![[aggregator] downloaded image for imported item #12867](https://newsview.top/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/poland-ancient-weapons-found-first-kings-archaeology-history-discovery-1-1024x576.jpg "Ancient weapons linked to legendary medieval rulers found in lake near royal stronghold")
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Archaeologists recently retrievedearly medieval weaponsfrom a lake in Poland — relics believed to be connected to the country’s first rulers.
The Museum of the First Piasts at Lednica announced the discovery in a Facebook post on Nov.12.The underwater excavation took place at Lake Lednica, in west-central Poland, some 150 miles west of Warsaw.
The lake surrounds Ostrów Lednicki, an island that served as a massive royal stronghold in the late 10th century.
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Over the years, excavators have found around 280 artifacts in the lake, including 145 axes, 64 spearheads, eight swords and, most recently, four spears.
Researchers from Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, in collaboration with theMuseum of the First Piastsat Lednica, found the spears.
The weapons date to the era of Mieszko I and Bolesław the Brave, pivotal figures in medieval Poland’s rise.(De Agostini via Getty Images;M.Trzciński, Muzeum Pierwszych Piastów na Lednicy via Facebook)
The weapons date back to the time of Mieszko I and Bolesław the Brave, two legendary figures in the formation of medieval Poland.
com/category/travel/general/historic-sites" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lake Lednicahas “surpris[ed] scientists for decades” — and that the weapons add to the site’s enduring mystery.
“Decorated socketed spearheads are exceptional examples of early medieval weaponry in Northern and Eastern Europe,” he said.
Similar spears were found in the 1990s, but none as richly adorned as those discovered now, said experts.(M.Popek, Muzeum Pierwszych Piastów na Lednicy via Facebook)
The artifacts “add new elements to the largest collection of early medieval weaponryin Europefound at a single archaeological site,” he added.
The most exciting find, Kowalczyk said, was the “princely spear” that was exceptionally well-preserved.
Excavators have retrieved hundreds of weapons from the lake, including 145 axes and more than 60 spearheads.(M.Trzciński, Muzeum Pierwszych Piastów na Lednicy via Facebook)
As to why the weapons were left in the lake, experts say there are two main hypotheses.
In the first theory, archaeologists think the weapons fell in the lake during battles over the Lednica stronghold, likely during the 1030s, when Czech Duke Bretislaus invaded Poland.
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On the other hand, the weapons may have been rituallyplaced in the wateras offerings, the museum said — even as Christianization was underway.
“Such practices are known from earlier periods and many places across Europe,” said Kowalczyk.
“Water was perceived as a gateway to the world of the dead, and throwing valuable objects into it was an act of deep symbolic meaning,” said a museum director.(M Trzciński, Muzeum Pierwszych Piastów na Lednicy via Facebook)
“Water was perceived as a gateway to the world of the dead, and throwing valuable objects into it was an act of deep symbolic meaning.”
Kowalczyk emphasized the special significance that Ostrów Lednicki holds in Polish history — including being the site where Mieszko I waslikely baptized.
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“It should be emphasized that it was on Ostrów Lednicki that the oldest Christian liturgical objects ever found in Poland were discovered — including a staurotheke (a reliquary of the True Cross), a liturgical comb made of ivory, a three-armed iron censer with holes for suspension and bone plaques from a reliquary chest,” he said.
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