There are five such features within the cemetery. Their scale speaks of the high standing of the persons buried there, who were likely the elite among the agricultural community inhabiting the nearby land at the time.

Location and description

The tombs are situated in a forest 1 km north-east of the heart of Wietrzychowice.

Within the cemetery, there are five megalithic tombs. At the time when the surveys began, four of them were relatively well-preserved, although they bore signs of quarrying.

The tomb surrounds consist of large boulders. They are arranged in such a way that the front of the tomb is shaped roughly like a triangle and faces south-east.

The features being described are arranged in a fan-like layout, with the front parts becoming further away from each other. All tombs have an opening in the middle of the stone surrounds before the front of the tomb.

The first information about the existence of large tombs in the vicinity of Wietrzychowice was provided to archaeologists in the 1930s. Konrad Jażdżewski found out about them from local farmers while performing excavation works in the area.

The farmers spoke of large boulders in the forest which are arranged in rows.

They called the structures “lisionki” and “kamionki” (“stoneware”). In the 1930s, archaeological surveys began which included examination of the earthen structures and of the inside of each feature. Further archaeological works were carried out in the 1960s and the 1970s on behalf of the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography in Łódź.

In 2009, archaeologists from the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography in Łódź and the Professor Konrad Jażdżewski Archaeological Survey Foundation began works within the Wietrzychowice Culture Park with the aim of learning more about the builders of Kuyavian tombs.

The largest tomb, designated as Tomb No. 3 by archaeologists, was built in the middle of the cemetery. It is 115 m in length, with the front section being 10 m wide and the largest boulders reaching up to 1.5 m in height. There were two persons buried in the grave. Their bodies were arranged in a straight position behind the front wall in two rectangular stone chests built out of round boulders. The bodies were covered with smaller stones. The skeleton the closest to the front wall was one of a man. Several metres away, there was a skeleton of a woman. In contrast to the form of the grave, the contents were simple. The only thing found by the man was a flint knife. In addition, there were fragments of clay dishes near the graves. Within the earthen structure, there were surviving remnants of funeral ceremonies. They consisted of flint tools and waste, broken animal and human bones and pieces of charcoal. In connection with the discovery of scattered human bones, it has been proposed that a cannibal feast might have accompanied the wake.

Noteworthy historic objects found within the prehistoric cemetery include the stone head of a mace found in the earthen structure of Tomb No. 5.

In the same tomb, two skulls were found which bore signs of trepanation. Both skulls belonged to men who lived through their surgeries. Fragments of pottery of the Funnel Beaker Culture and from the period of Roman influence were found inside the tomb walls.

History

The graves were constructed in the 4th millennium BC by representatives of the Funnel Beaker culture. Most likely, in the 19th or 20th century, local residents contributed towards the partial destruction of these structures. Some of the boulders constituting their surrounds were used to construct utility buildings and roads.

In the 1930s, the owner of the land on which the features being described were located was Adolf Boehmer. Following archaeological works in the 1930s, 1960s and 1970s, the tombs were reconstructed.

The cemetery is accessible all year round.

Prepared by Adam Paczuski, National Heritage Board of Poland, Regional Branch in Toruń, 16-04-2018

Bibliography

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