The complete skeleton of a man believed to have been a medieval knight in the 13th or 14th century has been discovered under the location of a famous former ice cream shop in Poland.
CBS News reported that archaeologists from the ArcheoScan Archaeological and Conservation Workshop were working at the site in Gdansk, a Polish city on the Baltic coast, last month when they unearthed a limestone tombstone, which was carved with the image of a knight wearing chain mail and holding a sword and a shield.
The location was formerly home to the Mis ice cream parlor, which operated there from 1962 to 2023. It has reportedly been an active archaeological site for the last two years after a company that had bought the plot for development was required to conduct archaeological research before starting construction.
According to reports, the site has yielded several other archaeological discoveries in recent years, including an ancient city street, the remains of 12th- and 13th-century cottages, and the remains of the oldest-known wooden church in Poland.
In a post about the discovery on Facebook, researchers said the knight was buried approximately 5 inches beneath the tombstone and appears to have been about 5 feet, 11 inches tall, making him a "hefty fellow" for his time.
The knight appears to have been about 40 years old when he died, anthropologist Alexandra Pudło said in an article published on Gdansk's official website.
According to Pudło, the skeleton was well preserved, while the city's website noted the skull appeared to be in worse shape than the rest of the bones.
"This was likely a leader or someone who enjoyed special recognition and respect," Archeo Scan's Sylwia Kurzynska told broadcaster TVN.
The knight's coat of arms did not survive, however, making it difficult to determine who he served. Gdansk was captured by a German Catholic order of crusaders called the Teutonic Knights in the early 13th century, but it is unclear if the knight's burial occurred before or after the city was captured, researchers said.
An alternative theory is that he may have served the House of Sobiesław dynasty, which ruled Gdansk in the 11th and 12th centuries.
The city's Archaeological Museum will reportedly do conservation work on the tombstone, and Pudło said the skeleton will be subjected to a thorough examination, the results of which could be available by next year.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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