Medieval fish trap discovered in Lednickie Lake - video

A team of underwater archaeologists from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń found a pot filled with fish remains while researching the debris of a medieval bridge leading to Ostrów Lednicki.

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“This is the only such monument from the 9th to 10th century found during underwater research in Poland,” – Dr Krzysztof Radka, head of underwater research, explains to PAP.

The trap was preserved in good condition. Inside it were still the remains of the caught fish – according to preliminary calculations there were more than 4,000 of them. Originally the trap looked like a narrow, oblong, pointed basket about 1.6 m long. The specimen excavated by Toruń archaeologists was made of wicker. At the time of its discovery, it was located between elements of a medieval bridge, which confirms its remote origin.

Thanks to the use of a water ejector, a device that removes bottom sediment, the researchers were able to expose the pot and then fully document it underwater with drawings and photographs, even though operations were hampered by limited underwater visibility.

“The exploration required extreme caution, as the wicker basket could disintegrate with any movement of the water. The excavation operation was complicated due to the size, state of preservation and fragility of the monument, but it seems to have been successful,” adds Dr Radka. The scientist notes that so far no one has attempted a similar operation, therefore the experience gained during the exploration and excavation is all the more valuable and will be used in the future.

The discovery was made in August. Currently, the pot is undergoing conservation work at the Museum of the First Piasts in Lednica, and the fish remains are being analysed for species. Ultimately, the excavated trap will be included in an exhibition on fishing currently under construction at the museum. The process of excavating the trap can be seen on the video below.

Since 1982, archaeologists from Toruń have been exploring the relics of two bridges leading to the Lednicki Island, where one of the most important centres was located in the early stages of the formation of the Polish statehood. To this day, monumental relics of wooden and earthen ramparts and shoreline fortifications have survived on the island. The discovered bridges – on the western side of the island – the so-called Poznań bridge, 438 m long (it is here where this year’s discovery of the pottery was made) and on the eastern side – the “Gnieźnieński” bridge, 187 m long – are among the longest structures of this type in medieval Poland. They enabled communication with the land route leading to Poznań and Gniezno. It is on Ostrów Lednicki that you can find the remains of a palace residence built in the second half of the 10th century by Mieszko I.

According to historians, it was there that Bolesław Chrobry hosted Emperor Otto III in 1000 during his pilgrimage to the grave of St. Adalbert. Ostrów Lednicki is also the hypothetical residence of Dąbrówka, Mieszko I’s wife. It is possible that the first Polish king, Bolesław Chrobry, was born here. The greatness of the place was interrupted in 1038 by the invasion of Bretislaus, Duke of Bohemia, when the bridges were destroyed.

Source: PAP – Science in Poland
Photo: M.Popek