Nowe znalezisko nagolennika brązowego z terenu Lubelszczyzny

A brown shin guard was recently discovered in a bend of the Tyśmienica River. The ornament was probably made in the Mazowsze-Podlasie center of bronze production. It can be dated to the younger section of the Early Iron Age – HaD.

In the spring in 2021, in the bend of the Tyśmienica River within the village of Czemierniki, commune loco, Radzyń district, Lublin province, a bronze shin guard was discovered. This item was quite large and massive. It was made of a rod with a circular cross-section, which narrows slightly towards the ends. In one place of the coil, the rod is heavily worn, and in its cross-section it takes the shape of a capital letter “D”. The arms do not come completely into contact with each other. Nevertheless, it can be considered that the fit of the arms of the shin guard was accurate. At the very ends there are very slightly distinguishable stamp-like thickenings. Both endings, on the edges directed to the inside of the decoration, have use-wear traces. The surface of the artefact is covered with a thin layer of very dark patina. This probably means that the shin guard rested in a humid environment. The condition of this item is very good. The surface of the artefact is covered with a multi-threaded, complicated ornament. The axis of the whole ornament could have been circles with a point in the middle (probably representing a solar disc). They were also placed on the surfaces of the ends. The space where the circles are located is limited by groups of cross bars. This space is additionally filled with combinations of diagonal lines and an ornament of hatched triangles. At the ends of the coil there are also rows of diagonal lines that are similar to zigzags. Thus, the entire surface of the item was covered with decoration. The shin guard gives the impression of long-term use. It is clearly visible that on the inside of the ring there is a lenticular dimple – abrasion or flattening. It does not appear to be a mark of pegging to prevent the shin guard from being lost. A locking wedge was rather used for this purpose. It cannot be ruled out that such a groove/abrasion/flattening of the ring was created as a result of intentional actions – in order to increase the effectiveness of the use of a wedge that blocks the ornament on the leg. It is also worth paying attention to abrasions around the slightly stamp-like endings. The abrasions are inside. It is difficult to assess unequivocally whether they were created in the process of using, when they were rubbing the body of the person wearing the shin guard. However, it could be that the edges of the endings were so difficult to wear that they were filed on purpose. Shin guards are spectacular ornaments from the Lusatian culture. They usually occurred in pairs in groups that were graves or deposits from the Early Iron Age. They were also context-free finds. They have attracted long the attention of researchers and have been considered in the context of the so-called Stanomin-type bronzes, originating from the Kuyavian center of bronze metallurgy. The shin guard from Czemierniki was probably made in one of the metalworking workshops in Mazowsze or Podlasie. Therefore, it can be considered a local product. This shin guard can be dated to HaD, as well as other shin guards made in this centre. It is noteworthy that there are no similarly decorated items here, which probably proves the existence of local workshops shaping the local style in the environment of the Lusatian culture. That is why, a question also arises whether each of the patterns somehow characterized the owners of shin guards or defined their identity (e.g. belonging to a clan, family), rank or function (?). Maybe the ornaments with solar motifs, as in the case of the shin guards from Czemierniki, characterized the functionaries of the cult? Obviously, these are questions that cannot be answered unequivocally. It seems likely, however, that in the Early Iron Age sets of ornaments – including massive shin guards – were luxury goods of the time.