An early medieval boat burial has been discovered at Chodlik in the Lublin region of Eastern Poland. Boat burials in early medieval Slavic communities are extremely rare. They are more commonly found in Scandinavia and in the Baltic area. This is the first example found this far inland in the historical region of Lesser Poland.

A team of archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IAE PAN) discovered the remains of the boat burial between two other graves, one burial mound, one with a monument designed to look like a house. It is 1.2 meters wide at the widest point and has the shape of a dugout canoe. Cremated remains were placed in the shape, although it is not yet clear whether there was an actual boat as any wooden remains have decomposed leaving only a dark stain in the soil.

The first clue to the grave’s unusual character came from a beautifully preserved silver ornament near its upper surface. Archaeologists identified it as an early medieval temple ring, decorated with hollow beads and delicate granulation—a technique in which craftsmen attached tiny metal spheres to create intricate patterns.

As excavations continued, the team recovered more than a dozen small fragments of silver jewelry, some partially melted by fire. They also uncovered pieces of ceramic vessels, charcoal, and burned human and animal bones, suggesting that the funeral involved more than the simple deposition of cremated remains.

Among the animal remains, one discovery particularly interested the researchers: a horse tooth. Its presence is unusual in the wider context of Slavic burial traditions, although Chodlik has already produced several cremation graves containing horse remains.

Chodlik is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Lublin area. It contains the remains of an early medieval settlement was centered around a fortified stronghold built by the Slavs between the 8th and the 10th century. IAE PAN archaeologists have been excavating and surveying it for 12 years, uncovering burial mounds, a cremation cemetery, arrowheads, spears, the longitudinal rampart of the stronghold and pottery fragments. This year’s dig also uncovered the remains of the early medieval settlement outside the boundary of the fortress.

To study the boat burial in detail, archaeologists have recovered all sediment, cinerary remains and debris from the site. They will be analyzed for trace materials and to identify charcoal deposits, plant remains and any other evidence from the cremation. Human teeth that survived cremation will be subjected to stable isotope analysis, if possible, which will provide information about the geographic origin and health of the deceased.

The team is currently working on creating a comprehensive 3D reconstruction by merging digital documentation of each burial layer with records of individual artifacts. Through radiocarbon dating and expert examination, researchers hope to eventually determine when the grave was built, how it was constructed, and what the funeral circumstances were like.

A small bronze artifact discovered during a search for landmines on South Korea’s Geumseongsan Mountain has been identified as Korea’s oldest gunpowder weapon. The discovery rewrites Korea’s weaponry history, predating the previous oldest firearm by at least 120 years, and possibly 180 years.

It was discovered in November 2023 by a soldier detecting landmines at the site of a planned hiking trail at the summit of the mountain. The area has been restricted since 1966 when an anti-aircraft battery was installed there, and the military has been clearing landmines to make it safe for the general public again. The object was found just four inches deep beneath a rock.

Known as a Hwangja Hwatong, meaning “Yellow-Character Hand Cannon,” the weapon is a cylinder that balloons out three thirds of the way down and ends in a slightly trumpet terminal that is a little wider in diameter that the straight cylindrical end. It is 23.75cm (9.35 inches) long with a bore diameter of 1.66 cm (.65 inches) and weighs 2.8 lbs. The trumpet end would have been mounted to the end of a long wooden staff and the device packed with gunpowder and a projectile (arrows or bullets) to fire out of the muzzle.

The handle and muzzle are inscribed with 28 characters that describe its manufacture in detail. The inscription reads: “In the 12th month of the Jeongsa year, the Hwangja Hwatong was made. It weighs one geun and 14 nyang. The supervising official was registrar An Hyu-bo, and the craftsman was Seok.” This is the first small gunpowder weapon found in Korea that is inscribed with its type name, production date, weight, plus the names of the government production manager and of the craftsman who cast it.

The inscription dates the weapon to a Jeongsa year, narrowing its creation to either December 1377 or December 1437. In 1377, the Goryeo Dynasty established its first state arms agency under the famed inventor Choe Mu-seon to counter naval raids by Japanese pirates. If it was forged in 1437, it originates from the golden age of King Sejong the Great, who spearheaded major artillery standardization.

Either timeline solidifies the hand cannon as the earliest verifiable firearm ever found on the Korean peninsula.

X-ray and metallurgical analyses revealed the cannon was cast from a traditional bronze alloy of copper, tin and lead. Researchers noted that the tin content was kept strictly below 10 percent — a precise engineering choice designed to give the barrel enough ductility to withstand explosive internal pressure without shattering. Residual traces of silver and sulfur further confirmed medieval smelting techniques rather than a modern reproduction.

The Hwangja Hwatong is now on display to the public for the first time at the National Palace Museum of Korea through November 22nd.

Six early medieval Arabic silver dirhams and fragments of two more have been discovered in the woods near Elblag, northern Poland. They date to the first half of the 9th century, although may have been circulating more than a century after that.

Archaeologists believe the coins may have belonged to merchants who were in the area to do business at the nearby Viking port of Truso, just six miles or so from Elblag. Truso was founded on Lake Druzno at the mouth of the Vistula river. It was one of several emporia of craftsmanship and trade established by the Vikings in the Baltic Sea area. Its raison d’etre was long-distance trade of goods from as far as away as southern Europe and Asia. The Vistula connected it to Baghdad Caliphate, as well as the Kievan Rus and Byzantine Empire.

Dr. Marek Jagodziński said that his research indicates that Truso was founded by the Danes on the border between Slavic and Baltic settlements as early as the late 7th century. The emporium itself operated until the early 11th century, and was then an important location in the entire network of such emporiums that had sprung up around the Baltic Sea. […]

The discovery and study of the Truso fragment provided a wealth of extremely valuable information revealing both the complexity of this site and its importance in the Baltic economic zone and long-distance trade. Increasing evidence indicates that Truso also maintained trade relations with the state of the early Piast dynasty. It was the development and expansion of this early feudal monarchy that indirectly led to the decline of the Truso emporium – in the 11th century, Truso’s function was taken over by the Piast city of Gdańsk, said Dr. Marek Jagodziński.

The coins are now undergoing conservation. Experts in medieval numismatics will examine and document them. When conservation and study are complete, the coins will go on public display at the Archaeological and Historical Museum in Elbląg.