An epaulette with volutes

The Letnin armlet was made from a massive gold rod with a triangular cross-section. The ends of this unusual ornament are formed by two pairs of small, spiral shields. The impressive decoration is also found on the surface of the rim. Due to its exceptional display value and amount of precious metal, the armlet is one of the most valuable archaeological exhibits in the National Museum (Muzeum Narodowe) collection in Szczecin. It was discovered in 1840 during the crushing of a boulder. The context of the discovery suggests that it may have been a sacrificial deposit. The ornament was sold for 100 marks to the Society of History and Antiquities of Pomerania (Towarzystwo Historii i Starożytności Pomorza) Szczecin by the two finders: Schmidt, a farmer, and Carl König, a farmhand from Letnin. After more than a century, in 1944, the armlet and other valuable museum objects were transported deep into Germany to protect it from war damage or robbery. It returned to Szczecin in 2009 due to the Polish-German exchange of old archaeological collections. The presented armlet belongs to the unique findings in Pomerania. It is assumed that it was brought there from Transylvania, hence the German typological name Goldener Siebenbürger. Ornaments of this type outside the Transylvanian zone are known from only a few discoveries along the river Elbe and in Scandinavia.

Dorota Kozłowska