Poland thousands of years ago

[kaima]

The world thousands of years ago
After several years of excavations, archaeologists have no doubt that the results are diametrically changing our view of prehistory and the early Medieval period – reports the daily "G³os Wielkopolski".

"Archaeology so far has generally consisted of detailed analyses, (but) now we are covering huge areas " - says Dr Jacek Kabaciñski, head of the Archaeological Salvage Team of the Poznañ division of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Science.

"For the first time in the history of Polish archaeology we have uncovered a Palaeolithic settlement over a hectare in size in which we have found at least 20 piles of flint rock connected with the shelters that once stood here. On the basis of these finds we can describe the appearance of this encampment, its layout, the way its functions were divided" - Kabaciñski informed the paper. "Due to these works along the motorway route we have for the first time the opportunity to investigate such large areas – the motorway’s lines of delimitation constitute a belt of a hundred metres and at junctions it is even more. No other research digs can compare with this."

The excavations along the motorway route continue. Time is of the essence – the work being done at a number of sites along the Nowy Tomyœl to Œwiecko section should be finished by the end of August 2006. Work has begun in Lutol Mokry, near Trzciel, on uncovering an enormous Lusatian settlement spread over four hectares. And although numerous bits of pottery, tools and graves have been found, the most surprising find is the wooden structure of a bridge that once spanned the river Obra – reports "G³os Wielkopolski".
en.naukawpolsce.pl/naukaen/index.jsp?place=Lead07&news_cat_id=269&news_id=4295&layout=2&page=text

[sciwriter]

Interesting article.
Thanks. The bridge indicates trade.

[kaima]

More discoveries at 3000 year old burial site
Archaeologists from the Jagellonian University have made further discoveries at a Lusatian burial site in Lipnik in south-eastern Poland. They have been excavating the site for eight years – informs the dig's director, Dr. Wojciech Bajer of the university's Institute of Archaeology.
Despite this summer's adverse weather conditions, they found over ten urns with human remains and items of everyday use. The contents of the urns are being evaluated on a current basis by an anthropologist accompanying the team. After a careful inspection, the finds will be deposited at one of the area's museums (in Przemyœl, Rzeszów or Przeworsk).

In the course of the Lipnik dig, the team has found nearly 400 urns with human remains. “It is the biggest burial site of its kind between Rzeszów and Przemyœl. In our assessment, the graves are 2,500 to 3,000 years old. This season we still have to check one more bit of the field. We hope that something interesting may turn up there as next to it we have unearthed traces of pottery" – said Bajer.

The archaeologists had planned to wrap up their site work here altogether but the unfavourable weather will probably force them to return next year.

Jan Miszczak, trans. ajb, ed. ajfb

en.naukawpolsce.pl/naukaen/index.jsp?place=Lead07&news_cat_id=269&news_id=4016&layout=2&page=text

[kaima]

One last one:

On the trace of the Knights Templar

The next step of archaeological research in the surroundings of the chapel of the Knights Templar in Chwarszczany, one of the most interesting sites in Poland - has started on July 17th.

Archaeologists predict the results will be sensational.

The 13th century Chapel in Chwarszczany (west Pomerania, Poland) on the river Myœla, part of the old Templars' seat, is considered to be one of the hundred most important monuments of Polish architecture – says dr Przemyslaw Ko³osowski pf the Nicholaus Copernicus University in Toruñ.

COMING FROM THE HOLY LAND

The history of the Knights Templar dates back to 1118, when seven monks made vows of poverty, chastity and obedience as well as protecting the pilgrims, to the patriarch of Jerusalem. Ten years later they constituted themselves as an order during a synod in Troyes. They received white cloaks and a rule; their motto was "Memento finis".

However, "The Poor Knights of Christ" were far from poor. They are supposed to have left huge treasures in their monasteries, although we do not know of any in Chwarszczany and hunting for it without a special permit is forbidden.

THE MYSTERIOUS POLISH MONUMENT

Currently researchers, who started archaeological research there last summer, are discovering Chwarszczany's rich history. Chwarszczany became a very important centre, when in 1291, its commander Bernard von Everstein became the preceptor of middle-eastern Europe.

The Chwarszczany complex was a farm, not a fort. However, it had two towers, which, according to Professor Ko³osowski were probably built as a demonstration of power and possibly based on their seat in the Holy Land.

The Knights Templar most probably came to Chwarszczany in the 1230s. A small granite chapel was built around 1250, and that is most probably when the knights' court was built too. About 1280 the small chapel was replaced by a larger one, which we can still see today. Parts of the smaller chapel were incorporated into the larger one.The interior of the chapel is decorated with, rapidly deteriorating, frescoes. They were painted in the 14th and 15th centuries, when the complex was taken over by the Joannites. They depict biblical stories, the evangelists, mysterious cities etc. They are about 3 metres tall and about 70 metres long in total.

It is currently estimated by professor Ko³osowski that 500 000 PLN is needed to save these frescoes.

KNIGHTS AND CONFRERES

Contrary to common opinion, the order's headquarters were inhabited by 15-30 people only seven of which were knights. The knights also welcomed confreres (men who had families) who would become members of the order for some period of time.

An example of this is Otto VI, the marquis of Brandenburg. The order was dissolved in 1312 so the Knights Templar had to leave Chwarszczany by 1320, when pope Clement V transferred all of the property to the Joannite order. A later record also tells us that the Teutonic Knights attacked Chwarszczany twice in 1433 and 1436 under Henry von Rabenstein.

SUMMER 2005

When we spoke to Professor Ko³osowski, he was telling us of his plans for summer 2005, which were: to dig on the western side of the chapel (which was part of the first chapel erected there), to look for a way across the river Myœla, as well as to check local routes, where the Knights Templar once had a customs house. His main focus for the summer was to return to the earlier discovered ruins of the knights' court in the basement of a modern house not far from the chapel.

Joanna Poros, trans. ajfb/


en.naukawpolsce.pl/naukaen/index.jsp?place=Lead07&news_cat_id=269&news_id=3994&layout=2&page=text

[sciwriter]

Click this URL for complete article:

www.newdawnmagazine.com/articles/Amazing%20Knights%20Templar.html

The Amazing Knights Templar

By David Hatcher Childress
The Knights Templar have been associated with all sorts of
incredible activities including: having the Ark of the Covenant, the
Holy Grail, a secret fleet that sailed the oceans, and an
awe-inspiring self-confidence and courage that made their enemies
shudder in fear.
Despite their fearsome, battle-hardened reputation, the Knights
Templar were learned men, dedicated to protecting travellers and
pilgrims of all religions, not just Christians. They were great
statesmen, politically adept, economic traders, and they were
apparently allied with the great sailor-fraternity that had created
a worldwide trading empire in Phoenician times.
Despite a great deal of negative propaganda against the Templars at
the time of their suppression, they are still known today as the
preservers of knowledge and sacred objects. While the origins of the
Knights Templar are said to go back to the building of King
Solomon’s Temple by Phoenician masons from Tyre, or even the Great
Pyramid and Atlantis, we trace their modern history from the
Crusades period of the Middle Ages.
The Knights Templar began when a group of nine "French" knights came
to Jerusalem in the year 1118 A.D. These knights petitioned the king
of Jerusalem to allow them to live in the ancient Temple of Solomon,
then partly a mosque and partly in ruins.
In his book The Mysteries of Chartres Cathedral8 the French
architect Louis Charpentier claims that the Knights Templar built
Chartres as a repository for ancient wisdom. This repository is
equal to Stonehenge, the Temple of Solomon or the Great Pyramid of
Egypt. He further claims that special knowledge about the Temple in
Jerusalem was gained by the founding group of nine knights who lived
at Solomon’s Temple starting in 1118 A.D. In that year it is
historically recorded that nine "French" knights presented
themselves to a Christian King Baldwin II of Jerusalem, and
explained that they planned to form themselves into a company with a
plan for protecting pilgrims from robbers and murderers along the
public highways leading to the holy city. King Baldwin II had been a
prisoner of the Saracens and knew of their infighting. Factions such
as the Assassins were active in Moslem politics.
They also asked to be housed within a wing of the palace, a wing
which happened to be adjacent to the Dome of the Rock mosque which
was built on the site of Solomon’s Temple.
The king granted their request and the Order of the Knights of
Solomon’s Temple or Knights Templar was born. Ten years later the
nine knights presented themselves to the Pope, who gave his official
approval to the Knights Templar. Although only nine mysterious
knights existed, a tenth joined them, who was the Count of
Champagne, an important French noble…

A mere 600 Knights with 1,000 mercenaries and 6,000 Rhodians
eventually surrendered after a long siege. In 1529 Charles V,
grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, offered Malta to the
Knights of St. John as their permanent base and they began to build
fortifications around the Grand Harbor. In 1565 the Ottoman fleet
arrived at Malta and immediately attacked the fortifications.
With 181 ships carrying a complement of over 30,000 men, the fleet
bombarded the fortress with over 7,000 rounds of ammunition every
day for over a month and finally took St. Elmo. But the Turkish
marines had suffered many casualties and could not take the other
heavily defended forts that were around the bay and inside the
island. News of reinforcements coming from Sicily caused the Turks
to retreat from the island and the Great Siege was over.

[sciwriter]

Join the Knights Templar. Carl:

www.ktemplar.com/