The oldest known stone wall unearthed in Poland dates back to II millennium BC

That was real news which spread at the turn of August and September. Unfortunately it was drowned by the famous Nazi "golden train" (the existence of the latter one wasn't even so far confirmed). So what's the story? Team of archaeologists lead by dr. Marcin S. Przybyła from the Institute of Archaeology (Jagiellonian University in Cracow) was excavating during this summer a site in Maszkowice in Małopolska region in southern Poland.

Remains of the fallen wall in Maszkowice, photo courtesy of M. S. Przybyła

Surprise awaited under the remains of the settlement from the late Bronze Age and Iron Age - it turned out that there were relics of a more than a half thousand years older settlement. Dr. Przybyła suggests that it was established not by indigenous people but colonists from the south associated with so called Ottomány culture. This settlement turned out to be completely different to those already known in Poland. The top of the hill was flattened, creating a plateau with an area of 0.5 hectares. The wall surrounding whole village was made of large, half-meter sandstone blocks joint together with clay. Reserchers estimate that the original height of the fortification facade could reach 2.7 m. Archaeologists excavated only part of it but the rest could be seen thank to geophysical research conducted in previous season.

For now its the oldest example of stone wall in the history of construction in the Polish lands. In fact next constructions made of it appeared in Poland after 2500 years. These were first Christian temples in early medieval times. That’s why settlement unearthed in Maszkowice is so unique to researchers. Of course in III millennium BC megalithic constructions were raised. So to be more precise - constructions in Maszkowice are the oldest utilitarian stone made structures in Poland.

You can read the whole story on Maszkowice in my article published on the website PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland.