Ebook: Dąbek, stan. 9 - nekropola kultur przeworskiej i wielbarskiej na północnym Mazowszu = Dąbek, Site 9 - a Przeworsk and Wielbark Culture Cemetery in Northern Mazovia

Text in Polish and English. Translation: Kinga Brzezińska.

The village of Dąbek, in the commune of Stupsk, is located about 11 km south of Mława, in the heart of the historical land of Zawkrze (Ziemia Zawkrzańska or Zawkrzeńska) that stretches between the Wkra River and its tributary — the Łydynia — and the Upper Orzyc River. The landscape of this northern part of Mazovia, part of the so-called Mława Hills, is built of distinct moraine and kame landforms, whose heights sometimes exceed 200 m above the sea level. The village of Dąbek is situated above the valley of a small watercourse called the Dunajczyk Stream, a right tributary of the Łydynia River.

The Przeworsk-Wielbark culture cemetery at site 9 is located on the left bank of the Dunajczyk, on a slight terrain elevation, rising 138.5 m above the sea level (Figs. 1–3). It is situated approx. 1.4 km in a straight line from the current bed of the aforementioned watercourse and just over 1 km to the north-east of the present-day village centre. The cemetery is located on an arable land belonging to several different owners.

The site was discovered in 1982 in the course of fieldwalking. Back then, it was described as a settlement of the Pomeranian (?) and Przeworsk cultures. As a result of the field verification that was carried out by Andrzej Grzymkowski from the Museum of Ziemia Zawkrzeńska in Mława in 1990, the site was identified as a cemetery. Due to the progressing destruction of the cemetery caused by agricultural activity, the aforementioned researcher excavated it in the years 1992–1994, 1996 and 1997. The excavations fully confirmed the sepulchral nature of the site. A total of 12 ares were excavated, and 75 features recorded, mainly Przeworsk culture graves from the late pre-Roman and early Roman period, Wielbark culture graves from the younger and late Roman period / early phase of the Migration period, as well as eight pits of an undetermined character. Almost all of the burials uncovered, with two exceptions, were cremations. Some of the features contained scarce material from the Early Iron Age (?) and the Early Middle Ages. A few of the finds from the latter horizon may be sepulchral in nature. The area of the site has not been fully excavated, although its north-western border has probably been captured.