INFORMATION PORTAL OF THE MARSHAL'S OFFICE OF THE KUJAWSKO-POMORSKIE Region IN TORUŃ

An interview with Professor Jacek Gackowski, head of the Department of Prehistory at Nicolaus Copernicus University. Professor Gackowski’s team made a groundbreaking discovery during excavations in the Papowo Biskupie area.

 

A few months ago, the scientific world was electrified by the news that archaeologists from Toruń, working in the area of the “sacred lake” in the Papowo Biskupie municipality, had discovered Bronze Age artifacts as well as evidence of ritual human sacrifice—findings that upend our current understanding of the history of this region, the Lusatian culture, and the origins of the Slavs. What does this discovery generally tell us?

The discovery was actually made by the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Historical Exploration Group, likely before 2023. They had been exploring the area using metal detectors. The Institute of Archaeology at Nicolaus Copernicus University learned about the find from the heritage conservation authorities on January 6, 2023. We immediately went to the site, and it turned out that in many locations within the area of the now-vanished lake (which dried up in the 1870s), there were hundreds of metal artifacts—mainly bronze—as well as numerous uncremated human skeletal remains. Based on the typological and chronological assessment of the discovered items, we know that they date back to the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (8th–6th centuries BCE). The first radiocarbon dating of the human bones pointed to an even earlier period, around 1000–900 BCE. This suggests that the deposition of both categories of finds took place over a fairly long span of the first millennium BCE.

 

Although metal artifacts are found throughout the entire area of the former lake, we observed distinct concentrations in several regions. From our initial research, we’ve learned that the exclusive female jewelry found there—mostly bracelets, necklaces, head ornaments, pins, and multi-element collars—as well as parts of horse harnesses, were carefully arranged in baskets made of birch bark. The bottoms of these containers were lined with forest moss, and such bundles of precious goods were then submerged in what was then a shallow lake.

 

We have little choice but to interpret these finds as votive offerings made to deities of the time—for reasons unknown to us. Perhaps they were public acts of appeasement in response to crises—political or social, or possibly even pandemics?

 

 

Let’s remember that Europe underwent significant cultural and civilizational changes during the first millennium BCE. This was the time of the so-called Axial Age—a term coined by the renowned German existentialist philosopher and psychiatrist, Professor Karl Jaspers, to describe a period when revolutionary new religious and social ideas emerged across various parts of the world. Manifestations of this “axiality” of fundamental transformation include the birth of Greek philosophy (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle), the rise of prophetic movements in ancient Israel, the activity of Confucius, Laozi, and Mencius in China, and, finally, the emergence of Buddhism in India. In the military and political context, it’s important to recall that Central Europe was under pressure from nomadic tribes pushing in from the East—first the Cimmerians, later the Scythians, and the still-mysterious (to us) Neuri. From the North, the influence of the Nordic cultural sphere expanded, while in the Alpine Foreland, the Hallstatt cultural civilization arose—strongly connected to the Mediterranean world. By the 7th century BCE, this civilization had also reached Lower Silesia. In short, it was a turbulent time.

 

The aforementioned metal artifacts should be associated with bronze craftsmanship of the Lusatian culture. However, among them are also very interesting items originating from southeastern Poland and western Ukraine (Scythian, similar to ones we previously discovered in Kamieniec—today’s Czarnowo), from Western Pomerania (Nordic influences), as well as from Greater Poland, Silesia, and even from the Alpine Foreland and the Adriatic region. Such a rich and diverse collection points to extensive trade and exchange networks of the local population, but also highlights the status of the “sacred lake” as a place of exceptional religious significance—a concentration point of the sacrum.

 

And then there’s the coincidence of female jewelry and horse harness components—likely not accidental. It suggests a special role for women within the social structures of the time. The juxtaposition with horses and their ritual significance opens a completely new line of research in European archaeology, one particularly emphasized recently by what’s known as feminist archaeology. Finally, we must consider the human bones—so many of them in the space of the “sacred lake.” The Lusatian culture was part of the eastern branch of a vast European cultural zone—the urnfield culture area—characterized by widespread cremation of the dead. The discovery of uncremated human bones here suggests that certain individuals, for some reason, were excluded from this eschatologically crucial rite. This raises another important question: were the human remains found in Papowo Biskupie those of local people or outsiders? We don’t yet know—but modern, interdisciplinary archaeology has the tools to find the answer. We will find out.

 

It also appears that these unfortunate individuals were killed—most likely by strangulation—and offered to the gods, just like the valuable metal objects. This kind of non-symbolic, literal, material sacrifice of humans must have been deeply rooted in the belief systems of that time.

 

The skeletal remains are currently undergoing various types of analysis, including genetic testing. In the future, the results of these studies may contribute to broader interpretations concerning the ethnogenesis of the Slavs, though at this point such interpretations would be premature. On a side note, well-preserved Lusatian skeletal remains have been found at a nearby settlement in Mirakowo-Grodno, near Chełmża. We are currently awaiting the first facial reconstructions of individuals from that settlement—the first of their kind in Europe. We’ll be able to, in a sense, look into the faces of those people. Perhaps they’ll feel a bit more familiar to us.

 

That will be a major event—not only scientifically. I believe that for many people (not just prehistorians), it could be a truly fascinating moment.

 

 

One television station called the site a “portal to the afterlife.” What do we know about the spiritual world of the people within the Lusatian cultural circle?

Questions about the spirituality of Lusatian culture communities have always been a subject of reflection for archaeologists and prehistorians. It stems from a universal human longing to understand how people thought about fate and the human condition.

 

We know a great deal about how these people lived—from both open and fortified settlements (such as the nearby Biskupin), as well as from the extensive Lusatian cremation cemeteries with hundreds or even thousands of urns. Near Papowo Biskupie, for example, we recently investigated such a burial ground in nearby Żygląd, where we uncovered over 120 graves. We also know of numerous treasures—mostly of metal goods—though none as rich as Papowo, and none accompanied by human bones. However, no temple-like places or clearly sacred structures have ever been discovered. It’s important to understand that the Lusatian people lived within a syncretic culture—one where culture and nature were almost indistinguishable. Only during the aforementioned Axial Age did humanity begin to develop symbolic frameworks for understanding existence, gradually pushing magical thinking into the background. But this process was long, and a longing for magic persists even today. It is therefore quite certain that there were no permanent temple structures, that the pantheon of deities was likely broad, and that worship was tied to ritual practices near places of habitation. The authority behind these practices came from the strength of oral tradition, with beliefs passed down from generation to generation. The widespread cremation of the dead suggests a particular reverence for fire—and, by extension, for the sun. Still, much of this remains speculation. That’s where Papowo Biskupie truly contributes: it allows us to turn hypotheses into scientific knowledge.

 

What significance might the Papowo discovery have for local and regional communities?

The find at Papowo Biskupie is of major scholarly importance on a European scale. It’s currently the richest discovery of its kind related to the Lusatian culture—spanning the area from the Elbe River to western Ukraine, and from the Sambian Peninsula in the north to the Czech Republic, Moravia, and Slovakia in the south. It absolutely deserves further study—and perhaps support from the regional authorities, such as the  Office. The exceptional nature of this archaeological site has already been recognized: the prestigious journal Antiquity fast-tracked and published our first article on the subject. The public response has far exceeded our expectations. The local municipal government has proposed collaboration in the form of incorporating the theme of the “sacred lake” into annual festivals that promote regional cultural heritage. With the municipality’s support, we produced a dedicated publication and developed a paratheatrical re-enactment of the ritual activities that once took place at the site. This performance—enriched with a dramatic musical and vocal setting—was created by archaeology students and PhD candidates from both Nicolaus Copernicus University and Jagiellonian University, as well as students of ethnology and fine arts from NCU. There’s even a plan to establish a local heritage center, featuring physical artifacts as well as a virtual tour through the region’s ancient and historical past—highlighting not only prehistoric times but also manor houses, palaces, churches, and more. All of this, as we know, contributes to building the cultural identity of local communities—and may also attract interest from people outside the region.

 

 

I believe it would be appropriate for the “sacred lake” to become part of the region’s tourist offer. While the site itself lacks any striking landscape features, there are many good examples across Europe where visually unimpressive historical locations are successfully promoted as tourist attractions through compelling, popular-scientific storytelling.

 

The archaeological site in Papowo Biskupie has been entered into the Register of Monuments (Ewidencja Zabytków), but unfortunately it has not been officially listed in the Registry of Historic Monuments (Rejestr Zabytków). As a result, the legal and practical protection of the site is currently quite weak. We would like to change that, but as the Institute of Archaeology at Nicolaus Copernicus University, we do not have the necessary legal or executive instruments to make that happen.

 

The artifacts uncovered at the site are currently housed in the collections of the Archaeological Museum in Biskupin. They were exhibited there in a temporary exhibition and have since been moved to storage.

 

The local community of Papowo Biskupie was informed of the discovery during a meeting last year at the local cultural center. Some of those in attendance publicly expressed regret that “their” finds were taken away to Biskupin. Privately, I must admit it’s hard not to agree with that sentiment.

 

Of course, we plan to continue our research. But today, archaeology is a highly cost-intensive field, and without the support of state or regional institutions, it’s hard to imagine conducting professional, modern research prospections.

 

August 1, 2025