Rare medieval brass emblem — 600 years old — discovered in Poland field. See the find
Following its discovery in a farm field in northern Poland, a chunk of engraved brass has been confirmed by historians and archaeologists to actually be a 600-year-old religious seal.
The item was first examined by Adrian Kłos, co-founder of the private archaeological firm Pogotowie Archeologiczne, or Archaeology Emergency, according to a Feb. 11 Facebook post from the company.
The brass item had one flat side and one side with a stand and ring, photos show.
The flattened side was carved with an intricate image, showing someone in a crown holding a sword and a circle, and encircled by a gothic phrase, the company said.
The image is that of St. Catherine of Alexandria, the patron saint of the Braniewo church, and the items she holds are symbols of her martyrdom, according to the company.
The piece would have been used as a seal for the church, archaeologists said, and dates to the 14th century.
The seal is somehow almost perfectly preserved, though archaeologists are unsure whether it was intentionally hidden, lost, or merely abandoned in the field, according to the company.
Archaeologists said seals from the Middle Ages are rare to find, and this piece is particularly unique because it appears to belong to the church’s parish and not to a specific rectory.
The seal would have been used by the Bishopric of Braniewo, and the image even appeared in battle, the company said.
In 1410, the symbol of St. Catherine of Alexandria was put on the Bishopric of Braniewo’s banner and displayed during the Battle of Grunwald, a conflict that is the subject of the artist Jan Matejko’s famous painting, archaeologists said.
The painting, entitled “The Battle of Grunwald,” depicts the combined Polish-Lithuanian forces battling the Knights of the Teutonic Order, a religious order from the Middle East.
The battle is seen as a final blow to the order in its plan to expand along the Baltic Sea and marked the beginning of the combined Poland-Lithuania state.
The seal was found outside Braniewo, a town on the northern coast of Poland.
Facebook Translate was used to translate the Facebook post from Archaeology Emergency.
This story was originally published February 13, 2025 at 5:55 PM with the headline "Rare medieval brass emblem — 600 years old — discovered in Poland field. See the find."
