A small spiral

The golden spiral, a part of a hoard found in 1827 in a bog, was discovered in Trzebiatów; the hoard also contained five smaller spirals (two were golden, and three were bronze), a sickle fragment, and a bronze vessel’s lid. All these items were placed inside a clay vessel. The whole assemblage was dated to the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 1300–1200 BC).

The spiral was an import from the Nordic Bronze Age culture, which was present in northern Germany, Denmark, and southern Scandinavia regions. Golden objects are found mainly in tombs and hoards placed in the ground, water, or a bog as votive gifts. They were prestigious objects, often having a cult significance, and their makers were respected people with high social status. Some golden items were laid inside special containers, such as locked caskets, bronze vessels, and wooden boxes with metal fittings. The most common hoards contained jewellery, decorative elements of weapons or furniture, and cult-related objects like disks, miniature carriages and ships, or the insignia of power. It is assumed that the jewellery could have had ritual meaning because some of the objects found in the graves show no signs of use, which indicates that they were specifically made as burial goods. Some of the golden plates are also cult-related. In addition, there is a range of objects of unknown purpose. Since some golden items had only a symbolic meaning, their purpose may remain unrecognized.

Monika Witek