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Four well-preserved spears have been discovered during underwater investigations in Lake Lednica, west-central Poland. These discoveries are the latest additions to what may be the largest collection of European early medieval weaponry discovered at single site, comprising almost 300 military objects recovered from the lake bed over the years. These mostly date to the 10th and 11th centuries, during the reigns of Miesko I and Bolesław the Brave, rulers of the Piast dynasty, which had a stronghold on the island of Ostrów Lednicki in the middle of the lake.
The spears were found during the most recent season of research by scientists from the Nicolaus Copernicus University Centre of Underwater Archaeology in Toruń, led by Professor Andrzej Pydyn, in collaboration with the Museum of the First Piasts in Lednica. All four spears are of different designs, with one particularly impressive example (pictured below) featuring a spearhead decorated with spiral and triskelion motifs, set in a socket adorned with the same motifs, mounted with wings with a braided design. Analysis has also revealed that a significant portion of this spearhead was covered with gold, silver, bronze, and alloys of other metals. This spectacular weapon may have served as a symbol of power, a signifier of an elite warrior, or a ritual object.
The spears have all been dated to around the early 11th century AD, coinciding with a period of instability following the death of Miesko II, when the Czech prince Břetislav invaded the Piast state. It is therefore suggested that these and other weapons may have ended up in the lake during battles for the stronghold that took place on the bridges connecting Ostrów Lednicki to the mainland. Alternatively, the spears could have been placed in the water deliberately as ritual offerings to gods or spirits.
Analysis and conservation is ongoing, after which the new discoveries will be put on display at the Museum of the First Piasts.
Image: Mateusz Popek
