenaries in Poland.<ref> Roman Michalowski, “The Historical Context of the Discoveries at Bodzia,” in ''Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland,'' ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 38-9. </ref> Many of these people were migrants, merchants or foreign military officials allied to Poland during the [[History of Poland during the Piast dynasty|Piast dynasty]].<ref> Michałowski, “The Historical Context of the Discoveries at Bodzia,” 41; Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, Organisation of the Burial Space,” 409-10. </ref> The nature of excavated material at Bodzia indicates that the site is evidence of one such settlement, which was likely situated to the West of the Cemetery.<ref> Michalowski, “The Historical Context of the Discoveries at Bodzia,” 43; Irena Sobkowiak-Tabaka, “Bodzia: Site Location and History of Research,” in ''Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland,'' ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 51. </ref>
The site itself is located near [[Włocławek]], on the Vistula River.<ref> Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, Organisation of the Burial Space," 347. </ref> This area had significant military importance as well as having two common trade routes during the Piast period.<ref> Mateusz Bogucki, “The Archaeological Context of the Bodzia Cemetery and the Trade Route along the Middle and the Lower Vistula during the Middle and Late Viking Period,” in Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 31. </ref> During late 10<sup>th</sup> – early 11<sup>th</sup> centuries, under [[Bolesław I the Brave|Bolesław the Brave]]’s reign, there was an influx of Scandinavian and Kievan mercenaries in Poland.<ref> Roman Michalowski, “The Historical Context of the Discoveries at Bodzia,” in ''Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland,'' ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 38-9. </ref> Many of these people were migrants, merchants or foreign military officials allied to Poland during the [[History of Poland during the Piast dynasty|Piast dynasty]].<ref> Michałowski, “The Historical Context of the Discoveries at Bodzia,” 41; Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, Organisation of the Burial Space,” 409-10. </ref> The nature of excavated material at Bodzia indicates that the site is evidence of one such settlement, which was likely situated to the West of the Cemetery.<ref> Michalowski, “The Historical Context of the Discoveries at Bodzia,” 43; Irena Sobkowiak-Tabaka, “Bodzia: Site Location and History of Research,” in ''Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland,'' ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 51. </ref>

Pottery fragments excavated at the burial site indicate that the area was previously inhabited by both [[Neolithic]] and [[Lusatian culture|Lusatian cultures]].<ref> Andrzej Buko, “Overview of the Finds from the Bodzia Cemetery,” in ''Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland,'' ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 164. </ref>


== Excavation ==
== Excavation ==
{{Main|Excavation (archaeology)}}
Bodzia Cemetery was discovered in 2000, during a [[Survey (archaeology)|field survey]] to establish the route of the [[A1 autostrada (Poland)|A1 motorway]].<ref> Sobkowiak-Tabaka, “Bodzia: Site Location and History of Research,” 47. </ref> The subsequent excavation of the site began in 2004, and concluded in 2007, financed by the [[General Directorate for National Roads and Highways|General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways]]. Over this time, 2069 important features were discovered over an area of 3 hectares.<ref> Sobkowiak-Tabaka, “Bodzia: Site Location and History of Research,” 48. </ref> The Bodzia Cemetery is located at the southern end of the excavated site. As only the northern part of the Cemetery was initially uncovered, the size of the excavation was extended to include the whole necropolis.<ref> Sobkowiak-Tabaka, “Bodzia: Site Location and History of Research,” 51. </ref> This subsequent excavation occurred in 2009, and was funded by both the [[National Heritage Board of Poland|National Institute of Heritage]] and the [[Polish Academy of Sciences]].<ref> Sobkowiak-Tabaka, “Bodzia: Site Location and History of Research,” 51. </ref>
Bodzia Cemetery was discovered in 2000, during a [[Survey (archaeology)|field survey]] to establish the route of the [[A1 autostrada (Poland)|A1 motorway]].<ref> Sobkowiak-Tabaka, “Bodzia: Site Location and History of Research,” 47. </ref> The subsequent excavation of the site began in 2004, and concluded in 2007, financed by the [[General Directorate for National Roads and Highways|General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways]]. Over this time, 2069 important features were discovered over an area of 3 hectares.<ref> Sobkowiak-Tabaka, “Bodzia: Site Location and History of Research,” 48. </ref> The Bodzia Cemetery is located at the southern end of the excavated site. As only the northern part of the Cemetery was initially uncovered, the size of the excavation was extended to include the whole necropolis.<ref> Sobkowiak-Tabaka, “Bodzia: Site Location and History of Research,” 51. </ref> This subsequent excavation occurred in 2009, and was funded by both the [[National Heritage Board of Poland|National Institute of Heritage]] and the [[Polish Academy of Sciences]].<ref> Sobkowiak-Tabaka, “Bodzia: Site Location and History of Research,” 51. </ref>


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== Burials ==
== Burials ==
The excavation uncovered 52 human skeletons spread out amongst 58 chamber graves.<ref> Alicja Drosz-Lipinska and Tomasz Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” in ''Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland,'' ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 143. </ref> Some graves had no evidence of skeletal remains, either due to poor preservation, or because the chambers were used as cenotaphs.<ref> Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 143; Michał Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, Organisation of the Burial Space, the Burial Rites in the Light of the Cultural and Historical Determinants," in ''Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland,'' ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 343. </ref> Due to the soil composition of some parts of the Cemetery, areas were subject to the [[Leaching (pedology)|leaching]] of [[Calcium carbonate|calcium carbonates]], which resulted in the human remains becoming soft.<ref> Hildebrandt-Radke, "The Effect of Depositional and Post-Depositional Processes," 60. </ref> Skeletal remains were better preserved in areas where the soil was less [[Permeability (earth sciences)|permeable]].<ref> Hildebrandt-Radke, "The Effect of Depositional and Post-Depositional Processes," 60. </ref> All uncovered remains did show a high degree of deterioration, especially those of young people, and those buried in shallow graves.<ref> Hildebrandt-Radke, "The Effect of Depositional and Post-Depositional Processes," 62; Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 143. </ref>
The excavation uncovered 52 human skeletons spread out amongst 58 chamber graves.<ref> Alicja Drosz-Lipinska and Tomasz Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” in ''Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland,'' ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 143. </ref> Some graves had no evidence of skeletal remains, either due to poor preservation, or because the chambers were used as cenotaphs.<ref> Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 143; Michał Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, Organisation of the Burial Space, the Burial Rites in the Light of the Cultural and Historical Determinants," in ''Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland,'' ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 343. </ref> Due to the soil composition of some parts of the Cemetery, areas were subject to the [[Leaching (pedology)|leaching]] of [[Calcium carbonate|calcium carbonates]], which resulted in the human remains becoming soft.<ref> Hildebrandt-Radke, "The Effect of Depositional and Post-Depositional Processes," 60. </ref> Skeletal remains were better preserved in areas where the soil was less [[Permeability (earth sciences)|permeable]].<ref> Hildebrandt-Radke, "The Effect of Depositional and Post-Depositional Processes," 60. </ref> All uncovered remains did show a high degree of deterioration, especially those of young people, and those buried in shallow graves.<ref> Hildebrandt-Radke, "The Effect of Depositional and Post-Depositional Processes," 62; Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 143. </ref>


Anthropological research at the [[Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń|Nicolaus Copernicus University]] in [[Toruń]] determined that 14 of the recovered remains were male, and 21 were female.  Bone deterioration of 17 remains was too severe for sex to be determined.<ref> Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 143; Buko and Sobkowiak-Tabaka, "Bodzia: A New Viking-Age Cemetery with Chamber Graves." </ref> Further research determined that 74% of the population in the necropolis were adults.<ref> Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 143. </ref> The underrepresentation of children is atypical of burial grounds from the Middle Ages.<ref> Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 143. </ref> Women exhumed from the cemetery were, on average, aged between 20 – 30 years, whereas then men were between the ages of 40 – 50.<ref> Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 145-7. </ref> Lipinska and Kozlowski believed that the discrepancy between the ages of men and women was due to complications in female pregnancy, which reduced average life-span.<ref> Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 147. </ref>
Anthropological research at the [[Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń|Nicolaus Copernicus University]] in [[Toruń]] determined that 14 of the recovered remains were male, and 21 were female. Bone deterioration of 17 remains was too severe for sex to be determined.<ref> Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 143; Buko and Sobkowiak-Tabaka, "Bodzia: A New Viking-Age Cemetery with Chamber Graves." </ref> Further research determined that 74% of the population in the necropolis were adults.<ref> Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 143. </ref> The underrepresentation of children is atypical of burial grounds from the Middle Ages.<ref> Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 143. </ref> Women exhumed from the cemetery were, on average, aged between 20 – 30 years, whereas then men were between the ages of 40 – 50.<ref> Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 145-7. </ref> Lipinska and Kozlowski believed that the discrepancy between the ages of men and women was due to complications in female pregnancy, which reduced average life-span.<ref> Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 147. </ref>


There are two distinct periods of burial indicated at the Cemetery, separated by approximately 50 years.<ref> Buko, "The Bodzia Cemetery in Light of the Interdisciplinary Research," 539; Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, 348. </ref> These have been determined by the differences in chronology and burial rites observed within the burial pits.<ref> Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, 347. </ref> The earlier period demonstrated burial rites that were atypical of other sites in Poland.<ref> Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, 350. </ref> The Cemetery was organised and showed customs that are indicative of the burial of those of high social status.<ref> Buko, "The Bodzia Cemetery in Light of the Interdisciplinary Research," 452; Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, 351. </ref> The graves were positioned north-south, and of a square shape, which is typical of Scandinavian burials.<ref> Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, 351-2. </ref> The imprint of a wooden post dug into the ground was discovered in one of the graves, a practice common amongst the Slavs and Scandinavian Rus.<ref> Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, 353. </ref>
There are two distinct periods of burial indicated at the Cemetery, separated by approximately 50 years.<ref> Buko, "The Bodzia Cemetery in Light of the Interdisciplinary Research," 539; Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, 348. </ref> These have been determined by the differences in chronology and burial rites observed within the burial pits.<ref> Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, 347. </ref> The earlier period demonstrated burial rites that were atypical of other sites in Poland.<ref> Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, 350. </ref> The Cemetery was organised and showed customs that are indicative of the burial of those of high social status.<ref> Buko, "The Bodzia Cemetery in Light of the Interdisciplinary Research," 452; Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, 351. </ref> The graves were positioned north-south, and of a square shape, which is typical of Scandinavian burials.<ref> Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, 351-2. </ref> The imprint of a wooden post dug into the ground was discovered in one of the graves, a practice common amongst the Slavs and Scandinavian Rus.<ref> Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, 353. </ref>
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== Artefacts ==
== Artefacts ==
528 preserved ‘small finds’ were excavated at Bodzia Cemetery.<ref> Andrzej Buko, “Overview of the Finds from the Bodzia Cemetery,” in ''Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland,'' ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 163. </ref> These were subsequently categorised into the following groups: weapons, tools, costume and ornaments, merchant items, and wood and ceramic containers.<ref> Buko, "Overview of the Finds," 163. </ref>
528 preserved ‘small finds’ were excavated at Bodzia Cemetery.<ref> Buko, "Overview of the Finds," 163. </ref> These were subsequently categorised into the following groups: weapons, tools, costume and ornaments, merchant items, and wood and ceramic containers.<ref> Buko, "Overview of the Finds," 163. </ref>


The types of weapons found in the site included; swords; axe heads; battle knives; arrow or javelin heads; and a ceremonial mace.<ref> Buko, "Overview of the Finds," 164. </ref>
The types of weapons found in the site included; swords; axe heads; battle knives; arrow or javelin heads; and a ceremonial mace.<ref> Buko, "Overview of the Finds," 164. </ref>
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== Interpretation ==
== Interpretation ==
Controversy in regard to the interpretation of some elements of the site have arisen due to the limitations of archaeological analysis. Drodz-Lipinska and Kozlowski determined that the low life-expectancy of those within the Bodzia Cemetery could be indicative of the local inhabitants’ vulnerability to the local environment.<ref> Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 156. </ref> They noted the limitations of this claim, due to the small sample size of inhumations.  This sentiment was echoed by Neil Price, who acknowledged the difficulty of definitive scholarship in such areas.<ref> Neil Price, "Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland.(Book review)," ''The Medieval Review'' 16.02.46 (2016): available at, https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/tmr/article/view/21129. </ref>
Controversy in regard to the interpretation of some elements of the site have arisen due to the limitations of archaeological analysis. Drodz-Lipinska and Kozlowski determined that the low life-expectancy of those within the Bodzia Cemetery could be indicative of the local inhabitants’ vulnerability to the local environment.<ref> Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 156. </ref> They noted the limitations of this claim, due to the small sample size of inhumations. This sentiment was echoed by [[Neil Price (archaeologist)|Neil Price]], who acknowledged the difficulty of definitive scholarship in such areas.<ref> Neil Price, "Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland.(Book review)," ''The Medieval Review'' 16.02.46 (2016): available at, https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/tmr/article/view/21129. </ref>


Buko raised the issue that some of the artefacts discovered in the Burial Pits were deposited [[Taphonomy|taphonomically]]. These included pottery fragments, which were excluded from the study. Some other grave goods may also have been unintentionally deposited in the site.<ref> Buko, "Overview of the Finds," 163-4. </ref>
Buko raised the issue that some of the artefacts discovered in the burial pits were deposited [[Taphonomy|taphonomically]]. These included pottery fragments, which were excluded from the study. Some other grave goods may also have been unintentionally deposited in the site.<ref> Buko, "Overview of the Finds," 163-4. </ref>


== Footnotes ==
== Footnotes ==
Line 100: Line 97:


{{Middle Ages by region|state=collapsed}}
{{Middle Ages by region|state=collapsed}}



[[Category:Poland]]
[[Category:Polish Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Burials]]

Revision as of 03:19, 29 May 2019

This page is about the medieval burial site in Bodzia. For the modern day village, see Bodzia.
Bodzia Cemetery
File:Excavation of Bodzia Cemetery.jpg
Excavation of Bodzia Cemetery
LocationBodzia, Central Poland
Coordinates52°42′19″N 18°53′09″E / 52.70528°N 18.88583°E / 52.70528; 18.88583
TypeChamber Burial
History
Periods
  • Late 10th Century - Early 11th Century
  • Late 11th Century - Early 12th Century
Site notes
Discovered2000
Excavation dates2007-2009
ArchaeologistsAndrzej Buko


Bodzia Cemetery is a large 10th – 11th Century chamber burial site in Bodzia, a town in the Kuyavia region of Central Poland, approximately 50km east of Poznań. A group from the Polish Academy of Sciences, led by Polish archaeologist, Andrzej Buko, excavated this site between 2007 – 2009. The excavation uncovered a large elite necropolis containing more than 58 graves, cenotaphs, weapons and riches. The Bodzia Cemetery is considered to be one of the most significant and "spectacular"[1] Early Medieval findings in Poland in the last century. Artefacts uncovered in the site were mostly of foreign origin, which is atypical of other sites in the area. Information gleaned from the Bodzia Cemetery provided archaeologists with evidence of burial practices during the Early Medieval period in Poland.

Chamber burial sites were common in the area, being a primary practice within Old Rus, Scandinavian and Slavic countries in the Viking-Age.[2] The study of Bodzia Cemetery is important, as it helps illustrate the socio-cultural and ethnic aspects of settled peoples in Poland, as reflected in the necropolis. The burial site indicates two separate periods of use. The first is from 980 – 1035 AD, and the second from the late 11th and early 12th centuries. There has been little evidence of an early settlement discovered, though, finds from a later settlement have been tentatively attributed to the second phase of the cemetery.[3] The ethnicity of those buried at the site is inconclusive, as isotopic analysis of the remains indicate that they were from an unknown foreign origin. The site demonstrates burial rituals and artefacts of Kievan Rus, Scandinavian, Anglo-Saxon, Frisian and Khazar origin. The nature of multiculturality at the site, and proximity to the Vistula River trade route, indicates that it was perhaps a foreign trade settlement connecting the Baltic to the Byzantine.[4]

History

Main article: Kingdom of Poland (1025-1385)

The site of the Bodzia Cemetery is situated on a gradually eastward sloping flat morainic plateau that was formed during the Vistulan glaciation.[5] Use of the cemetery dates back to the 10th century, and remained an active burial ground until the early 13th century.[6] The chamber burials indicate that the site was used in two periods during this time. One period was in the late 10th century – early 11th century, and the other in the late 11th – early 13th centuries.[7] Chronological dating of the site was achieved by categorising uncovered coins, and radiocarbon dating wood and leather.[8] Although above ground features may have been apparent during the Middle Ages, few indications of structures or grave markers have survived. This has been equated to the prevalence of agricultural use of the land from the 19th century onwards.[9]

The site itself is located near Włocławek, on the Vistula River.[10] This area had significant military importance as well as having two common trade routes during the Piast period.[11] During late 10th – early 11th centuries, under Bolesław the Brave’s reign, there was an influx of Scandinavian and Kievan mercenaries in Poland.[12] Many of these people were migrants, merchants or foreign military officials allied to Poland during the Piast dynasty.[13] The nature of excavated material at Bodzia indicates that the site is evidence of one such settlement, which was likely situated to the West of the Cemetery.[14]

Pottery fragments excavated at the burial site indicate that the area was previously inhabited by both Neolithic and Lusatian cultures.[15]

Excavation

Bodzia Cemetery was discovered in 2000, during a field survey to establish the route of the A1 motorway.[16] The subsequent excavation of the site began in 2004, and concluded in 2007, financed by the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways. Over this time, 2069 important features were discovered over an area of 3 hectares.[17] The Bodzia Cemetery is located at the southern end of the excavated site. As only the northern part of the Cemetery was initially uncovered, the size of the excavation was extended to include the whole necropolis.[18] This subsequent excavation occurred in 2009, and was funded by both the National Institute of Heritage and the Polish Academy of Sciences.[19]

The first stage of excavation began with the removal of humic topsoil by mechanical means.[20] This method uncovered visible evidence of chamber burials, created by differences in soil composition.[21] These burial chambers were subsequently excavated in three ways; the removal of soil in the entirety of a burial pit in the case of shallow graves; the removal of soil in half-sections, for graves inhabited by a single occupant; and the checkerboard pattern method of excavation for graves with multiple occupants.[22] The site was subject to many specialist studies, including anthropological, archaeobotanical, petrographic and geomorphological analyses to garner a complete archaeological picture of the burial ground.[23]

Burials

The excavation uncovered 52 human skeletons spread out amongst 58 chamber graves.[24] Some graves had no evidence of skeletal remains, either due to poor preservation, or because the chambers were used as cenotaphs.[25] Due to the soil composition of some parts of the Cemetery, areas were subject to the leaching of calcium carbonates, which resulted in the human remains becoming soft.[26] Skeletal remains were better preserved in areas where the soil was less permeable.[27] All uncovered remains did show a high degree of deterioration, especially those of young people, and those buried in shallow graves.[28]

Anthropological research at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń determined that 14 of the recovered remains were male, and 21 were female. Bone deterioration of 17 remains was too severe for sex to be determined.[29] Further research determined that 74% of the population in the necropolis were adults.[30] The underrepresentation of children is atypical of burial grounds from the Middle Ages.[31] Women exhumed from the cemetery were, on average, aged between 20 – 30 years, whereas then men were between the ages of 40 – 50.[32] Lipinska and Kozlowski believed that the discrepancy between the ages of men and women was due to complications in female pregnancy, which reduced average life-span.[33]

There are two distinct periods of burial indicated at the Cemetery, separated by approximately 50 years.[34] These have been determined by the differences in chronology and burial rites observed within the burial pits.[35] The earlier period demonstrated burial rites that were atypical of other sites in Poland.[36] The Cemetery was organised and showed customs that are indicative of the burial of those of high social status.[37] The graves were positioned north-south, and of a square shape, which is typical of Scandinavian burials.[38] The imprint of a wooden post dug into the ground was discovered in one of the graves, a practice common amongst the Slavs and Scandinavian Rus.[39]

The later period contains a small number of graves: only 8 graves with skeletal remains, and 2 cenotaphs.[40] This indicates that a small selection of elite members of the later settlement were chosen to be buried at the site.[41] Some of the later burials were partially dug into graves from the earlier period, though no graves were completely disturbed.[42]

DNA analysis of the human remains concluded that although the exact nationality of those buried at Bodzia Cemetery could not be determined, the remains were not local, and may have been from southern Scandinavia, Ukraine, or Kievan Rus regions.[43]

Artefacts

528 preserved ‘small finds’ were excavated at Bodzia Cemetery.[44] These were subsequently categorised into the following groups: weapons, tools, costume and ornaments, merchant items, and wood and ceramic containers.[45]

The types of weapons found in the site included; swords; axe heads; battle knives; arrow or javelin heads; and a ceremonial mace.[46]

Tools included; knives; nails; whorls; and shears.[47]

Costume and ornaments comprised the most prolific category, including; beads (from necklaces); rings; metal from a leather belt; garment fabric; amulets; combs; bracelets; pendants; and kaptorgas to hold these items in.[48]

Merchant items included; foreign coins and balance scales.[49]

Other finds included; pottery; wooden buckets with iron attachments; a coffin padlock; leather knife sheath; and other corroded artefacts of indeterminable function.[50]

Artefacts of particular interest included two unique silver kaptorgas with an eagle design. No such design has been discovered elsewhere.[51] Similarly, the merchant’s scales excavated from the site are an uncommon find from Medieval Europe.[52] There were silks, originating from China, as well as gold-flaked glass beads of Byzantine origin, alluding to the wealth of the deceased, and the prominence of trade in the area.[53]

Interpretation

Controversy in regard to the interpretation of some elements of the site have arisen due to the limitations of archaeological analysis. Drodz-Lipinska and Kozlowski determined that the low life-expectancy of those within the Bodzia Cemetery could be indicative of the local inhabitants’ vulnerability to the local environment.[54] They noted the limitations of this claim, due to the small sample size of inhumations. This sentiment was echoed by Neil Price, who acknowledged the difficulty of definitive scholarship in such areas.[55]

Buko raised the issue that some of the artefacts discovered in the burial pits were deposited taphonomically. These included pottery fragments, which were excluded from the study. Some other grave goods may also have been unintentionally deposited in the site.[56]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Andrzej Buko and Irena Sobkowiak-Tabaka, "Bodzia: A New Viking-Age Cemetery with Chamber Graves," Antiquity Project Gallery 85, no. 330 (2011): available at, http://antiquity.ac.uk/projgall/buko330/
  2. ^ Nadezhda I. Platonova, "Elite Culture of Old Rus’: New Publications and Discussions (A Review of IHMC RAS Studies in 2015 – 2016)," Archaeologia Baltica 24 (2017): 126.
  3. ^ Michał Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, Organisation of the Burial Space, the Burial Rites in the Light of the Cultural and Historical Determinants," in Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 346.
  4. ^ Buko and Sobkowiak-Tabaka, "Bodzia: A New Viking-Age Cemetery with Chamber Graves."
  5. ^ Iwona Hildebrandt-Radke, "The Effect of Depositional and Post-Depositional Processes on the Preservation of Skeletal Remains in the Bodzia Cemetery," in Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 54; 56.
  6. ^ Andrzej Buko et al., "Unique Medieval Cemetery from the 10th/11th Century with Chamber-Like Graves from Bodzia (Central Poland): Preliminary Result of the Multidisciplinary Research," Archaologisches Korrespondenzblatt 43, no. 3 (2013):432.
  7. ^ Andrzej Buko, “The Bodzia Cemetery in Light of the Interdisciplinary Research,” in Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 539.
  8. ^ Buko et al., "Unique Medieval Cemetery from the 10th/11th Century," 433.
  9. ^ Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, Organisation of the Burial Space," 343.
  10. ^ Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, Organisation of the Burial Space," 347.
  11. ^ Mateusz Bogucki, “The Archaeological Context of the Bodzia Cemetery and the Trade Route along the Middle and the Lower Vistula during the Middle and Late Viking Period,” in Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 31.
  12. ^ Roman Michalowski, “The Historical Context of the Discoveries at Bodzia,” in Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 38-9.
  13. ^ Michałowski, “The Historical Context of the Discoveries at Bodzia,” 41; Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, Organisation of the Burial Space,” 409-10.
  14. ^ Michalowski, “The Historical Context of the Discoveries at Bodzia,” 43; Irena Sobkowiak-Tabaka, “Bodzia: Site Location and History of Research,” in Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 51.
  15. ^ Andrzej Buko, “Overview of the Finds from the Bodzia Cemetery,” in Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 164.
  16. ^ Sobkowiak-Tabaka, “Bodzia: Site Location and History of Research,” 47.
  17. ^ Sobkowiak-Tabaka, “Bodzia: Site Location and History of Research,” 48.
  18. ^ Sobkowiak-Tabaka, “Bodzia: Site Location and History of Research,” 51.
  19. ^ Sobkowiak-Tabaka, “Bodzia: Site Location and History of Research,” 51.
  20. ^ Sobkowiak-Tabaka, “Bodzia: Site Location and History of Research,” 52; Hildebrandt-Radke, "The Effect of Depositional and Post-Depositional Processes," 58.
  21. ^ Sobkowiak-Tabaka, “Bodzia: Site Location and History of Research,” 52.
  22. ^ Sobkowiak-Tabaka, “Bodzia: Site Location and History of Research,” 52.
  23. ^ Sobkowiak-Tabaka, “Bodzia: Site Location and History of Research,” 53.
  24. ^ Alicja Drosz-Lipinska and Tomasz Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” in Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 143.
  25. ^ Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 143; Michał Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, Organisation of the Burial Space, the Burial Rites in the Light of the Cultural and Historical Determinants," in Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 343.
  26. ^ Hildebrandt-Radke, "The Effect of Depositional and Post-Depositional Processes," 60.
  27. ^ Hildebrandt-Radke, "The Effect of Depositional and Post-Depositional Processes," 60.
  28. ^ Hildebrandt-Radke, "The Effect of Depositional and Post-Depositional Processes," 62; Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 143.
  29. ^ Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 143; Buko and Sobkowiak-Tabaka, "Bodzia: A New Viking-Age Cemetery with Chamber Graves."
  30. ^ Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 143.
  31. ^ Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 143.
  32. ^ Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 145-7.
  33. ^ Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 147.
  34. ^ Buko, "The Bodzia Cemetery in Light of the Interdisciplinary Research," 539; Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, 348.
  35. ^ Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, 347.
  36. ^ Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, 350.
  37. ^ Buko, "The Bodzia Cemetery in Light of the Interdisciplinary Research," 452; Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, 351.
  38. ^ Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, 351-2.
  39. ^ Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, 353.
  40. ^ Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, 348.
  41. ^ Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, 349.
  42. ^ Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, 348.
  43. ^ Wiesław Bogdanowicz, Tomasz Grzybowski and Magdalena M. Buś, "Genetic Analysis of Selected Graves from the Cemetery," in Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, ed. Andrzej Buko (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 475.
  44. ^ Buko, "Overview of the Finds," 163.
  45. ^ Buko, "Overview of the Finds," 163.
  46. ^ Buko, "Overview of the Finds," 164.
  47. ^ Buko, "Overview of the Finds," 164.
  48. ^ Buko, "Overview of the Finds," 164.
  49. ^ Buko, "Overview of the Finds," 164.
  50. ^ Buko, "Overview of the Finds," 164-5.
  51. ^ Traci Watson, "Pictures: Mysterious Viking-era Graves Found with Treasure," National Geographic (2011), accessed 2 April, 2019, https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/12/pictures/111216-warrior-graves-polish-viking-treasure-science/; Kara, "Description of the Cemetery, Organisation of the Burial Space,” 395; Buko and Sobkowiak-Tabaka, "Bodzia: A New Viking-Age Cemetery with Chamber Graves.”
  52. ^ Watson, "Pictures: Mysterious Viking-era Graves Found with Treasure."
  53. ^ Watson, "Pictures: Mysterious Viking-era Graves Found with Treasure,"; Neil Price, "Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland. (Book review)," The Medieval Review 16.02.46 (2016): available at, https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/tmr/article/view/21129; Buko and Sobkowiak-Tabaka, "Bodzia: A New Viking-Age Cemetery with Chamber Graves,”; Buko, “The Bodzia Cemetery in Light of the Interdisciplinary Research,” 544.
  54. ^ Drosz-Lipinska and Kozlowski, “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery,” 156.
  55. ^ Neil Price, "Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland.(Book review)," The Medieval Review 16.02.46 (2016): available at, https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/tmr/article/view/21129.
  56. ^ Buko, "Overview of the Finds," 163-4.

References

Bogdanowicz, Wiesław, Tomasz Grzybowski and Magdalena M. Buś. "Genetic Analysis of Selected Graves from the Cemetery." In Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, edited by Andrzej Buko, 464-476. Leiden: Brill, 2014.

Bogucki, Mateusz. “The Archaeological Context of the Bodzia Cemetery and the Trade Route along the Middle and the Lower Vistula during the Middle and Late Viking Period.” In Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, edited by Andrzej Buko, 9-33. Leiden: Brill, 2014.

Buko, Andrzej. “The Bodzia Cemetery in Light of the Interdisciplinary Research.” In Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, edited by Andrzej Buko, 524-533. Leiden: Brill, 2014.

Buko, Andrzej. “Overview of the Finds from the Bodzia Cemetery.” In Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, edited by Andrzej Buko, 161-165. Leiden: Brill, 2014.

Buko, A., M. Kara, T. D. Price, W. Duczko, K. M. Frei and I. Sobkowiak-Tabaka. "Unique Medieval Cemetery from the 10th/11th Century with Chamber-Like Graves from Bodzia (Central Poland): Preliminary Result of the Multidisciplinary Research." Archaologisches Korrespondenzblatt 43, no. 3 (2013):423–442.

Buko, Andrzej and Irena Sobkowiak-Tabaka. "Bodzia: A New Viking-Age Cemetery with Chamber Graves." Antiquity Project Gallery 85, no. 330 (2011): Available at, http://antiquity.ac.uk/projgall/buko330/

Drosz-Lipinska, Alicja and Tomasz Kozlowski. “Analysis of the Skeletal Population from the Cemetery.” In Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, edited by Andrzej Buko, 143-159. Leiden: Brill, 2014.

Hildebrandt-Radke, Iwona. "The Effect of Depositional and Post-Depositional Processes on the Preservation of Skeletal Remains in the Bodzia Cemetery." In Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, edited by Andrzej Buko, 54-62. Leiden: Brill, 2014.

Kara, Michał. “The Cemetery at Bodzia in the Context of the Funerary Practices in the Polish Lands in the Late 10th – 11th Century.” In Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, edited by Andrzej Buko, 511-519. Leiden: Brill, 2014.

Kara, Michał. "Description of the Cemetery, Organisation of the Burial Space, the Burial Rites in the Light of the Cultural and Historical Determinants." In Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, edited by Andrzej Buko, 343-411. Leiden: Brill, 2014.

Michalowski, Roman. “The Historical Context of the Discoveries at Bodzia.” In Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, edited by Andrzej Buko, 34-44. Leiden: Brill, 2014.

Platonova, Nadezhda I. "Elite Culture of Old Rus’: New Publications and Discussions (A Review of IHMC RAS Studies in 2015 – 2016)." Archaeologia Baltica 24 (2017):123–129.

Price, Neil. "Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland. (Book review)." The Medieval Review 16.02.46 (2016): Available at, https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/tmr/article/view/21129

Sobkowiak-Tabaka, Irena. “Bodzia: Site Location and History of Research.” In Bodzia: A Late Viking-Age Elite Cemetery in Central Poland, edited by Andrzej Buko, 45-53. Leiden: Brill, 2014.

Watson, Traci. "Pictures: Mysterious Viking-era Graves Found with Tresure." National Geographic (2011): Available at, https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/12/pictures/111216-warrior-graves-polish-viking-treasure-science/


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