The site is a unique feature of the landscape of Roztocze.

Location and description

The barrow cemetery is located at the western edge of the village, about 700 metres to the south-west of the cluster of houses which make up the settlement, in a private woodlot known as “Las Maciejówka” (Maciejówka Forest), on both sides of a road which leads out of Dominikanówka and towards Krasnobród. It is situated on a small, promontory-like elevation on the Wieprz river floodplain terrace, on the right side of the riverbed, upstream of the river.

The barrow cemetery occupies the area of approx. 5 hectares. It consists of nine mounds in total, with a single tumulus being located on the right side of the road from Dominikanówka to Krasnobród, with the rest of the mounds being situated on the left hand side. A cluster of six burial mounds is located in the eastern part of the cemetery (nos. 1 - 6); these mounds are arranged on the north-east - south-west axis, at a distance of between 12 and 15 metres from one another. Barrow no. 7 is located about 160 metres to the west from the group of mounds referred to above, with another barrow (no. 8) being located about 15 metres to the north. Barrow no. 9 is located at the northernmost edge of the burial ground. Nearly all of the mounds are roughly circular in shape, with a diameter of 8-11 metres and standing at 50-90 centimetres tall. Only barrow no. 9 is about 13 metres in diameter and about 1 metre in height, while barrow no. 3 is oval in shape (9 x 6 metres), with a height of 80 centimetres. The barrows are believed to contain cremated remains of people who lived here during the late Bronze Age and were the members of the Trzciniec culture.

History

The barrow cemetery, located on the site of what is now known as the village of Dominikanówka, originates from the second part of the Bronze Age and remains linked to the so-called Trzciniec culture (1600 - 1200 B.C.).

The archaeological site in Dominikanówka has been discovered in the course of the surface survey conducted in 1957 under the supervision of Jan Machnik. A total of 7 burial mounds have been identified during the survey. In the course of excavation works performed in 1958, the researcher has managed to identify two further tumuli. During the surface survey conducted within the framework of the “Archaeological Picture of Poland” research project, it has been confirmed that the cemetery consists of 9 barrows in total. The state of preservation of the cemetery has remained unchanged due to the fact that it is located in a wooded area where no agricultural works are being performed.

Condition and results of archaeological research

Archaeological excavations on the site were conducted in 1958 by Jan Machnik.

The location and height plan of the site was drawn up by Józef Niedźwiedź in 1989.

Surface surveys of the site within the framework of the ‘Archaeological Picture of Poland’ project were carried out by Anna Zakościelna in 1984.

The excavation programme covered a single barrow (no. 6), located in a group of six mounds located in the eastern part of the cemetery, with the mound in question being positioned the furthest towards the south-west. The works conducted on the site included both verification and rescue excavations. The reason for the latter was that it has been discovered that the burial mound, unprotected by trees, was damaged when a drainage ditch was excavated in its vicinity, cutting across the northern section of the mound. In addition, a pit dug by grave robbers, 50 centimetres wide and 70 centimetres deep, has been found at the top of the tumulus. The mound itself was described as being circular in shape, its height and diameter being approx. 50 centimetres and 10 metres respectively. The researchers were unable to determine the manner in which the deceased were interred, since no traces of skeletons or burial pits have been found. One cannot rule out that the grey-white sand found beneath the earthen surface of the mound and incorporating numerous traces of charred wood marks the original humus layer on which the funerary rites (cremation?) had once been conducted. The inside of the barrow covered by the excavations revealed fragments of pottery, including a single fully reconstructed vessel with an S-shaped profile, adorned with a ribbed strip ornament.

In the course of the surface survey conducted within the framework of the “Archaeological Picture of Poland” research programme, no moveable artefacts have been found on the surface of the burial mounds.

The site is open to the public.

compiled by Ewa Prusicka, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Lublin, 02-04-2015.

Bibliography

• Machnik J., Archeologiczne badania powierzchniowe w południowej Lubelszczyźnie w 1957 roku, “Sprawozdania Archeologiczne”, 1959, vol. VII, pp. 63-72
• Machnik J., Kurhan kultury trzcinieckiej z Dominikanówki, pow. Zamość, “Materiały Archeologiczne”, vol. II, 1960, pp. 79-83.