Migration Period cremations unearthed in Poland

Dozens of cremation graves dating to around 400 AD; the start of the Great Migration period, are being studied at Łężany, northeastern Poland, by a team from the Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw...

The burial ground was discovered accidentally in Autumn 2012 during forestry work with the initial excavations starting last year.

The necropolis consisted of single graves with exclusively cremated human remains, the ashes were interred directly in the ground in either shallow scoops or in earthenware burial urns.

Archaeologists have also located small clusters of human bones deposited in pure sand...

Uniquely for this region four cicada fibulae were found within in one grave. “So far from Baltic cultural circle we had known only three of those unique ornaments coming from the Black Sea, resembling the shape of insects – cicadas” – explains the archaeologist.

Excavations in Łężany are part of a broader research project started in 2011 by Warsaw archaeologists examining the cultural heritage of the micro-region around lakes Widryńskie and Legińskie. This find allows a broader understanding of cultural connections and movement of people during the Migration Period.

This ‘Migration’, also called the Barbarian Invasions or in German Völkerwanderung (wandering of the peoples), was a period of human migration that occurred roughly between AD 360 to 800 across Europe, marking the transition from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages.

These movements were catalysed by profound changes within both the Roman Empire and the so-called ‘Barbarian frontier’ as well as climatic changes. Migrating peoples during this period included the Huns, Goths, Vandals, Bulgars, Alans, Suebi, Frisians, and Franks, among other Germanic and Slavic tribes.

Could have. This politically correct stuff I do not know anything about and am not interested in learning. To me, the dates are either BC or AD.

You might be interested to learn that the dates are the very same, the only difference is whether it is referred to as BC (Before Christ) or BCE - (Before the Common Era) or AD - (the Latin phrase anno Domini, which means "in the year of our Lord”) or CE – (The Common Era).

But both systems still use the Gregorian calendar as their starting point.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/8737038/To-BC-or-BCE.html

Does the usage of BCE and CE carry with it the baggage of political correctness? Yes. It is now commonly used in academia and in scholarly articles in recognition that not all people in those fields are Christians, but the dividing point between BC and AD and between BCE and CE are still marked by the accepted date of the birth of Jesus, even as some Christians along with some secular scholars refute the exact date of the birth of Jesus. The demarcation line between BC and BCE and AD and CE still use December 25th year 0 as the reference point.

And FWIW, I am aware that some, even some scholars refer to BCE and CE as “Before the Christian Era” and the “Christian Era”. So feel free to substitute that if it makes you feel better

To dismiss out of hand an interesting article just because you take offence over the use of CE rather than AD and that you evidently don’t even know the difference between BC and AD) clearly shows that you really “are not interested in learning”.

Climate changes? Well, if that is really man-caused, who was burning coal, driving SUVs etc?

Seriously, though, that map really shows how badly Britain got hammered by migrations from the northern countries, doesn’t it? No wonder the literature and stories from that time period-some of my favorite literature-are all about trying to slow or stop the depredations...

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