A double burial was discovered within the ringfort in Czermno, East Poland. It belongs to a beheaded 30-year old male and a few-years-old child. The Czermno ringfort was supposedly known as Czerwień, being the the main keep of so called called Cherven Cities – a state that was fought over by the kings of the Piast dynasty against rulers of Kievan Rus. The graves discovered are dated to 12th-13th century, the time when the Cities were under Rus’ influence.
The burial was found in the place where in 2015 a trove of Medieval jewellery was discovered. This year some more glass beads were added to that trove. The grave pit is marked by stones in its corners and contains the skeletons of a 30-year old male and a child. The man’s head was cut off, which is indicated by marks on cervical vertebrae. The had was not found within the grave. It seems that the body might have been bound and thrown inside the pit. The child however was put inside with great care, with hands along the body, just like other burials that were discovered so far at the site. The scientists have collected samples for DNA tests to determine whether the two individuals were related and where did they come from.
(after Nauka w Polsce & Mariusz Dziekański)