Mushroom pickers uncover 2,500-year-old urn and Roman coin in Mazovian forest
A couple foraging for mushrooms in Mazovia discovered a fourth-century BC burial urn and a second-century Roman silver denarius on a forest sandpile. Both artefacts have been conserved and placed on permanent display at Liw Castle.
Discovery on a Mazovian sandpile
Jacek Krynicki and his wife set out into a forest in the Mazovia region to search for mushrooms among the trees and forest floor litter. During their walk, Krynicki raised his head and noticed an unusual structure protruding from a sandpile measuring several metres in height. Upon closer inspection, the exposed objects proved to be ancient artefacts rather than modern refuse or standard forest debris. Instead of filling a basket with mushrooms, the couple collected pieces of ancient material and promptly notified the regional heritage protection authorities. The Mazovian Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments subsequently announced the find, confirming that the couple had encountered two separate historical items from completely different eras.
The fourth-century BC cremation burial
The earliest of the two artefacts discovered on the sandpile is a ceramic funerary assemblage belonging to the Cloche grave culture. Archaeological specialists identified the item as an urn used in ancient cremation burials, preserved together with burnt skeletal fragments and ashes. The find also includes a surviving section of the outer bell-shaped cloche vessel that originally covered the receptacle, alongside a small ceramic bowl that served as a lid. Historians date the burial assembly to approximately the fourth century BC, establishing an age of nearly 2,500 years for the ceramics. Regional heritage officials noted that this find connects directly to ancient funeral practices and rituals that remain documented in only limited detail across the Mazovian territory.
A silver denarius of Emperor Commodus
During the same forest excursion, Krynicki located a second significant archaeological object on the sandpile. The second find is a silver denarius minted during the reign of the Roman emperor Commodus, dated specifically to the period between 181 and 192 AD. The silver coin measures approximately 17 millimetres in diameter and remains in detailed condition. Its obverse side shows a profile portrait of Emperor Commodus wearing a laurel wreath. The reverse side portrays two seated figures, depicting Roma, the goddess of Rome, sitting beside the winged goddess Nike. Specialists noted that the discovery demonstrates the broad range and diversity of historical material preserved beneath the region's topsoil.
- Cloche grave culture urn with cremated remains is created for burial
- Silver denarius of Roman Emperor Commodus is minted
- Artefacts discovered in forest sandpile and placed on display at Liw Castle
Preservation and permanent exhibition at Liw Castle
The two finds span two widely separated eras of regional history, separated by more than five centuries of technological and cultural evolution. Following the report, heritage authorities transferred both the ceramic urn fragments and the Roman coin to conservation specialists for formal cataloguing, technical documentation, and protective stabilization. The Mazovian Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments commended the discoverers for their responsible approach in reporting the items directly to heritage authorities rather than disturbing the location.
Mr. Jacek's discovery shows how important passion and responsibility are in the search for traces of the past. It is thanks to such people that it is possible to discover further chapters of the region's history and pass them on to future generations.
Following laboratory inspection and protective cleaning, regional officials transferred the artefacts to the museum located within the Castle in Liw. Both the fourth-century BC burial urn and the silver denarius of Emperor Commodus have been integrated into the castle museum's permanent exhibition, where they are open to public viewing.
