History

Based on general observations concerning the form of the mounds, it has been tentatively established that the kurgan in Józefów dates to the early Middle Ages.

Description

The kurgan-type grave field is located at the eastern end of the village of Józefów, approximately 30 m north of the road, among the buildings of a farm and in their immediate vicinity. It is situated in the valley of a nameless watercourse (the right tributary of the Wieprz River), approximately 200 m in a straight line to the north of the watercourse bed. 

The grave field consists of two kurgans, which are clearly discernible in the terrain.They are situated on private plots, about 15 m apart. One of the plots is partly excluded from agricultural use. There are farm buildings on the other one. The mounds are almost identical in size: the preserved one has a height of approximately 1.5 m, a diameter of approximately 10 m. There are traces of excavations and trenches on both kurgans. One kurgan is overgrown by shrubs, the other one (located next to a residential building) is overgrown by grass and is marked by a huge stump of a tree that has been cut down. The graves are tentatively dated to the early Middle Ages.

There is no information about the origin of the mounds. According to the local tradition, these burial mounds come from the times of the Swedish Deluge or earlier times. According to the information collected during the conservation-related reconnaissances, these are the last two of the twelve mounds that had still existed in Józefów after the Second World War, grouped in a large cluster, but were subsequently obliterated as a result of agricultural activities. At present, the condition of the two preserved earthen mounds is good. No fresh excavation pits or other signs of destruction of the site have been detected. 

Progress and findings of archaeological fieldwork activities

No excavations have as yet been carried out to examine the two kurgans. 

Surface surveys of the site as part of the Archaeological Picture of Poland were performed in 1984. During the surface surveys as part of the AZP project (Archaeological Picture of Poland) and ad-hoc field surveys performed regularly by the employees of the Voivodeship Office for the Protection of Historic Monuments in Chełm, no movable archaeological artefacts of any kind were found in the earthen mounds and in their immediate vicinity. 

Access to the site is limited. Any visits to the kurgans must first be arranged with the respective plot owners.

compiled by Ewa Prusicka, National Institute of Cultural Heritage, Branch Office in Lublin, 12 January 2016