The cemetery consists of 2-3 burial mounds and is one of the six sites of this type which have been identified in Majdan Górny. The mounds are notable due to their fairly good state of preservation.

Location and description

The burial mounds are located at the eastern edge of the village, near the eastern boundary of a forest known as “Stary Las” (the Old Forest), about 600 metres to the north from the buildings forming part of the Chorążanka village when measured in a straight line. They are located at the top of a raised area, in a deciduous forest, near a path leading alongside the eastern boundary of the forest.

The barrow cemetery consists of two burial mounds which are clearly visible in the surrounding terrain. The height of barrow no. 1 is ca. 3.5 - 4 metres, while its diameter is about 30 metres at its base. The height of the burial mound no. 2, located a few dozen metres to the north-west from the first one, is between 1 and 1.3 metres, with a diameter of approximately 15 metres. In the course of surface studies conducted in 1989 in the course of the “Archaeological Picture of Poland” project, a third burial mound has also been identified, its location being a few dozen metres to the south east from the mound no. 1, its height and diameter at the time being 0.5 and 30 metres respectively; however, the subsequent visit of monument protection teams has failed to produce any evidence of its presence. It is believed that either a single burial or a number of burials had been made inside each of the mounds or underneath their surface during the late stone age or the early bronze age, with the deceased most likely being the representatives of the Corded Ware culture.

History

The mounds are associated with either the late stone age or the early bronze age, most likely having links to the Corded Ware culture.

The barrows in Majdan Górny were first mentioned towards the end of the 19th century in the “Geographic Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland and other Slavic Countries”; they were referred to as “four burial mounds located behind the village, towards the south”, with no detailed description being provided which could allow us to identify one of the six burial mound sites identified in the area in 1989 in the course of the surface studies conducted as part of the “Archaeological Picture of Poland” programme. The information contained in the dictionary was later repeated by S. Nosek, who also added that the barrows were located south of the so-called Biała Góra (White Mountain). A total of three burial mounds have been identified in the course of the “Archaeological Picture of Poland” research programme. During a site survey performed in 1993, two burial mounds were identified and inscribed in the register of historic monuments. The state of preservation of the cemetery has remained unchanged since the identification of the two mounds 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

The site has not been subject to excavations. The location and height plan of the site was drawn up by J. Niedźwiedź and A. Medak in 1989. Surface surveys of the site within the framework of the ‘Archaeological Picture of Poland’ project were carried out by W. Koman in 1989.

The historic monument is accessible. The burial mounds are clearly visible from the path which leads through the surrounding forest.

compiled by Ewa Prusicka, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Lublin, 23-03-2015.

Bibliography

• Nosek S., Materiały do badań nad historią starożytną i wczesnośredniowieczną międzyrzecza Wisły i Bugu, “Annales UMCS, vol. VI, sec. F, 1951(1957), p. 378.
• Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, F. Sulimirski (ed.), vol. 2, Warsaw 1880-1895, p. 721