Archaeologists from ArcheoScan have unearthed a rare gravestone depicting a medieval knight during excavations in the centre of Gdańsk, Poland.
The site under investigation was once home to a 12th-century wooden church and later a 14th-century brick castle built by the Teutonic Knights, a German military and religious order founded during the Crusades.
Gdańsk, known historically as Danzig was captured by the State of the Teutonic Order in 1308. The order colonised the area with German settlers and constructed a fortress in 1340 which became the seat of the knights’ Komtur.
The gravestone, measuring 150 centimetres in length and made from Gotland limestone depicts a knight dressed in chainmail, wielding a sword on his right arm, and carrying a shield. The figure is framed by stone arcades, a stylistic architectural detail typically used from the late 13th and early 14th century.
Archaeologists plan to lift the gravestone where they hope that the burial will be preserved underneath. “It is not known who was buried in this place,” said Sylwia Kurzyńska from ArcheoScan.
Kurzyńska explained that the ornate detail of the gravestone and the position of the knight with a raised sword would suggest that the interred was likely a high-ranking knight or commander.
Also uncovered during the excavation was a second tombstone made of sandstone along with a wooden coffin. The sandstone gravestone is partially damaged and shows signs of copper carbonate corrosion, indicating the presence of a metal object buried in situ.
Header Image Credit : PAP
Sources : Science In Poland
