New Early Medieval Cemetery in Suwałki-Szwajcaria

The paper presents the discovery of a previously unknown early medieval site in Suwałki-Szwajcaria, most likely a plough-damaged Yatvingian cemetery. The find was initiated by artifacts handed to the Regional Heritage Protection Office in Suwałki by a chance finder and subsequently examined by the State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw. Field verification in 2025 confirmed the presence of ornaments and horse-riding equipment on the site, including a penannular brooch with star-shaped terminals, a bracelet fragment with a zoomorphic head, a cross-shaped strap distributor, and a large D-shaped buckle. These objects are characteristic of Yatvingian sepulchral contexts and reveal close analogies with finds from Krukówek, Żytkiejmy, and the Szczeberka River cemeteries, as well as Baltic material from the 11th to 13th centuries. The discovery is particularly significant given the scarcity of well-documented Yatvingian necropolises. Until now, Suwałki-Szwajcaria was known primarily for its Roman Period and Migration Period barrow cemetery, linked with the Sudovian Culture. If further research confirms the sepulchral character of the new site, it will establish this locality as an important early medieval Yatvingian cemetery, marking a major contribution to the study of Baltic funerary practices

Character (mathematics) · Middle Ages · Ornaments · Period (music) · Scarcity · State (computer science) · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · Historical and Archaeological Studies · Medieval European History and Architecture