Javelin arrowhead

The iron javelin arrowhead with a hole in the centre is ornamented, probably with an unpreserved applique of coloured metal. It was an element of equipment in a cremation burial covered with the cremation pyre debris. This form of burial was widely practised throughout northern Europe during the Roman period, in the 1st-4th centuries. Decorated javelin arrowheads have long been the subject of meticulous study in the archaeology of the Roman period. They seem to originate in Scandinavia or areas occupied by the nomads. In the Lower Oder region, the custom of ornamenting arrowheads was borrowed from the community of the Przeworsk culture, which inhabited the area of present-day Greater Poland. Based on other elements from the grave goods, the arrowhad from Czelin can be dated to the middle Roman period, the 2nd-3rd centuries. In addition to the urn and the arrowhead, the burial site also contained an umbo (a shield centre fitting) with a spike, an iron shield handle fitting, two broken bronze fibulae, a razor, a knife and an iron pin and strap ends. The burial ground in Czelin was discovered in 2004 by children playing in the gravel pit. Currently, it is being excavated by archaeologists from the National Museum in Szczecin. So far, about 200 objects have been discovered, mostly burials equipped with elements of clothing and weapons. The diversity of ornaments and other artefacts indicates the mixing of various cultural influences in this part of Pomerania - the above-mentioned Przeworsk culture, the Wielbark culture, as well as cultures from the Elbe region and Scandinavia. The graves also contain objects imported from the provinces of the Roman Empire, including a short sword (gladius) and a Roman bronze vessel.

Bartłomiej Rogalski