Archaeologists have confirmed that the remains of a woman known as the “Princess of Bagicz” date to around AD 120, resolving years of uncertainty surrounding one of Poland’s most remarkable ancient burials.
The discovery was made accidentally at the end of the 19th century in Bagicz, in what is present-day West Pomeranian Voivodeship.
A wooden log containing human remains had slipped from a seaside cliff, drawing researchers’ attention. What they found was remarkable: a coffin and lid carved from a single tree trunk, preserving the skeleton of a young woman along with an array of grave goods. The log coffin is now considered the oldest preserved example of its kind in Poland.
Within the burial, archaeologists were able to find a number of bronze ornaments such as a clasp, bracelets and a necklace of glass beads. A bone pin, fragments of woollen clothing, a piece of cattle hide, and even a small wooden stool were all preserved — an exceptionally rare survival in Poland’s archaeological record.
The richness of the objects and the apparent isolation of the grave led scholars to nickname the woman the “Princess of Bagicz,” indicating she had an elevated place within her community.
For decades, the burial’s precise date remained uncertain. Initial analysis of the grave goods suggested the late first half of the second century AD. However, in 2018, radiocarbon (C14) testing of a tooth sample appeared to contradict that assessment, indicating that the woman may have died as early as around AD 30-more than a century earlier than previously thought.
To resolve the discrepancy, researchers from the University of Szczecin, the University of Warsaw and the AGH University of Science and Technology turned to dendrochronology, a method of dating wood by analyzing tree-ring growth patterns. Although the coffin’s exceptional preservation made sampling a sensitive issue, the National Museum in Szczecin approved a minimally invasive procedure. A narrow core was extracted and compared with established tree-ring chronologies for northwestern Poland.
The results showed that the tree used to create the coffin was felled around AD 120. Because communities associated with the Wielbark culture typically used freshly cut wood rather than seasoned timber, researchers concluded that the coffin was likely constructed soon after the tree was cut, placing the woman’s death around the same time.
Scientists now believe the earlier radiocarbon result was skewed by the so-called reservoir effect. Further dietary analysis revealed that freshwater fish formed a significant part of the woman’s diet. Such consumption can distort radiocarbon dating because aquatic environments may contain “old” carbon, leading to artificially early dates.
The findings, published in the journal Archaeometry, not only clarify the woman’s chronology but also shed new light on burial practices of the Wielbark culture. Researchers are now planning DNA analysis and a facial reconstruction. They also suspect the grave may once have been part of a larger cemetery, possibly preserved due to rising water levels that submerged the site centuries later.
Header Image Credit : Karolina Gołębiowska and Natalia Laskowska
Sources : PAP
